After a bit of advice re running costs

Hi all.
I've been reading this forum for a while and finding out about most of the common faults with the L322. I'm still wanting one though. A V8 petrol if possible as I know the engine well prom previously owned 540i and 740i.

I know what to look for now thanks to the excellent checklist I found and I'm fairly aware of the potential issues I will face during ownership (gearbox failure, air compressor issues, bushes, and all the usual M62 engine issues)

My current situation is that I have a baby on the way and my current daily drives (Honda S2000 and Aprilia Tuono Factory) aren't really appropriate. Here's the thing though; the missus says I'm not allowed to sell either my bike or the S2000 and have to purchase a car in addition to the two vehicles I already have. This means that budget to purchase the vehicle is limited at present to £10k.
We're pretty well off and both have good salaries (she gets an immense maternity package too) so monthly running costs aren't really an issue as long as they aren't insane.

In the past I've owned all manner of 7-Series BMWs, Lexus, S-Type R, 5-Series etc etc and am used to the potential bills that they can generate. I'm also pretty handy with the spanners although I'd probably draw the line at an engine or gearbox swap. Most other stuff I can do that doesn't require a ramp or 4 post lift. I have diagnostics gear so codes etc aren't an issue.

What I'm kind of interested in knowing is what your average monthly spend is on your L322 not including fuel. Also, how often has your Rangie let you down, as in, has become completely immobile thus causing you to have to call recovery?

I'll be doing about 10k miles a year in it and that will include driving it for business occasionally, hence I'm interested in the "total breakdown" potential as it's a bit of a problem if I regularly fail to make meeting because the car has let me down en route.

Also, is it worth buying from an independent rather than privately for the limited buyer protection this offers? And warranties, worth it or will they never pay out?

There are good ones and there are bad ones - a bad one will empty even the healthiest bank balance rapidly.

In just under a year of ownership I have carried out the following:

Brake Pads all round
New Wheel Nuts
Thermostat
Radiator
Abs Sensors
Water Pump
Fuel Pump
2x Tyres
Recurring ABS fault (thinking it is the ABS ECU Connector)
EAS Recalibration
Gearbox Oil and Filter change

So not bad....

Cost wise, mine hasn't been to bad in repairs as I can spanner my own repairs (mostly), it is just the repairs/breakdowns are always at the most inconvenient time.

I am lucky that my boss and my work are decent people and they understand the 'issues' Range Rovers have...last time it broke down (water Pump) all I got on the other end of the phone was laughter from the boss....

Cost wise, I would say I have spent circa £2k in repairs/maintenance in the last 12 months and my fuel bill on LPG is currently £3055.67 covering 13874.7 miles (averages 15.5mpg) I am a geek and log my fuel costs....!!

My L322 was a shade over 7K and had covered 137k miles, the only issue was a duff rear wiper motor (still needs to be done )

The Golden Rule is Never ever buy a Range Rover with any fault no matter what the seller says unless you are fully aware of and prepared for the costs involved in repairing it.

I know you say you have had experience of other cars, but a Range Rover is a totally different ball game - they breakdown for fun, regularly....but guaranteed you will never want to be without it, ever....

I would go for a dealer route rather than private as you get the assurance of Sale of Goods act etc and as for a warranty - read the small print, the Range Rover is a complex beast and most warranty company's don't fully understand the L322 and you may find a lot of stuff isn't covered unless it is a decent LR warranty!

£2k in a year isn't bad.
My heart is really telling me to go for it and never look back. My head is telling me to forget it.

Go for it !

Go for it, what is the worst that can happen?

The biggest horror stories are from people who buy one dirt cheap and try to run it on a shoe string. Sure you can get a RR for Mondeo money, but the repair bills are still 70 grand luxury motor repair bills.

So fix problems when they develop, don't ignore them because it'll bite you in the arse.

Bix said:

Go for it, what is the worst that can happen?

The biggest horror stories are from people who buy one dirt cheap and try to run it on a shoe string. Sure you can get a RR for Mondeo money, but the repair bills are still 70 grand luxury motor repair bills.

So fix problems when they develop, don't ignore them because it'll bite you in the arse.

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This is always how I have approached running luxury cars. Fix stuff as it develops and never let little faults build up.

