We’ve put over 10,000 miles on our 2000 Land Rover Discovery II in the past four years.
Ever since watching John Wayne lasso rhinos in the movie “Hatari!” I’ve had a soft spot for the English rigs. (Yes, I know that wasn’t a Rover he was sitting on, but in my imagination it was clearly a Series II Rover 88.) And hence it always will be.
I’ve explored a wide variety of Land Rovers over the years, including a Series III 88, Range Rover Classic, Disco Series I and II and a RHD D90 turbodiesel.
Here in Oregon, we are lucky to have Tillamook State Forest less than 90 minutes away. The trails are well-maintained and vary from easy runs under the power lines to technical rock crawling.
Rover guru Doug Shipman found me the Disco II, with just 210,000 miles. On our first trail run we discovered some deficiencies that led to the fitting steel bumpers front and back, rock-sliders and installing the linkage to make use of the center-locking-differential. Those upgrades changed the truck from being hopeless to moderately capable off road.
Last Sunday the Pacific Coast Rover Club held its first run of the season. Club President Bruce Franklin and good friend Lou Tauber set it up, with 15 rigs assembled in Sandy, OR. We traveled up Highway 26 for a few miles, then turned off on Stillwater Creek Road, a narrow road that goes up to Trillium Lake.
I have warm memories of Stillwater Creek, as I used to have a cabin near it. When my daughter Alexandra was seven years old, I bought her a Honda XR50. I was on my XL250 and we would ride the 10 miles down Stillwater to the General Store in Rhododendron for morning coffee and donuts.
I will always recall the pride I felt as she buzzed along beside me on that mountain road, very brave and very determined.
The Rover gang had an interesting mix, ranging from Series rigs to LR3s and LR4s. LR3s have gotten to an affordable price point, and their bugs are largely worked out, so we are seeing more of them, and fewer Discos and Classics as they age out.
This was my partner Schön’s first time going off a paved road with the Disco, and she enjoyed splashing through the puddles. Though perhaps not as much as Nolan, the seven-year-old driving an LR3 while sitting on a parent’s lap.
The Rover events are unique, as there are always lots of kids and dogs around. I recall one time when we were inching along in compound low and 10 kids decided to have a footrace with the Rovers. The kids won.
I welcome the official start of Rover season, and look forward to more events, getting our rigs dirty and stuck in the snow. Then celebrating the messes we managed to get ourselves out of.
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Keith. Having owned 3 Rovers in past years , the “Electrics” were always astonishing unreliable and frustrating beyond normalcy. Even having our PDX Dealer fix the problems using “McGuiver” tricks to fix the issues was astonishing to experience !
Onto the 2019 Porsche Macan S, I found it TOO complicated to enjoy with no dipstick,
And TOO expensive to maintain. Now GONE ! For my Daily Driver I enjoy my simple and very reliable Honda Element SC, one of the BEST Small SUV,s EVER made ! Period !
[email protected] enjoy my English car. I have no interest in a Subaru Macan.
The element has nothing beyond gravel road competence.
Funny timing with the SUV poll as through no intentions of my own, I just picked up a 2 owner Toyota Sequoia last week. I was doing some work for a client and he mentioned he was going to sell the Toyota and I made he fatal mistake of asking “How much?”. After that he was determined I should have it and offered me more than twice the value of my work on trade along with very little cash. How can you say no to that? He pegged me as the sucker I am. It is now parked in the neighbors driveway as they are gone until spring which nicely solved the space problem, at least for now!
As part of your survey…
– Would you buy a classic / vintage SUV?
If YES;
– Chevy / GMC
– Dodge / Plymouth
– Ford
– International
– Jeep
– SUZUKI SAMURAI (my vote)
Further comments on Elements are necessary due their comptence .
I have owned 3. The first one i sold with 225 k miles ; the 2nd one I sold with 247 k miles and presently my SC now has 279 k miles .
All 3 have only had routine maintenance ! NO major work ! Try to match this record with any Rover or Porsche or Subaru ! Not possible ! Elements REALLY hold their value and are in high demand still !
As I recall, John Wayne was on the old pick up known as the “catching truck”. The “herding car” was a Land Rover. After that movie, I was always a Land Rover fan. Drove a couple but never owned one.