Is the Kalahari worth it??

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Author Message   Groovy Dude Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 12:39 pm:    I`ll be buying my first Disco this month so I stopped by a dealer ship yesterday. I really don`t need all the crap the SE comes with so I looked at the SD`s with Sun roofs and a cd player. Then I seen the kick ass yellow Kalahari. WOW i want it!!!! but is it worth it??? They want $42k for it (thats tax tags ect.). I will mainly use this ride as a daily rider but will be doing alot of off road events, use it off roading while camping and hiking..like 60% onroad 40% off road. SO are all the extras worth it or would I be better off in a SD. I`m not sure if is comes with ACE or SLS (which i don`t want). Maybe you ROver Nuts can steer me in the right direction, although i do like that GROOVY YELLOW!!! The thing is my payments on the Kalahari will only be like $100 dollors more.   Axel Haakonsen (Axel) Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 01:08 pm:    It's of course up to you, but if you are going to do any serious offroading, I would start with a basic model instead of the Kalahari. You will just be paying extra for mods that you are going to remove anyway once you realize which modifications you really want. You will be replacing the brush guard with a winch bumper, for example. It comes with rock sliders supposedly, but you would be better off bying them separately. Get a basic model and save the extra $100/month for mods and a yellow paint job. I don't know what kind of payment terms you are looking at, but if it is for example 48 months, the $100/month adds up to $4,800. In my book, that's not enough to justify a yellow color and a pair of SG sliders. You can get a lot of real mods done for that kind of money.   Eric N (Grnrvr) Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 01:09 pm:    If you got the extra hundred then go get it..   Ron Ward (Ronward) Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 07:11 pm:    Does the kalahari come in anything over than the groovy yellow color? Ron Ward   Zinhead Posted on Sunday, February 24, 2002 - 10:56 pm:    The only advantage of the Kalahari is the cool yellow paint. Other than that, you are better off pocketing the change and going after market.   JRoc Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 12:23 am:    If I had $42k to put on a Disco I could come up with a MUCH MUCH better truck than the Kalahari! First of all, MOST of what you pay for is the LOOK of a competent truck. They build that truck for people who want to impress people who don't know squat about off-road vehicles. As far as ACE or SLS you'd have to be on LSD to overpay for these BS systems. Better off with a stock SD: add lockers to front and rear, roofrack w/rooftop tent, REAL rock sliders, REAL brush guard w/winch bumper and winch, undervehicle protection, rear bumper replacement, complete suspension upgrade, upgraded tires, alpine Stereo/Navagation system, CB, IPF lights all around, trick out the engine (RPI), complete powertank system, recovery equiptment(jackmate, jack-all, pull-pal, straps, etc.), and don't forget about the kick-ass yellow paintjob w/several clearcoats to give it that high gloss, just for starters...LOL Which one do you want???   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 01:06 am:    Leave the Kalahari for the poseurs. Another point is that it won't hold it's value because it is a "limited edition". The XD's (90's customer disco version) certainly have retained little value over any other rover. Get the SD and use the money on mods. Of course, if ya gotta have the color, then do it. Or, just buy a used DI -- they are better than DII's anyway. Tom   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 01:08 am:    By the way, avoid the sunroofs, too. Rattle, rattle, break, break. They are annoying after a couple years. Tom   Dave Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 09:07 am:    The Kalahari does come in Bonatti Grey, I was at my dealer the other day and they had one. They were willing to go down to 38K for it too. They also had two yellow ones. I like the school bus look, but prefer darker colors in cars anyway.They also list the $G rocksliders as costing $450 port installed. So, you are actually getting a good deal....on the sliders at least.   steveII Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 12:32 pm:    groovy if you can afford it go for it! do what makes you happy. if you think you will regret not having the old yeller, then by all mean go for it! steveII   John Lee Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 12:34 pm:    "Then I seen the kick ass yellow Kalahari. WOW i want it!!!! but is it worth it???" Well, one cannot put a price on happiness. If you want what the Kalahari offers, then it will be worth it to you to buy it because if you don't buy it, you will be unhappy. It really doesn't matter that you're paying a few thousand extra just for the color. A Jeeper could very well accuse you of wasting money on a Land Rover when you could get the same stuff on a Jeep for much less. And he would be right. If you want it and can afford it, then go for it. If not, then don't. There is only one person in this world who can answer your question "is it worth it": you.   