The way I see it, and please correct me of I'm wrong, the only massively expensive thing that is likely to fail is the gearbox and we're still only looking at £3k ish for a recon unit.

Other things:
Suspension compressor: £300 ish?
Suspension strut and air bag: £600 ish per corner?
Suspension bushes: £300 per corner?
Full set of discs and pads: £400 ish for pattern parts?

Those prices don't look bad to me and it's not like they are going to fail every month.

This is what I'm trying to find out. There is "expensive to run" and there is "EXPENSIVE TO RUN!!!!". The Rangie is always going to be expensive to run in comparison to a Mondeo, but from what I'm seeing of parts prices (and excluding fuel of course) it doesn't look to be any worse than any other large executive car like a 7-Series.

Go for it!! The horror storys are just that!! Storys!!
You only hear from people with problems (why else would they be heer?)
You never hear from people that have no problems and are runing fine! And there could be thousands of them ! Its a gamble to buy cheep but you could be lucky my first p38 cost £1200 to buy and it sailed through 2 mots and no breakdowns! 3rd mot was a differant story but i got a good inings

if you can budget 2-3k per yr then your fine.
try and buy a nice one with history. No history, don't do it.
The V8 is stunning.
check everything works. estimate about 2hrs to view a car because by the time you have reviewed the paperwork, checked everything is working or not, done a test drive, thats what it takes. there's a lot to check.
Also, assume 12mpg

if these costs look ok for you then get searching..

rilot said:

This is always how I have approached running luxury cars. Fix stuff as it develops and never let little faults build up.

The way I see it, and please correct me of I'm wrong, the only massively expensive thing that is likely to fail is the gearbox and we're still only looking at £3k ish for a recon unit.

Other things:
Suspension compressor: £300 ish?
Suspension strut and air bag: £600 ish per corner?
Suspension bushes: £300 per corner?
Full set of discs and pads: £400 ish for pattern parts?

Those prices don't look bad to me and it's not like they are going to fail every month.

This is what I'm trying to find out. There is "expensive to run" and there is "EXPENSIVE TO RUN!!!!". The Rangie is always going to be expensive to run in comparison to a Mondeo, but from what I'm seeing of parts prices (and excluding fuel of course) it doesn't look to be any worse than any other large executive car like a 7-Series.

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Ant (SaintV8) will tell you that the L322 combines his two loves, Range Rovers and 7 series beemers. To quote him (poorly) "the L322 is a 7 series, but with a better badge, and more balls, also with more space to bang ho's." I may have made that up completely, but he does prattle on about loving 7 series and Range Rovers and the L322 is everything he wants from a car.

I wouldn't say a RR (I only have a Peasants38, but isn't too far off the running costs of Lordships322) is massively expensive to run, the fuel bill hurts a bit, but the alternatives I was looking at (many luxo barges) would've had similar fuel bills, but being RWD would've had much higher tyre bills... for the rear tyres anyway.

Insurance on a RR is lower than anything else I've looked at, it has been relatively cheap at MoT Tests, last year it was headlight and some bushes. Standard wear and tear items. The 4 MoT Tests before that went through no drama.

It has had some hiccups, but more reliable than my parents Toyota Hilux which costs thousands every time it went near a garage.

Although if I'm completely honest, you've got a biased crowed on here. We're all RR owners, we all tear out hair when they go wrong, but we all still love them like no other. There is no nicer place to be.

Bix said:

There is no nicer place to be.

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And this is the reason for wanting one. They are lovely to be inside. Safe too.
I can live with high running costs but it does need to not leave me stranded every week. Hopefully if I can find a good one, I'll be happy.

As I said, my budget is £10k, could maybe push to £12k. Do you think I'll get a good one for that?

For 10k you'll get a good Chuckie or a ropey late model. To be honest, get a good Chuckie, if you don't like the disgusting front end, you can do a facelift conversion for a few bob.
Although the gearboxes in the later models were more robust, they were still too weak for the L322s range of engines.

Rilot, PM sent!

Bix said:

For 10k you'll get a good Chuckie or a ropey late model. To be honest, get a good Chuckie, if you don't like the disgusting front end, you can do a facelift conversion for a few bob.
Although the gearboxes in the later models were more robust, they were still too weak for the L322s range of engines.

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That's the plan. Early model with the BMW engine aye.

