Morning everyone

Newbie looking for some buying advice here.
I have been looking at a few RRs over the past week.

I'm looking at 2007 and 2008 year models, either the 4.2 SC or the 4.4 versions, with approx 70 to 90k miles on the clock. My budget is around £13000. In terms of spec, they all come highly spec'ed with just about everything that I would need.

The prices seem to occupy a wide range from roughly £12000 for a 56plate 07 model (4.4 engine, with fsh), private sale, with about 85k miles to 16k for the 4.2SC from the same year and about 83k miles at a dealer.

I met the dealer yest, but left him with a low offer which I guess put him off and I'm off to see the other private sale one now.

I've gone through the L322 buying guides and the wiki and spent quite a lot of time on this forum.

I will try to check everything as advised in the guide.

What I know so far is that if the car looks like it has been maintained well, with all the correct services, stamps and invoices, then even an older high mileage model will be fine.

Is there anything else that I can do to reassure myself that I am getting a decent deal.

Thanks
B

I'm fairly new to this site mate, but like you before I purchased mine I read everything this site had to offer. I then popped up the particular one I was interested in to ask others for their thoughts. Then it just came down to doing the deal.

My advice, pop the car up on this site for a critique, what you got to lose. Ultimately, it's your money so if your happy then great.

I'm new to all of this as well. Read as much as you can on the internet, there is a lot of info there about common problems and all the things to look for and check. When you look at it check all the electrics work, mechanicals are all fine etc..... At the end of the day you'll know when your looking at it if it's right or not.

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies.

Took a look at this one yesterday :

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...mp;adPos=2


It looks good; well maintained. It is the older style though with the BMW 4.4 petrol engine. It drove fine. The insides are clean, though some areas are starting to show their age - seats, some fittings etc.

The only advisory on the last MOT was that the front lower suspensions bushes needed replacing. So, I'm off to do a bit more research on what this is all about.

I'm going to take a look at this one later in the week :
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...mp;adPos=6


On paper, it looks good. Bit above my budget, but if I like it then im willing to pay a bit more. The advantage is that it is a reasonably low mileage example - though that is not necessarily an indication of how it has been used.

One question though - if I go for a lower mileage one, say 50k to 60k, what should i expect in terms of servicing expenses down the line when I hit about 75k.

The advantage of getting a post 75k model is that hopefully, with a good owner, a lot of the problems and repairs/services that would be due would have been done sparing me the expense of the same. I say this because both the 80k+ models I've seen had undergone major services, costing approx £2000 just before coming up for sale. So, Im assuming that I may need to have some money saved up if I buy a lower mileage model to cover these services if they come up.

Would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Thanks
B

No pretty pictures of the second one.

I'd prefer to get a higher mileage one with paperwork to back up it's miles than a lower miles one with holes in the history. The second one seems to have a gap of some three years servicing, so if the owner did it themselves no issue but I'd expect something like receipts etc.

As to what to expect in terms of servicing I'm not clued up enough, sorry.

@broy,

If it is 2007 then it will have the jag 4.4 petrol engine. Not BMW.

They are good if not better than the BMW but are more difficult to fit lpg (you need liner lube).

Similar dilemma. Lovely 2007 SC, just the spec for me. Asked the buyer about work that had been done. He replied "nothing" ! (other than servicing).

This worried me, Knowing what I have been through over the last eight years with my current FFRR.

Would rather find one with lots of history and work done, even if higher miles etc. in the knowledge that i won't necessarily have to do "that job" - suspension bushes, brakes & brake pipes, sub frame bushes, air compressor/tank etc, air bags-struts, radiator/condenser, waterpump, alternator, injectors, Triggers Broom is sometimes a better car  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Thanks for all the replies - all very helpful.

@ archermav - Yes - no pics of the second one yet; hopefully it will be up soon; its reasonably close to where I live so may pop down to take a look anyway. I agree with you - a higher mileage one with a good history will be my preferred option as well.
Thanks for spotting the service gap - i will definitely ask about it.

@ Dolphinboy - I was under the same impression as well; the 4.4 petrols were all Jaguar models from 2007 onwards as far as I was aware. This car was registered, according to the logbook, in January 2007 - I assumed that this was one of the last BMW 4.4 engined models; the owner was clear stating that it was the BMW engine; I looked at the engine but could not find any specific details to say it was either the Jaguar or the BMW.

Joe90 - I agree - my current ride is a 13 year old BMW 5 series, 530i - fantastic when I bought it 6 yrs ago, but Im aware of the work that some of these cars need; fortunately I had the BMW extended warranty which helped. Im hoping that the RR I buy will not need too much work, but want to be prepared just the same.

Thanks all.

The search continues.

B

Just to wade in here Land Rover started using the Jag 4.4 in 2005 before the facelift interior came in , it is easy to spot as it comes with a six speed ZF gearbox and any 2007 car will have the new interior so for a BMW engined car is very early 2005 at best , needs some more investigating . Not even the very best superchargers need nothing done to them , they may be the most reliable ever built but still small things go wrong , pumps motors that sort of thing and finally , I'll get some comments here but if you can't afford a BMW engined V8 you wont be able to afford to run a Range Rover .

Just had a closer look at the first car , in all probability it is a Jag engine with the six speed ZF and was just old stock held back for over a year before being registered , might be worthwhile mentioning this to get a chunk of money off because there is no whay on god's green earth it is worth that much . 2008 MY Supercharged
Rimini Red / Jet
four zone climate
remote park heater
and no ugly kid windows.
magnus satis quod turpis satis

According to the build sheet the 1st one was built 8-6-06 so already the dealer is playing silly by passing it off as a 2007. It's clearly a pre-facelift car just looking at the interior.

