On the Fence About Buying

[Jack Burton]

I have experience with a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 and 2006 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 and a bit of off roading in the USA. Mostly farm applications where there is just a field, technically there’s no road. So I have a few years left in Dubai and really want to trade in a BMW 330 before major maintenance on its 9th birthday. I always kick myself in the arse for not buying the last year of the original Defender 110 in 2016. I always loved that vehicle. I was frugal at the time and opted for a car that was sensible for where I now live. I like to go off-roading a few times a year but that’s easily accomplished here with a rental vehicle or friend.

Incredible is the engine and transmission are very similar to my 330 so it works very well and familiar.

Nine years on I find myself at a crossroads. I desperately want to offload my BMW and get something useful for the next stage. The Adamas Motor company are offering 20% down, 2 years 0% interest and 3 years 2.7% interest financing on a 2023, maybe 2024 wagon. My shelf life for working here is about 5 years before retirement then I want to go back to Spain and take up light farming again in my second career.

My problem is I can just but a new vehicle in Spain in 5 years and sell the maintenance intensive BMW now and buy a cheap Toyota.or I can buy a Grenadier and export it for relatively low cost after the payments are done and I’m ready to leave the UAE.

My ask of the forum is to ‘sell me the 2024/2025 Grenadier”

 

[UncleBuck]

I doubt anything I can say is going to 'sell' you on the wagon.

It sounds like you already drove one and have realized it is what you want.

The wagon already sold itself. So, if you are a few years away from retiring, why not get one and enjoy it.

 

[AngusMacG]

All I would say is buy one and read the forum for any questions you may have.

 

[Jack Burton]

I’m a methodical person. The hot desert can ruin a car in 5 years. Is it not better to buy a vehicle I will get utilitarian value from and buy a 2029 Grenadier in Spain? I won’t have the import costs. Look I am already sold on the idea but looking for some justification for the missus.

 

[Bruce B]

Looking for help in rationalizing a purchase of a relatively unknown, somewhat risky, incredibly cool vehicle? Why not post the question in the forum dedicated to the vehicle and frequented by fans of the brand???
Be careful as you may end up with several!
All kidding aside, I have one on order and I have asked myself just how risky this all is. What happens if Ineos looses interest in the Grenadier? Will I survive a shutdown of the company? That is the worst case scenario. As far as the design and execution, it is already a well understood vehicle with some “annoying-to-some-features”. I have no doubt that anyone who can afford one of these and who is honest with themselves about the reality of this designs abilities , will find a lot to love.
Just be honest with yourself and you will make the right decision

 

[Jack Burton]

I was walking out of my test drive and a current owner with a baby seat in the back approached me and we had a 5 minute conversation and he had nothing but praise. Granted where I live cars are typically traded in every 4 to 5 years due to affluence and local maintenance/NCT/MOT rules.

The vehicle is great. No doubt about that. I’m on the fence about waiting a few years or getting one now. It’s silly I know. I want to buy one right hand drive for my farm in Ireland and getting one now for my limited time in the UAE and eventually exporting that to Spain. That is apparently easy.

 

[Jack Burton]

I spend 90 days in Ireland and 90 days in Spain each year and 185 abroad for taxes. I plan to spend the remaining days of my life in Spain and Ireland but for the next 5 years in the sandbox. I am just looking for affirmations to buy my left hand drive grenadier now instead of an equivalent Toyota (if there is one).

 

[Jack Burton]

For for clarification I want to get the left hand drive wagon now and eventually export it to Spain and in about 4-5 years get a right hand drive Quartermaster for Ireland.

 

[Coullabus]

If you haven’t yet driven a Grenadier, get a test drive - if you can honestly say you loved it - then buy it.

If you didn’t love it - don’t buy it. QED.

To be honest, if you hankered after a pre 2016 Defender, then you should probably just buy a Grenadier. It’s everything the Defender could have been. The new Defender may be a brilliant vehicle. But it is a Defender in name, but not in spirit.

So my tip. Buy a Grenadier. You will not be sorry. Just don’t blame me if you feel it was a bum decision!

 

[Jack Burton]

If you haven’t yet driven a Grenadier, get a test drive - if you can honestly say you loved it - then buy it.

If you didn’t love it - don’t buy it. QED.

To be honest, if you hankered after a pre 2016 Defender, then you should probably just buy a Grenadier. It’s everything the Defender could have been. The new Defender may be a brilliant vehicle. But it is a Defender in name, but not in spirit.

So my tip. Buy a Grenadier. You will not be sorry. Just don’t blame me if you feel it was a bum decision!

I test drove one last week. It was great. The dealers here must be a different breed of human though. I spent an hour going through every detail and made him and I connect his phone to test the mission computer before we set off. He was getting fatigued I’d say. I used to be a US Navy pilot and like to do a full shakedown before taking a jet to fly. There were a few software gripes.

 

[Jack Burton]

I joined this forum to get the user experience as a result of an encounter with a current owner with nothing but smiles coming out of the dealership for a service. I’m just a sceptical person. Tell me the good, bad and ugly experiences.

 

[Jack Burton]

If you haven’t yet driven a Grenadier, get a test drive - if you can honestly say you loved it - then buy it.

If you didn’t love it - don’t buy it. QED.

To be honest, if you hankered after a pre 2016 Defender, then you should probably just buy a Grenadier. It’s everything the Defender could have been. The new Defender may be a brilliant vehicle. But it is a Defender in name, but not in spirit.

So my tip. Buy a Grenadier. You will not be sorry. Just don’t blame me if you feel it was a bum decision!

This is a good confirmation so far, thank you.

 

[trobex]

If it is a LHD version, then I would support anyone buying the LHD version.

 

[Coullabus]

This is a good confirmation so far, thank you.

