The car you drive defines you

What is the type of your car?
It is a Land Rover Discovery 3, 2008 model with a diesel engine TDV6.

How long have you had it?
It’s now been one year and four months

How much did you buy it?
I bought it at $48,000 (about Shs134m) by then because the dollar was at Shs2,800.

Was it your first car?
No. I first owned a Mercedes Benz C240, Volkswagen Golf and then a Volkswagen Touareg, which I drove for three months and now the Land Rover.

How do you maintain it?
I service it regularly and its service is relatively cheaper compared to the Volkswagen Golf and the Mercedes Benz C240 that I previously owned.
In terms of repair, some of its body parts are not readily available so, I sometimes import them and for some simple servicing, I get parts from Cooper Motor Corporation (CMC).

What made you change from those Volkswagen and Mercedes to the Land Rover?
It’s just my style because the type of car someone drives speaks volumes about them.
Though I am not a family man, it’s a huge car that when I meet family members at functions, it can carry up to seven people.

What did you like about the Benz and the Volkswagen Golf?
Both cars were classy and comfortable and they were both maintainable cars but when you get some good income, you have to reward yourself where need be. So my reward was the Land Rover.
How much do you spend on its service?
For normal service, it costs between Shs1.5m to Shs2.2m, including changing the engine oil that costs Shs500,000, hydraulic fluid and some other parts.
What is the furthest you have driven this car?
The furthest has been Tororo and it took me only two hours. It’s actually much faster than the Mercedes Benz I had.
The other place is Jinja where it took me 45 minutes. Sometime back, I bet Shs200,000 with Peter Igaga (workmate) that it only takes me 45 minutes from Kampala to Jinja and I won.
But I am still waiting for my payment because he has not yet lived up to his promise.
What is the worst road experience you have had with the Land Rover?
With the Land Rover, I haven’t had any bad experience. But previously with the Benz, it had flooded around Lugogo and water soaked the engine. I only managed to remove it the following day.
When I took it to Spear Motors, I was told the engine had faults and was given a price quotation of Shs28m yet I had bought the car at Shs36m.
A week later, I got the engine of a Mercedes Benz V6, fitted it in the C240 and it worked and even became much stronger.

What are the challenges of owning this type of car?
Some of its spare parts are not readily available on the Ugandan market. This, therefore, leads to delays during times when I need the parts urgently.
Additionally, when you are driving on a dirt road, it consumes a lot more fuel than when it is on tarmac.

What are the advantages of driving this car?
Its cost is relatively cheaper and on the other hand, it is the type that is rarely broken into by thieves and if they steal any part, my insurance cover pays for it. It earns you respect amongst your peers as well.
It has an automatic Terrain Response System (TRS) where it adjusts itself when you change the road terrain and never slides when driving on a muddy road. It also has sporty features.
Its suspension is ordinary compared to the others that use air. With its suspension system, even if mud gets stuck in it, it still moves.

How much do you spend on fuel?
When I go to a fuel station, I usually do a full tank at Shs250,000 and I do this three times a month, bringing it to Shs750,000 because I rarely drive it out of town.

Where do you wash it from?
At the washing bay, I do so twice a week. Each time I take it there, I pay Shs20,000 for basic body wash. When I use a car cleaning hoover, it’s more than Shs25,000.
Does that mean you have never washed it yourself?
No, I have never. It’s a big car and washing it by myself would be a big hustle and tiresome.

How do you find Ugandan roads with this car?
There are lots of humps and potholes. If I hit humps, its 4WD system detects and it automates itself and when you go on a smooth road, it normalises.
It never gets stuck but previously when I fuelled it to full tank, it used to leak whenever I was driving uphill until I to replaced one of the leaking parts. In fact I want to sell this car.

Why do you want to sell it yet it still looks new?
I just want a change in taste.

How do you deal with motorcyclists who are fond of scratching cars?
With this car, most road users don’t come close to it. They just give you space. I also never drive downtown where there are many motorcyclists and there is usually not much traffic jam where I drive it.

And what type do you want to buy?
I want to buy an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) Range Rover mini vogue 2014/15 model.

Why do you love cars?
I do a lot of road trips and adventure in upcountry places when I have free time.

Why do you settle for specific brands?
They are unique, classy, offer the comfort I want and are also stylish

Have you ever driven a Toyota brand?
I have never owned it but I have borrowed one to rush for a meeting.

Why?
They are vulnerable to theft and they are not secure. They can be easily broken into and don’t offer the comfort like British or German-made cars.

For how long do you keep cars?
I own a car for one year and six months. For those that I have previously owned, I owned some of them for a shorter period than that.

Have you ever bought a car locally?
Yes, I bought the first one from Chatha Motors.

Do you share your car?
No I don’t, because there are many issues like accidents involved.
For insurance to cover anything that happens to it, I must be the one driving it.

What do you like about your car?
I like its V6 Diesel engine that’s very quiet but just a little noisy when starting. Its hill descent control system prevents it from runaways when descending on steep gradients.
Its four wheel electronic traction system keeps the wheel spin in low-traction conditions and its terrain response system enables it to move freely in sand, grass, gravel and muddy rocks. The onboard computer system selects the correct gear setting to alter the throttle response of the engine suitable for a given terrain.

What’s the highest speed you have ever driven?
I have driven at 160km/hr.

About the land rover discovery 3

The Discovery 3 was a high-end off-road wagon that came in three models, the S, SE and HSE, there was a choice of V6, V8 and turbo-diesel engines and a much-lauded four-wheel drive system that gave it its legendary off-road performance.
Sitting at the top of the off-road tree the Discovery 3 was the luxury equal of the European off-roaders such as the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz ML and Audi Q7.

The numbers

Shs134m
Price at which he bought the Land Rover Discovery 3, 2008 model.

Shs750,000
Amount of money he uses on fueling his car in a month.