Real buying advice from real RR owners please HELP!!

HI to everyone who uses this forum, i have been reading for a while, and as RR ownership draws nearer and nearer, i wanted to join the forum and start my ownership with advice from real RR owners and enthusiasts.

I have admired and wanted to own a RR for a very long time, and now its time to get a practical car for my family, i think its now is the best time to get one.

I am a car enthusiast, and love working on, building, driving, cleaning etc etc all the cars that i own, i have had a lot or cars all of them vw or audi, from classic to new (ish), and some that i have built from scratch.

I'm not a rich person by far, and dont think i'll ever have a brand new car of any sort, the amount you lose after driving off the forecourt is too much for me.

I'm after buying a 2002 2003 RR vogue 3.0 TDv6, probably with about 85-105k on the clock.

What are the good and bad points of ownership? and what are things i should be looking for when buying? how do i spot a lemon?

I know about the MPG, and accept this as part of owning one of the best cars on the road. But what about all of the other points? i hear alot of people moaning about reliabilty, expense of repairs etc etc, but it cant really be like this can it? people wouldnt buy / love them so much, second hand and new.

I'd love to hear from people with real advice. Looking forward to using this forum.

Thanks

Austin

Hi Austin,

You are in the right place for advice and you sound like you may have the right skills to become an RR owner. That said I cannot give you much advice about the type of RR you want to own as I have an older 2001 4.6 Vogue myself.
It's fair to say from looking at the posts that this forum tends to have more owners of the older cars.

Range Rover ownership can be fairly challenging at times and if you have looked through this site you will see some posts where some individuals could not meet this challenge.

If you are serious about owning a RR then at some point you will need to read stored fault codes. So far I've had this done by a good local LR independent, but I soon hope to buy my own kit for this. probably a BBS Faultmate SV225 Extreme. Worth looking at those for the future, just Google Black Box Solutions.

Good luck. LW.....

Hi Austin

Welcome to the forum! I noticed in your post that you are looking for a 02/03 TDV6 there are no full size Range Rovers with a TDV6 the deisel engine in the 02-07 full size L322 Range Rovers is a BMW TD6 - I have a 2003 V8 Range Rover and i can honestly say its the best car i have ever had, dont get me wrong it does have its moments when its a pain in the ar*e but it is the best car in the world! (to me anyway) if you want some advice for things to look out for when buying one of these check my website out, there is a massive pre purchase checklist that people have added too that is a really good resource when buying one of these great cars! www.myrangerover.co.uk

Good Luck in your search!

Matt

Good replies so far guys, thanks for this, sorry matt my mistake there, i mean a TD6!! not a TDV6!

i'll check out your site now, what sort of money is a good price for what i want? i se some 2002's for example for £9,995 and then at the other end of the scale, i see 2003's for £15,000 seems a massive difference, even when the year spec miles etc are the same when comparing the 2!!

Austins said:

Good replies so far guys, thanks for this, sorry matt my mistake there, i mean a TD6!! not a TDV6!

i'll check out your site now, what sort of money is a good price for what i want? i se some 2002's for example for £9,995 and then at the other end of the scale, i see 2003's for £15,000 seems a massive difference, even when the year spec miles etc are the same when comparing the 2!!

Click to expand...

you need to be really careful with the TD6 as it is VERY well known for gearbox problems, you need one that has been looked after well and serviced and even better would be if the gearbox had been serviced (as its not a standard service item, which is stupid if you ask me!)

There are different specs available: SE, HSE and VOGUE in the 02-05 range

SE is the very basis model and was only built for a very short time and comes with no options as standard and only has plastic trim and no real wood

HSE is the standard model which has some better options than the SE e.g. wood trim etc.. these cars can be spec'd with the optional sat nav and 12 speaker HK DSP system among other things.

VOGUE is the top of the range model which has all the optional toys e.g. heated front and rear seat, heated steering wheel, full sat nav and TV option, 12 speaker HK DSP sound system, full memory seats mirrors and steering wheel, bi-xeaon lights etc....

