Cars We Drive!

[Texasmade]

I saw my first Ineos Grenadier in the metal yesterday. I thought it was meant to be a Defender clone, but now it’s clear that it really isn’t. It’s more like a 90’s greatest hits mashup. I think they were inspired by the 90’s Defender, LC and JDM Nissan Patrol.

I had to laugh, though, because this one was kitted out in matte paint, brush guards, snorkel, luggage rack and side mounted “saddlebags”….while driving into the country club.

I’ve seen a handful of these and almost always driven by some white female yuppie

 

[venividivicibj]

ngl, I love how they look

 

[HRoi]

I also like the story and intention behind these. Sir Jim Ratcliffe the adventure automotive enthusiast realizes that no one makes a proper SUV anymore, so he decides to make his own. I heard stories that he actually tried to buy the old tooling and/or license the IP for the original Defender before deciding to build something from the ground up

 

[UnFacconable]

I also like the story and intention behind these. Sir Jim Ratcliffe the adventure automotive enthusiast realizes that no one makes a proper SUV anymore, so he decides to make his own. I heard stories that he actually tried to buy the old tooling and/or license the IP for the original Defender before deciding to build something from the ground up

I love to see you talking yourself into this. I tried to get the party started earlier this year with you but understand that it can take time to talk ourselves into frivolous purchases.

If you're going to LARP, you should do it with a verve that fits within your broader car portfolio.

In addition to the LARPer immaculate overlanders I mentioned a few weeks back, I've also started to see a few Ineos Grenadiers in Tahoe. I'm honestly not sure what to think about them yet. If they were reliable (powertrain is BMW B56 + ZF 8-speed, both good choices), they could be pretty interesting. I think I respect them more than G's since at least they have a more consistent ethos - eg they aren't pairing fake bull bars with summer tires. I get the appeal for people who don't like the new Defenders, but as I've said in the past, I also sort of get the appeal of the new Defender and respect what LR did with those.

 

[HRoi]

I love to see you talking yourself into this. I tried to get the party started earlier this year with you but understand that it can take time to talk ourselves into frivolous purchases.

Tbh I try to talk myself into literally every auto market segment at one point or another, but always end up buying loud semi-track cars. I rarely even drive on the track anymore!

 

[jbarwick]

So the Carfax saga is at its end and my car has an "accident" on its history. Carfax said that it can takes years for something to show up on a Carfax and there is no way of knowing if it was an accident or just a request for work based on the VIN. There are Rennlist stories where even replacing a wheel can cause Carfax accidents to pop up. More annoyed than anything but enjoying the hell out of the car. A little over 5K miles in a year but includes the 1,200 mile journey home from Colorado last year.

 

[Jr Mouse]

So the Carfax saga is at its end and my car has an "accident" on its history. Carfax said that it can takes years for something to show up on a Carfax and there is no way of knowing if it was an accident or just a request for work based on the VIN. There are Rennlist stories where even replacing a wheel can cause Carfax accidents to pop up. More annoyed than anything but enjoying the hell out of the car. A little over 5K miles in a year but includes the 1,200 mile journey home from Colorado last year.

My car was bought used. Almost 13 years old and has yet to break 100k miles. One of the advantages of being able to WFH. My goal is to drive it to the ground. Other than not having Apple Car Play and wishing it had more space I don’t have much desire to upgrade.

 

[HRoi]

So the Carfax saga is at its end and my car has an "accident" on its history. Carfax said that it can takes years for something to show up on a Carfax and there is no way of knowing if it was an accident or just a request for work based on the VIN. There are Rennlist stories where even replacing a wheel can cause Carfax accidents to pop up. More annoyed than anything but enjoying the hell out of the car. A little over 5K miles in a year but includes the 1,200 mile journey home from Colorado last year.

Oh no, that means the car is now worthless. I guess you will just have to drive the hell out of it with no conscienceand zero miserly regard for resale value or mileage 😉

 

[patrick_b]

ngl, I love how they look

I agree, the design is a perfectly executed modern interpretation of the old Defender. I suggested the Ineos or Defender for our family SUV. The fact that "Grenadier" is probably the coolest model name in the history of motorized transport did not sway my wife and we ended up with a Volvo (rhymes with Mulva).

I keep bumping into a local guy with one. His only complaint so far is the sparse dealer network so even for easy things like oil changes, he's been driving over an hour in traffic because there's no way to reset the service indicator outside the dealer.