Went to look at a 2009 5.0 Supercharged today at an independent dealer specialising in prestige cars, they had Porsches, Astons and Bentleys in the showroom and they had 2 other TDV8 cars in black, was in Santorini black (most of them seem to be), was on an 09 plate (Reg May 2009), has had 2 owners, the last owner only had it a few months so almost a single owner car.

Spec as follows:

Asking price is just shy of £34k
47000 miles
12 months MOT
6 months warranty
HPI Clear
Just had new pads all round and a service by an Indy (not my favoured approach)
Apparently FLRDSH prior but they didn't have the book yet from the Merc Dealer it came from as a PX
full Jet interior
Jet leather headlining
Tow pack
RSE
Surround cameras
Tow Assist
Vision Assist
Both keys present (showed Shukers tags)
All the usual stuff that the Autobiography cars have
Interior is pretty spotless
Exterior is 95% ok, but some exterior surface rust on suspension arms, towbar etc - easily fixed


I found some niggles which they say they can get fixed, just wanted to air them here and see if anyone has any views.

There was obviously a bonnet mascot fitted to the bonnet scuttle/vent panel and it has 2 holes in it, says a replacement is on order so no big worry
NSF wheelarch has a little scrape that's been badly covered with a pen brush kit
2 of the surround cameras were not working
The front right fascia vent wouldn't blow any air (do they get blocked or is this a software issue?)
The spare wheel is destroyed - full on proper buckled and the tyre ripped open (This is my major concern - how it happened, why, what affect it may have had on the car if it was a big impact) - they said they'd replace it
Has 4 unmarked alloys and one mismatched tyre (3 Contis, 1 Toyo - all with good tread

or get a proper LR warranty with this


http://www.usedvehicles.landrover.co.uk/search#/details/1988069

or this,

http://www.usedvehicles.landrover.co.uk/search#/details/1946352 ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Proper warranty, yes.

I reckon it may be difficult to gauge what corner that wheel was on, but the odd Toyo may be your clue and that may point to a relatively recent issue. I'd say if it drives straight with no knocking or steering / handling issues then it's probably fine.

Is it worth getting a trusted specialist / dealer to give it the once over for added peace of mind?

Why did the last owner only have it 2 months? I accept that high-end cars like FF's tend to be bought on the crest of financial success and then sold again if that falls, but 2 months...

It would also be interesting to gauge how you felt it went compared to a 4.2 S/C. I know time has elapsed since your last one, but can you feel the extra go?

Would I buy it? Pictures paint a thousand words, so I'd need to see it, but if all fixed and warrantied then there's a good chance. Problem is, the price isn't far shy of a main dealer and a full LR warranty counts for a lot. Si. <This is my name.

I eat rat poison.

A man ain't truly been insulted until he stands buck naked in front of a woman and she didn't even notice. Or care.

With an impact like that to the wheel it may have knocked out the alignment. It might feel ok just now, but the tyre may start to show uneven wear as the miles pile up. I would ask for the alignment to be checked.
I was listening to radio Scotland today and they were talking about how now is the right time to buy a landrover as the prices were right down because of the good weather...  Previously..
Vogue SE TD6
Defender 90 2.4
Defender 110 TD5
Vogue 3.5 EFI

I would walk away. It take a lot to damage a rnage rover wheel, so I would not buy one where I had any doubts. Plenty of otheres out there.

(nb I have a 20" wheel with a 2"x3" dent in it from hitting a rock at 60mph and the wheel is not buckled) 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)

Have to say I would worry about that wheel impact the dealer is very honest to have left it in the car though...

I am afraid to say with the wheel and the short ownership, I would walk away from that one. Small red flag there in my mind.

I think the bust wheel was on the rear, like you say, if it was the front it would certainly have affected the tracking and I didn't notice anything.

I've seen those other cars but they don't have all the bits I want like the jet headlining, factory privacy glass etc, and they said that they often give owners the option of going for a manufacturers warranty instead of their own. I can't remember now if LR will warrant a car that's gone out of warranty?

