Hi all,

I've been looking to pick up a 2008-09 L322 3.6 TDV8 here in Ireland for a while. No particular rush - and to be honest, I've often been put off after reading horror stories online. But it hasn't put me off entirely.

A few pop up all the time. There's one at the moment, a 2008 that looks pretty clean. 140k miles but it's had a gearbox service and the turbo was replaced recently which is a big job so good to have had it done. I haven't seen the car yet but I did do a car check on it to find that it had 9 (!) previous owners. The current owner has had it for 3 years and it was they that carried out the works mentioned above.

Owner summary (I've omitted garage ownerships)

Owner 1 - 14 days!
Owner 2 - 18 months
Owner 3 - 15 months
Owner 4 - 39 months
Owner 5 - 15 days!
Owner 6 - 16 months
Owner 7 - 8 months
Owner 8 - 24 months
Owner 9 (current) - 28 months.

Before I read about the number of owners I was interested but the number of owners is a bit offputting. It's likely that none minded it as well as they should have considering the amount of time they had it? Its interesting that one of the previous owners appears to have upgraded the lights to those on the FL model. However, the fact that it has had the turbo done does bode well - its a major job done.

Link to listing here out of interest: https://www.donedeal.ie/commercials-for-sa...8/33939765



Another one of interest is this one here: https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/rang...-/33851802

This one has had 5 previous owners, one of which had it for 80 months, and another for 41 months. Not sure the gearbox has been serviced on this one though.

The number of owners wouldn't put me off significantly.

I've owned a few cars where the registered keeper has been transferred between people in the same family (for reasons only known to them!).

You may also find some people purchased it to scratch an itch & soon realised it was too expensive to run / service?

If the history is there and the car generally checks out when you see it / test drive then go for it.

Ya I've looked into the ownership history - I think it was realistically 6 owners - there appears to be a bit of overlap around the time it was changed to being a commercial vehicle.

The history is on it is poor enough - the current owner appears to have been the best in terms of keeping records of what was done. It was serviced by a landrover specialist though and I'm hoping to have a chat with him about the car to see what he thinks. He would have done the gearbox service and replaced the turbo so he might have a decent sense of whether the car was minded or not.

thats a timeline I did to track the ownership changes. the orange one is the same owner I think as it was around the time that the car went from being classified as private to commercial

Looking at the timeline chart it probably looks about right for 2008, give or take.

Definitely a good idea to have a chat with the specialist, I suspect with the work he did he's been able to get a good look underneath & above.

UPDATE

A 2007 L322 (3.6 TDV8) that has come up for sale recently. The car in question is a 2 owner car. First owner had it from new up until 18 months ago. It has 95k miles on the clock and has been serviced every 8-10k kms without fault. Immaculate service history. Recent service items include the gearbox, struts, pads, discs and a bag on the passenger side front. After the second owner purchased the car, he brought it to a specialist who went through every aspect and repaired/replaced parts as necessary. Complete overhaul. Only things that couldn't be fixed were the rear wiper and reversing camera.

Car is available now to me for between €16-17k. As far as examples go, I think it's very good and should be relatively low risk given the meticulous service history - but I'm finding that I can't make the final step and pull the trigger on it. I'm just worried of getting 'bitten'. Am I overthinking it? Obviously you can get good and bad examples of anything - you'd imagine if this was the latter that it would have acted up by now?

I'd love to try it though

In sterling you are talking between £13.5k and £14.5k which is more like the asking price for a late 4.4. For a 2007 3.6 it seems very high to me despite the condition and history.

Is it a private or a dealer sale?

Really up to you. John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

ya it's expensive alright. But I think that's generally the case over here compared to the UK, especially for these kinda cars.

It's a private sale but from a guy who deals in high-end classic car sales. It's his own car. It's the service history that attracts me to it.

Might sit on it for a while - there's probably a very small pool of people interested in it at that price

Very expensive for a 3.6 and a big risk as the turbo’s can let go at any time leaving you with an eye watering repair bill. A bill to show the EGR valves have been changed would be a must if you do take the risk. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Thanks! Ya I think I might leave this one go. Arguably better to buy one for 12k and have 4k in my pocket as contingency. It's probably the smarter approach

To me, a high number of owners in short succession suggests the vehicle requires major maintenance and when the current owner finds our, they will shift it on.

Anyone who has owned a vehicle 2 years or more though, I wouldn't concerned by - chances are they've footed the bills! 2015 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 SDV8

so I passed on that one a while back - and now there's a new one in my sights. its 2008, has 160k miles, but a full service history (every 10k kms). Looks to be in great shape. Hasn't had the turbos done but it has had the EGR and Torque Converter done. It's priced at €9k which is a lot more comfortable as it allows some contingency for the turbo to be done etc.

Just wondering if the timing chain is something that might need attention at that mileage? I assume the fact that it has been well minded reduces the risk significantly?

Timing chains are not a known issue with these engines. I'd still worry about the turbo's but there's no such thing as a worry free L322..... 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

ah ya of course. i had been looking at a lovely one with 98k miles but it didn't have the turbos done and the asking was 15-16k. This one at 9k gives me a bit of leeway for the turbos in the future.

I would agree to expect a level of maintenance on a 10+ year car with over 150k, in fairness to a Land Rover product.

The 3.6 and 6HP combination were a pretty sturdy mix, and as is key with these cars, regular fluid changes are a must, so also invest in an oil vacuum (the Draper 10L one is ideal) and a mini transfer pump (something like the Sealey TP6804)

Like you say, keep money aside or budget £2k per year for maintenance jobs (1. Because it's a big complex 4x4 and they all have big bills 2. Because it's an older high mile car).

I'm just trying to think of typical other things you may need to budget for. I think they're (some specific to the 3.6):
- rocker cover gaskets (£800ish job in a garage)
- rear prop shaft (£500ish plus labour)
- Underseal/rust treatment (£100-200 in parts plus your time)
- tyres (£1,000 a set if getting the Pirelli Scorpions)
- gearbox service (£400ish)
- front suspension arms / bushes (£800-£1,200) each time
- vacuum pump (£500ish fitted)
- thermostat housing (about £200 for the housing, plus a lot of labour)
- probably also belt, tensioner and pulleys (not expensive and straightforward to fit with the right tools)
- starter motor
- alternator
- cooled seats repair (£150-£350)
- BCM repair (£150ish) 2015 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 SDV8