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And so my friends, the time has come....
Having, as recently as last month, though I would be keeping my FF for at least another 100k miles, it so happens now that I find myself not just without the Range Rover, but without a Land Rover entirely! (unless you count the non-running Series waiting for restoration).
It's been a rollercoaster, that's for sure, but I would never regret the time I had with my L322. My third Land Rover, but my first V8, my first proper luxury motor, and the first car I've ever put serious mileage on with long distance driving.
I remember how excited I was when I picked up the car over Easter in 2015. How many other 23 year olds would take the monumental plunge into a 10 year old RR instead of a nice, small, cheap to run nearly new Mini/Fiesta?
It looked so smart from outside, especially when detailed:
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and inside, it was SOOO comfy! To this day, I've never seen another with green leather instead of the usual cream or black
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I did all sorts in that car. As well as 25k miles of daily commuting in 14 months, I often lived out of it at weekends for karting races or vintage shows. With the seats folded and tumbled, there was just enough room to sleep whilst surrounded by kit bags and clothing!
I spent £4,500 in LPG in one year........
The one thing I never did though, was take it off road. I always thought it was too nice for that, especially having pretty much finished off my old D2 with a couple of slightly rough pay and play days. It did certainly get muddy though, with its fair share of rained-out show fields and campsites putting the MT tyres to good use.
Having passed my towing test recently, I also had my first foray into serious (and I mean serious!) towing with the RR - and one couldn't ask for a better towcar! Smooth, serene and stable..... though the poor old ZF 5hp gearbox didn't like the aerodynamic drag of this little lot!
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There have been the downsides though - parts prices being the main one! I didn't object to paying £1500 for a rebuilt gearbox soon after I got the car, as I knew the weakness existed and I was then safe in the knowledge it would be good for my projected 100k ownership. I did, however, object to recently paying £500 for a lightbulb! 
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Then, 2 weeks later I burst a coolant hose and came home on an RAC lorry.
On their own, they were small incidents typical of a now 13 year old car with 125k miles on it. However, they were enough to encourage me to consider moving onto something newer, and so I reluctantly decided to put it up for sale.
And this is where the story has a tragic ending.... before it was sold, the car went for a quick tidy-up and inspection to make sure there were no undeclared niggles for the fellow forum member who was angling to buy it from me.
Unfortunately, in the process the RR lost an argument with a 2-post lift and was written off by the 5ft fall. I was gutted to see the death of a car I'd loved for 2 and a half years and put so much money into fastidiously maintaining 
So, my dilemma was what to replace it with. The big sticking point was that the 05 RR was the last Land Rover with a BMW engine - and the subsequent Jaguar motors do not take at all well to LPG. I point blank refused to go back to a diesel, especially in the current climate. Apart from Land Rover, very few other manufacturers make SUVs or pickups that can tow 3.5 tons - and I also wanted something nice and boxy with room to live in as mentioned before.
And so, despite the many disparaging things I have said about the marque over the years (well, I am a dyed in the wall LR enthusiast!) I have committed the ultimate sin and bought this:
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Ok, so the interior is seemingly made from recycled Playmobil and the coil spring beam axles are a refinement culture shock after the magic carpet ride of the RR. But it has the legendary 5.7 Hemi V8, and a driveline lifted from the Dodge Ram, so it should have no aversion to heavy duty hauling - the opposite of early L322s where BMW 5-series parts groaned under the weight of the vehicle, let alone any additional load!
And so, as I said at the start.... it's probably time for me to bow out from this forum 
Thank you to everyone who has helped with technical queries over the years, and keep on enjoying the immense sense of satisfaction that comes from driving a Full Fat - I know I certainly did! NW060
"Red Shed" - 1982 Series 3 88" County Station Wagon
"Spirit of Great Britain" - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 engine
ZG875 - Westland Sea King (cockpit section)
"Carly Rae Jeepsen" - 2006 Jeep Commander 5.7 Hemi
"Pride Of The Road" - 1/4-scale Marshall traction engine - sold
"Georgina" - 2000 Discovery 2 TD5 ES - sold
"Windsor" - 2005 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 - dead
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14th Aug 2017 8:45am
