Just looking for opinions...

If you have 10 minutes to spare, read my post and please give me your hard-earned thoughts!
I've loved Range Rovers or Land Rovers since I was a wee boy. My big brother in law had an original 3.5 naturally-aspirated V8 and I loved it when he dropped me off at school. Climbing out, slamming that tank-like hatch of a door, and then the roar of the big beastie used to make my pals jealous!
Since then, I've owned three classic V8's (two 3.5 and one 3.9) and a P38 (4.6 V8) which blew both head gaskets a couple of times until I punted it for a new adventure... a Disco 2. After maintaining that baby for a couple of years (air suspension bags, oh yes, exploding drive shaft, leaking rocker gaskets) I came into money - or rather stopped ****ing all of it up the wall and started saving - and got a Disco-3 which I've had for a few years now and she's been an utter joy. She's 10 years old now, and she needs some love - but I'm itchy.
Itchy to go back to a Rangey. Itchy to go back to that unmistakable roar that ****es off every Greenpeace member in the town and puts a smile on my face.
Here's the rub: I can trade my well-cared for, low mileage Disco in for one of these two beauties, both with a sensibly manageable cash outlay:
1. A 2011 3.4 TDV8 diesel. 79,000miles.
2. A 2010 5.0 SCV8 petrol. 49,000miles.
They are both Autographs. Second one is a bit more expensive, top of my budget. They are both V8s.
My senses have left me. I just fell in love with them both.
I've had trouble with every Land Rover I've had, and I still love them. But these babies make the space shuttle look like a farm tractor.
Am I buying into a nightmare end to my life-long Range Rover affair, or do I just admit it, and go back to the woman I love....?
Help..... thank you....
Jock

5.0 SC all day long. No contest. If you have to have a dirty oil burner try and get a 4.4 (id have thought one would be in budget if youve got circa 20-25 for the 5.0 SC

Well, thanks! I'm guessing you know. No ****ing around there then?
I do around 2,500 miles a year, weekend family adventures and family visits only. Having run a 4.6 P38 and a 5.0 CL500 I think the gas cost will be okay.
The 3.4 wasn't as quick as I'd expected, that's for sure - think my 2.7 Disco is just as quick.
Haven't test-driven the 5.0 yet - I'll do that tomorrow, IF we can agree on price. I'm not bloody driving it before that.
That dealer's offering me more on the Disco, and based on talking to him, I think he will come down a bit to meet my budget. He's had it since 5 Feb and 4x4s are not his thing.
The P38 used to turn in around 12-14 around town, and 28 cruising. I expect the 5.0 SC to be around the same?
I sat in it, and I just bloody love the car. I really bloody love it.

Both of yhem will almost certainly go wrong but you'll be smiling waiting for the RAC.

28 cruising?! I've never seen better than 22. The 5.0 SC should at least match the P38 if not better it as its a modern engine and a modern gearbox etc. I would do as you suggest and agree a price before hand otherwise you'll be feeling sorry for your self after youve fallen in love. I would absolutely adore one, I keep thinking about it but I just cant stretch to that sort of money without finance which Ive never had and never really want on a car.

Yup, agree. Have never done car finance have always waited until I've saved the cash. But you gotta save it for something right, other than the bank manager's bonus...
My kids are heading for teens now, and my wife drives a 10yo Honda Jazz. So I think it's time I had bit of a mid-life.
I used to get upper 20s in the P38 if I just lifted off a bit, but then I never did and just ended up cruising at light speed...
I wouldn't have sold the P38 if the head gaskets hadn't gone a second time.
But driving that always put a smile on my face...

Grrrrrr said:

Both of yhem will almost certainly go wrong but you'll be smiling waiting for the RAC.

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Heh heh yeah... that goes with anything that came out of Solihull though... ;-)
Only thing I can say is it's a local dealer, same family been there for 10 years, and I'm sure he loves those RAC policies...

BigJock2007 said:

Yup, agree. Have never done car finance have always waited until I've saved the cash. But you gotta save it for something right, other than the bank manager's bonus...
My kids are heading for teens now, and my wife drives a 10yo Honda Jazz. So I think it's time I had bit of a mid-life.
I used to get upper 20s in the P38 if I just lifted off a bit, but then I never did and just ended up cruising at light speed...
I wouldn't have sold the P38 if the head gaskets hadn't gone a second time.
But driving that always put a smile on my face...

