22 replies to this topic

[Spigs]

It's amazing that most of the nay sayers have never owned Range Rovers and I'm constantly aware of the instant experts who have no personal experience.
Notice also, the number of contributers to this thread who have used Range Rovers and all have expressed good experience.
No Range Rover engines have ever suffered from porous cylinder liners! the problem was due to a change of head gasket design which was rectified and all engines fitted with the revised design  no longer loose water.
I have owned Range Rovers  since 1979 (I have had 9 altogether) and have had superb service from all of them. I currently have two P38s 4.0  and 4.6 I have converted both to dual fuel (LPG) I use both for towing, our current 'van is a Buccaneer Caravel. I have never had any problems, the 4.6 has 240,000Km on the clock (it's LHD and I've owned it from new), the 4.0 has 112,000miles on the clock and I've owned it since it was 1 year old. I service my own vehicles. They tow superbly, they are very comfortable, and safe. I have towed with other vehicles and of the other vehicles, the one that impressed me the most was my Mazda 12 valve 2.0 litre GD series 626. I have towed caravans since 1968 - Welton Miravista, Sprite Major, Elite Normandy, Bessacarr Cameo and the Buccaneer.

[Blue Louis]

 Spigs, on 23 August 2012 - 01:40 PM, said:

It's amazing that most of the nay sayers have never owned Range Rovers and I'm constantly aware of the instant experts who have no personal experience.

An excellent post, good on yer Sprigsie , personally I get totally peed of with the constant knockers of LR products who have little or no experience of them !

I am known for my liking of the brand and when it comes to the P38, yes they did have some very significant electrical problems when they were in their first flushes of youth, but they have all been well and truly sorted by now, and as for the engines, well the word bomb proof comes to mind when considering the V8's and even the gutless wonder of the BMW diesel isn't anywhere near as bad as some might make out if you accept it as a brilliant engine trying to tug a heavy beast.

I know someone who still owns a 4.0 ltr P38 who has had it virtually from new and it has now passed 500,000 miles and with the exception of the occasional puff of smoke on the over-run, it still performs like it was when new and this Scottish lad has had virtually no problems or expenses with it apart from regular maintenance and tyre changes.

But coming back to the OP; as it is a far more basic and easy to maintain beast, if it were my money I would plump for a late model 300TDi Disco in the most basic form you can find, with the lowest possible mileage.
I suggest the lowest possible spec because who needs 2 sunroofs, both of which can go wrong or leak.  When I bought my Disco new, much to the salesman's dismay I opted out of having twin roofs and elected to have a retrofit which proved to be an excellent decision on my behalf.  Alloy wheels might look good, but they are a total and expensive pain once they start to get pitted as all alloys do.

I honestly do prefer the 300TDi to the TD5 although I know a large number of people who have driven to the moon and back mileages in them and if you want a bit more ooooomph, well tweak the fuelling and fit a larger intercooler and a sports exhaust with no cat fitted.

One of the best thing about Disco's and RR's is that they simply don't wear out tyres, I regularly have got in excess of 75,000 miles to a set!

If the OP hasn't done so yet, take some time and join several of the LR forum to be found out there my own personal preference being Landrovernet.

Land Rover; some of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned and vehicles with total characters as well which is why I adore my big Blue Louis.

[Paulgkn]

 Blue Louis, on 23 August 2012 - 04:17 PM, said:

An excellent post, good on yer Sprigsie , personally I get totally peed of with the constant knockers of LR products who have little or no experience of them !

I am known for my liking of the brand and when it comes to the P38, yes they did have some very significant electrical problems when they were in their first flushes of youth, but they have all been well and truly sorted by now, and as for the engines, well the word bomb proof comes to mind when considering the V8's and even the gutless wonder of the BMW diesel isn't anywhere near as bad as some might make out if you accept it as a brilliant engine trying to tug a heavy beast.

I know someone who still owns a 4.0 ltr P38 who has had it virtually from new and it has now passed 500,000 miles and with the exception of the occasional puff of smoke on the over-run, it still performs like it was when new and this Scottish lad has had virtually no problems or expenses with it apart from regular maintenance and tyre changes.

But coming back to the OP; as it is a far more basic and easy to maintain beast, if it were my money I would plump for a late model 300TDi Disco in the most basic form you can find, with the lowest possible mileage.
I suggest the lowest possible spec because who needs 2 sunroofs, both of which can go wrong or leak.  When I bought my Disco new, much to the salesman's dismay I opted out of having twin roofs and elected to have a retrofit which proved to be an excellent decision on my behalf.  Alloy wheels might look good, but they are a total and expensive pain once they start to get pitted as all alloys do.