Personally, I'd have the supercharger. It may be more money but there's a price to pay for a lot more smiles  2017 5.0 Autobiography Supercharged
2005 Merc SL350
2005 Disco HSE 2.7 oil burner

Thanks again for the advice.

@ axle - fair comment re the affordability. I am not averse to spending money to maintain a car that runs well. However I am worried about buying one, which may die on me in 6 months to a year (and yes - I have had this happen once) and then needing to spend money just to get it running again. Hence my motivation to do as much research as possible before the purchase as the risks of this happening will be minimised if I start with a car in a good condition initially.

The first car is indeed the pre facelift model; i could have sworn that the chap said that I had a BMW engine, despite me telling him that it was most likely the Jaguar. Either way, I am not entirely convinced about this one right now and will leave it at the bottom of the short list for the time being.

The other car has just had some pics uploaded; off to view it in a day or two.

Every time I go to check out an RR and do a test drive, I learn something new !!

Regards,
B

The second one looks nice enough in the pictures, although what's happened to the wing mirrors? Shouldn't they be the same colour as the car. Wonder if they had chrome caps fitted?

Also, where is the parcel shelf? Expensive to replace mate.

Well, there was some progress today.

Took a look at the second one on my list:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...gcode=visc


Dealer was alright - not too pushy; no hard selling; gave us lots of time to look around.

It was still being valeted and therefore we agreed that I will take it for a test drive this Saturday, when I will be checking everything more thoroughly.

It was brought in as a part exchange.

- Registered in Jan 2007; kept as a demonstrator by the dealership until it was sold to the owner 3 months later.
- The owner had it serviced as indicated by the stamps on the service book;the stamps that are present are all authorised Land Rover Dealers - Charles Hurst Land Rover Kensington at 9653 miles in 07/08 and 13134 miles in 08/09, Lookers Land Rover Battersea at 19096 miles in 08/11, Hunters Land Rover Guildford at 24434 miles in 10/12 and Guy Salmon Land Rover Surbiton at 50582 miles in 2015;

- but there is a missing period between 2012 and 2015 that had no stamps or invoices/receipts;

To our (reasonably inexperienced) eyes, it looked OK on visual inspection; no glaring defects but we noted the following:

- NO areas of rust;
- one small dent in the rear passenger side boot panel - just above the wheel arch; dealer said that he will get it touched up and fixed before selling.
- small chip on the windscreen which has been repaired at some point in the past.
- Tyres all in good nick - all from the same company and with a good amount of tread on them. Wheels will be refurbished by the dealer (they show some kerb damage).
- All electrics (windows, heating, cooling, display) working (except - see below) - But I will double check again;
- We could not check the rear headphones as these were not available (previous owner did not hand them in).

The negatives that I can think of at the moment are:

- Missing service history between 2012 and 2015; the dealer has said that he will check with the previous owner and get back to me; the owner apparently has had the car serviced yearly in this period but I will ask for definite evidence.

- The last service was around 50000 miles by Guy Salmon Land Rover and they appear to have done an oil service. I will try to call them and see if they can tell me anything more about the car; any advice about what I can do if they refuse to tell me anything? Are ADs even allowed to talk about cars that they have worked on? If I do speak to them, what should I be looking for/asking for?

- I will have to check the MOT certificates; any idea on what I can do if none are available?

- The current dealer has said that he will get it serviced and MOT'ed before the sale; he uses an independent garage (Not an LR specialist but one who is apparently good) and will sort out any issues that come up during this service and MOT.

- No parcel tray. (Thanks for this archermav !!)

- No rear headphones - without which I will not be able to check the audio out from the rear dvds - Any tips on how I can check this before having to buy a new set?

The positive points for now - the car has essentially had one keeper, run only 60,000 miles and is within my budget - the dealer was able to give us a good part exchange price on our current car and I suspect he will reduce the selling price of the RR by another £500 (or more depending on how much I can bargain). He will be servicing it and MOT'ing it before the sale.

The missing service history is what is worrying me the most at the moment; not being very mechanically gifted, I am trying to think of how I can find out more about the condition of the car.

I have NOT made any firm decision to buy as yet; certainly not before a test drive.
And yes - I am trying to follow the
A- Assume nothing
B- Believe no one
C - Check everything ....

I would value your thoughts on the process so far. What do the more experienced members here think?

What else should I be doing?

Any advice appreciated - Im learning everyday.

Thanks,
B




[/u]

Some due diligence going on there mate, fair play to you.

My next step would be check the MOT history on line and see if there were any advisories and if these were picked up again the year after. MOT certificates should be available, I think you can obtain them from any MOT garage for a fee.

I'd ask what service the garage are going to do, I assume oil/filters?

You've checked everything electrical? On Saturday check the air suspension goes up and down as it should. Check the dial in the centre actually alters the suspension settings etc re different terrain.

Always worth ringing the main dealer to ask re service, I've never had a definitive answer as to if they can or cannot, some do, and some do not. Any other receipts in the pack to suggest anything else replaced? Then it really is a decision for you, if the car drives nice can you overlook the missing history? It will have had two stamps in 5 years (the one in 2012 and your one).

Has the dealer mentioned the parcel shelf? Will they get one?

If after all this the only thing is the missing headphones/question if they work I wouldn't let that be a deal breaker if it's the car you want.

I am not in anyway an expert on these cars, but the above would be the questions I would be asking.

I've just checked the MOT history, other than the fact the previous owner had knackered tyres, nothing would concern me.

Thanks mate.
Unfortunately the due diligence took too long. Just found out that it got sold today. Dealer did not even ring me to let me know that it was going, but that's the way I suppose.
Good health and happy driving to the new owner.
Bit gutted, but that's OK.
The search continues!!

But thank you all for the help and advice.
I know more about these cars now that I ever did before.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks
B