For you SRE, definitly .......BUT I can assure you that is not the case for the good Mrs Bean  ON THE WAY: BMW F21 M140i
MERCEDES GL350 - Metallic Navy Blue w/Grey interior

GOING: BMW F31 335D MSport+ xDrive Touring
GONE: Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE - Stornaway Grey w/Black Interior (wish we'd kept it )
GONE: BMW F10 520D MSport - Carbon Black
GONE:MY12 RRS SDV6 HSE Sumatra/Ivory/Grand Black Privacy glass

RRSTDV8 wrote:

mse wrote:

Mud and dirt are two different things, mud cool...dirt ugly.

Mud with no dirt is "designer" and thus sad. Now, how you differentiate between mud and dirt...?

Quote:

I hate cleaning cars

So do I. Which is why I don't do it.

My view is that there is no sadder sight than a perfectly clean 4x4. It's the equivalent of a spray tan on silicone ti ts...

Ah, I see a pattern - cleaner than your RRS is sad, dirtier than your RRS is lazy.  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

With the typical price of the new RRS and FFR north of £75k and with the spare parts cost related to these prices my mud plugging is now limited to my two wheeled toys so it stays cleaner and is easier to clean when necessary .

In fact I wonder, even though LR have always designed in tremendous off-road capability, if with so few being used in this way if the added complexity isn't just a technological burden that merely adds to their unreliability ?

I think you may be right - in the UK at least, RRS and FFRR don't really get used off road and lots are bought as badge-snob alternatives to the X5 et al by those who want a 4x4 with credibility. I wonder how many people would have bought the RRS if it was called the "Land Rover Discovery Sport".

The off road bits make the vehicles very capable (within the ability of the tyres to cope, of course) but they add too many areas for reliability to suffer too. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Mine certainly isn't the clean stock...but I'll go with that scale

I've taken mine off Tarmac 2 or 3 times and across fields etc for work a few times...but I would never go off roading in it, my disco looks after that.

The reason is simply the cost of damage and the limited opportunities ... That said if it was between being stuck and getting home, it would earn its keep. Mike

2014 Facelift Discovery

mse wrote:

The reason is simply the cost of damage

No amount of cleaning is ever going to stop it depreciating (don't look, it's doing it now ....£. Another £... ) and modern cars don't rust to the extent they used to and we all probably keep them for considerably shorter periods as well so save your time and effort. A shiney 'detailed' car will only get dirty the next time you use it, or even if it rains and then you will have to do it all over again.... Life's too short

I tend to keep vehicles for several years. To keep paintwork in perfect condition over 5+ years would cost way more than the possible difference in value between "perfect paintwork" and "paintwork commensurate with the vehicle's age and mileage". A 100k miles car has minor scratches/swirls etc. It's a fact of life.

The people who live their lives on the cusp of the depreciation wave by buying new and selling after 12-24months might benefit from perfect paintwork. When your vehicle is losing £700-£1000/month I suppose a few hundred quid spent on polish and buckets might be reimbursed by the sale price.

Buy new, sell young, get raped by depreciation. Buy second hand, sell old, enjoy the vehicle for what it is, avoid the wallet lightening pucker-factor. I know which suits me. But I'm extremely grateful to the mugs...  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Just wot he said !!

Polishing a vehicle is not "looking after it properly". That requires the owner to get things serviced on time, fixed with the correct parts, maintained mechanically to a high standard. A file full of receipts for work carried out is more important than shiny paintwork. I'd be much more impressed by a vehicle that had good quality tyres with correct wear patterns. A vehicle which had shiny paintwork but had cheap tyres fitted to aftermarket wheels would ring the odd alarm bell with me. Cheap tyres eh? Where else has money been saved? These things are expensive to run - if someone can't afford decent tyres, or a year's VED at a time (buying for 6 months at a time suggests a lack of cash) then they probably can't afford to get n iggling things fixed. The sort of niggling things that lead to expensive failures later on.

One can pay a detailer to give the thing a good going over prior to sale if the paint looks a little tired externally. A 100k vehicle is going to have paintwork that shows swirls etc. - anyone expecting factory fresh paint on a several year old vehicle is being unrealistic in my opinion. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Totally agree - i have to change my car every 12-18 months, but certainly clean cars and looked after cars fetch more.

Quote:

Polishing a vehicle is not "looking after it properly"

Quote:

I'd be much more impressed by a vehicle that had good quality tyres with correct wear patterns. A vehicle which had shiny paintwork but had cheap tyres fitted to aftermarket wheels would ring the odd alarm bell with me. Cheap tyres eh?

Its part of a package, not the only thing - but part of it...i wouldnt fit cheap anything, none branded oil, brakes or tyres (i should add a main dealer service doesn't mean well looked after either, nor does your local garage.)

A clean and polished car stays cleaner longer and is easier to clean, making it nicer overall.

Off road capability is very important to LR and to the new car, first people do off road and work them, second as they get older people will do it and finally i need mine to perform and i can throw it in some harsh conditions for work - it must always be able to do it. Mike

2014 Facelift Discovery

If I had bought a £70k vehicle I'd probably get it wrapped. Has the benefit of protecting the paintwork from all of those little scratches and stone chips that all vehicles get. On a 4x4 it also gives protection if you do decide to go for a green lane session.

When you come to sell it you can just have the wrap removed and you've got perfect paintwork on show. And so much less hassle than spending several weeks of your life with sponges in your hands. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

I'd much rather be walking my dogs for a couple of hours...  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

I didn't buy my sport to go off roading, if i wanted to go off roading then i would of bought a defender. A clean car says a lot about the owner and usually there lifestyle. I also visit a lot of clients and like my motor to look clean. A filthy mucky car also says a lot about the owner. Ive always kept my motors in tip top condition and looking good. Hence ive never had a problem selling them on and ive always got good money for them. I see it, if you look after them, then they look after you. RRSTDV8, i think it has finally sunk in that you have bought your sport for its capabilities and not for its looks unlike most of us on here, and good on you.