Hello All.

I am new here.
Hope some can help me out a bit.

I am, well we, are thinkiong of a Range Rover for ouer next car.
I just love the L322, they are just superb to look at.
They have a large cargo area and I guess they are also can protect me and the family, IF it was needed.

A local dealer have got one now for sale, a 2005 Range Rover VOGUE 4.4V8 with 306 HP.
It has 115000 km, one owner car.
Looks and feels very good.

So, to my questions.

First, is that engine the Jaguar engine?
Reading some of the reports/information here and on the nett makes me think......Is these car really TAHT bad?
Am I mad to buy one?

Any one who has any experience how they are in a collision? As solid as they looks/feels??

All help, tips is welcome.

Happy Easter all.

Yes that sounds like a jag engine. THOse on this forum who have them say they are great. However not as good to convert to LPG as the BMW.

In terms of safety, they are superb due to the higher driving position which means you can see a lot further ahead and therefore have more warning of things going wrong. Also, being over 2 tonnes, they pack a wallop.

There are lots of things to check before buying: do a search here for some very good check lists for buying.

They are not all bad. I have had great driving over 5 years and 2 RRs with no problems at all.

Good luck!

Welcome Norway driver and you're on the best forum for helpful, timely advice.

You've probably seen it but the attached Wikipedia link is quite helpful as a general overview of L322 models/ revisions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_Rover_(L322)

As mentioned, the Jaguar engine was introduced from 2006 Model Year and so a 2005 car might well have the Jaguar engine.

The 4.4 BMW M62 engine left the factory with either 282 or 292bhp as opposed to the 300bhp Jaguar engine and again this Wikipedia link might help, including offering pictures of the actual engine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M62

We've had our 4.2SC just over 12 months and whilst no expert, I'm probably quite well positioned to comment on the difficulties these cars can present and the ownership experience including costs when things go wrong. The issues affecting our car are well documented on the forum so I won't repeat them here.

If you have the preparedness to accept that as with any car, issues might occur with these cars and when they do, they can be expensive to resolve, then you probably won't find a better, more enjoyable car for comparable money. They wear miles well and when working as they should, they are brilliant.

As posted this week on my '12 months in update', I would not entertain a car like this that was not in A1 condition with a service history to match, a good warranty, the car being bought from a known to be reputable person. Nor would I buy one without a few thousand GBP in reserve for an unexpected occurrence.

I can also confirm that they are robust and should protect your family well in the event of a substantial collision/ impact.

Better qualified and more knowledgeable people than me will be along to correct me and/ or offer you more insight.

Good luck with your search and take your time doing so

My uncle has been running Disco's and Range rovers for over 10 years now and when I asked him fro advice he suggested steering clear of anything pre 2007, in other words the version with the terrain knob in the centre console. He said that all his Range Rovers pre 07 spent more time in the dealer than on his drive but his 2008 has been excellent. His neighbours and friends who run these stunning cars have all had the same experience.

If you can't stretch to a 2007 make sure you get a comprehensive warranty. Check that the front diff has been sorted, there were well documented problems with this.

These are wonderful cars to drive and you can even see others in their non Land Rover cars admiring the car. My 2 year old daughter loves the car as she can see out the windows properly and has more than enough room to swing her legs. Her parents love it as the boot swallows up all the junk that has to be carted around with her. A recent trip to Ikea also showed one of the best things about this car, the split tailgate meaning no more getting fingers trapped in the lip of the boot while trying to get your very heavy purchase into the boot.


All the best

Gary Current:
1999 SL500
2006 Mini One Chrome wrapped
2008 FFRR 4.2sc

Best advice I can give in owning a Range Rover is what my Grandfather said to me. Owning a Range Rover is a way of life not just a car, by that he was referring to the cost of ownership. They are not really any worse reliability than most other complex cars they just seem to get an unfair reputation for it.

There is no getting away from them not being cheap to run but they are reliable in my experience over the last 4 I have had none of them have ever broken down and they are very safe indeed. Good luck. 2011 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 TDV8
2003 VW Golf V6 4motion
2001 Range Rover Vogue 4.6
1982 Range Rover in VOGUE
1990 Range Rover Vogue SE
2007 Audi A6 Avant Le Mans Quattro S-Line 3.0 TDI
2007 Skoda Ovtavia 2.0 TDI L&K
2007 GSX-R 750 K7

Hi, and welcome.

