J600.COM wrote:

Out of interest, what things I should look out for with a 4.2 Supercharged? For example is high mileage an issue? Ive heard that petrol engines typically have half the lifespan of a diesel and are on their last legs after 80,000 miles (and when major problems can kick in) - but with a diesel high miles isn't such a problem (is this true?)

I'm also always wary of cars that have had lots of previous owners, and some of the ones i've looked at have had 4 (or more) previous owners - is this something to run away from?

J,

Here's my 2 bobs worth.

Last query first. Personally I've bought and sold nearly 40 vehicles over 32 years of motoring, some new, some used, some good and some bad. My advice now is if you can afford it and want a better chance of picking a good car then stick to 1 owner vehicles.

The original owner paid a lot of money and tends to treat the car well. They nearly always have a full history. The more owners a vehicle has had, the more cloudy it's history becomes. For some reason the more owners then the more modifications it has had. Only buy standard. This applies to all cars but is paramount with a RR purchase. And then don't modify it if you intend to sell it again.

Lifespan - The Diesel engine used to be a purely mechanical cast iron lump which would run forever with basic maintenance, whereas Petrol engines were highly strung things often made of alloys, with electrics, carburettors, points and plugs, all needing frequent maintenance to keep them running.

This is no longer true. It's now the other way around. The diesel is much more complex and thus likely to fail expensively. I've owned many diesels and prefer their character, but they don't make financial sense any longer. For me diesel now only has 2 real advantages, greater range on a tankfull and less volatility if you're carrying fuel.

So if you are prepared to pay the money in depreciation for a car under manufacturers warranty, then go diesel. If not then petrol is now the way to go.

As to longevity, I recently sold my P38 4.6 HSE with 205,000 miles on the original engine, still running sweetly and trouble free with a lot of life left in it.

Although I was comparing TDV8 to Supercharged in http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic949.html it also largely applies to diesel v petrol.

TD6 is not in the same league as the SC, but if I HAD to buy diesel as a long term proposition I'd go TD6 rather than TDV8. And I would not buy a RRS regardless........

HTH.

If you are able to up your budget a little, there is this one

http://services.2ndbyte.com/mediaservice/pdf/-792323523.pdf

or this

If you like Tonga Green -> http://services.2ndbyte.com/mediaservice/pdf/-441988943.pdf

This one (http://services.2ndbyte.com/mediaservice/pdf/-1277806287.pdf) is closer to your budget but has the select warranty rather than the approved used. Perhaps you can negotiate that in?

As I suggested before, don't bother with Saxtons. It will only end in tears.

I cant go up to £30,850 (thats my main problem) if I could spend £30k+ on one i'd get a TDV8 tbh. I want to buy the car outright and can do this if its around £26k - thats whats swaying me to the SC because with my budget I can only get a SC or TD6 (and I dont like the TD6).

#Fair enough. The third one may be up your ally?

http://services.2ndbyte.com/mediaservice/pdf/-1277806287.pdf

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1405210.htm

I spotted that buckingham blue one, looks just about perfect other than a couple of minor things (i know beggars cant be choosers) but im not keen on the buckingham, im not 100% on the wood (I was hoping for the black inserts) and finally im still not 100% sure whether the all black leather works on a dark car - i dunno what it is, but a black car with all black interior seems like its missing something, like it needs a subtle accent colour to set it off.

I was thinking perhaps:

Silver exterior with all black interior (inc black inserts)
Black exterior with Ivory (and black inserts)

I quite like the other colours too, like the Giverny and Cairns etc. But i've not seen any yet that have the right combination. The main thing I didnt like about the TD6 interior (on the one I test drove) was the navy blue parts inside; I didnt like the navy leather dashboard, the navy plastics on the centre console or the navy carpets.

I'd prefer the carpets to be black. Just looking through the colourways, and my absolute ideal would be:

Java Black
Ivory Interior
Jet Carpet
Grand Black Lacquer Inserts

alternatively...

Zambezi / Java / Bonati / Giverny / Cairns
Charcoal or Ivory
Jet Carpet
Grand Black Lacquer Inserts

Fussy I know sorry, although this a 'cheap' FFRR for most people on here I imagine, its actually a very significant purchase for me so it needs to be perfect. I want one that I'll cherish.

Thanks for your help so far!

J600.COM wrote:

I spotted that buckingham blue one, looks just about perfect other than a couple of minor things (i know beggars cant be choosers) but im not keen on the buckingham, im not 100% on the wood (I was hoping for the black inserts) and finally im still not 100% sure whether the all black leather works on a dark car - i dunno what it is, but a black car with all black interior seems like its missing something, like it needs a subtle accent colour to set it off.!

It's not that its a cheap car, it's down to the Depreciation factor on the FFRR's, have seen a nice Giverny Green with two tone Leather SE .

Trying to remember where tho .......

I've found an absolute belter, 1 owner from new with only 33k miles on the clock £27,499. Its slightly over budget (only slightly) so perhaps with a haggle it might come down?? Don't even know if dealers haggle nowadays?? The only slight snag is that its got the charcoal interior but other than that it looks perfect.

Being that fussy I'd look at something else or up the budget.

To get exactly what you want you will have to pay for it.

Besides the car supermarkets, most dealers will haggle. I managed to knock off a bit more than 10% of the asking price. That is unless you suffer from...

Did the early SC's come with the Grand Black Piano wood? I thought that was introduced on the interior remodel for the 2007MY? Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

"I've found an absolute belter, 1 owner from new with only 33k miles on the clock £27,499. Its slightly over budget (only slightly) so perhaps with a haggle it might come down?? Don't even know if dealers haggle nowadays?? The only slight snag is that its got the charcoal interior but other than that it looks perfect."

PICS?

Charcoal is way easier to live with than the ivory btw, so much so that I'd never have another one that have a light trim again

You may struggle with every bit of spec you require but please remember condition is paramount and a LOT of Range Rovers are priced on condition so normally they are priced "cheaply" for a reason as I quickly found out this time round..... '09 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Auto for the Mrs

Using the works Fiesta 1.6 TDCI Sport Van - CHROME FREE THOUGH

Searching for a nice E63 AMG or S8 V10 to replace my "wonky" TDV8

RRUK
Did the early SC's come with the Grand Black Piano wood? I thought that was introduced on the interior remodel for the 2007MY?

The Grand Black Piano wood came in the 05/06 Mdl i have it in mine .....

The doc wrote:

PICS?

Charcoal is way easier to live with than the ivory btw, so much so that I'd never have another one that have a light trim again

You may struggle with every bit of spec you require but please remember condition is paramount and a LOT of Range Rovers are priced on condition so normally they are priced "cheaply" for a reason as I quickly found out this time round.....