A new company and a new vehicle, so maybe we should forgive a little. There are lots of moans on this forum about teething troubles.... and I suspect some people just like to moan; going out of their way to find imperfections. No idea why.

I bought mine secondhand - all the extras I would have ordered already fitted, 6 months old and just 1500miles on the clock. Yes, I've had a couple of software gremlins - easily fixed by a superb 'Ineos service partner'. I also had to have a new transfer box - fixed quickly and without quibble.

I've been a Defender driver for 40 years, last car was a 2008 XS Station Wagon. The Grenadier has the same cool style, handles everything I need it to, runs beautifully. My wife and I both love it.

At the end of the day, a car is very much a statement of your outlook on life; a reflection of your personality choices. A flag hat blatantly says 'this is me'.

 

[landmannnn]

Personally I am really pleased with mine, a couple of warranty issues, fixed now.
The only negatives are the HVAC (it works, but requires a fair amount of driver input compared to most vehicles) and the annoying fuel gauge which just seems to give a vague estimate of the fuel remaining.

If you a trying to rationalise a car purchase you have probably come to the wrong place. Nobody needs a Porsche to drive to work or a Range Rover to take the kids to school. Buy a pickup for your farm, buy a Grenadier because you want one.

A caveat on your plan is that the vehicle for the middle east market might not be able to be imported to Spain. For example the EU market requires a much larger bumper for pedestrian safety than the rest of the world. Worth doing some research.

 

[Pat]

I was walking out of my test drive and a current owner ninth a baby seat in the back approached me and we had a 5 minute conversation and he had nothing but praise. Granted where I live cars are typically traded in every 4 to 5 years due to affluence and local maintenance/NCT/MOT rules.

The vehicle is great. No doubt about that. I’m on the fence about waiting a few years or getting one now. It’s silly I know. I want to buy one right hand drive for my farm in Ireland and getting one now for my limited time in the UAE and eventually exporting that to Spain. That is apparently easy.

What are the specs in UAE? Usually European cars are sold with EU Specs which would make it easier? Can you buy a Grenadier Diesel vehicle here? With Ad-Blue? There are a few people travelling back to Europe by their own vehicle when leaving behind Dubai - like last year an Italian motorcycler. The nicest route would go via Iran.
Btw my dealer there was Al-Tayer ;-).

 

[DoubleDoom]

I test drove one last week. It was great. The dealers here must be a different breed of human though. I spent an hour going through every detail and made him and I connect his phone to test the mission computer before we set off. He was getting fatigued I’d say. I used to be a US Navy pilot and like to do a full shakedown before taking a jet to fly. There were a few software gripes.

There shouldnt be any software gripes on an MY24. (and I mean factory MY24, not what US dealers refer to MY24 which seems to straddle the MY23.5 and MY24 period). Maybe you should ask for the VIN to give you an idea of when it was built. The dealer may be tempting you with a MY23.5 which operates a different firmware to MY24. (another tell tale of real MY24s is the reverse camera fills the screen area and doesnt look like a pop up on top of the display).

 

[Jack Burton]

Personally I am really pleased with mine, a couple of warranty issues, fixed now.
The only negatives are the HVAC (it works, but requires a fair amount of driver input compared to most vehicles) and the annoying fuel gauge which just seems to give a vague estimate of the fuel remaining.

If you a trying to rationalise a car purchase you have probably come to the wrong place. Nobody needs a Porsche to drive to work or a Range Rover to take the kids to school. Buy a pickup for your farm, buy a Grenadier because you want one.

A caveat on your plan is that the vehicle for the middle east market might not be able to be imported to Spain. For example the EU market requires a much larger bumper for pedestrian safety than the rest of the world. Worth doing some research.

This isn’t a problem, the dealer told me they already did this several times to the EU

 

[Jack Burton]

What are the specs in UAE? Usually European cars are sold with EU Specs which would make it easier? Can you buy a Grenadier Diesel vehicle here? With Ad-Blue? There are a few people travelling back to Europe by their own vehicle when leaving behind Dubai - like last year an Italian motorcycler. The nicest route would go via Iran.
Btw my dealer there was Al-Tayer ;-).

Aside from Arabic writing on the wing mirrors and door sill tyre pressure sticker it is unknown. In theory there is an audible mad visual warning when you go above 120 kp/h but that didn’t happen on the test drive..some roads in this country are 140 kp/h so a car pinging me at 120 is ludicrous. Some shite cars the beeping lasts for 30 seconds. My BMW is annoying, just one beep then a constant visual warning that blocks secondary dash info. Ludicrous. I gave the sales guy that home work to find what components are different other than the Arabic mirror and sticker. To be determined. They won’t sell me an EU spec car. The cars here are only petrol.

Adamas Motors here sell the Grenadier, they seem to specialise in British inspired cars. Morgan, Lotus, rare MG and Mini, rare Porsche (I think the UK monarchy is German ancestry).

 

[Jack Burton]

There shouldnt be any software gripes on an MY24. (and I mean factory MY24, not what US dealers refer to MY24 which seems to straddle the MY23.5 and MY24 period). Maybe you should ask for the VIN to give you an idea of when it was built. The dealer may be tempting you with a MY23.5 which operates a different firmware to MY24. (another tell tale of real MY24s is the reverse camera fills the screen area and doesnt look like a pop up on top of the display).

He was trying to sell me a 2023 and some excuse about the factory is shut down until March 2025 because a dispute and change of seat supplier. His face went white when I told him ‘no problem as I want to keep my BMW until June 2025 anyway and the newer version will be available then.

I’d buy a 2023 or 2024 now and just offload the BMW but some options are only factory installed and the interiors here seem to be of a different taste. If it’s not black on black interior I don’t want it.

The car is a statement after all. Who in their right mind wants red leather seats? Gobshites.