Winter is upon us once again, and according to our local government garage, 4 out of 5 snow plows are again inoperable. I refuse to move back into town and with the snow we get here (25cm today) I've been shopping for an good used SUV, not to replace anything just to get to work when the weather is bad.

Our budget for this vehicle is $15k to $20k.

So far I've driven just about everything this tiny burg has to offer and I'm not enthusiastic about any of them. They are either gutless, cheap feeling, or ride like my lawn tractor. All while getting lousy fuel mileage.

However, there is one, a 2006 Land Rover LR3. 1 owner, 100k. Now I read the reviews, studied the LR forum, and realize that this isn't a few efficient vehicle. Has multiple common faults. But it's lovely, has tons of power, and will get me through the worst storm this province can throw at me. And it comes in under budget at $12k

So here's the question:
Should I throw caution to the wind and ignore all the bad press?
(I bought a '98 XK8 after all! and kept it running for a couple years now.)

 

I believe Chevrolet Tahoe must be more reliable but could not resist owning a Discovery LR3 at all . Built quality wise my vote is for LR3