The price is an asking price, subject to negotiation, and I will treat it as such, IF they call me back and want to proffer a deal, I'll see what they are willing to do 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 would contact the last owner on the V5c and ask whey they moved it on so quick and they may tell yu what happened the tyre as well.. Could have been an accident... FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Just reading through the posts here and was about to comment on the apparent 'honesty' of the selling dealer by letting you view a car with these prominent issues, instead of concealing them or getting the car tidied up before allowing viewings (you could also argue it was a wee bit arrogant to let you view a car advertised for £34k in that 'state' and it could be the classic case of the dealer trying to get away with as little rectification as they can. 'We'll fix nothing unless he notices and it becomes a deal clincher'. A moot point).

Buying approved used from a MD will get you a robust warranty/ breakdown cover that should give the greatest peace of mind. However, buying from a MD does not guarantee that when they took it in, the car did not have the things wrong with it that you have found on this one (you might even find some of these things if viewing a car at a MD after they have undertaken a pre-sales inspection because standards do vary regardless of 'the benefit of buying approved used' speeches).

Buying from a MD should give you greater recourse if the car is not prepared as promised on the basis that from a reputational perspective, the selling MD/ group they are affiliated to might be more likely to 'without quibble' rectify after sales snags (even big ones) as opposed to an independent who might be a little more hard faced about it (unless that independent comes highly recommended).

Exploring the service history on quite a new car (including the reputation of the singular indy service), the type of keeper(s) it has had and what might be wrong with the car (if anything much at all) should be relatively quick and straightforward to determine; and aside to what you might see as an aesthetic blip of an indy stamp in the book, if the selling garage is reputable, will give you written confirmation that they will fix all issues properly/ guarantee that the car is ‘fit for purpose’ before you commit to sale (including matching tyres on the same axle and having the alignment done) then you might be able to negotiate a bargain.

You could even ask the selling dealer to put their money where their mouth is and agree to you having the car inspected by an indy or MD of your choice... and see what such an inspection brings.

If they’re a competent and professional seller, the list of things you’ve identified to date (subject to any other issues being found) doesn’t sound like the end of the world for them to sort properly before they sell it.

With a car like that and knowing what I do now about things that can go wrong, without a very good warranty, I wouldn't entertain it.

You're posts have always indicated that you are very thorough and that your car is meticulously maintained so your experience of these cars gives you an edge and your gut instinct should be key in your decision making.

Do you look at this particular car and think that it’s time for your current RR to make way for this one?

After reading the comments, thinking on it further and speaking to a friend about it, it has helped me gain some objectivity.

I think that although the spec is good and almost 100% of what I'm looking for, those niggles are enough to put me off for the time being. I would rather buy from a main dealer every time, and so maybe I just wait for another at the right spec to come up or, change what I'm prepared to accept if a good car comes up.

I'll walk away from this one.

Cheers chaps.  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

Personally I think you've made the right move on that one.  
Had it, loved it!
2007 Vogue SE TDV8
Stornoway Grey / Ivory
Climatic Seats, RSE, AFS, Deployable steps, iPod kit.

The wheel worries me a lot as well, although you can just have bad luck that the "right type" of pothole can do a lot of damage to the wheel without affecting the suspension. One way you could have found out was look at the alignment of the wheels, if one is significantly off that could be an indication that it had a bit of a knock.

In this case you would have had to have a good longer term warranty because it could have taken months before the potential damage to the suspension would have come to play up.

If it doesn't feel right, usually it isn't and I think you did the right thing by walking away. You are replacing a very good FFRR with another one so the new one should be "perfect" or as perfect as you can get it

Good hunting ! MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Have since found a similar spec car at a main dealer, for a little more money.

1 Owner
Dealer supplied
Dealer serviced
42,000 miles
Santorini Black, Jet interior
12 months LR Extended Warranty

Minus Points:
Ivory leather headlining not Jet
No RSE
No towpack

Going to see it on Saturday on my way to the CLA Game Fair  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

Sounds better and I prefer the Ivory Headline as as Jet can be very dark.