Getting My First LandRover - Any Advice?

Hello,
I hope you're all doing well.

I am looking to buy my first Range Rover. I prefer the older style, but everywhere I look the mileage is the main thing putting me off as it is above 100k.

The Range Rover I am looking to purchase is a:

2006 Diesel 2.7L Automatic 5 doors ROVER SPORT HSE TD6 Estate

It is on 121k mileage. Turbo gearbox and engine smooth and quiet without any knocks bangs leaks and no smoke. HPI clear.
Suspension all working, and wheels adjusted with spacers, vehicle slightly lowered.

I have heard Range Rover don't have the best reliability, and problems with suspension among other issues, but in my opinion they look amazing and have heard they are amazing to drive.

Can someone with experience help me out on this and what I could possibly expect? I want to keep it going until 150k+ mileage. I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Kakarot said:

Can someone with experience help me out on this and what I could possibly expect?

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A big hole in your bank balance!

brian47 said:

A big hole in your bank balance!

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Lol, like it could be true, but I feel like you're trolling. With correct maintenance of the vehicle, surely it can last a long time?

Kakarot said:

Lol, like it could be true, but I feel like you're trolling. With correct maintenance of the vehicle, surely it can last a long time?

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He's not trolling, they're commonly prohibitively expensive to run and maintain correctly. Just a heads up from Brian, it really is the main thing you can expect with a FFRR

I'd be looking very carefully at the non standard suspension and spacers. Originality is probably easier to maintain

Lowered range rover? Why? What's the point? Get one that hasn't been messed about with.

Kakarot said:

Lol, like it could be true, but I feel like you're trolling. With correct maintenance of the vehicle, surely it can last a long time?

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I run a Disco 2, and sadly I can only fix things standing up these days, just a fact of life after some surgeons and old father time have had their fun.
Annually, apart from the usual things like insurance and diesel, etc it can cost at least £350 to pay my garage for a service and MoT. I get a "half service" done every year, that's engine oil change (7.2 ltrs), all filters and prop shafts greased with a full service every two years which includes the half service plus gearbox (2.3 ltrs), transfer box (2 ltrs) and axles (1.6 ltrs each), and anything else I require such as coolant change or brake fluid flush. Parts can appear fairly cheap, but getting the job done can be where the money is gobbled up.
If you're going to run new tyres then that's about £125 per corner on average, not to mention those little items which break due to age and wear, and if things go seriously wrong then you could be left with deciding whether what's left is worth fixing.
As I implied, tell your bank manager so that he's prepared for what's to come.

The quantities I've listed are for a Disco2 so they are just indications of what to expect.

It's important that you are realistic when it comes to the purchase of these vehicles. JLR manuf. products for buyers who can afford expensive motors, for the first three (?) years they are under warranty, so if buying an older model don't fool yourself into believing that you can maintain it on a shoestring .. car dealers forecourts are full of vehicles traded-in by such disillusioned owners
Remember the adage … you can't run champagne motors on lemonade money, lots have tried & are still crying into their beer.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

Kakarot said:

what I could possibly expect?

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Is that the engine wot is very good at snapping its crankshaft at around 100k miles? Do a search / read up on the TDV6/8 in the engine forum

Sadly agree with other members they are expensive to run and maintain, but I still love mine (9 years of ownwership)

I bet its a "mug's-eyeful" of lights and dials and parts that cost lots of money to replace.
Clearly a true LR product.

Yer buying a 12 year old car with a reasonable mileage fer it's age. But it will be a fraction of the price when sold new, for a reason. Problem is at that age the golden service is needed. Lots of long term wear items on normal cars are eaten up regular on heavier lr products. Newer lr products corner betrerer but put more pressure on parts. Like suspension bushes.

My advise would be to first look at what diagnostic devices are available for it. What they can do and which you would buy. Then think about how much of the maintenance work yer going to do yerself, or plan to put in a garage.

Think about the cost of owning the vehicle as well as owning it. Read that but a few times.

Kakarot said:

Lol, like it could be true, but I feel like you're trolling. With correct maintenance of the vehicle, surely it can last a long time?

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Even with correct maintenance - which can require a flat bed lorry of bank notes if you can't spanner yourself - they will fail, break down and financially cripple even a healthy bank balance.

I am one of Land Rover and Range Rovers biggest fans but even I have a spare car for the times when they are off the road - which they both are at the moment annoyingly!.....

Don't be fooled into thinking you can run on a budget. Plan for expensive bills and you'll have an awesome time......if you don't and it breaks down, gets towed to a garage for repair and you see the quote you will be forever regretting your purchase.

The golden rule: Never ever buy a Range Rover unless you are prepared for and understand the potential cost, time and frustration involved in repairing it!

I've just re-read the original post, "Suspension all working, and wheels adjusted with spacers, vehicle slightly lowered."
There are a couple of things there that would worry me.
a) wheels adjusted, what does that mean?
b) the mention of spacers, I presume wheel spacers? If that's the case then add another pocketful of loose change for replacing the wheel bearings due to the extra load which could be placed on them. (Read up on the basics about "levers and moments")
c) "vehicle slightly lowered"? Most 4x4 owners spend an inordinate amount of money trying to lift theirs, so in this case I would be worried about the why and the how that was done.