Newbie on the fence

B

Big_al

Member
Hello ladies and gents,

I am a newbie to the site. For what ever reason I just found it. I would lurk on the other site from time to time. This one is more my speed I think.

So here is my story... I have a 2004 S2000, black/black/black. It's not really modded. I have tein coils, 18" SSR SP1 Profs on it, and that is it. It's a fun car but I am now into some things that it can handle. I started surfing again after quite a few years out of the water. I recently took up mountain biking. Last but not least I got a German Shepherd puppy about 20 months ago and he doesn't like gettting into my S anymore. He is not about 85lbs... too big to fit. :)

So now to the part about being on the fence. I have loved FX's since they first came out. I am torn between a 04-05 Range Rover (not fun to drive... at all!), a Range Rover Sport (maybe supercharged if the price drops like most RR's do), or last but not least a FX45.

I am sorry this is so long. I like the Range for the mountain biking, the trips up the mountain and sometimes off road capability. I like the RR Sport because it can do double duty. I like the FX45 because, well, because it's sweet! The exhaust note, the handling, nissan powerplant is more reliable, and to me it started the whole trend of cross-overs.

So help a newbie out please. I realize that some will be completely biased, and that is okay. Please if you have drive the RR Sport give me your opinion of it.

Oh one more thing... For you 45ers... Was it hard to find one? I never see them at my local dealers.
 
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welcome to the Scene!

...I think for every 10 FX's sold only like 1 or 2 were 45's... so, they probably didn't supply that many new ones to begin with. Makes sense that it would be harder to find a 45 new or used.

I just happened to stumbled on to a dealership that had a killer mark down on a 03' 45 with only 30k miles... I actually went on the lot lookin' at G35's.
 
One of the things that I took in mind was the durability factor and the price factor when I compared the FX to the RR…

An FX45 is much less inexpensive than a RR or an RRS. I drove all three and my pocket book could not handle the RRS at the time. If you do choose to go Off Road the FX might not be the most ideal.

The FX is more to be driven on an even pavement or road. Not really a 4x4 in my opinion. I have not heard of allot of members raving about it's ground clearance and being able to scale some rough terrain and being able to get out of a muddy ditch…

As a mater a fact, we all recommend for you to lower it for better handling and looks.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Not from personal experience but friends with these rides all have had bad experiences with the RR sport and RR sport sc. In the shop more than on the road from what I have heard. You might get lucky and get a good one in a batch. Maybe the new model years have better build quality but the electrical was the main problem with the older models.

The FX45 on the other is very reliable (but there has been a few with problems from what I have on the boards) but not an off roader. So its up to you on what you after after. RR with off road capability but not as reliable or the 45 with no off road capability but great reliability.
 
Big_al you should definitely do some research... try Consumer Reports... I forgot to mention... another reason why I ended up going with the FX45 over previous considerations (used Subaru LegacyGT, Volvo S60R) was because Consumer Reports rated the FX45 (particularly the 03' model yr.) a "Best Buy" for used cars over $25k. That was the "deal breaker" for me.
 
There is a difference in the ride with both the RR, RRS and the FX45. The RR is nice but has a heavy feeling to it, the RRS has a very good sport ride with lots of buttons and toys which you pay for but neither compare to the straight sport ride of a FX45 espicially with mods and the price difference. But you are on the fence with the right rides (FX45 vs RRS).
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I had not heard of the problems that RRS owners are having. I will have to do some research as trainerKen recommended. Thanks again for the info.
 
trainerKEN said:
here ya go... so far... only $200 (reserve NOT met of course :rofl: )

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Infi...013QQitemZ230180967175QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Click to expand...



Nice. Not my first choice of wheels, but I can replace them. I will watch this one and see where it goes. I have been doing some research on the RRS. I have seen some of the horror stories, but I have seen a lot more praise. But bang for buck goes to the FX. Bang for buck is what convinced me to get the S2000. It may just prevail again this time around.
 
I wonder what kind of exhaust it's got... (says it's "custom") and what springs they used for lowering... even though they didn't mention anything about it being lowered...
 
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