best range rover buy

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Nigbo

Nigbo

Banned
Posts
7,552
Location
Planet Earth
aye up. am thinkin of sellin me series 3 and gettin a rangie around the y reg 2000 2002 reg is there a good year to buy 98 99 maybe better etc ? good engines ie 4.6 40 . 2.5 ..... what problems to look out for etc , like the suspension , cheers fer any feedback ;)
 
General consensus is that 2000 on in anything is better. Improved electrics, 4 wheel TC (if fitted) etc.

Engine is a personal choice as to whether you can live with what is a nice but underpowered diesel (chipping is a must) or your choice of lusty but thirsty V8's. 4.0 rumoured to be less trouble than 4.6(supposedly prone to block problems) but if it was me why go half a pig when you can go the whole hog?
If I could I'd driving a 4.6 but they're just too thirsty and LPG is not an option over here.
 
sorry spud , didnt know you had responded due to the advert under me post hahahah. not used to em cos i frequent One Laugh Have It! The land Rover Forum To Be On - Powered by vBulletin the landrover forum to be on ;) (no adverts) hahahaha sorry . thanks fer yer reply. had heard the 4 litre was a bad enjun . mileage aint a problem cos i have another car and do about 5000 a year anyhow.
not paying road tax at the moment and cheap insurance so that will go oot the window with a rangie ;)
 
Nigbo said:
sorry spud , didnt know you had responded due to the advert under me post hahahah. not used to em cos i frequent One Laugh Have It! The land Rover Forum To Be On - Powered by vBulletin the landrover forum to be on ;) (no adverts) hahahaha sorry . thanks fer yer reply. had heard the 4 litre was a bad enjun . mileage aint a problem cos i have another car and do about 5000 a year anyhow.
not paying road tax at the moment and cheap insurance so that will go oot the window with a rangie ;)
Click to expand...
:cool:If you look for a good early classic you would have the same privileges:D
;)My insurance on my my classic isn't that much different to what it was on my series 3 and for the P38 it aint that expensive either as both are on limited mileage policies oh and :welcome2:
 
A good classic would be a great choice, however gooduns are getting rare these days.Not much rr stuff on olhi is there?
 
SpudH said:
4.0 rumoured to be less trouble than 4.6(supposedly prone to block problems) but if it was me why go half a pig when you can go the whole hog?
Click to expand...

You sure about that Spud? I thought both were as bad as each other given that the 4.6 is just a stroked 4.0, but the 4.6 has the benefit of being more powerful and slightly more economical (although it's all a bit relative with these).

Guy
 
Nigbo said:
aye up. am thinkin of sellin me series 3 and gettin a rangie around the y reg 2000 2002 reg is there a good year to buy 98 99 maybe better etc ? good engines ie 4.6 40 . 2.5 ..... what problems to look out for etc , like the suspension , cheers fer any feedback ;)
Click to expand...

Anything more diverse from a technical standpoint is hard to imagine! You'll be a great deal more comfortable but sus. out a (very) friendly bank manager first :eek:
 
If mileage and fuel aren't a problem, why bother with a diesel? Powerboxes undoubtedly make 'em go quicker but they still sound like a diesel. AND, they have their engine problems as well. It's not just the V8s that have the problems as the diesel brigade would have you believe.
As far as I know, there are only two major differences between pre and post 1999 models on the petrols - the injection system was changed from the Lucas GEMS to the Bosch THOR system. A bit more power and torque and (supposedly) more economical. It wasn't changed for that reason at the time though. All to do with emmisions. The other difference was in the traction control. Pre 99 it was on the rear wheels only, post 99 on all 4. There were other differences but relatively minor ones - different audio etc.
To be honest, I'd just go for whatever is the right price / spec / condition / colour / location etc. The model year I think is a secondary choice.

Good luck with your hunting. There's plenty out there.
 
I have a 98 V8 with a gems engine, I have had to do quite a few things to bring it up to speed, which I expected only paying a couple of grand for this superb car. If you want to play with the power go for a gems engine. The blocks are much of a much, if you look at Des Hamells tuning V8 books he says the 3.9 and 4.0 are the worst for engine probs. In 97 onwards the blocks were graded, red should be used for 4.6's as they have thicker block wall thickness, there is loads to look through so pm me if you want a chat, or I can email you some info. Good luck
 
Petrol /diesel?? Try to get test-drive or at least a ride in both; there`s fans of both on here, `n` more fixed opinions than at a political rally! Running costs for any Rangie is never gonna be cheap. Coming up for ten years old the EAS is prob gonna have dried/cracked air bags due for renewal; that is definately DIY-able now. (lots of posts on here), And as already said the year is not as important as the condition of the individual car. Read up on EAS visit `rswsolutions` and check out any possible purchase very carefully. Also make sure you get EKA code when you buy! For myself diesel everytime, but my work commute is 100km each way and diesel is also cheaper than petrol here so for me it`s a no brainer.
 
adamrharding said:
Something else to consider, i greatly prefer manual gearboxes but that makes them a lot harder to find as 1000 auto to 1 manual
Click to expand...
Sounds like the start of a new argument here! I too much prefer manuals. I`ve owned a few in the past but never found the driving experience as involvng. Okay for relaxing cruising but I still want to drive a car, not have it make all the decisions for me. Petrol manuals=hen`s teeth.
 
Derek Ward said:
The manuals are utterly rubbish gearboxes which is why the vast majority of Rangies are autos. They usually came with poverty spec levels of trim too.
Click to expand...
Just done quick look at past 10 pages of Rangie forum: 7 threads about auto faults, 1 about clutch, none about manual box. Since there are more autos out there it is reasonable to expect more auto faults , but, I can see no reason to call the manual-box rubbish.
 
The manual box may or may not be rubbish, but there are a fair few threads on the failure of the DMF that goes with it. The diesel is also a dog with the manual box, you need revs and plenty of clutch slip to get it moving.
 
No way am I gonna convince you that the diesel manual is a good choice, but be assured that I do much prefer manuals, and you`ll never convice me an auto is as involving. Personal choice does count for a lot here. But I do object to non-objective comment, i.e. saying the manual box is rubbish with no evidence. In spite of documented problems I wouldn`t describe the auto as rubbish; I think most of the probs seen on here come from elec gremlins & poor maintenance. But, it`s me decides when to change gear in my car, and it`s gonna stay that way.
P.S. re DMF, sat here with fingers crossed!
 
Last edited:
A slow cumbersome gearchange and two broken gearboxes in 3 years is my objective comment. R380 gearboxes have never had the best of reputations wherever you go. I can appreciate the preference for a manual box though. In the right vehicle, so do I. I just don't think they're suited to the Rangie, that's all. One of the main reasons also being as Datatek says above, especially if you're towing anything. Personal choice at the end of the day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

v8250
174 cars for sale...with Land Rover content. London
Replies
0
Views
934
v8250
v8250
P
Need advice on buying first Range Rover
2 3
Replies
48
Views
4K
Mark Piercy
Mark Piercy
S
Fitting standard 4.6 heads to a Thor?
Replies
0
Views
511
stopover
S
I
Thinking of getting a Second-Hand Range Rover Diesel
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
MikeV8SE
MikeV8SE
Scooby
Range Rover P38
Replies
0
Views
2K
Scooby
Scooby
Back
Top