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 02:38 pm:    people people...!!!! do not underestimate the added traction the yellow color brings.   Groovy Dude Posted on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 07:44 pm:    OK i'm convinced, Yea the yellow is all groovy and that may add some traction hehe. But for the most part i'd be stripping off all the crap i'd be paying for except for the $G rock sliders and I was sad to find out that the cool ass Adventure rack is not included. So i'll be either going with a red SD with a cd player and maybe duel sunroofs or a stripped down SE so I can get the baby crap green color(Vienna green). Either way the price will be almost the same. I know to stay away from SLS and the ACE. So now I must ask should I get the Duel sunroofs or will they just be a pain in the arse latter on. Thank you all have been a great help and i`ve enjoyed reading this web page for the last year. WOOT come april i'll be a happy Disco owner..thank GOD I can get rid of the J33P and graduate to a superior off road truck.   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 02:34 am:    baby crap green. now you are talking. the only thing with more traction than yellow is the crazy green family of colors. the roofs are up to you, but a bud i have with a DII with 45k says his roofs are a rattlin. $1500 for sunroofs goes a long way to buying mods for the trails.... tom "willow green" pearson   Ron L Posted on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 03:23 am:    42K? 27K- 7500 mile 2000 SD 500.00 Lift 700.00 Tires 600.00 ARB 800.00 Winch 200.00 Lights And I dont ever feel "funny" about scratching it. I'm looking at an 11000.00 rack right now. 10K for the ring, that will get me permission to buy it. RL   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 02:03 pm:    ron, i am loving those numbers there.   Todd XD Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 12:25 pm:    Gee...just when I thought my 97 "yellow" XD was a great offroad vehicle. Now you gotta tell me yellow is for posers! Good thing it is covered in mud and dust most of the time!   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 01:18 pm:    todd, wash and wax that baby. don't turn it into some hunk of shit. it's ok to be a poseur.   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 01:28 pm:    todd, you misunderstand. yellow is not for poseurs. the kalahari setup is, in any color. this is defined by spending a lot of extra money to look like an offroader and have cool offroader name. the XD was a much better setup. if memory serves me correctly, it cost less than my SE (with dual roofs and CD player) new back in 97. it also had trimmed endcaps, some sort of useable skid plate(s), roof rack, black-out hood, rubber floor mats, and cloth seats with waterproof seat covers. only thing to toss out was the front brush guard, which, if removed could finance some other goodies. the XD is no poseur mobile. it is a good start at an offroad machine. the kalahari on the other hand.... tom   Todd XD Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 01:36 pm:    Ok...now I feel better. Yes the XD does come with all of those extras which helps it to be a better than stock vehicle. Of course the OME lift, ARB bull bar, winch, and sliders help! I have wondered though what the general consensus was about the XD's, if they were considered to flashy?   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 03:55 pm:    tom, XD isnt' a poseur mobile? i have one, and i know it is the greatest poseur mobile!!! believe me my friend. it's unbelievable. LOL and yes todd, it's not only flashy, but tacky. i carry a brown paper bag for wife when she rides it. LOL   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 04:36 pm:    Well, Todd. I had the option to grab a yellow one when I bought my 97. I love the color yellow when I see it on mountain bikes, motorcylces, jet skis, etc., etc. However, I just couldn't buy myself a yellow truck full of stickers (the XD I looked at had back all down the sides and some other stickers and shit all over it). It was just too much for me in that config. I also didn't like the black wheels -- too much like night-riders. Now, all that being said, if I were out shopping today for a used Disco to use 100% for wheeling like mine is today, all other things being equal, I would buy the XD over my willow green SE in a heartbeat. Tom   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 04:42 pm:    ahhh, some XD envy there.   Todd XD Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 06:20 pm:    I kinda thought about that when I bought this one, maybe I had watched too many Camel Trophy videos prior to my purchase! I have fun in it and it does get a lot of looks. Funny thing is everyone thinks I am sponsored by Land Rover...you would think LR would pay for that kind of advertising!   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 06:36 pm:    Todd, it is a great looking truck, and unique to boot. Can't go wrong there.   