On Friday I said goodbye to my 2001 Ford Mustang Cobra Convertible and hello to a 2007 Land Rover LR3 HSE V8. I traded in the speedy steed for a weighty workhorse. The horse (or snake if you prefer) was getting old. And though her engine had 123,000 miles and was as powerful and trustworthy as she’s ever been, her body was letting go–she had a hole in her convertible top that was leaking when it rained (and we’ve seen a lot of rain lately), her trim around the top was rusting, her paint was faded and chipped, her right quarter-panel wounds needed repair and her plastic interior was squeaking and falling apart. All of these things were repairable, but I wasn’t willing to invest the money to extend her life a couple of years.
I have new requirements for my vehicle and the old ‘Stang didn’t cut it:
1. Towing
2. Comfort
3. Luxury
4. Cargo
While ’tis true I currently live on a lake and keep my boat moored, ’tis also true that one day within in the next few years I will not be so fortunate to live on a lake. Since my Grandfather’s old Ford F150 may not be around that long, I needed something with enough towing capacity to drag the boat around.
Comfort and luxury kind of go hand-in-hand. My 6-foot frame was cramped in the restricting cockpit of the Mustang. And since I’ve been doing the 4-hour roundtrip drive to Sarasota each week, my back, hips and legs have again started to bother me. I wanted something I could stretch out in, relax and enjoy my 4-hours of driving in style while listening to my podcasts. My other luxury requirement was a built-in navigation system. The iPhone mounted on the windshield was played out.
Finally, the Mustang was as good at carrying stuff as a Honda Civic is at being a muscle car. A couple of bags in the trunk and she was full. Alexandra was also in dire need of some leg room in the backseat. She’s a growing girl!
I searched the intertubes for the right vehicle–Mercedes-Benz ML350, BMW X5, Ford Explorer and Acura MDX. Nothing really moved me. Finally, after a suggestion from Uncle Jeff, I decided to look at Land Rovers. To set the record straight, Lisa suggested Land Rover prior to Uncle Jeff, but I dismissed them as being too expensive. So there, Lisa, you were right. Anyway, I found this baby at the Land Rover dealer. When I first drove her I fell in love, but she was taken. She had a sale pending. Fortunately for me, the sale fell through the next day and I was able to sweep in and snag her up.
She’s Stornoway Gray with Alpaca interior. She has 22,000 miles, 300 horses, a navigation system, bluetooth phone integration, satellite radio, 6-disc CD player, power sunroof (with 2 more moon roofs), 3rd row seats and all kinds of transmission and suspension-related doo-dads. I will one day take her off-road so I can take advantage of the snow/grass, mud rut, desert, rock scaling and descent control modes.
So far, even though it’s only day three of ownership, I absolutely love her. She drives like a truck at times (which I like), and though she seems tipsy on curves, she feels thoroughly solid and well-built. She’s quiet, comfortable, smart and practical… as in her features make sense. What she is not is fuel efficient. But I forgive her for that as the old horse was just as thirsty.
