Luxury car for £6000...
- Thread starter Transform_IT
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Caporegime
Yep, a car famed for its wading depth was probably letting in water since it left the factory.
Soldato
I like Range Rovers in general and would happily run an older one, despite all the panic and hysteria you get when you mention them on forums. However, I'm not sure I'd go for a TDV8, or indeed any diesel model of that age.
The TDV8 is not anywhere near as reliable as the 4.2 supercharged V8, and unless you're doing high mileage, the fuel costs won't be enough to offset the extra bills generated by a complex, older diesel. If you are doing high mileage, a 2007 Range Rover probably isn't the right car for you anyway.
One of the big bills on these used to be the air suspension, but aftermarket shocks and compressors are easy to find nowadays and relatively cheap. As I said, the 4.2 S/C is a very solid engine (I've had 3 of them in different cars so far and would happily have another), as are the transmissions. Get a well looked after SC model, check all the electrical systems work, be prepared to research any possible issues yourself instead of sending it straight to the dealer, and you'll probably be fine. I ran a 2008 SC Range Rover Sport for a couple of years and loved it. Contrary to what everyone told me, nothing major went wrong, and I sold it for more than I paid for it, just like I did with the three Jags I had previously which everyone also said would bankrupt me.
The TDV8 is not anywhere near as reliable as the 4.2 supercharged V8, and unless you're doing high mileage, the fuel costs won't be enough to offset the extra bills generated by a complex, older diesel. If you are doing high mileage, a 2007 Range Rover probably isn't the right car for you anyway.
One of the big bills on these used to be the air suspension, but aftermarket shocks and compressors are easy to find nowadays and relatively cheap. As I said, the 4.2 S/C is a very solid engine (I've had 3 of them in different cars so far and would happily have another), as are the transmissions. Get a well looked after SC model, check all the electrical systems work, be prepared to research any possible issues yourself instead of sending it straight to the dealer, and you'll probably be fine. I ran a 2008 SC Range Rover Sport for a couple of years and loved it. Contrary to what everyone told me, nothing major went wrong, and I sold it for more than I paid for it, just like I did with the three Jags I had previously which everyone also said would bankrupt me.
Haha was just about to post this.
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Presumably because as you constantly tell us you live in Mexico where getting cars fixed is cheap.
Most people have to pay other people to fix cars when they break and often this costs quite a bit of money, enough for you to question why you'd want to on a 6k car.
If you can fix your own car then it's a different story but most people won't be fixing their own Range Rover on the drive.
Soldato
I had 3 Jag XJs in the UK, which most people would agree are similar to a Range Rover in terms of running costs. Neither cost anything like 2-3k per year to run, and as I said, I sold them for a profit as well. Some basic work I did myself, but the majority I didn't. I totally agree that if you're the type of person to give the car to the dealer every time it breaks then yes, any older luxury car can be very expensive to run, but if you're happy to do a bit of research when something goes wrong, you can generally find a far cheaper fix. I'd advise against an older diesel for the reasons I mentioned above, but there's nothing particularly scary about a 4.2 supercharged one. The later 5.0 is a different story however.....
Soldato
I'm not sure why they would agree this and I cannot imagine it's true. The XJ is simple and lightweight in comparison. Probably why most new buyers in the era bought an S Class instead
Most likely it was coming in from the top of the doors, windows or roof. It was never taken though a river.
It wasn't noticable until it was stripped, so most owners wouldn't even know that some of the electronics are damp. Maybe it's why they go wrong so often :/
Soldato
I'm not sure why they would agree this and I cannot imagine it's true. The XJ is simple and lightweight in comparison. Probably why most new buyers in the era bought an S Class instead
My Range Rover had the same engine and transmission as two of my XJs, air suspension components cost the same, as do most of the sensors etc. And let’s not pretend that if he posted about an XJ instead of a Range Rover the responses wouldn’t be exactly the same
Soldato
deffo get the super charged over crappy diesels if you can afford it...that engine is years old and bomb proof from 2002 onwards when it was a 4.0 litre post nikel problems as I'm certain it's the same as used in Jags. However, yeah, the rangey is just not that well built, but yu never know, you could get a blinder... sometimes cars are just hit and miss. A neighbour years ago had a Honda Prelude and had nothing but problems... I mean, that's unheard of with a Honda lol
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You have to be careful, and you have to find a car which has been loved by the previous owner - but buying old luxury which has depreciated massively already is not intrinsically a worse idea than buying new luxury and having all the depreciation happen to you instead.