Zinhead Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 12:53 am:    I thought the 97 XD's actually held thier value better than the SD or SE. There aren't too many yellow rovers out there.   Ross Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 01:07 am:    Okay, All this XD talk has caught me trying to decide between two XD's. One is a 96 trek support vehicle with all of the kit and less than 70K and the other is an 97 with 77K and all of the stock kit. The 97 price is higher but overall they are very similar. What do you guys think? Is there that much difference between the 96 and 97 other than decals? Ross 97 LSE BRG "For Sale" $13K   Ross Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 09:50 am:    Check that "Trek support vehicle" It is an Eco challenge support vehicle. Ross   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 11:57 am:    zinhead, the D90s hold their values. the XDs don't as much as i wished.. Ross, i personally would go with 97. the 97 has the radio antenna on the rear side window. the 96 has the stick antenna on the front fender, and that breaks easily. the 97s have lower profile roof rack. the 96 still has the roof rails. also, check if the 96 has the rotoflex...   Ross Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 12:16 pm:    Ho, Thanks for the advice. The 96 will probably be roughly 3 grand less with lots of maintenance items covered recently. Do you still feel that way? I like the 97 better but maybe not 3 grand better. Ross   Ho Chung (Ho) Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 12:24 pm:    hmmm.... the antenna certainly ain't worth the 3 grand. did you have a chance to drive them both?   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 12:50 pm:    97 is supposed to be a better year when it comes to reliability. however, that is almost on a case by case basis. i would bargain down each one -- the 3 grand difference is the asking price, right? maybe the 96 only goes down a grand, and the 97 goes down 2-3 grand, then you are much closer in price, and i would do the 97 if the maintenance records are good. tom   Blue (Bluegill) Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 01:06 pm:    one newer model year isn't worth $3k. and if that "96 trek support vehicle" is indeed an "Eco Challenge support vehicle" then it probably hasn't seen any use more extreme than hitting the local starbucks - go for the smiling yellow Ecobaby.   Ross Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 01:29 pm:    That is the negotiated price and they are the best prices we've come to. As far as driving goes they are both over 1,000 miles away. I have a friend that is going to drive the Eco challenge truck and I'm relying on a fellow sales guide at the Rover dealer to give me his impressions of the 97. The 3grand difference is with both of them negotiated down as far as they will go. I can swap out the rotoflex and the antenna if that's the main difference. I'm going to likely swap out the front cloth seats with the newer style power fronts. I drive a lot and those power seats have much better adjustment. Thanks to all Ross Edwards 97 Disco LSE "For Sale" $13K 93K 2 owner BRG   RVR OVR (Tom) Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 01:45 pm:    Ross - Talk to me when it is time to swap. Maybe we can work something out. I am thinking about getting cloth seats in my 97 SE. Tom   Anthony Melillo (Tonym) Posted on Monday, April 01, 2002 - 09:37 am:    Recent purchase: 2002 White SD Yeah, all the loaded SEs looked really nice in the dealership, but once I got this SD home and away from all the glitz of the dealership, I fell in love with this baby. I opted for a White SD with a CD changer, Class III trailer hitch and wiring pre-installed. I'm very happy with these options and don't miss the dual roofs a bit (with all that glass it really doesn't bother me anyway). I'm also going to be adding a LR light Bar and some inexpensive Hellas. My opinion - the SD (with a few goodies) is a great way to get started in a Land Rover.   Erik Olson (Jon) Posted on Monday, April 01, 2002 - 06:47 pm:    Groovy Dude, Go with a late D1, 98 or 99 and drop about $5K on the mods. I'm sure you'll find a very low milage D1 in your area that's never seen the dirt and is still under the last year of its warranty if you look. Don't underestimate the willingness of a local used ("pre-owned") car dealer to negotiate a really good deal for you. I've seen clean <30K mile 99 D1's in the San Francisco Bay Area for less than $20k. I'm putting together my own complete dream modification package now on my 1995 D1 to include: RTE HD Sliders 2" OME Suspension Lift Dunlop Rover R/T (235.85r.16) Custom Roof Rack (built to spec.) XD9000 Winch ARB Non-Air Front Bumper Rooftop Tent ARB Rear Locker Underbody Protection (various makers) Peli Cases for all the gear This stuff comes together for around $5,500 - $7,000 depending on how much time and research you want to put into it. I'd get a very clean mall-mom D1 and build a competent truck that you won't regret when you go to sell it down the line. My .012222223 cents for what it's worth. e   jmon Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 12:30 am:    no way!!   Erik Olson (Jon) Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 07:40 pm:    Huh-way!