Parents had 3 Austin Maxis and a Mini 1000 between 1973 and 1987. All were very reliable. People would have you believe all BL cars were unreliable and poorly made.

Indeed, the association with Honda did wonders for Rover in later years and some good cars made, greed saw that relationship jettisoned.

My 91/2 faclift Rover 827 manual was one of the best cars i have ever owned, totally reliable fast and comfortable.

I had an 827 vitesse. Phew! went fast that one did. In 1990 left geneva at 4pm swiss time. Drove over the jura mountains to dijon-paris and then calais. In Edgware 0030 8.5 hours later. And it never let me down.

British racing green too!

That honda engine was the dogs bits...

That and my 2.5 rover 75 are my ONLY good memories since i started working for them in 1976.

Edited by oldroverboy. on 04/11/2016 at 20:24

I think LR is heading for trouble. Their new models look great (still very heavy) and are very profitable but they are still unreliable.

Once the new /Disco/Evoque leaves them standing at the road side they will soon change to something more robust.

They have abandoned the low/middle market to the Japanese and Koreans and it will be impossible to get back into that market with a tech laden unreliable truck.

Edited by sandy56 on 04/11/2016 at 23:17

I think LR is heading for trouble. Their new models look great (still very heavy) and are very profitable but they are still unreliable.

Once the new /Disco/Evoque leaves them standing at the road side they will soon change to something more robust.

They have abandoned the low/middle market to the Japanese and Koreans and it will be impossible to get back into that market with a tech laden unreliable truck.

For all their perceived unreliability - they have full production, full order books, long waiting times and huge profits.

I could name a dozen manufacturers who would love to have their prolems.

According to one of this country's foremost used car experts he gets more complaints about L-R vehicles than any other make. The flipside is that L-R owners are the most forgiving he has ever come across.

Just wish LR could lift that standard a little.

Why would they? As long as they keep selling them they will keep getting away with it. Land Rover have such a strong brand name.

Image is everything to some people. They wouldn't care if the gearbox fell out as long as they're sitting in their dream car.

It's like Harley Davidson. The Japanese build better quality bikes, but Harley's get sold for extortionate prices because of that name.

You are comparing a Honda CRV with a Discovery and you think the Disco has a poor interior and build quality?

I am sorry but the Disco 4 has an interior which near rivals the Range Rover. They are not cheap cars.

The Disco 3 was a bit more utilitarian but was cheaper to buy.

I am not sure about the reliability of LR or Jags, but I suspect they are not much different to modern premium brands- once you are out of warranty you get rid of the thing as fast as you can.

Classics were clutch/cam belts etc etc in the old TDV6 engine- engine out job. Ask a local LR dealer for a quote for that!!!

These Jap pickups are cheap to buy- you are looking at £20K for a new Navara, keep it 3 years and run to 80,000 miles, sell at auction and get 10K- cheap motoring.

It is a complere myth that nothing but a Defender cannot off-road- they are practically unheard of in Australia or the US, they have their own native vehicles and get on fine with them.

I am sure the New Defender will share nothing with it's precedessor but the same and that will be a VERY good thing. A more refined motor and gearbox, chunky looks, some go anywhere ability and a nifty suspension and drive train and a stiff price tag to match will see the thing sell in hordes in Chelsea and New York. That is how LR make money now, not flogging arachaic vehicles to farmers.