I am looking at swapping vehicles in spring and I'm very tempted by a L322. I've always liked the look of them and could just about justify one to myself. It will be petrol, I don't do diesel as a rule.

I have been doing a bit of research and background reading on here and other forums and seem to get conflicting opinions on some issues. A link to a book on the l322 on amazon seemed to suggest that in the authors view the best model to go for was the 4.2s/c post 06 with the revised interior. The reasoning behind this was better quality of plastics (coloured through not painted), 6sp box not the 5, the terrain response system and the engine is pretty robust. Whilst I would probably be able to afford the purchase price of one this age, I don't really like on principle the £500 road tax and was considering an early 06 if I went for this engine.

Initially I was thinking of a BMW engined v8 as they are a simpler LPG conversion and I would be looking to run on gas. However I have read of these engines having potential timing chain issues, coolant issues and have seen several vehicles advertised with replacement engines. Also I have read about the 5sp box being prone to failure and these vehicles having more electrical issues than the later ones under ford/jag ownership.

On the gear box front, is the 5sp box really a reason to stay away from some models? Do all the jag engined vehicles get the 6sp or was that only brought in with the interior facelift?

I currently drive a 04, xkr with LPG conversion so I know that converting the jag enigne is possible and so far I have done 60k on gas with no valve lube (it does use petrol addition at higher rpm) and have no problems. However there are a number of things like coolant pipes that run under the charger and when they fail as after 12 years they tend to, they can be costly to change due to having to remove the charger. Hence I was considering sacrificing some power and sticking with normally aspirated.

My dilemma is really do I look for a good condition relatively low mileage vehicle of around 04 vintage possibly with LPG conversion already done as that alone will cost around 2k. Or spend probably 4-6k more initially and go for a later jag engined model. Ultimately unless I immediately decide I don't like it I will be looking to keep what ever I get for a good few years probably 4-6) .

Is there anything else that makes a jag era vehicle worth paying that extra for, are the electrics more or less problematic? Is the change over year 06-07 likely to bring its own set of problems? Thoughts and comments from the knowledgeable much appreciated. My apologies if this has been done to death somewhere and I haven't found it.

It sounds like you've done the relevant research & come to broadly the right conclusion.

At that age, you're unlikely to find the perfect vehicle, so IMHO it's more about understanding the pro's & con's they buying the best you can whilst understanding the potential costs & constraints.

There are also some 4.4 normally aspirated Jag engined cars out there - they were produced alongside the 4.2 S/C for a while.

I think the electronics changed first - so you have the original BMW cars - then ones with Ford/Jag electronics (touch screen sat nav) but BMW engines, then finally the Jag engined cars.

There's a good buyers guide in the wiki that is well worth a read.

Good luck with the search

I would say it depends if you do all your car repairs yourself or not, an early one is easy to fix, loads being broken and a lot of info out there, the later ones are a bit more complicated, but do tend to be slightly more reliable...

Easy to chuck out the unreliable ICE system in the BMW cars and fit an all in one Android unit which is better than any system fitted to any FF... when you get to the touchscreen ones the head unit controls much more and the fibre optic system is ot easy to mod...

BMW cars have the 7 series seats, more adjustable and comfier than the later cars...

Later cars had more soundproofing but suffered with more rust issues... having said that the early ones are suffering now, whichever one you chose look for rust above the plastic sill shield in front of the rear wheel, open the door and if there are rust bubbles coming up from the sill trim on the door shut then the sills are rusty, they can just suffer surface rust but some rot out totally under the plastic and need welding... This is NOT picked up on MOT's as they are not allowed to remove plastic to check structural areas...!!!

I'd go and drive them, the SC is a totally different beast to the early ones... the 4.2 will LPG fine with no valve lube, you can't LPG the 5.0 yet as it's direct injection...

Stay away from very low mileage ones, they like to be used, and remember they all need love and money lavishing on them...  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

My 2004 4.4 BMW engine developed coolant-related problems and was condemned at about 97,000 miles, having been serviced on schedule with additional 6 monthly oil changes using recommended synthetic oil. I didn't have a problem with corrosion, but the car had been waxoyled before delivery when new. Some panels had paint blistering due to stone chips by 2013. There were plenty of other problems, brakes seizing, brake lines corroding, radiator leak, power steering pump failure, suspension air bag leak, final stage resistor heater failure, wiper failure etc. Nice comfortable and competent car, but there were phases when it was an annoying money pit.

