Hi FFRR
I've got a baby on the way and need a bigger vehicle. I've always wanted a FFRR and now I can "very loosly" justify buying one. However, I have a small roadblock in the guise of "the mrs" and the Lexus RX300SE-L.
I know the smart money goes on the Lexus. It will rarely break down and will be better on fuel. I don't really care about these things though as I see a problem in that there is no real DIY maintenance community around the RX so if it breaks, it's off to the Lexus dealer. Also, it will be dull to drive and have no soul.
This is what attracts me to the Rangie. I'm pretty competent with DIY spannering and can do most jobs that don't require ramps. Brakes, shocks, electrics etc are all within my skills. I would draw the line at an engine or gearbox swap though.
I've almost got the mrs convinced but I need one more piece of info to swing her round. How often has your Rangie left you stranded? I can deal with stuff that stops working or needs replacing as long as it doesn't leave me at the side of the road too often. My understanding is that the things most likely to stop me in my tracks are gearbox lunching itself, fuel pump death or air-suspension issues.

I'm looking at the bottom of the market by the way. Around the £12k mark (I'm guessing vehicles advertised at the £14k - £15k mark can be knocked down this far) and a V8 petrol. No dirty diesels for me. Hate them. I bought a 730d a few years back and kept it for 8 weeks before I traded it against a 750i. I just couldn't cope with the diesel clatter, even in a car as refined as the E65 7-Series. Every time I started it in the morning I died a little inside.

What is confusing me at the minute is the massive variation of prices. I've seen 2003 - 2004 BMW 4.4 Vogues on around 80k miles for anything from £8k to £16k. Ideally, I'd like a 2005 with the AJV8 on less than 80k miles but they seem to be like hen's teeth. I know that miles aren't something to be afraid of with the Rangie but the mrs things big miles = worn out car. Of this, I won't convince her otherwise.

There's a 2005 4.2 SC I noticed in the LR dealer network for £18.9k by the way. Sorely tempted by this but I'd need to borrow some money to afford it. This is something I don't really want to do though.

I had my 4.4 for just under three years and it left me stranded once and that was just toward the end of my tenture. I had replaced the alternator 4weeks prior and the new unit seized leaving me with no belt so now cooling. On the back of a flatbed and a new alt and all was good. Never had a flat battery or anything like that. Loads of maintenance but nothing that left me at the side of the road. [img]http://www.fuelly.com/driver/rob2529/range-rover[img/]
04, 4.4V8, Vogue Oslo Blue with LPG.
"You can sleep in your car, BUT you can't race your house!!!!"

If something can't be fixed with a hammer....... You have yourself an electrical fault!

had a td6 for just over two years and never broke down once..

welcome to the forum and wiki btw..  ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Here's another question for you guys. Assuming the worst happened and the gearbox lunched itself, what am I looking at for repair or replacement? £2.5k ish? What about a suspension refresh (air bags, struts, compressor) £2k ish?

For that money there are some good SC's floating around, albeit with High Miles on but if you flush all the fluids and maybe swap the rad/gearbox cooler you should be able to get a decent one that will hold together for a while.

And the SC noise.... hmm that could be very nice indeed! FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

stan wrote:

had a td6 for just over two years and never broke down once..

welcome to the forum and wiki btw..

Click image to enlarge

kingpleb wrote:

For that money there are some good SC's floating around, albeit with High Miles on but if you flush all the fluids and maybe swap the rad/gearbox cooler you should be able to get a decent one that will hold together for a while.

And the SC noise.... hmm that could be very nice indeed!

A 4.4 can do that?? I have seen people hitting 22mpg on here with their SC but that is 60mph most of the way  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Quote:

I had a Jag S-Type R with the 4.2 SC engine for a while. Lovely motor but I think 16mpg is too little to stomach. I need to be able to break 20mpg on a motorway run really otherwise when I drive business miles in it I will be paying out of my own pocket.

I'm pretty new at FFRR ownership, but the only car I've ever had that 'left me stranded' was my very reliable, well maintained HONDA ACCORD. (The clutch just went leaving me with a nicely purring engine and no way to get into any gear. I had it recovered to the nearest dealer and they had it back on the road the next day.)

So, it's possible for any car to do that. The only way around it, would be to service it like it was an airplane: replace anything that could possibly go wrong on a strict preemptive basis. The cost would be prohibitive.

If you have a good breakdown cover, you'll have peace of mind and probably won't need it.

MOST things (not everything), will give a warning of failure. You said you were handy, so you know what to watch for.

My father had two Lexus (Lexi) SUVs. They were pointless and boring. They don't off-road, so you are far better with a nice, comfy AWD estate car.

Good luck on your search.if you read the various posts on here you will know what to look out for when buying your FFRR.Reliability wise its never left me stranded because it normally warns you when something is not right before-hand.Here`s my views for what its worth.had mine 9 months now,pre-facelift V8 05` plate 105k miles,12k purchase price.Just had new compressor and front air struts-cost £1000.Apart from that nothing else really.Had all the suspension struts checked pre-purchase and all were ok then.Just one of those things really.Mileage-16mpg round town.20mpg motorway.I don't do many miles so not a problem.If you're going to put miles on it then if you can stretch to TDV8,you have the best of both worlds,power and more mpg.It really is a fantastic car and you should take the plunge or you might regret it.For me it has a presence that no other car I have owned has got.What`s the worst that can happen? If you find you have maintenance or reliability issues that you can`t put up with then sell it on.Like any second hand car with miles on it,it`s the luck of the draw. 05`V8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Was in same boat, got a Jag XJ with the superb AJV8 motor and that will return 30 on the motorway and sounds amazing but i could not live with the MPG of that motor in a FFRR, for the same mpg as the TD6 i would say the TDV8 is worth the stretch the main bonus being much more power without the gearbox worries, there is a very keenly priced TDV8 on the for sale section.

Well it's very dependant on the vehicle you buy. Read the posts on here about, "what to look out for" and "buying advice" get to know the vehicle before you purchase it. Take it out for more than one test drive.
Service history on an older car is worth the extra ££££ in my eyes, take someone who knows about FFRR to the test drive with you and let them have a look over the motor too.

That all being said, I did all of the above and have had my FFRR for just over three months, and it's left me stranded once. But other members on here who have had the same fault as mine were luckier. Sometimes parts fail without warning, but not very often. Most of the time you will get some noise/lights/buzzer etc to let you know something is on its way out. I guess it was just my time!

My advice would be, if you are a little bit handy with the spanners, go for it! the sheer enjoyment of owning one of these vehicles, far outweighs the occasional problems. I drive a Porsche and the RR, and I can honestly say the RR is more enjoyable everyday then the Porsche.

I wouldn't swap it for anything! Other than maybe a brand new 2013 RR  Bushy

2003 RR Vogue Monté Carlo Blue

I have had my TDV8 for 18 Months, only been left stranded once and that was my fault. Spent all day cleaning it inside and out, doors opening an closing all the time and I ended up with a flat battery.

IIRC the gearbox lunching itself is more a GM box issue which was only fitted to the TD6, so if you stick with petrol or go for a TDV8 then the gearbox should be robust if it has thrashed 56 TDV8 Vogue SE
9 Freelanders, 2x 2002 TD4ES, 2001 TD4, 2002 1.8GS, 2000 XEDI, 2x 2000 1.8ES, 2004 1.8 & 2000 1.8 GS (rolled)
91 Lotus Carlton (sold)
90 Lotus Elan (BRG)

Thanks for the info guys. I've been reading all the buying guides on here and the wiki. I feel well armed now to start looking at a few.