I have a 2006 4.4 vogue, with the Jaguar engine, it had been converted to LPG by the previous owner. Despite having read some horror stories, both here and elsewhere, about AJV8 engines converted to LPG, all I can say is that the car is fantastic!! Ours had a full service history (Main dealers until 2011, then a couple at an independent), but had obviously been well cared for and looked after.

We had one or 2 teething problems in the early days, but got these sorted out, and have been very happy ever since - I have now done over 4,000 miles in the car and still have a grin from ear to ear every time I drive it!!

As others have said, you need to accept that, like buying any other used vehicle, you need to do some homework, make sure that you are buying from a reputable source, and get a full service history and preferably a warranty, but bear in mind that if someone has a bad experience (with anything, not just a car), they will tend to tell an awful lot of people about it, whereas a happy person doesn't make so much noise - there are far more good ones out there than bad.

There is plenty of good advice on here - look at the buyers guide in the WIKI, if you still feel a little unsure try to find someone with experience of the cars to assist you

Once you have driven one of these, you won't want to go back to anything else!!

So, best of luck, and I hope you find a good one and join a very happy bunch of people  2006 (56 Reg) 4.4 V8 Vogue In Bonatti Grey (Gorgeous!!)

Swithins wrote:

My uncle has been running Disco's and Range rovers for over 10 years now and when I asked him fro advice he suggested steering clear of anything pre 2007, in other words the version with the terrain knob in the centre console. He said that all his Range Rovers pre 07 spent more time in the dealer than on his drive but his 2008 has been excellent.

so wheres the terrain knob in a pre 07 then?

My 03 FF has been fine no issues, only jobs done have been new rad and auxiliary coolant pump, both done under warrenty and mine is a daily user not a weekender.
Bit unfair to say pre 07s spend more time at the dealerships my friend.

As all have said, take time to look round and have the service history, oh and welcome to the mad house  If it dont work.......burn it!

If the IId tool cant fix it.......burn the FF.

If the FF cant be fixed......buy a Land Cruiser!

If the LC cant be fixed..............................................BUY a horse !!

Hi & welcome - you are doing the best thing seeking advice from owners.
The AJV8 equipped cars were introduced for the 2006 model year. If the car has "6A" within the 17 digit VIN number, it will be an AJV8.
There is also the added benefit of the 6 speed ZF gearbox these cars have.
The safety of the cars is all relative. They are comprehensively equipped with multiple airbags, but some people forget the significant issues of controlling over two tons of vehicle. They can't be driven in the same manner as a car . . .
I have owned my 2006 AJV8 for a year now and find it superb. It is equally at home in town or country on all road types returning good fuel consumption of 20 mpg.
Providing the car you have seen has been well maintained it will be an excellent car - mine is !
Good luck !

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

Sorry Welshdragon, meant that terrain knob is on 2007 onwards. As to reliability I'm only telling it as per experiences with cars bought new. My own car, I'm the new owner, spent a lot of time by the previous owner having electrical gremlins taken out.

At end of the day it's all about research, make sure recalls have been done and remember SOME may say this is a very unreliable truck but compared to any other car, how many stick with the brand, probably more people than with any other.

Everyone I know who has owned one either has continued buying them, regrets selling it and is looking again or still has their original purchase. I believe I read somewhere that 3/4 of all land rovers ever built are still running.

Best regards

Gary Current:
1999 SL500
2006 Mini One Chrome wrapped
2008 FFRR 4.2sc

Im sorry Swithins i completely disagree with your statement of pre 07 cars are less reliable...

I see many many FFRR's on a daily basis and i would put my hand on my heart and say pre 07 FF's made during BMW's ownership were more reliable than post 07 cars made during Ford's ownership...

Either way... There are good & bad in both, so do look wisely when purchasing...

Well technically they were all made under Fords tenure as owners  2008 MY Supercharged
Rimini Red / Jet
four zone climate
remote park heater
and no ugly kid windows.
magnus satis quod turpis satis

You know exactly what i meant


Bloody aussies

I know you know that but my Easter has started before yours  2008 MY Supercharged
Rimini Red / Jet
four zone climate
remote park heater
and no ugly kid windows.
magnus satis quod turpis satis

Have a good un mate

Wifey suggested barby this afternoon