Input on 97-02 Range Rovers needed, please

S

stilez

New member
So, Liz's Saab is for sale and on the way out the door. She really wants to get a previous vintage Range Rover, I'd rather her in an A6 4.2. Anywho, I won't be driving the car, so who am I :)?



I have heard a lot of horror stories about their reliability, but none specific. A couple people I know have had them in the past and overall seemed to be great vehicles. The good news is that they are going for a song and a dance for reasonably mileaged vehicles, loaded, and with a warranty (4 year/unltd mileage).



Irregardless, I would love to hear some input and any stories people may have, good or bad.





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Cheers.
 
The only experience I have with Range Rovers is a detail here and there. However, I do have a client that is on his 3rd because he absolutely loves them (matching His and Hers Rovers). I have heard of many that are in and out of the dealership all the time, though.
 
G35stilez said:
Anywho, I won't be driving the car, so who am I :)?
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The only important part is that she like what they give as loaner cars cause that's what she likely to be driving most often.:clap:
 
Not sure if this is much help to you Sean, but they are on the bottom of JD's Power Ranking with cars with most problems.
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!DO NOT BUY ANY RANGE/LAND ROVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I knew a mechanic for the company and been around plenty at a dealership for 5 years.



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AGAIN, DO NOT BUY ANY RANGE/LAND ROVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sean,



I'd stay away. A good friend of mine looked into the generation that Liz is looking at, and he told me that they have WAY too many issues. Another friend bought a new LR2 just recently, and he had issues with it from the moment he signed the paperwork. E.G. sunroof seal would not seal properly; back window would not lock, and left the cargo light on. Granted, a lot of new cars from both Honda and Toyota have problems, but as far as I know, they aren't nearly as bad. YMMV of course.
 
I am going to have to disagree with the other posters here. On my third Range Rover and will never own anything else.



If you are looking at the last generation (P38) get the latest, lowest mileage vehicle you can and get a warranty. This isn't because things are guaranteed to break, they are just usually expensive if they do. The Bosch engine BMW sourced is much better than the GEMS engine Land Rover was using prior to being bought out.



Every vehicle is going to have nagging issues, and the Range Rover may have more than some, but personally, I have never had any major issues whatsoever. You have to perform a little more preventative maintenance on these things (don't just wait for stuff to break) and she could get plenty of miles out of one.



I would suggest heading over to rangerovers.net and checking things out. They aren't for everyone, but like I said, I love them and won't even consider switching to something else.



pops
 
Sean,



Agreeing in every sense with the last post, the MK III (2003+) is the way to go. We own an 03, and its a SWEEET vehicle. There going for in the low 30's now, and are dropping. Reliability has been amazing, we just passed 55k. The past series I wouldnt reccomend as much. They have a pretty poor reputation for dependability, and drive poorly.



PM me with any questions at all.
 
whitejavaS500 said:
Sean,



Agreeing in every sense with the last post, the MK III (2003+) is the way to go. We own an 03, and its a SWEEET vehicle. There going for in the low 30's now, and are dropping. Reliability has been amazing, we just passed 55k. The past series I wouldnt reccomend as much. They have a pretty poor reputation for dependability, and drive poorly.



PM me with any questions at all.
Click to expand...



No question the MKIII is head and shoulders above the P38a, but you are also looking at about double the cost. If 35-40K is in his budget he can get an awesome vehicle.



I am driving an 04 with 45K problem free miles on the clock.



pops
 
Thanks for the input, everyone.



Any more comments? Is there a big reliability difference between the Range Rover and Discovery Series II (say 01, 02)?
 
My 98 Discovery ran flawlessly for 4 years, with just oil changes. Sold it for more fuel efficient cars.



The thing about the range rover is that on some trim levels there is just more stuff to break. Everything is power and heated. Models with adjustable suspension need maintenance more often. If the 4wd modes are not excersized every month or so, after years they can become coroded and seize.



The only reason why they are at bottom of the list is because they have the highest number of repairs to be made per visit. This is because range rovers have a TON of stuff that can break, they are really complex vehicles.



The good thing is that the way it drives will outweigh all of that, completely. Its a wonderful SUV. Nothing can compare.



ohh, and like an a6 can be considered reliable lol



The range rover costs $30,000 more when new (than a discovery), and you are really getting $30,000 worth of more truck. Drive both, theres a huge difference. I personally recommend going with the range rover.



IMO repair grief is over exaggerated with these vehicles, I had more problems with MY CR-V, and old Nissan Quest that I did with the discovery. Since its old, most of the problems should already be fixed, if not, Is it still under warranty?
 
One of my friends has one it's an 00. He has put almost 100,000KM on it in the three years since he bought it. He does the regular maintenance at a RR specialist shop thats local and other than complaining about it's fuel economy he loves it.



I have to admit that I quite like them and have enjoyed the trips that I've had in it.



I have another friend that has had a Disco for about a year now and other than the sunroof seal being replaced I don't think he has had any problems.



My only suggestion would be to buy one from a dealer with a warranty or take any that your considering to someone who can give it a good once over.
 
I have a client with an '08 RR Sport. It's on the bottom of the list cause it's a piece of crap. STAY AWAY! That thing LIVES in the shop.
 
They are big money pits. Me also being a mechanic and having worked on them, I would stay away. The black paint on certain years is horrible to deal with.
 
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