Range Rover (L405) - experiences?

Robbo

Robbo

Robbo

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Has anyone got one of these, or owned one? Interested in any thoughts or experiences.

I've always had a soft spot for the L405, ideally in Autobiography trim. It would be an interesting change from my 7 Series - although as I've said before, I do really like it. However, it's been sat at BMW for a month now waiting for parts!

I'm well aware of their complexity so it would have to be a Land Rover approved vehicle with the warranty - but I'd always want a manufacturer warranty on any car I buy at this sort of level.

My understanding is the 4.4 V8 diesel is the one to go for as it has active anti-roll bars and corners/drives better. I have tried both and the 3.0 V6 did seem more of a boat.

The 2017 update brings a bigger screen and 2018 brought a completely new screen setup, not sure if there were other significant changes at that point. Would likely be looking at a 2018/19, but wouldn't rule out an earlier one as they still deliver the same sort of experience.
 
Buy on condition/history and as you rightly suggest, get a warranty.

In general, the biggest issue with the L405 is finding someone willing to insure you at a cost you're happy to pay - and then finding another one when it is stolen from you. When I was shopping around, one specialist insurer told me they'd stopped writing new business for them due to the roughly £1m/month they were paying out in theft claims on them. I had an email from Aviva the other day advising that there's been an uptick in the number of SUVs stolen recently, especially in London, which will make it even more tricky.
 
Find a good dealer, even if not the closest to you, and buy from the main dealer network so you get the 12 month JLR warranty.

The JLR dealer network and general customer experience is some of the most shocking i've ever experienced, oh and after the 12 month JLR warranty ends the product they sell you, as equivalent, turned out to be not worth the paper it was written on.
 
DRZ said:
Buy on condition/history and as you rightly suggest, get a warranty.

In general, the biggest issue with the L405 is finding someone willing to insure you at a cost you're happy to pay - and then finding another one when it is stolen from you. When I was shopping around, one specialist insurer told me they'd stopped writing new business for them due to the roughly £1m/month they were paying out in theft claims on them. I had an email from Aviva the other day advising that there's been an uptick in the number of SUVs stolen recently, especially in London, which will make it even more tricky.
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I have looked around a few at the main dealers and they are a mixed bag. You can tell some have been used to ferry lots of dogs around and haven't been cleaned very often, or at all...!

Thank you for mentioning the insurance, I've just requested a quote from Direct Line (who are very cheap on the 7 Series) and they won't even quote me! Hastings via Compare the Market are approx double the price I pay now, which is a bit of a pain.

Firestar_3x said:
Find a good dealer, even if not the closest to you, and buy from the main dealer network so you get the 12 month JLR warranty.

The JLR dealer network and general customer experience is some of the most shocking i've ever experienced, oh and after the 12 month JLR warranty ends the product they sell you, as equivalent, turned out to be not worth the paper it was written on.
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I haven't heard many good things about their dealers, fortunately one near me has a pretty good reputation.
 
Nasher said:
If you think the BMW situation is bad, just wait.
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In fairness BMW have been very good, they arranged a more than acceptable replacement car within 48 hours of the issue arising. Can't complain.

Land Rover's reputation isn't the best, but they have a customer base of reasonably well off people who won't tolerate much nonsense, and the Range Rover owners I know all seem happy enough.
 
Nasher said:
Haha I'm not crazy enough to own one myself.
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I've owned 3, all old ones, out of warranty. No problems with any of them, beyond regular maintenance and servicing that you'd expect with any car. If I had the budget for a recent L405 I'd go for one without a second's thought.
 
Judging by how often I see a different RR in our office car park from our M.D’s regular car I can only assume it spends a lot of time at the dealer getting fixed….

Crap image in general, poor reliability, ridiculously expensive to insure, very expensive to buy in the first place…

Why would you entertain one?
 
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Scania said:
Why would you entertain one?
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Because they are absolutely awesome cars to be in. There's very little that comes close, certainly not for the money. They are definitely a cut above the equivalent German stuff in terms of just how good they are as a place to be.
 
Everytime a RR is mentioned on here it has a barrage of bad comments and breakdown anecdotes from people who have never owned one :D
I had a 2016 Sport. SDV6. I loved everything about it except for having to clear the particle filter due the very short, low speed, inner city driving I do. Wouldn't have been an issue if I ever went near a motorway once a fortnight. I downsized to a petrol X3M40 this year because of the type (or lack of) driving I do.
I'd not hesitate to get another should my circumstances change in the next few years.
 
But then you see ones like Doug DeMuro had. With 5 figures worth of repairs at less then 10 years old. A lot of it repeated problems like faulty electronics.

All of the RRs we had at work had knacked air suspension and leaks by the time we got rid of them. Replaced with Japanese 4x4s which have been way less problematic.
 
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Not an L405 but I bloody loved my L494 SDV8 I had for 2 years. I kept it under LR extended warranty but only had to use it once for an airbag light.

It was the polar opposite to my X5 that spent more time at the dealer than at home. Everyone warned me the LR would be worse but no one who warned me had actually owned one! Seems to be if you find one that’s had a chunk of warranty work/fixes done to it, just avoid it completely.

I test drove the V6 and V8, for my use (towing) the V8 was well worth it…but the mpg is terrible even when I wasn’t towing. Think I managed 20mpg over the course of 6000 miles.

For the money I think they’re brilliant and would own one again in the future if I ever need to go back to a car that size.
 
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