These cars are not cheap to run by any stretch of the imagination! either in fuel or in maintenance etc... £9,995 seems a little cheap for what was a £50-60k car only 8/9 years ago £15,000 seems about right for a good condition 03 Range Rover. Have you checked out the 4.4 V8 version.... its a completely different car to drive than the TD6, the TD6 can feel like its lacking power but the V8 has more power than a nuclear power station.... ok well maybe not that much but its got a hell of a lot more power than the TD6. Test drive both and you will see what i mean, also the engine and gearbox in the V8 version seem to be less prone to major problems, something which cant be said for the GM autobox thats in the TD6

Matt

^^^ thanks Matt, i think it'll have to be a td6 as my wife will be driving it alot too, so power house would be a bad idea!!

i do hear alot about the gearbox problems, but i'm hoping to find one with alot of the major maintenance already completed. Is there any way of telling if someone is selling one with a Ko'd box? may sound stupid but, like most things, people sell when its broken, to get a new one.

I have a 1998 P38 DSE same BMW lump I believe as the newer L322. Having fitted a PSI Powerbox it flies compared to the original car. This has turned it into a really great car - and I thought it was good to start with !
On the reliability front you should have no probs with your enthusiasm for fixing cars But you may not need it.
Good luck in choosing

nisbeam said:

I have a 1998 P38 DSE same BMW lump I believe as the newer L322. Having fitted a PSI Powerbox it flies compared to the original car. This has turned it into a really great car - and I thought it was good to start with !
On the reliability front you should have no probs with your enthusiasm for fixing cars But you may not need it.
Good luck in choosing

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The 2.5L in the P38 is not the same as the TD6 3.0L thats in the L322, although you are correct you can get a powerbox fitted to increase the performance, although that does not solve the gearbox problems.

Matt

theres only two things you need with a range rover: a wallet and tools!! the rest my friend will come in time!! get whatever range rover you want and we will help you in any way possible!! forget about reliability, mpg etc etc and begin the dream you will not want any other car!!!

and i defy anyone to disagree!!!

Cheers for that Gav, I've got full workshop facilities in my garage at home except a vehicle lift!!! Not got too much of that other stuff tho.... What was it now??..... Ah money!! Least I won't have when I've got one!!!

another newbie , exactly the same as you im looking for almost the same spec and year. seen loads looking for one with updated touch screen sat nav silver or blue vouge.

seen a few around 70K. dont know if im doing the right thing historically a german marque man Merc for 18 yrs but coming out od the company car scheme.

ill keep you posted

like the look of this one

2005 RANGE ROVER TD6 SE AUTO on eBay (end time 22-Mar-11 12:26:54 GMT)

regards

thanks in advance

Paul

I have just brought mine.

Owning it has improved my typing skills asking questions on the forum!

Other than a few niggles (some quite big at the moment!), mine is great. Before I brought it, someone told me that you are only 3 weeks away from a problem! If you are OK with that, you will be fine.

There is no other car or 4x4 that quite gives the same feeling as sitting in a Range Rover.

^^^Hi Rob, what one did you buy? did you get a good deal? what problems have you had? have you had to spend much to sort these things out?

let us know!!

paul-24 said:

like the look of this one

2005 RANGE ROVER TD6 SE AUTO on eBay (end time 22-Mar-11 12:26:54 GMT)

regards

thanks in advance

Paul

Click to expand...

Looks really nice mate, if i had 17K i'd go for something just like that. Have you looked at any yet? or taken one for a test drive?

Bought my 2003 TD6 Vogue a year ago, and apart from requiring a new battery almost as soon as I bought it, haven't had a problem until now.
It's currently needing a new SRS DCU 'cos a I've got a permanent warning light on the dash. Cost? A piffling £600!!
Don't let that put you off though, it's the best car I've ever had. Not sure what I'd get next if I replaced it.

Austins said:

^^^Hi Rob, what one did you buy? did you get a good deal? what problems have you had? have you had to spend much to sort these things out?

let us know!!

Click to expand...

mine is a fair bit older than you are looking for (1999).

It was fairly typical on price. Problems with window regulator, door locks, suspension bushes and fuel consumption so far...

Didn't know anything about them when I brought it but as things are at the minute, I have no regrets. I tend to do most of the work on it myself so the costs are just the parts. I do get the feeling that owning a Range Rover can also be looked upon as a "long term project". Maybe once it is sorted, it will be OK for a week or 2! A mate of mine has a similar model to mine and he has had very few problems with his after about 4 years of owning it.

The knowledge on this forum is very good - worth listening to.