I'd tend to favour a younger higher mileage car over an older one with lower mileage. Either way you'd want to have the capacity to deal with problems, either through your own mechanical skill or through having an adequate budget to pay someone else (from my experience perhaps £3000 a year including routine servicing, but not major failures - these can cost more than the value of the car to put right).

Good luck with finding the right car. Only Range Rovers since 1988

Personally having owned an 04 bmw vogue and presently an 07 sc ,both petrol. My experience has been dispite the 04 plate having considerably less miles on it,60000 miles when purchased 14 months ago,age related issues arose probably due to irregular use,electrics being a main bug bearer,ds wing mirror packed up quoted £250,electronic stearing column gave up quoted £700.No phone connection / blue tooth quoted between £300 and £500,suspension pump replaced £300.
In the grand scheme of things opting for an 07 sc gave me a more up to date car better interior,sat nav blue tooth,rear entertainment and dispite purchasing with 10000 miles other than the annual service any money spent has been by choice rather than necessity. I had the gear box flushed, all engine fluids replaced,a bit of paint work sorted .Yes the tax is a bug bearer but considering all the pros and cons i persinally felt it was worth it.I woukd suggest drive a few is touch screen ,6 speed box newer car worth the extra in tax?most importantly find a good one lots of recent history,does it matter what the car had done 5 yrs ago,prob not and find a good indie who can look after you and your new car. Full fat 4.2 Sc
Full fat vogue 4.4 petrol
Jaguar XJR super charged
Porsche cayenne
Tvr tuscan mk1
Bmw mini cooper

Ah yes, mine had steering column and mirror problems too... Only Range Rovers since 1988

Speaking personally I always preferred the lower profile of the facelifted cars. I never really liked the early ones with headlight wipers, they always seemed a bit boxy.

Then you have the gearbox. The 6 speed is vastly superior and only come with the Jag engines I believe.

The facelifts had touch screen which I much prefer although the navigation will still put you in a hedge if you trust it. Other touches like moving the ignition key to the dash were an improvement, as was the later dash which didn't have pixel problems.

The only thing I preferred on the early cars were the BMW seats. They had better adjustment and were more comfortable.

So if you want petrol it's going to be the Jag 4.4 or the Supercharged. Of the 2 I would take the charger every time as it has way more torque. This also means you are automatically in Vogue SE territory and it will come standard with all the SE niceties like RSE, Cooled front seats, adaptive headlights and so on. Yes, a bit more money up front but a lot more car. If you could find a nice 2007 model Supercharged you will get one helluva motor for the money.

I had the same choice a year ago when I was looking and in the end I opted for the 4.2sc, I have had it a year now its converted to LPG and runs great, I have services, new tyres and a seized calliper on the rear, but apart from that has been a great motor, the kids love the RSE makes for a peaceful journey.

Just came back from a 1000 mile trip to France and so comfortable.

Do be warned the SC is juicy even on gas my running costs on gas are around the 20ppm for fuel, but its an amazing machine, will sit all day long at motorway speeds and then turn into a beast on the B roads.

Simple one for me . . .
AJV8 4.4, best of all worlds.
Buy a pre April 2006 car for the cheaper tax, so an '05, '55 or early '06.
I owned one for 18 mths. Great performance & comfort, averaging 18 mpg, 23 on a run.
The only unexpected fault (other than the usuals . . ) I had was a MAF sensor.
My only driving observation would be that I preferred to drive it manually around here in the Peak District as the torque delivery was a little too high up the rev range.
Look for a Vogue SE though just for the AUX IN as they are a PITA if you like music !

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

Thanks for the input, looks like I'll be swapping from one jag s/c with a 6sp ZF box to another implementation of the AJV8 with the same zf 6 sp. When I get round to it I'll miss the xk but definitely need more space.

Covered it in this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cliffs-Unofficial...01MFDOQ7H/

In general the 06/07-09 are highly recommended out of all the L322 variants. OffRoadRover.com An American Western Range Rover Off Road Blog