Bix said:

Ant (SaintV8) will tell you that the L322 combines his two loves, Range Rovers and 7 series beemers. To quote him (poorly) "the L322 is a 7 series, but with a better badge, and more balls, also with more space to bang ho's." I may have made that up completely, but he does prattle on about loving 7 series and Range Rovers and the L322 is everything he wants from a car.......

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A tad paraphrased - but the sentiment is correct....

I have a massive soft spot the 7'er having owned a few:
1986 730i
1989 735i
1995 735i
1997 740iL
1999 750iL

And I am a huge Range Rover fanatic, a total dyed-in-the-wool Range Rover geek, and the L322 combines both vehicles perfectly as the L322 uses a lot of the 7'er equipment, and stuff used from the E39 5'er as it went out of production.

The suspension set and Running gear is based on an X5, albeit with a different Transfer Box to give a low ratio.

The L322 is the perfect car for me, it is as Bix says, a 7'er on stilts with a better badge, more room, go anywhere-ability, better road presence and a damn fine motorway crusier just like the E38's were!

I would never be without it.....

As for what to go for....upto 2005 are based on the BMW engines etc, and are relatively easy to work on, from 2006 they used the Jag AJV8 engine which is great, but I prefer the M62TUB44 as it is an engine I recognise.

Bix (and others) refer to the early front end as Chuckies (after Chucky from Rugrats) - personally I like it, although if I had the money I would consider a facelift to be fitted, but no real need!

They do keep you on your toes when things go boing and messages are displayed warning you of things, but with a decent LR specific Diagnostic Device, you will be able to save a fortune at the garage!

rilot said:

That's the plan. Early model with the BMW engine aye.

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If it helps your choice mine is a 2004 td6 I have had it 2 years, I am fitting a new eas compressor tomorrow that takes my total repairs cost to 700 quid I am well chuffed (if anyone is thinking have you checked rs2000 threads i went to see him last week)

Saint.V8 said:

A tad paraphrased - but the sentiment is correct....

I have a massive soft spot the 7'er having owned a few:
1986 730i
1989 735i
1995 735i
1997 740iL
1999 750iL

And I am a huge Range Rover fanatic, a total dyed-in-the-wool Range Rover geek, and the L322 combines both vehicles perfectly as the L322 uses a lot of the 7'er equipment, and stuff used from the E39 5'er as it went out of production.

The suspension set and Running gear is based on an X5, albeit with a different Transfer Box to give a low ratio.

The L322 is the perfect car for me, it is as Bix says, a 7'er on stilts with a better badge, more room, go anywhere-ability, better road presence and a damn fine motorway crusier just like the E38's were!

I would never be without it.....

As for what to go for....upto 2005 are based on the BMW engines etc, and are relatively easy to work on, from 2006 they used the Jag AJV8 engine which is great, but I prefer the M62TUB44 as it is an engine I recognise.

Bix (and others) refer to the early front end as Chuckies (after Chucky from Rugrats) - personally I like it, although if I had the money I would consider a facelift to be fitted, but no real need!

They do keep you on your toes when things go boing and messages are displayed warning you of things, but with a decent LR specific Diagnostic Device, you will be able to save a fortune at the garage!

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Brill info, thanks.

I've owned quite a few 7'ers too.
1989 E32 735i
1991 E32 750i V12
1996 E38 740i
2006 E65 730d
2007 E65 750i

I've also owned 2 x 1997 E39 540i so that's 3 cars I've had with the M62 and I recognise it well. PCV replacement anyone?

Saint.V8 said:

A tad paraphrased - but the sentiment is correct....

[snip]

The L322 is the perfect car for me, it is as Bix says, a 7'er on stilts with a better badge, more room, go anywhere-ability, better road presence and a damn fine motorway cruiser just like the E38's were!

[snip]

Bix (and others) refer to the early front end as Chuckies (after Chucky from Rugrats) - personally I like it, although if I had the money I would consider a facelift to be fitted, but no real need!

[snip]

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You said exactly what I said. Although I did forget that it is a better platform for drive-bys. Far superior to Yankie SUVs as they tend to chop about so you miss your target. Especially if you fit 22z and spinnerz.

T'is Chuckie from Rugrats.

rilot said:

the missus says I'm not allowed to sell either my bike or the S2000

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sound's like you found a good 'un!