The people decrying how much you might lose in maintenance costs are almost definitely losing that much or more simply on the value of their own car.
I owned an Alfa 156 GTA from 4 years old to 14 years old. It lost less than £500 a year in depreciation over that period - and even that was only because I let it go cheaply to a friend for the ease and speed of the transaction.
My wife still has an Audi S4 Cabriolet which was bought at 10 years old and is now 17 years old. Judging from Autotrader prices, if we sold it now we'd have lost less than £1000 a year in depreciation. And the maintenance costs have been absolutely fine. I can't really think of anything outside of normal servicing. Maybe a replacement of one of the rads at some point?
The people decrying how much you might lose in maintenance costs are almost definitely losing that much or more simply on the value of their own car.
I owned an Alfa 156 GTA from 4 years old to 14 years old. It lost less than £500 a year in depreciation over that period - and even that was only because I let it go cheaply to a friend for the ease and speed of the transaction.
My wife still has an Audi S4 Cabriolet which was bought at 10 years old and is now 17 years old. Judging from Autotrader prices, if we sold it now we'd have lost less than £1000 a year in depreciation. And the maintenance costs have been absolutely fine. I can't really think of anything outside of normal servicing. Maybe a replacement of one of the rads at some point?
Soldato
Just watch out for steering rack failure on the LS. It's a £4k-£6k fix, reputedly, so it's a good idea to find one that's had it done. Worn suspension components and leaking hoses/radiators are among other gripes, but that's par for the course at that age and mileage. Far better than some competitors, though, on the reliability front.
Wouldn't recommend an earlier RX, despite the reliability, either (if you want something luxurious with a bit of cachet, that is). Just dull as ditchwater and not particularly gratifying.
It’s a good rule to have, if you buy any car that is 10+ years that had a high original asking price. As it will still have a fairly high repair cost. I have done this a few times in the past and been able to keep my bills down as I tend do most jobs myself.
To be fair all aging cars suffer from this. BMW are especially bad, and i had a Seat Leon which had failed door membranes too which flooded.
Associate
My sisters boyfriend had this exact car. It was forever in the garage and he spent an absolute fortune on it, it would randomly die whilst driving, air suspension issues (mega money) and then the chain snapped!
He got the engine rebuilt for £4k then sold it for a humungous loss.
It had the most uncomfortable seats I've ever sat in too
He got the engine rebuilt for £4k then sold it for a humungous loss.
It had the most uncomfortable seats I've ever sat in too
Don
I ran a 2006 4.2SC L322 for a while. I would not be looking at any of the diesel models, especially not the early 3.6 V8s. If you are looking at diesel to save a few quid on fuel then a Range Rover isn't the right car for you. This is why they are so damned cheap. If you can afford to run one, you can afford a much, much newer one.
Saying that though. If you can find a good local 4x4 place - one that looks after all the local farmers' cars - then they don't have to be mega money to fix. The L322 is a monocoque unlike the Sport and Disco of the same era and so doesn't have some maintenance items that require removing the body from the chassis to complete.
Stuff that goes on them regularly:
Transfer box
Automatic gearbox - It's a 3-tonne car at the end of the day.
Air struts
Air suspension compressor - usually caused by a failed air strut and the owner being too cheap to fix it
Turbos - mainly on early 3.6 TDV8s
Alternators - 3.6 and 4.4 diesels
EGR valves - 3.6 and 4.4 diesels
Saying that though. If you can find a good local 4x4 place - one that looks after all the local farmers' cars - then they don't have to be mega money to fix. The L322 is a monocoque unlike the Sport and Disco of the same era and so doesn't have some maintenance items that require removing the body from the chassis to complete.
Stuff that goes on them regularly:
Transfer box
Automatic gearbox - It's a 3-tonne car at the end of the day.
Air struts
Air suspension compressor - usually caused by a failed air strut and the owner being too cheap to fix it
Turbos - mainly on early 3.6 TDV8s
Alternators - 3.6 and 4.4 diesels
EGR valves - 3.6 and 4.4 diesels
