Hi gents, hoping to steal some wisdom from the collective minds on here.

Just arrived back at home from a while away and have been seriously considering getting into some touring with my old man, as such i have been doing some serious research into it and would have to clarify some technical issues with some of the more experienced lads on here.

I love Land Rover as a brand (although have never owned one) and want to just use it as a vehicle that would go out for a a long weekend every 2 months or so (so not worried about fuel consumption)and whilst I recognise that a lot of custom fab work will be needed with snorkels and bars as such, fabrication is what i love doing with my father. I have considered other vehicles is this price bracket ~20-25k Lexus, Crusier Sahara, LR 3 and the sport i found them considerably lacking in comfort and sense of occasion not to mention lack of full independent air suspension and the sport just being the sport however I would be willing to spend more if you guy reckon the following plan is plain stupid.

Thus far i have settled on using a BMW era L322 with the 4.4 V8 and ~120k km as i have been told they are reasonably bulletproof vs the diesel and jaguar engine models however how do cars of this age fair reliability wise is there anyone on here with this age vehicle that could update me on what to look out for and upcoming maintenance issues with these sort of kilometres. Also what sort of abuse will they stand up to with ~32" tires and a 2" Johnson lift, i.e. if i drive sensibly offload will i still be snapping CV's all the time?

Additionally I have read up on outrageous RR dealership maintenance fees and parts but it's serviced by a good independent and my own mechanical maintenance using refurbished parts how will i fair compared to these horror stories? Look forward to hearing your comments and banter. (if it all goes ahead ill be posting up a build thread)

Kind regards,
George

Last edited by royalgoldfish on 6th Sep 2016 10:28pm. Edited 1 time in total

I don't know who told you the BMWs are better but I would steer you toward a 4.2 Jaguar 07+ with rear locker and e locking center.

The most fragile part of it will be the exposed transmission. If you can plate the transmission and engine it should take a bit of abuse.

I'd also try to protect the headlights on an 03 I picked up some weather tech headlight protectors. OffRoadRover.com An American Western Range Rover Off Road Blog

Re Parts, you are correct. For some reason they CAN be extremely high in Oz.

With the recent fall in the Pound, some research, and forward planning, you can get good value by buying online from the UK, Parts VAT free (GST) which is 20% thus covers your postage.

Cheers, Jerry THIS WRECKAGE

I was reading on the forums that the BMW's in the 4.4 managed higher km's and sound be worked on easier eg. timing chains and parts were more readily available as the engine is found in the 5, 6 and 7 series plus the X5 Don't let school get in the way of your education

I do a bit of touring and my main concern was tyres after a couple of horror trips in the past with multiple puncture in remote areas. On the earlier cars you can fit 18 inch rims which opens up the choice of rubber. I run 265 60 18 as they are std on Landcruisers, Pajero`s, Rangers etc and therefore very available, just looked in my local small adds and there is a good used set of 4x AT22`s for $100. I have a 2003 TD6 and the Range on a tank can easily be 1000klms, 2007 TDV8 VSE
2003 TD6 gone.
2002 P38a gone
1999 P38a gone
1997 p38a gone
1993 VSE gone
1992 VSE gone
1966 Series 2a with V8 conversion gone

How many km's do you have on your vehicle mate? I was told getting up in the kms with the TD6 spells trouble for the gearbox and turbos? Don't let school get in the way of your education

Mine has 212000klms on it. You need to be very careful of the gearbox with a 200000k lifespan but the engine is a peach and pretty bullet proof. I sat and watched the market for a year until I spotted mine with easy diy issues but just had a dealer gearbox, torque converter and cooler fitted. The guy said it had a turbo swap a few years back but no bill to prove. He never even mentioned all 4 discs and pads were just replaced, still looking shiny new. I am ready to do the turbo if it goes south, A core is less than A$150 to DIY.
Delete the EGR, clean the inlet manifold and get a remap or tuning box and the BMW M57 diesel is transformed. 2007 TDV8 VSE
2003 TD6 gone.
2002 P38a gone
1999 P38a gone
1997 p38a gone
1993 VSE gone
1992 VSE gone
1966 Series 2a with V8 conversion gone

waned thats really good to hear mate, I'm doing the waiting game as well, the V8 apparently has a 250k lifespan or so as well so i figure buying at 120k gives me heaps of leeway before it needs to be addressed. You sounds like a diy man a well, is there much you can't do that pops up? eg. electronics or special tools to remove stuff? Don't let school get in the way of your education

I'm not sure about the BMW petrols being better than the Jags, but they'll have more miles because they've been around more. I'd recommend the following: good protection (underbody, bumpers), fault code reader, good spares supply, strong 18" tyres. Enjoy!

royalgoldfish wrote:

You sounds like a diy man a well, is there much you can't do that pops up? eg. electronics or special tools to remove stuff?

Thanks very much wayne, this is all the info i need to make my decision, Ill have to play the waiting game now to find the "right" one. Cheers. Don't let school get in the way of your education