What other vehicles did you consider buying?

parb · Dec 15, 2023

MB G wagen and the new Lexus overland was in consideration for me

rovie · Dec 15, 2023

After Land Rover announced that they would be discontinuing production of the Defender in 2016, it was clear to me that, as a Land Rover-only driver for decades, I would have to switch to another off-road vehicle. At the end of 2016, I heard about Jim Ratcliffe's idea for the first time through good contacts, believed in it and supported the project.
The Grenadier came at just the right time.
However, I wanted and still use it exclusively as a work vehicle in the countryside and not for off-road holiday trips. That's why I don't need the appropriate equipment.
I ordered a 4x4 Sprinter for travelling.
But I'm still interested in a G-wagon, which could then replace my Disco 4. However, I would then have an older version rebuilt. I deliberately don't want a status symbol to show off around town.The new models don't suit me.

AMD66 · Dec 15, 2023

Land Cruiser.

nickelnoff · Dec 15, 2023

Also checked Sprinter @rovie for quite a while but missed the boat on getting an Obereigner modified RWD model ordered before they stopped producing them. Looked at a few G280 CDI Professional from 2009 they were getting a bit too long in the tooth by 2020

AZGrenadier · Dec 15, 2023

About a year ago I got a Jag E-pace. My wife stole that and I have been driving our GX460 ever since. I like it a lot and don’t really have any desire to get anything new other then a Grenadier. Actually i did pick up an 03 Tundra in fantastic shape for 8500 bucks a couple months ago. I would be very content to drive that as well and would buy a new one of those in a heartbeat. Honestly there aren’t any new cars that I feel give me the value I am looking for. Nothing reaches out to me like the Grenny does. A 50k Tacoma isn’t the same value in my eyes. A 70k dollar Dodge, no way. But for some reason 100k on a basic 4x4 seems like a fantastic deal to me. I fully expect to have some growing pains with it. I tell all my friends “it’s the very first car from a brand new car company. Designed in England, engineered in Austria and built in France, what could possibly go wrong”. But the reality is I think I am going to love the truck in 15 years more than I do today. And I don’t even have it yet.

S52 · Dec 16, 2023

New Defender, G-Wagon (preowned).

After seeing the IG at SEMA in person it was love at first sight and immediately dropped those two from consideration.

74CampySuperRecord · Dec 16, 2023

I was tempted to throw money into upgrading my completely stock 1997 LX450 with 107k original miles on the odometer. I would rather keep it stock.

Znarfgh · Dec 20, 2023

I have two vehicles in the driveway, a Td5 Discovery 2 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel. Neither quite do what I want them to - the Land Rover is great off road and has been built up over many years but is a terrible tow vehicle - it's just underpowered. The Jeep is great at towing but not as good off road as the Land Rover (ground clearance being the primary issue). Neither is particularly reliable, and both have left me stranded at the worst of times (is there ever a good time for a breakdown?)

My next vehicle had to strictly match the following criteria:

Coil sprung live axles front and rear (like the Land Rover) - (IFS is not an acceptable substitute for me)
6 cylinder diesel engine (preferably inline six) with at least 184Kw (like the JGC.)
8 Speed automatic gearbox (love the ZF in the Jeep)
2 Speed transfer box with mechanical linkage
Reliability (although this is not yet proven the basics look bullet proof)

Everything else was relatively negotiable.

The only vehicles that come close to my must haves are the G Wagon (too expensive for me), and the Wrangler (after reliability issues with the JGC I will stay well away from that brand) and the new Defender (with too many electronics and again, it's a brand I now avoid after multiple ownership).

YellowLab · Dec 20, 2023

For me - it was the AMC Gremlin Overland Edition - the forefather to the Pontiac Aztec that was my first choice. Sadly, I could not carry the requisite gallons of oil required for a trip...I'm kidding....

