What is the cost of ownership for an expensive SUV?

Wouldn't we all love to own a Ranger Rover? We all know in today's society, the car you own represents a sign of status symbol. When you're watching those reality shows on TV, all the Beverly Hill's wives drive a nice blacked out Range Rover. For many upper middle class, they try their best to mimic them. It's not so hard to imagine them going out to the dealership with their wives looking at all the beautiful selections of  high-end luxury vehicles, including Range Rovers. So imagine this; for your beautiful wife you decide to buy her a brand new car of her choice. Soon a nice man walks out in an  astonishing Armani suit greeting you, offering a cold beverage. Before going to take a walk around the lot, the nicely suited sales person will create small talks trying to make you feel comfortable. After several more small talks and couple sips of the cold beverage the sales man offered, the awaited show around the Range Rover begins.
     Of course, what I am about to say about this car is solely my opinion. Anyways, so you take a glance at the price and you see $63,000 as the base price. You are now thinking in your head, "Man, I can't even imagine all the upgrades my wife is going to want. Does she really need the Climate comfort package ($1,500), Luxury package($4,700), Vision assist pack($1,200), wood trim($350)?! At those prices she does not need any of that!" In reality Range Rover does not sell any car without a package. Now your wife is convinced she wants the Range Rover. Great, you just walked out of the dealership $80,000 poorer. 

     You just brought a brand new car, you should  not need to go back to the dealership for a long time until your first oil change right... You are wrong!! Range Rovers are the most notorious for being unreliable. You will be back at the dealership in a heartbeat for issues you have never even heard of. You are going to take your brand new Range Rover to the dealership and they are going to tell you your EAS (electronic air suspension) has gone bad. What is an EAS?! Well that has to do with your ride height, when you are in sport mode you want your car to be lower so the EAS lowers it for you. When its time to climb some mountains you want the most clearance as possible so you put it on its highest setting.

     The funny part about the Range Rovers EAS going out is that Range Rover's best selling point of the car! So how much is that going to cost you if it does go out? $500 each, Hopefully you will have a warranty on this car. Climate Control, I would be so mad if my A/C went out during a hot day. Well guess what? If you own a Range Rover the chances of you sitting in LA traffic without A/C is highly likely.

    Driving on some rocky mountains that might be the place where you break your oil pan, correct? Nope, just with daily driving you can still get oil leaks! I really would not want to take a Range Rover on any mountain runs now. Another common failure is overheating. Paying over $80,000 for a car and running across all this issues is not cool.

So if you are planning on buying a Range Rover, please look at your bank account and make sure in the "Service Car" account you have saved up another $5,000 or so just for the first year. You can roll deep just like the Beverly Hills mom's just make sure your pockets are just as deep though!

Info credited to  http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/for.html
Pictures credited to www.caranddriver.com

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

This December the new 2013 Range Rover will be out and with some improvements. It will be much lighter than the old Range Rover, and also will have much better fuel economy. The Range Rover should be 926 pounds lighter! "How?" you may ask, well this lighter weight has a lot to do with the new all aluminum chassis.

 

For those Ranger Rover owners who want to go 'Green' should be proud: 75% of the aluminum is recycled. The vehicle's bodyside is pressed in a single panel to reduce the amount of joints which means improved body integrity. This new body is so aerodynamic that it improves air flow by 10%.

 

You will get a standard eight speed automatic with your choice of either a 375-hp 5.0 liter V-8 or a 510-hp supercharged unit in the higher trim level. 0-60 time is pretty impressive coming in at 6.5 and 5.1 on the supercharged. So guys you know what that means, you need the supercharged ones just so you can keep up with the other big boys out there.

 

New system adds a Park Assist ability, which means you don't ever have to parallel park the car again! There are other luxury features on this car, like the rear where you get an extra 4.7' compared to the old Range Rover. 29 that is how many speakers you will get in this car, with that you also get a surround camera system so you'll always know what is around you. 

 

 The British still retained the Range Rovers main use; rock climbing. A new redesigned air suspension and an intelligent four wheel drive system will get you around anything. The four wheel drive system with all for a 50/50 torque split.

 

 Some figures for this master piece. The standard HSE around $60,045 and the Supercharged $75,654.

Now that may sound like a lot of money, but compared to other cars which these features this is a really good deal, if you ask me.

Info and Pictures Credited to www.motortrend.com