im in the market for a new 4x4 just sold my nissan patrol which ive had from new for 12 years never let me down once awsome machine
My last daily driver was an Audi A4, which I had for 10 years and never let me down over 250,000 miles. When it came to replacement time, I logically bought another Audi A4 which has now clocked up about 120,000 miles over the past 4 years and never seen a mechanic except on scheduled maintenance. Perhaps your answer is in your question?
With regards to your options for a next 4x4, I've been considering the same options as you - Range Rover against a Landcruiser. When I'd weighed up the options, (my current P38 has done me proud for the past 11 years with 160,000 miles so far), I decided my best option is to hang on to the P38 for as long as it still drives well, which I reckon is easily another 10 years as it barely covers 10,000 per year these days.
My P38 has had a few problems, but to be honest it's only ever let me down when I've let it down. I almost got rid of it after losing faith in my local garage, before joining this forum and educating myself a bit more on how things work, and what to look out for. Armed with sufficient knowledge to fix most things before they become a problem (or have a decent idea of what to ask a proper mechanic if I'm not sure), my Rangie has had a new lease of life, mostly because I now know how to take proper care of it. I'm sure my next one will be the same.
Buying second hand, I'd be tempted by the Landcruiser for reliability, but I know I'd end up saving until I could afford a 2 - 3 year old Range rover instead. My neighbour, however, got rid of his perfectly reliable Landcruiser which he'd had from new and bought a 2 year old Range Rover Sport, which he loves. He said he couldn't fault the Landcruiser, but the Range Rover Sport is just more "fun".
Of course,
if I was you, all of this would be moot, because I'd buy a new Nissan Patrol. For exactly the same reasons my next saloon will be an Audi A4, and my next 4x4 will be a Range Rover. Whenever I find something in life that works for me, I seldom find any convincing arguments for change.
:doh:
