MY STORY

My 2017 Fuji White Land Rover Discovery is affectionately named Baymax after the lovable white superhero robot from the Disney film Big Hero 6. Who's purpose was to help humanity at the sound of distress and never give up, it turns out it took that kind of perseverance for me to end up with this vehicle and here is my story...

When I learned my beloved 2009 Volkswagen Touareg TDI was being required to be sold back to VW becuase of it was illeagally programmed by VW to sacfrice power and efficiency for tailpipe emmissions when being emmissions tested but then revert to full power and emmissions during normal driving. Fixing it and keeping it wasn't an option for the 2009 & 2010 model years so I began the year long task of figuring out what I would replace it with. Sounds easy right... go test drive a few cars and figure out what I like best. Well not so easy for me, the VW was part of a small elite group of vehicles that fit my personal unique wish list. The VW didn't disappoint, in fact it raised the bar of what I would expect from future vehicles.

This was/is my short list for a new vehicle:

1) Diesel Engine

2) AWD - All Wheel Drive

3) 2 Speed Transfer Case w/traction control

4) Tow 7700 lbs or more

5) Seats 7 (I added this one, the Touareg only seated 5)

6) Fits in my garage (if it fits in my garage it also fits on trails, many large SUV's cannot,)

Summer of 2016 I began looking around and I didn't really think an SUV existed that met my short list at that time, so I figured I would end up settling, would I compromise the diesel engine or the third row seats? I wasn't sure yet... so I attended the LA auto show in November of 2016. Excited to look at the new Chevy ZR2 truck, it had a diesel engine and some cool off-road stuff that might help me look past any shortcomings, like the fact that it would only seat 5 of course. I was very disappointed after seeing the ZR2, it had very few options, no luxury, no sunroof, not much interior room, it was very basic. After looking around the auto show, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit had everything I wanted except the 3rd row and I expected that was going to be the winner for me but I didn't feel that wow factor, it was a very nice SUV but I think because so many existed on the road already and I hadn't been to happy with Fiat's build quality of late, it wasn't very exciting to me plus the Eco-diesel was not available due to similar VW emissions issues so I'd have to look at the used market.

As we left the auto show the very last booth on our way out... my eyes bulged as I saw this SUV unlike anything I had seen before, The Land Rover Discovery, a brand new vehicle from Land Rover. I immediately noticed the beautiful interior, it was just unbelievable to me, then I glanced to the rear and could see a third row. My heart was racing, I sat inside and fell in love. I immediately checked everything off my short list except, I wasn't sure if a diesel engine was available? Imagine my excitement to find out they had a diesel engine option! It was the car of my dreams, a piece of art with all the practical things I needed and everything I wanted plus so much more! There was one big problem though... the price tag! As I quickly learned Land Rover style is a very reasonable base price but after I spec'd out a DIscovery with a diesel engine, third row, tow package, 2 speed transfer case, and well I was immediately in the 70,000's just like that. I left feeling like I found my dream car but that it just wouldn't be attainable for me in the time period I had to replace my Touareg so I left not expecting I would actually own one, at least not until they started showing up on the used market.

Back home the Discovery just wouldn't leave my mind's eye. I read everything I could, I watched every video, it was hard to focus looking for other cars. In my new found love of Land Rover I did discover the LR4, it could seat 7 but I would have to settle for the gas engine as a diesel was never offered in America, which wouldn't have been to bad... I felt better about an LR4 than a Grand Cherokee as my next car. Then at some point I discovered that Land Rover had been selling the diesel engine for a number of years in their Range Rover Line and they were starting to appear on the used market however I learned the third-row could only fit very small children because it was a bit smaller vehicle, but none the less I was on the lookout for a used Range Rover Sport that would meet my criteria and maybe settle for a cramped third row for my growing kids, at least this would suffice until my younger kids out grew it in a few years. I never actually found one that met all my criteria but I did find a couple compromises. Most Range Rover Sports are not optioned with a tow package or a third row and to get both proved impossible for me with or without a diesel engine. I found one with a diesel engine and third row seat hundreds of miles away but no tow package however I learned I could add a tow package aftermarket... but it was already sold when I called to make the arrangements. I found another that had a third row and V6 gas engine and no tow package, I was considering settling on that too but it was then I found a supercharged V-8 model, a third row and no tow package so I was much more excited about that compromise and that almost became my next car I had gotten pre-approved, had it on hold and I was getting so excited about it, it wasn't a diesel but a supercharged V-8 would be fun despite the poor fuel economy, I would add the tow package I needed and no doubt this would have been a great compromise.

A few months after the auto show experience I received several emails that Land Rover was taking pre-orders for the All New Discovery, I could be one of the first to own one! For a $1,000 deposit I could design one myself exactly how I want it... one day at one point I just took a leap of faith and decided to do it, the deposit was refundable, I wasn't exactly sure how I would pay for the car yet but I figured I had 6 months to try and figure something out and really nothing to lose because the deposit was fully refundable for any reason even if I looked at the car after it was built and shipped and didn't like it! I did everything I could for 6 months to improve my credit score (not that it was bad), I paid off almost all my bills, saved extra money and the day I had waited for, which seemed like forever finally came, the vehicle arrived... but then I got this phone call... Sir, the bank wouldn't approve you. Even with a substantial down payment, good credit and virtually no debt. Apparently I had no previous history of a loan for this amount of money. I was utterly disappointed, my dream car that I designed and waited for what seemed like so long was sitting right there a few miles from me after being shipped directly from the assembly line in the UK all the way to Port Hueneme, CA (just a few miles from my house) and then to my dealer and I've prepared and planned how I would pay for it so I know with no uncertainty that I can afford it after all I had been preparing for it for months and just like that you're telling me somebody else is going to get to buy it and drive it in the same town as me. I was pretty sick that day.

It was a good thing I had The Range Rover Sport V8 in my back pocket. I had already been approved. It was my backup plan because I knew I needed a car and I had already turned-in my Touareg and had no car and to make matters worse I had a trip pre-planned, pre-paid and needed to tow my boat to a cabin at the lake we decided to take our summer vacation at this year. If the Discovery had fallen through, I was on a short timeline to get my backup Range Rover Sport purchased and setup for towing before for the big trip.

The very evening after work, as I was planning to leave to pick up the the new Range Rover Sport, my Discovery salesman called me with one last offer. He had found a way to make it happen but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. It involved leasing the car just long enough for it to depreciate to the point that I could buy it out. The bank did approve me to lease it and they did tell me the maximum dollar amount they would finance for a purchase so at the point when my lease buyout, minus my savings, equals the maximum purchase finance amount that I was approved for, I will then be able to buy it and own it (well once it's paid off of course). I expect to lease it for about year and then buy it out. Funny that the bank approves me to pay lease paymemts that are more expensive than the proposed purchase loan payments would have been. This made no sense to me but...

For a car guy like me to get his dream car, a car I designed and had built exactly how I wanted it... well it's more than just about the finances. I realize I will be paying a bit more for this car than I had originally planned by going this route but because of the timing, I couldn't really wait to get the best deal on the Discovery and I felt like the Range Rover Sport was a short term compromise that I'd end up selling eventually to get the Discovery when I was able to anyway . My previous car had been taken away from me, I had the opportunity to get my dream car that I had built exactly how I wanted, so paying a few extra dollars doesn't bother me at all. The memories and joy this car will bring will be priceless, I guarantee it! and unlike the Range Rover Sport this Discovery I will likely want to own forever.

Just like Baymax never gives up until his patients say they're satisfied, obtaining my dream car took a lot of perseverance and not giving up, a lot of hard work and a bit of faith and i did it! The Discovery has not only met the expectations set by the Touareg, it has raised the bar even higher. In a world where off-road adventure in an SUV is becoming less popular in favor of more sporty on-road performance based SUV's this very well may be the pinnacle of the off-road adventure SUV!

What's so special about the Discovery...

The new Discovery is often described as the most comfortable, capable and versatile SUV ever built.

• The Discovery can drive through over 3 feet of water

• The Discovery has almost 20" of wheel travel and can be lifted 8" from it's lowest point with the push of a button

• The Discovery has one of worlds most expensive and highest quality audio systems. Meridian home speakers sell for $65,000 - $80,000.

• It has more wheel travel than any stock vehicle including the Ford Raptor, Jeep Rubicon and Hummer H1

• It has the deepest water wading depth of any stock vehicle

• It has a towing capacity greater than many mid-size trucks

• It's one of just a few vehicles that offers a Diesel engine option and it has the most powerful diesel engine available in it's class at the time of my purchase

• The Discovery can traverse steeper hills than a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

• It has over 1 ton payload capacity, greater than many trucks!

Why this is my dream car... and not a sports car or a truck (like everyone else)...

I find adventure appealing. Being able to load my family and friends into a vehicle that can give them an experience they'll enjoy and never forget. I can take them places they've never been. Being the ring-leader of any great adventure, I am responsible for the well being and safety of my passengers and the Discovery makes me feel safe, confident and secure. It's my opinion that fast cars are really only enjoyed by the driver, passengers don't enjoy extended time being induced to high g's acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering. For me a lot of enjoyment comes from hosting and sharing the experiences in my Discovery with other people and therefore making it just as enjoyable and comforyable for them. That is one of many reasons that set the Discovery apart, being equal or greater than the most capable off-road vehicles in history like the Hummer H1 and Jeep Rubicon but making a very roomy and comfortable experience for up to 7 people.

The Discovery checks all the boxes for me. It's the Swiss army knife of vehicles.

What Land Rover represents to me...

The Discovery, here in the US represents character and uniqueness . In the US you find Jeeps at every intersection, every turn and every parking lot. When you see a Discovery, it's special, it's different!

Land Rovers are a prestigious brand in the US.

Why adventure travel, discovery and survival is so attractive to me...

To understand why you and I are attracted to something generally can be traced back to our childhood, in particular our environment during the time our brains were developing. If you lived in an environment (similar to myself) that may have led to insecurity and uncertainty or the perception of (like if your family moved a lot), the idea of a vehicle that satisfy's this deep rooted need to be safe and secure and get you out of any situation or trouble and or to be able to rescue you and your loved ones to the ends of the earth might have something to do with the appeal of a Discovery, the most capable SUV ever built.

For you and me, the Discovery may also satisfy a deep rooted need for adventure and it's ability to take you to places that can satisfy your deep rooted need for adventure and survival. Perhaps as the result of a childhood completely opposite of my previous example. Maybe your childhood was so predictable, so routine, maybe you never moved or traveled and now you have this deep rooted sense to explore and see the world!