The automobiles in the Cheesesteak household are getting rather long in the tooth (one is old enough to get a Learner’s Permit, the other is waxing philosophic about the good old days in High School) it’s time to upgrade to something from the current millennium.
We do a LOT of DIY projects, so one car should definitely be a truck of some kind. We also drive very little, probably around 5,000 miles a year, so gas mileage is not an issue.
The wife is fixated on the idea of a Range Rover, and with our budget a RR from the 2000 - 2002 model year will be affordable.
Am I going to get myself into major trouble going down this road? I know they have their fans, but I also hear they break down a lot. If we do go this way, any thoughts on what we should look out for?
I think it’s a fooking brilliant idea personally, assuming you are happy to pay for the fuel consumption. Are you talking L322 or P38A? If you at all can I would go for the former, the latter has far more reliability concerns. Get the biggest engine you can!
My first thought is I hope you have backup transportation and lots of money.
This is the type of vehicle where for parts and service, [in the U.S.] the availability is low and the pricing is high. Look at not only can you afford to buy it, but also can you afford to drive it.
I’ve only driven one. It arrived new at the embassy in Uganda and was dead on arrival. Knobs fell off and the electrical system was shit. We finally got it running and it road like a hay wagon without the luxury suspension of same. I wouldn’t own one if it was given to me.
Rovers are like high maintenance women. If you have the time and money to give her the attention she needs she just might stay faithful to you. Seriously, I hope you are handy with a wrench or have very deep pockets. My last expense was replacing a head gasket on a 96 D1, if I didn’t have the skills and gumption to do the job myself the beastie would have gone to the scrapheap cuz there ain’t no way I was gonna pay a Rover mechanic to it. Now, the real problem with being a shade tree mechanic working on a later model Land Rover are all the electronics. There are some things you just won’t be able to do yourself.
Actually, the newer ones (from 2009 on) are very good. I have seen plenty of high-mileage (>150,000 miles) LRs around here-so they must be OK.
That said, they are EXTREMELY expensive to fix-I would advise that you talk to some owners, who can steer you to a good independent garage/mechanic, who can do the work for you.
Another bit of advice: do NOT ignore the slightest hint of overheating-if you overheat the LR V-8 engines, you can do a lot of expensive damage. Overheating is a sign of imminent head gasket failure, so have it checked immediately.
Other than certain electronic modles, they are pretty rugged vehicles.
Parts can be a huge problem for a Rover this old, they’re expensive, and usually not stocked locally. Be prepared for it to be out of commission while you wait for expensive mail order parts.
You might to “talk” with other Rover owners. There are more than a few different message boards devoted to them. One I suggest is Disco Web, although do put on your Nomex before you post anything stupid.
I am sensing a distinct trend with these responses. I may have to lay the groundwork to shift expectations a bit. I was kind of shocked to see a 50% jump in price from 2002 to 2003 model, I’m assuming that’s mostly maintenance related, and isn’t an encouraging thought.
Do not, under any circumstances, buy a 10-year-old Range Rover. Hell, I wouldn’t own one any older than 2. They might be the most unreliable car on the road.