used car hunt...

[kingfishgrapeja]

Something to note.. and it does surface from time to time in between wheelin' adventures, is that you would be hard pressed to find a 7 adult capacity vehicle that is as smooth and pleasurable to drive, even spiritedly. In most conditions and even at speeds approaching triple digits the vehicle feels as though it was carved out of one block of metal. Truly a capable touring machine.

 

[gtc]

gtc, thanks for your response.

It wouldn't be a big deal 'taking it in' if the local land rover shop was close by. It's an hour away.

But it sounds like THAT would be the biggest inconvenience, and my wife and I think the 3 rows and muscle on the beach is well worth it.

For brakes, I wouldn't hit the dealership anyway. It's a straightforward DIY, or as many other posters have mentioned in other threads, you'll save 50% or more by having an indy mechanic do the job - you can even order the parts yourself and save more (likewise with tires); this sould certainly save you the drive for regular maintenance items. The bushings can also technically be done by anyone with a wrench - I believe most people that have swapped them out have had the dealership do it so far because the vehicles have typically been under warranty during the process.

I certainly agree that the three rows are handy; I didn't think we'd use them very often, but I find myself loading people in the third row almost weekly. It's almost a bit of a minivan replacement that also does great stuff offroad - best of all possible worlds (I just turn a blind eye to the gas consumption - which I really haven't noticed much anyway).