I'm a little confused in the head at this point, and I'll be the first to admit it!
I've ONLY ever had sports cars.. a restored/modified estoril blue M3 coupe, which I sold when someone t-boned me running a stop sign, for a new-style torch red mustang gt (don't ask) which came out amazingly well with extensive aftermarket body panels and misc. mods.
BUT I'm sick of babysitting these cars. I can't take them on road trips (ahem, $1200 summer tires that are dead in less than 2 seasons?) always dodging potholes, taping up the front for bugs/rock chips, freaking out and losing sleep over relatively "small" stuff about the vehicles. Hell, I can't even get to my girlfriends house because it's on a WILD half-eroded 25 degree up/down gravel road.
Oh, not to mention I'm just simply screwed in the winter. Or if I want to tow a horse trailer, OR if I want to bring people somewhere.
So in any event, the touareg solves all of these problems (and actually I had been looking at a 2004 when I got the mustang instead, since it was still summer and I wanted something fun - I know better now!) The girlfriend actually has a 2009 'treg, BUT the early-year touaregs had many problems, and while they are one of the most beautifully-engineered crossovers/SUVs of all time on the INSIDE, their exterior appearance is starting to look dated. This is especially true with the Touareg 2 out now (my girlfriends - so that's setting myself up to get jealous!) and the new cayennes, which look great. Realistically I can only afford the T1s (I was looking at '05s mostly.)
They do everything - hell the air suspension even lowers the front of the vehicle when you open the hood, so you can see in there easier. 7700lb tow rating, auto-levels with trailer attached.. locking center/rears, low range, 6 spd, etc etc.
BUT these things are one of the least reliable cars on the road. They're aaalmost cool enough to make me say " 'f it, it's worth it" - but not quite. Just looking at the bugs/problems section of the touareg forums makes me cringe!
So I almost drove there this morning to get a loaded V8 with extremely rare saddle brown / teak wood trim interior, xenons, air suspension, navigation, park distance, etc. I had negotiated a decent trade-in, but they were still $1.5k over the price of various other touaregs with 7k less miles! After a pushy phone call from the sales lady over there yesterday, I think I'm going to sell this mustang privately and get top dollar for it, and put the additional $$ towards...
A Land Rover LR3.
My only problem is that I'm 4589374957 % sold on Chawton White. Which I'm discovering, is totally impossible to find. Other than that, I'm looking for an '05-'07 with fewer than 45k miles, preferably with xenons and technology package (nav!) and factory tow hitch would be a plus too, since I'd have to turn around and throw $$ into that anyways if it didn't come equipped. I'm trying to stay under 25.
Blue Knob Auto - Altoona PA area used car dealer in Duncansville. Altoona PA used cars Johnstown Pennsylvania Hollidaysburg PA Duncansville Pennsylvania - this one is great, but I can't tell what features it has, and I feel like I'm paying a premium for the young "age" of it, which isn't overly important to me.
In any event, I just wanted to let you know that after reading around the forums till 3am last night (and watching various insane LR3 youtube videos) I'm pretty much hooked. I realize that reliability of the LR3 isn't necessarily stellar, however it can't be worse than the Touareg.
Either way, the LR3 sports a modern design that won't be upstaged by the newer rounded-off japanese/german crossover "suvs" which would make many mid 2000's vehicles look archaic. There's nothing worse than buying a vehicle and feeling out-dated when you roll up to something cooler at a stoplight a few weeks later! The design philosophy is SO different (and appealing) that the only thing which could make the LR3 look old, is a newer variant from Land Rover themselves.
Plus it's still got plenty of gadgets and gizmos to keep me happy - I'll miss the full-color LCD on the instrument cluster which also displays upcoming nav directions and turns, but that's a small price to pay for ending up with a more appealing overall package.
Any tips you can give me that might assist me in a search for a white LR3 would be greatly appreciated. Are there certain fixes/maintenance issues that are easily checked, that I could keep an eye out for? I've also done research about the tow ratings (and the confusion regarding posted capabilities) but am I right in concluding that this thing should be fine with an average ~2500-3000lb horse trailer plus a rather massive horse (~1200-1300lbs) for a combined weight of 4500lbs with gear? Maybe 5000 if I load up hay/water for a longer trip. Figure 10% tongue weight of 500lbs is still within limits (even those revised "lower" tongue weights that seem to be floating around.)
I know the OEM hitch and wiring kit gives you plug and play ability for the trailer hookup, but is the LR3 equipped with a standard 3-wire trailer brake controller plug in the footwell?
As far as visuals/mods are concerned - assuming I get white, I'll tint the windows fairly dark, and maybe look for some gunmetal wheels (doesn't Land Rover sell ~20" multi-spoke gunmetal wheels? I feel like I've seen them before.. maybe on the range rover?) What else should I be saving up for?
Sorry for the novel here, but a new car is obviously an important investment, and I want to make sure I've got everything covered and am heading in the right direction!
Oh and before people bash the poor 'treg too much, this is the interior of the one I almost bought today.
http://images5.ecarlist.com/photos/1...252/800/08.jpg
http://images5.ecarlist.com/photos/1...252/800/28.jpg
I'm starting to light the lighter-colored interiors, especially on the LR - hopefully I can find white / beige?
edit: sorry that LR3 link doesn't work - everything's php/java so you can only see that thing when you do a model search.
Possible convert from the dark (Touareg) side. LR3 instead?
Linear Mode
