Yet another RR newb

Hi,

Plunge taken. I pick up my 2002 L322 TD6 SE next week, and say cheerio to my beloved 2002 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 V6. The snow in Derbyshire was just too much this year, and after looking at quite a few 4x4s, I settled on this Rover for £15k (60,000 miles). For me, it made sense as it guaranteed a well-cared for car that was sufficiently capable. My search for a Toyota Hilux Invincible serially ended in woe - they are just ratted out by commercial use. Nothing else but the RR and the LR has that classless iconic feel that i always do for in a car. The LR was just too basic.

Anyway, when I get a new car, I always try to find a UK forum to help out with running it, and here I am.

If you are interested, I am not new to Landys. When I was a student in Aberdeen in 1988, my Dad bought my brother and I a 1977 Series III 2.25L Safari Station Wagon. I think it was a ploy to keep us off drugs and cigarettes, as that puppy did 9mpg on petrol. We did allsorts to that car, and I can still recall that it was possible to take the whole thing apart with a half inch AF spanner. I very nrealy bought another LR when I was getting cross with my MGTF 160 and had returned from New Zealand full of a sense of adventure and a mid-life crisis.

Anyway, back to my new RR. I will post a pic when I can, but for now know that it is in Epsom Green with a sage green piped interior. It's an SE, so it has no wood, and it has that CD player plus trip computer arrangement rather than the touch display. Oddly, it carries a HSE badge on its bum. I suppose that might be a replacement tailgate. Wheels are the 18-inch jobbies shod with Wranglers, and it has a smart silver coachline on it.

It picked up some damage to the bumper at the dealer, and that is being fixed along with some scratching on the console where the key goes, a squint steering wheel and the rustiest front discs in Christendom. Oh, and the 12V outlet in the cubby is loose.

The car is also booked in at Rapid Remaps in Staffs for a discounted custom remap to boost the mpg. The trip computer is showing 22.5mpg, which is about the same as the Jag ... but the Jag runs on the now cheaper petrol, so it will be nice to get the RR boosted a bit. Testimonials suggest that 28mpg can be obtained with Rapid Remaps Custom remap on the TD6.

To close, I can add that I will likely be back, probably firtsly with the perennial iPod query (probably going to go for an IQ Play from Halfords that will give me telephony as well as streamed Bluetooth audio).

All the best to you all.

Nige.

Hello and :welcome2:.

I don't wish to be alarmist but from reading your post I would be more than a little wary from your description. Firstly you are paying possibly £3k more than book for it even from a main dealer (who I would doubt would even sell a car that age). An HSE decal on the tailgate on an SE car could be an innocent mistake or, more sinisterly, an indication that all is not right with it's identity. (A lot of early 322s were ringed). Scratching on the console - fumbling around for the key hole or prying out the barrel? Loose electrical fittings are also evidence of fiddling. Check the DVLA website for what the car should be against it's reg mark. Do the numbers on the reg document tie up with what's on the car?
If the discs were are rusty as you describe then it means it has sat around for a while despite the weather even during the worst of the weather when RRs and most other 4x4s were selling like hotcakes. How keen was the dealer when you expressed an interest?
Notwithstanding that I would keep the S Type as well - I did.

Thanks Hippolover.

I have checked this car out with an independent AA HPI check, and it's clean. The car was HPI'd by the dealer when it came in and I have seen that documentation too. The only alert is the private reg transfer between owner 1 and owner 2.

The car is definitely an SE. the V5 states SE, the DVLA states SE and the trim is SE standard. Some berk has plopped a HSE badge on it, which I will probably remove.

Regarding the console scratching, it's not the immediate key area that has been damaged. Rather it is the edges of that console where a bunch of keys attached to the ignition key would dangle and jangle against the trim. These are not pry marks - it's just wear to the silver finish.

On the price, yes it is a bit high and I could have got him down on it if I was not trading, but there are other factors to consider. In the deal I am getting about a grand more on the Jag than anyone else will offer. Then the Rover gets a service, a full 12-month MOT, a valet, a HPI check and a Waxoyl under treatment all in the price (ever started an RR that has had fresh Waxoyl? - what a niff!). Sometimes the sheer convenience of doing an easy trade makes up for a wee premium.

Incidentally, the dealer is a local Land Rover specialist, so I know I am getting something that has been properly looked at. Yes, it has the flexi prop shaft repair on it and all the gotchas listed by Rangerovers.net check out too.

Nige.

Sounds like you've done a right job checking it out. Can't be too careful these days especially when there are little things like the wrong boot badge. S Types prices are all over the place just now as well so if you are happy then you have the right deal.

hippolover said:

Sounds like you've done a right job checking it out. Can't be too careful these days especially when there are little things like the wrong boot badge. S Types prices are all over the place just now as well so if you are happy then you have the right deal.

Click to expand...

Cheers. I think the S-Type prices are all over because of a number of factors. Firstly, they are thirsty even in the V6 variant, and the petrol problems are making people wary. There is also not much space in an S-Type to stick an LPG tank in. Then there is the perceived value thing. These S-Types are a steal, and I don't think anyone realises just how little you can get a really, really nice car for. Thirdly, there were not really all that many sold in the first place, so it's not like a Land Rover where you can waltz into most towns and find a decent, non-franchise repairer. This means that a lot of people get tied to the dealer network for servicing and repair. And lastly, like the P38 -> L322 story, the pre-2002 facelift S-Types had a few problems that have muddied the overall brand reliability picture on that particular car. The truth is that a 2002 onwards S-Type is as reliable as gravity, and certainly a lot better than the sometimes flaky X-Type.

On my particular car, I have a documented instrument pack change that means that the visible mileage is about 20k less than the overall recorded mileage. That makes dealers a bit hesitant too (although it shouldn't).

Anyhow, this is not a Jaguar forum. I can hear the snoring already. I will post a pic of 'OTJ' one she has her cherished plates on and is in my full possession.

Nige.

So, as promised ...

Nice bit of kit there Nige, But aern't we missing summott!!!??? with your User name I at least expected a big green NEEE NAAWWW on the roof!!!!!