I honestly do prefer the 300TDi to the TD5 although I know a large number of people who have driven to the moon and back mileages in them and if you want a bit more ooooomph, well tweak the fuelling and fit a larger intercooler and a sports exhaust with no cat fitted.

One of the best thing about Disco's and RR's is that they simply don't wear out tyres, I regularly have got in excess of 75,000 miles to a set!

If the OP hasn't done so yet, take some time and join several of the LR forum to be found out there my own personal preference being Landrovernet.

Land Rover; some of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned and vehicles with total characters as well which is why I adore my big Blue Louis.

Well said that man!  All my friends bar one drive Land Rovers, and all are as pleased as punch with them.  Both of ours are wonderful vehicles each with their own personality!

[Blue Louis]

 Paulgkn, on 23 August 2012 - 05:18 PM, said:

Both of ours are wonderful vehicles each with their own personality!

And unlike some/most of the crud vehicles from the far east LR's do have a personality all of their own .................

[fishman]

Certainly dont want to argue or spoil post, However after nearly fifty years in the motor trade and with many years experience in working as a sub contractor to a BL main agents ( under contract obliged to run Land Rover Jaguar products,) I do feel it gives me the right to pass an opinion, And if ever anyone asks me to recomend a vehicle I take the matter seriously and under no circumstances would i recommend something i dont see as a good reliable product, This opinion is also commonly accepted in the motor trade and shows in the depreciation of Range Rover products, However i have said before if you want to buy a hobby and include your own maintenance and repairs they are a deff option, And if you read between the lines of the fans  AFTER swapping prob half of the components they can become acceptable vehicles but i would rather buy something that is right in the first place, And whilst there are many who say they have had a great vehicle there are probably more who would never buy another, I do feel the main damage to reputation happened a good few years ago under BL. But for many it is once bitten twicw shy

[samd]

 fishman, on 23 August 2012 - 06:01 PM, said:

Certainly dont want to argue or spoil post, However after nearly fifty years in the motor trade and with many years experience in working as a sub contractor to a BL main agents ( under contract obliged to run Land Rover Jaguar products,) I do feel it gives me the right to pass an opinion, And if ever anyone asks me to recomend a vehicle I take the matter seriously and under no circumstances would i recommend something i dont see as a good reliable product, This opinion is also commonly accepted in the motor trade and shows in the depreciation of Range Rover products, However i have said before if you want to buy a hobby and include your own maintenance and repairs they are a deff option, And if you read between the lines of the fans  AFTER swapping prob half of the components they can become acceptable vehicles but i would rather buy something that is right in the first place, And whilst there are many who say they have had a great vehicle there are probably more who would never buy another, I do feel the main damage to reputation happened a good few years ago under BL. But for many it is once bitten twicw shy

I was reasonably happy hearing from 'the other side' until I got to that comment.  I'll be polite and just say 'tosh'

[tony from suffolk]

Dunno, I must be doing something wrong! all our Land Rover products have been ultra reliable.

Our last Rangie was superbly built and in comparison to the usual 4X4 suspects at the time (we test-drove them. I quite liked the Lexus hybrid job but it wasn't any good for towing) it was so much better it was laughable.

[fishman]

, And if you read between the lines of the fans AFTER swapping prob half of the components  I base this on the number of owners who mention -- Swap air suspension to spring, Fit galvanised chassis, Swap engine for  ??? perkins,iveco, isuzu, etc.  Modify fuel system, modify electrics, fit different axles, Swap engine management systems,Swap petrol to gas, and on and on, Change steering joints/bushes,There are shops who stock just about every after market part available, And garages that specialize in just modifications, That in some cases they are far from a standard product. As i say I certainly wont argue and in a way I really do think it is superb that the L/R owners stick together so well and love their product, And that some have had not so much as a screw loose, Probably had i not worked in the trade i would be one of the countless thousands who enjoy nackling ( Yorkshire term ) and have no doubt it is very satisfying to mend your own car, But for me after 70 80 or whatever hours a week spent mending others cars the last thing i want is to even lift the bonnet on my own, But i really do admire those who enjoy their vehicles and the great friendship that exists, And as a final thought how great is it nowadays to just type a vehicles fault on to a computer and get a thousand answers as to how to fix, And how strange it seems to have been there always. Happy motoring to all.