Help chose! Do-it-all vs separate off roader (LR Discovery vs Volvo XC90)

[Rahimdad]

@sertac buddy you have missed out on a lot. True @Gaurav bhai always sets the pace, but I have seen @Emmanuel, @Srikumar, @Javier M and countless other V6 with proper 3.5 litre engine and above making it to top of Big Red, Faya and Iftar Bowl from the front face. Even @Frederic magic little blue buddy with a manual 3.0 is far capable. I have evenb seen a 4 cylinder 2.4 litre engine make it to the top of Iftar Bowl, I will not mention any names here. Although V8 definitely carries a grunt which cannot be replicated by a V6. But starting with a weaker vehicle does allow you to learn the techniques better. I have even owned a Discovery 1  V8 3.9 litre engine, but the 190 Hp is just not enough to keep it going to the top of any reputable dune. However if you know how to use the torque on that it is like a magic carpet ride, however climbing tall dunes is not its forte.

[Javier M]

8 minutes ago, Rahimdad said:

Even @Frederic magic little blue buddy with a manual 3.0 is far capable. I have evenb seen a 4 cylinder 2.4 litre engine make it to the top of Iftar Bowl

I was there, it was awesome!

I think it makes you develop a certain skill to do a precise shifting while climbing these tall dunes. to maximise every tiny bit of torque and momentum left, doing left to right steering. I love that adrenaline, not knowing if you'll make it to the top or not, or just trying to see how far can you reach. 

Edited June 14, 2020 by Javier M

[Chaitanya D]

1 hour ago, Shadab Khan said:

Wise words @Chaitanya D! Although I am fine spending up to 100K in buying + fixing a used car assuming I can use it for the next 7 years (that's the plan at least!). I have been bitten too many times in buying very old used cars so for now I'd rather avoid the trouble  

I am now trying to find if I can extend warranty on a used car I am looking at that meets all requirements, but is nearing end of its warranty period.

I am wondering how will extending a warranty help for an offroad car?. I mean most of the things which will bear the brunt are probably not covered in warranty.( except the transmission and engine)

I am not sure if I have the correct info here , may be @Gaurav, @Rahimdad, @Srikumar , @Frederic, @desertdude and @Barry can chip in with their suggestions 

Edited June 14, 2020 by Chaitanya D

[Brette]

43 minutes ago, sertac said:

I have been with this group at pink rock, faya and big red countless time. I never seen any of the 6 cylinder car we have touched to top of the pink rock. Best one is Gaurav`s Pajero even that one is not as good as a Hemi or 6.2 Raptor. It is not logical. We are talking about at least %60 in some cases up to %100 more power. Not everyone is beginner driving those V8 like the samples in Grand Cherokee group you have. 

@sertac I have seen quite a few 3.6 scale pink rock. If you have been around when the pathfinder group is there, you will see all of them zip up and down.  A 3.6 though capable can also be tuned. The V8 in JGC  is also tuned to different specs for different vehicles, the SRT at around 500 bhp compared to the same turbo boost engine churning out over 700 bhp in the hell cat. 

Since we were specifically talking about the JGC, I had to refer to the samples in the JGC group and not to Raptors.  

Would be interesting though to start another thread on just comparisons between a V6 and V8 along with the advantages and disadvantages. 

[sertac]

12 minutes ago, Rahimdad said:

@sertac buddy you have missed out on a lot. True @Gaurav bhai always sets the pace, but I have seen @Emmanuel, @Srikumar, @Javier M and countless other V6 with proper 3.5 litre engine and above making it to top of Big Red, Faya and Iftar Bowl from the front face. Even @Frederic magic little blue buddy with a manual 3.0 is far capable. I have evenb seen a 4 cylinder 2.4 litre engine make it to the top of Iftar Bowl, I will not mention any names here. Although V8 definitely carries a grunt which cannot be replicated by a V6. But starting with a weaker vehicle does allow you to learn the techniques better. I have even owned a Discovery 1  V8 3.9 litre engine, but the 190 Hp is just not enough to keep it going to the top of any reputable dune. However if you know how to use the torque on that it is like a magic carpet ride, however climbing tall dunes is not its forte.

I think what i am saying is understood wrongly. I am not saying you need a V8 to reach top of iftar bowl or faya or big red. I am also one of the person was climbing there(except iftar bowl) with a 190hp 6cyl Cherokee and i know that 4cyl car very well i saw many crazy things that car did. Also i know very well that to learn low power vehicle is better. 

All i am trying to say is V8 has no down point when it comes to off roading and it is actually an advantage once you are climbing long dunes like very top of the pink rock, the point just before the rocks start. Also it is extra fun after you learn all the technics. Why not more power. Why not reaching the Faya with %70 gas instead of barely making there. 