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Well thats it, can't take it with you. I'm at the other end of the scale, my little one is 6 months old and begining to find the 650i isnt very practical (not bad but will get worse when he changes car seats!) so bought another P38 as a family car but now work considering a new Navara as a replacement for my astravan... might just stomach the tax and have that as a family bus, 5 seats, isofix, 40mpg diesel..... and loose the rangie.

I think the TDV8 is slower than you expected because it has lost 0.2 of a litre engine capacity

(They are 3.6 btw )

But yes, if you do low mileage, get the SCV8....you'll regret it otherwise!

Given the mileage you do, has to be the 5.0SC, TDV8's don't like short journeys or being parked up for long periods

Super charged. End of.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I took the plunge and acquired a mint condition '10 plate Autobiography Black.
She's a 5.0L V8 twin SC and she is just an awesome vehicle.
The sound of that V8 is just pure joy. That big square bonnet takes me back to my classics, and the ride quality is like a magic carpet.
Clearly, people who say money can't buy happiness, have never bought a Range Rover.

BigJock2007 said:

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I took the plunge and acquired a mint condition '10 plate Autobiography Black.
She's a 5.0L V8 twin SC and she is just an awesome vehicle.
The sound of that V8 is just pure joy. That big square bonnet takes me back to my classics, and the ride quality is like a magic carpet.
Clearly, people who say money can't buy happiness, have never bought a Range Rover.

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Wait til it goes tits up. Then try and find the smilies.

I've sat on the hard shoulder outside Birmingham at 3am.... And I've sat in a mud pool with deflated air suspension outside Bracknell. If this was a rational proposition then I'd be buying a Nissan - wouldn't I !!!!!

BigJock2007 said:

I've sat on the hard shoulder outside Birmingham at 3am.... And I've sat in a mud pool with deflated air suspension outside Bracknell. If this was a rational proposition then I'd be buying a Nissan - wouldn't I !!!!!

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Already?! You've only had it a day...

Pictures or ban I'd say...! Sounds like my dream range rover

Well, if you insist... here she is.

Oh yeah, and haha... first problem. All screen washers have stopped working... motor still running okay, bottle full, no water anywhere - front or rear.
Guess I'll crawl under for a look in case something simple, before I spin back to the garage.
Start as you mean to go on...

BigJock2007 said:

Oh yeah, and haha... first problem. All screen washers have stopped working... motor still running okay, bottle full, no water anywhere - front or rear.
Guess I'll crawl under for a look in case something simple, before I spin back to the garage.
Start as you mean to go on...

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Lovely.... one day maybe!

As for your screen washer issue, if the pump runs and no juice then its probably a pipe but you would expect it to drop out of the car somewhere. I did know of someone with an L322 and the pipe had come of for the rear washers and it ended up leaking into the rear tailgate area and making a bit of a mess.
However, my OH has a little 1 series which suffered the same problem and it was the little plastic filters on the inlet of the washer pump inside the washer bottle that were totally blocked. To prove it I put an air pump on the washer jet pipe and blew air back into the bottle. It would then work for a couple of goes before blocking up again. This of course showed the pipes were connected as air bubbles came up through the washer bottle.

Only cure for that one was to take the washer bottle out and clean the filters and bottle thoroughly to remove the build up of muck and gunk. Turns out that certain brands of screen wash congeal and go weird when mixed.

Thing is... there's three separate pumps on this thing. Tailgate, front windscreen, and headlamps. How the hell can they all stop producing water while the pumps are still running? I wonder if something has crawled into the water bottle and died, blocking the feed to all three pumps...?
Nice to see the ****ing rain coming on in time for Easter Weekend....!

BigJock2005 said:

Thing is... there's three separate pumps on this thing. Tailgate, front windscreen, and headlamps. How the hell can they all stop producing water while the pumps are still running? I wonder if something has crawled into the water bottle and died, blocking the feed to all three pumps...?
Nice to see the ****ing rain coming on in time for Easter Weekend....!

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They might have a common inlet filter? Not sure never looked. On our 1 series it was the front pump that was blocked the rear worked fine. Try popping a pipe of and putting some air back down it into the tank and see what happens.