Tom109 · Dec 20, 2023

Sillius Soddus said:
None seriously. When I was a kid I watched a lot of nature shows. There was always a Land Rover of some sort in there so that’s what I’ve always wanted.

Same here. As a kid my parents gave me Corgi LR’s and saw them on Wild Kingdom. Hooked for life. I blame my parents.

I have owned a lot of vehicles - I currently have five. There is no other new vehicle I would buy in lieu of the Grenadier. Anything I might have considered is not even available in NA, and too pricey to import and rebuild.

255/85 · Dec 20, 2023

YellowLab said:
For me - it was the AMC Gremlin Overland Edition - the forefather to the Pontiac Aztec that was my first choice. Sadly, I could not carry the requisite gallons of oil required for a trip...
View attachment 7836418

Ew. But then I'm a wagon man. I'd definitely consider an AMC Eagle with that running gear.

YellowLab · Dec 20, 2023

255/85 said:
Ew. But then I'm a wagon man. I'd definitely consider an AMC Eagle with that running gear.

Maybe a Vega overland?

255/85 · Dec 20, 2023

YellowLab said:
Maybe a Vega overland?

Grew up next door to the guy who bought the first one in Los Angeles. I think he ordered it or something like that. I don't know whether it had a Cosworth engine in it or not. Maverick, Pinto, Bobcat, Capri, Pacer. They all sucked.

Krabby · Dec 20, 2023

YellowLab said:
Maybe a Vega overland?

AMC made the Eagle as a 4x4 in both 2 and 4 door.

LeftCoastOverland · Dec 20, 2023

Krabby said:
AMC made the Eagle as a 4x4 in both 2 and 4 door.

View attachment 7836456 View attachment 7836457

Also came with optional factory anti-gravity switch…

YellowLab · Dec 20, 2023

Krabby said:
AMC made the Eagle as a 4x4 in both 2 and 4 door.

View attachment 7836456 View attachment 7836457

Oh yes, I remember those commercials - I'm still surprised AMC lasted as long as they did.

Tom109 · Dec 20, 2023

I loved AMC! I had a '73 CJ5 V8 and then a '74 Ambassador Brougham 2dr.

Krabby · Dec 20, 2023

YellowLab said:
Oh yes, I remember those commercials - I'm still surprised AMC lasted as long as they did.

It's like every other company along the way - the only thing that kept them afloat as long as they did was JEEP. The same can be said for Willys Overland, Kaiser-Frazier/Jeep, then AMC themselves - which was bought by Chrysler mainly so they could acquire Jeep.

Trialmaster · Dec 20, 2023

Thought about a Jaguar F-Pace SVR or a Defender P400 (90).

AnD3rew · Dec 20, 2023

My last car was a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. It was a great car for the money but not what my heart desired. It was always meant to be a fill in when my Discovery 3 had aged so much I didn’t really trust it anymore and the intent was to but a New Defender when it was released because in my mind it was the Discovery 5 that should have been. However the price kept going up and up and after several bad experiences with JLR aftersales service I started having doubts. At that point I heard about the Grenadier and figured the Mitsi was doing ok so I would wait and see how it panned out. In the meantime I looked at Landcruisers, 70 series and 200 then 300 but they failed to spark any joy for me. G wagens did but got insanely expensive , Patrol was never an option as no way I want a huge V8 petrol. In the end it was basically a no brainer, I drove New Defenders a couple of times and was tempted but the lushness, but the service issues kept nagging at me so stuck to the Grenadier guns.

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What other vehicles did you consider buying?

parb

rovie

AMD66

nickelnoff

AZGrenadier

Global Grenadier #0031

S52

74CampySuperRecord

Znarfgh

YellowLab

Tom109

255/85

YellowLab

255/85

Krabby

Global Grenadier 76

LeftCoastOverland

YellowLab

Tom109

Krabby

Global Grenadier 76

Trialmaster

AnD3rew

Inch deep and a mile wide.

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