Romanice Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Hi all, New to the club and wanted to say hi. I have been looking for my dream LR for about a year now. Had my previous SUV totaled, and realized I needed something bigger and better. Needed something that could tow a trailer and tow a family on long trips. Obviously also needed to go real off-road, guzzle gas, intimidate others, and still be a cool everyday work vehicle. Not a long list of possible choices. Couldn't be a Jeep, in-law has a rubicon. Originally thought to go for the F-150 Raptor (2017). So I waited for specs to come out for that and then had my wife drive an f-150 and had it immediately shot down due to size. I had to shoot it down because it didn't come with a front bench seat and steering gearbox like the Power Wagon. Sorry really going off LR topic. Anyways... Last April / May I decided and figured an LR is the perfect vehicle for me. And of all those, I wanted a light exterior with a dark interior, 3rd row, and as many other included features as possible. I searched all of US for the past year, most options were on the upper east coast, Florida, Texas, LA. And for the right color combo, one came up every 3 weeks maybe and if it had the right price was gone within a week. Lots of sad nights. Fast Forward, I finally found the perfect one in Houston. Flew out after the fourth of July. Took the family and made it into a road trip to get back. Sadly it had some major issues when I arrived, but I had the autosales fix it at Land Rover, before I headed out through 120 degree Texas desert. and here we are now. Great road trip BTW but don't recommend Arizona in July. Excited to possibly meet some or many of you at the next Peninsula DItD. I am doing a program and in a "Networking" phase, so happy to meet and hear what you guys and gals do besides adventure. Thank you in advance for having an awesome club. Roman G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Welcome aboard Roman! Good story about hunting for the perfect LR4. They are getting harder to find these days and it seems half the dealers don't even know what options a given truck has (the rear locker especially). I've heard plenty of stories like yours where a buyer found what should be the perfect truck only to arrive and learn it wasn't as represented. Such is the ordeal when buying remotely! Glad you got her, and you'll be equally glad you didn't get one from the east coast or mid-west where even new vehicles rust and corrode! And no need to wait for the next DitD - we'll be out Saturday for our Monthly Off Road Gathering at Hollister Hills SVRA this Saturday. We meet at the ranger station at 10:00AM then head into the park for the day. First timers and stock rigs are welcome as are families. Bring the wife. Bring the kids. Bring lunch... Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions and I hope to see you on the trail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinw.rrc Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Welcome! I have a 2012 LR4 as well, so please let me know how I can help or answer any questions you might have. Best, Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanice Posted August 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2017 Thank you for the welcome it seems half the dealers don't even know what options a given truck has (the rear locker especially). I've heard plenty of stories like yours where a buyer found what should be the perfect truck only to arrive and learn it wasn't as represented. Very true, and I can't believe they made the 2014+ into a soccer mom car with 90% not having the rear diff, which means no rock crawl mode, or half of a decent car. On the other hand in terms of the dealer, I picked it up from a Chrysler Jeep dealer, and they had no clue what they were selling to me, which made it a bit easier to negotiate. According to the Carfax, it did spend 10k miles in Pensylvania, and that was my biggest restraint. I have a mini I picked up from an auction that was from New York as a lease return, I learned my lesson. Every person who works on the car is surprised by the rust, and deterioration that 2-3 years can do to a car. First thing, I had Houston LR do a full check specifically for rust, surprisingly the head service manager there was from San Jose, Ca. It had no rust, but some other ridiculous problems. And no need to wait for the next DitD - we'll be out Saturday for our Monthly Off Road Gathering at Hollister Hills SVRA this Saturday. As much as I want to be apart of all of these wonderful expeditions and willing to take a stock ride, my schedule is pretty packed for the next two years, not that I am not willing to move things around. My goal is to be able to do a Rubicon trip with all of you by next year. In regards to this Saturday, it's my daughter's birthday. So annoying kids, parents, and headaches is my Saturday. On a side note, I am looking for a hitch receiver if anyone has a spare or one to borrow. Need it for a labor day trip. PM me. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted August 5, 2017 Report Share Posted August 5, 2017 Now, I'm not one to say you can't run a late-model Rover down the Rubicon. In fact, I may have been the guy who did just that. But let's just say I wouldn't exactly recommend it for a nice car! I use my D1 for the serious rock work now and keep the LR3 for the moderate 'overland-y' type stuff like the Sierra Trek we're doing next week. Horses for courses and all that. Our next big crawling trip is later this fall, the Dusy Ersham trail. I won't be taking the LR3 on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoChef Posted August 15, 2017 Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Welcome to the club Roman! I have a hitch you may borrow, if you still need it. I'm in San Ramon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanice Posted August 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2017 Thanks, Enrique I am in San Ramon every weekend, Bishop Ranch 15 to be exact, I will message you directly, it will help me out. I am installing the towing wire harness, on Friday. Best, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertcrawler Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Now, I'm not one to say you can't run a late-model Rover down the Rubicon. In fact, I may have been the guy who did just that. But let's just say I wouldn't exactly recommend it for a nice car! I use my D1 for the serious rock work now and keep the LR3 for the moderate 'overland-y' type stuff like the Sierra Trek we're doing next week. Horses for courses and all that. Our next big crawling trip is later this fall, the Dusy Ersham trail. I won't be taking the LR3 on that one. Define 'run' it. Is a drag or two or 3 allowed in a 'run'? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Define 'run' it. Is a drag or two or 3 allowed in a 'run'? Sent from my iPad using TapatalkAbsolutely. Dragging is mandatory! I shall do my best to make things go a bit smoother next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lithium1330 Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Run, used in context of run over. So, could be car runs over rock, or rock runs over car. Either way, rock doesn't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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