Edited June 14, 2020 by sertac

[Javier M]

On 6/14/2020 at 3:35 PM, sertac said:

All i am trying to say is V8 has no down point when it comes to off roading and it is actually an advantage once you are climbing long dunes like very top of the pink rock, the point just before the rocks start. Also it is extra fun after you learn all the technics. Why not more power. Why not reaching the Faya with %70 gas instead of barely making there. 

It is definitely an advantage of course. In my opinion, not as fun. But it is subjective and everyone has different tastes.

This is me going up Iftar bowl on second gear like nothing.

I am testing and tuning my supercharged Jeep so I know what you mean more power is definitely an advantage but if you have the right power to weight ratio.

 

[sertac]

1 minute ago, Javier M said:

It is definitely an advantage of course. In my opinion, not as fun. But it is subjective and everyone has different tastes.

This is me going up Iftar bowl on second gear like nothing.

I am testing and tuning my supercharged Jeep so I know what you mean more power is definitely an advantage but if you have the right power to weight ratio.

IMG_7695.MOV

Great footage and great climb. Wrangler with a supercharger will be a great off roader. 

[Shadab Khan]

55 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

I am wondering how will extending a warranty help for an offroad car?. I mean most of the things which will bear the brunt are probably not covered in warranty.( except the transmission and engine)

Automall said their used car extended warranty covers electricals and suspension as well. Given the concerns shared by @Rahimdad, @Gaurav  (in another thread from 2017 on Carnity), and @sertac, I think having a warranty will just be assuring.

If you're curious what has scared me so much from my past experiences - I used to live in the "Rust Belt". In this area, used cars were a nightmare that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Problems would appear out of no where, and repair costs were so expensive, that poor-me graduate student is forever sore from that memory. So if I see warranty, I run to it  

Edited June 14, 2020 by Shadab Khan

[Rahimdad]

Jeep warranty has helped me a lot with my first Jeep Commander, even off-road. A proper insurance and warranty gives you a peace of mind. With Jeep they are the only dealership which allows you to make mods to your car, and maintain the warranty as long as you pay a little extra to make the mods through them. They even keep a record of it on their files so that you do not have the hassle of maintaining records for your mods. So like a lift kit they use to replace your suspension, they would void the warranty of Jeep for your suspension and replace it with the warranty offered by the company from which the lift kit is installed. If anything god forbid goes wrong they would get in touch with the company for replacements.

[desertdude]

6 hours ago, Shadab Khan said:

Hahaha omg @desertdude looks like someone pissed you off real bad  Sorry dude! But I am not THAT guy, nor do I have a fear of driving. As I said, its a lack of trust on other drivers on the road that bother me – changing lanes without signaling, tailing you even on the lanes that are not meant for overtaking, taking a left turn without signaling from two lanes right to you, cutting you off so close you have to break to save yourself, rear ending into you even when you honked – all of these have happened to me in the UAE. It's the things that are not in my control that make me nervous. Also, please this article: Road rage is very high in UAE with a lot of angry drivers, so I do think that getting flashed/honked/tailed is not a good indicator of who is a good/confident driver and who isn't, though I do agree with you one must not hold up a parking lot with no access to a rear camera 

I am not a new driver btw, driven over 200,000 KM and Alhamdulillah no accidents as of yet  (excluding one time in 2011 when a deer jumped right in front of my car from bushes adjacent to a road in rural New England, I was within speed limit). I have done basic off-roading on trails in Alaska, British Columbia, Hawaii, etc which did not require any special skills or training. I am new to serious off–roading, and given the more raw and natural trails in UAE + desert, I figured I should educate myself on what real off roading is all about.

Also I promise I won't be THAT guy

NO! I very much appreciate @sertac's comments. I have now scheduled a viewing of this GC, hearing of his positive experience with his 5.7L engine:

https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/jeep/grand-cherokee/2020/6/10/aed1714month-2015-jeep-grand-cherokee-summ-2/

Price is a bit on the higher side, will put a deposit and test drive after AD ends the travel restrictions.

 

4 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Woah what happen @desertdude again you woke up on the wrong side.....?

Not pissed or anything of the sort, just practical advice, you yourself admitted, nervous driver = not confident = afraid of driving on UAE roads hence looking to compensate or put more trust in gizmos rather than one's own ability. Guess what, everybody over here drives on the same roads and a lot have been for decades without any gizmos and we are all just fine.

Its the same concept of facing your fears by jumping in the deep end of the pool. Once you get over your "nervousness" you don't need those gizmos any more and a whole new bigger range of vehicles open up. Like everything practice makes you perfect, hence the suggestion, rent the shittiest car you can for a month, and get it out of your system. 

So instead of wasting 150-200k on a mediocre car than can barely off road and somewhat decent on road, you can get two specialty vehicles in that much one for off road and one strictly for mall crawling.