mosesbotbol

We are looking at some SUV's. Here are my three general picks. Does anyone have experience with either three? Looking to keep the purchase under 27K. All models are around 2005 MY, maybe older on the G500. Would love to hear input and advice from previous owners. The right color combo is critical and perhaps my primary consideration between choosing right now as I consider them all to be "equal" beyond that. We are not doing off-roading, nor hauling a family.


Range Rover HSE or Supercharged. Do not like the Sport body style.

Porsche Cayenne Turbo. The S looks a little dated except for Titanium series (which has odd interior). Don't think I can afford the GTS.

Mercedes G500. Will have to buy a little older, but I think it will be least depreciating of the three.

Swift GT

My mom has had Range Rovers forever, she's had a Classic, '98, '03, '07, and currently a '10.

The old ones were hugely unreliable, both the Classic and the '98 had engine failures essentially. The '03 was much better but ours had a problem where the car wouldn't sense the key and therefore wouldn't allow it to turn to start it. This was when the L322 body-style was basically brand-new so they had a regional tech come out and fix the problem in our driveway (he had the entire console apart and it took a full day to diagnose and fix).

They switched to Jaguar electronics and engines (from BMW) in 2006. Our '07 had no problems whatsoever, and neither has our '10. From what I've read the Jaguar cars are ironically much more reliable and Land Rover's previous reputation for unreliability has been taken care of for the most part. The Range Rover is like nothing else to drive though, and is way more classic than the Cayenne yet more refined than the G.

mosesbotbol

Thanks for the post. So, is 2006 the first of the Jaguar based Range Rovers? I would much prefer that over BMW based.

SpudRacer

The Range Rovers are nothing but trouble, pure crap. The Cayenne has no room inside. The G500 isn't a bad choice. But, I'll give you another option.

Have you ever looked at a Mercedes R500? Car like ride height and handling, 4Matic AWD, essentially the same drivetrain as the G500, seating for 6, 85 cu ft of cargo space. I just picked up a loaded CPO example. Took delivery last Thursday. I love it. It's built on a stretched version of the ML chassis. I personally like it a lot better than the G series which has a generic SUV truck look. They are rare but can be found. A friend bought a Cayenne S a few months ago and between the looks (weird) and the cargo volume, no thanks. The Cayenne would be great for a young couple but there is no way 4 people are going skiing in a Cayenne without a roof box.

ElTianti

CTS-V wagon + a good set of snow tires. You live in MA so put the snow tires on at Labor day and take them off on the 4th July. Think of how much you'll save on summer tires!

SUV's are the focus of evil in the modern world.

s.hasan546

IMHO people who buy range rovers out of warranty are idiots.

SpudRacer

A guy I work with bought a Range Rover new. I think he said he paid over $90K. I'm constantly dropping him off at the local dealership because the damned thing keeps breaking. He hates the POS and is sick over the fact that he paid almost $100K for it. And typically, the thing has never been off road. It's purely a suburban assault vehicle.

s.hasan546

No wagon has anywhere near the cargo space of an SUV

kolyan2k

Land Rovers are fairly cheap to fix if you don't go to dealer. 02 sensor is like 80 bucks vs 300 at dealer, rebuild shock is 350 vs maybe 1000-1500 at dealer ......etc

PS. All those picks are horrible on gas. And Porsche is probably the worst choice.

I like classic Land Rover Discovery, at least its dirt cheap compared to other 3 you listed. Recently saw one like new 04 with 50k miles for 7-8k

Of course not as luxury but Jeep Cherokee Overland is one of the best off road SUVs on the road for a fraction of the cost.

Swift GT

Correct, 2006 saw an exterior update and the engine change to Jag. 2007 was an interior update and the addition of Terrain Response (off-road programs).