Hi,
This week I've put down a small deposit on a 2004 TD6 Vogue, the car has covered 111K with an almost complete SH (one year missing). I've had a good look around at the car and it seems in very good condition based on my limited mechanical knowledge, the good points where

*Bodywork in excellent condition - no dents, scratches or rust
*Looks like a fair amount of money has been spent on it over its lifetime (not all to my taste) but a sign that someone cared about it
*Engine - sounded good to me, no knocking or unusual noises, both stationary and on test drive. Oil was clean and engine bay looked in good condition.
*Gearbox - seemed to change smoothly through the gears
*Never looks like its been off road - no signs of any bumps, scrapes under chassis, no tow bar - possibly never been used to tow
*No faults on dashboard but see below (sat nav)
*Will have 12 month MOT and service
*Comes with 3 month warranty (need to check the details but its better than nothing)

The deposit was based on several points being resolved
*Air compressor failed - to be replaced
*Sat Nav head unit wasn't working - to be replaced - this concerned me slightly as the garage said the Sat Nav controls the indicator noise and other various things but not sure if this is true, for example the indicators did work but you couldn't hear them, what worries me is the head unit is replaced and other faults appear? Is it a common issue for the head unit to fail?

Another point is the steering felt heavy, especially at low speeds it does have 20" wheels but I didn't expect it to feel like that.

The price if all is fixed and I'm happy is £10495

I'm just slightly worried I've made a mistake in putting down a deposit, in truth I was swayed by the bodywork condition and eagerness to get one, its only the 3rd FFRR I've looked at.

Pics here
https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A6JtdOXmJFeMpd

Thanks for any advice

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The heavy steering may well be that your issue lies with either the servotronic valve or the BCU both common failures.

The head unit is also a worry and I would not drive away until you are completely satisfied that it is working including indicator noise!

for info;

Land Rover Range Rover (02 on)
3.0 Td6 VOGUE 4d Auto
2004/04
112000mls

Original Price £54,995
Franchised Dealer £12,820
Independent Dealer £12,280
Private Good £10,935
Private Poor £8,750
Part Exchange £9,320

Good buy, or good bye?

Gazellio @ Prestige Cars wrote:

The heavy steering may well be that your issue lies with either the servotronic valve or the BCU both common failures.

The head unit is also a worry and I would not drive away until you are completely satisfied that it is working including indicator noise!

for info;

Land Rover Range Rover (02 on)
3.0 Td6 VOGUE 4d Auto
2004/04
112000mls

Original Price £54,995
Franchised Dealer £12,820
Independent Dealer £12,280
Private Good £10,935
Private Poor £8,750
Part Exchange £9,320

The warranty company will not pay for pre existing faults.

As I said don't buy it unless everything works there are plenty more out there worth travelling for.

Gazellio @ Prestige Cars wrote:

The warranty company will not pay for pre existing faults.

As I said don't buy it unless everything works there are plenty more out there worth travelling for.

Presumably you want honest opinions, and if I'm totally honest it sounds overpriced.

A three month warranty from most dealers is totally worthless, in fact I would say it's worse than useless. If you have no warranty, you have the sale of goods act which states that goods must be fit for purpose, and usually means that within 3 months of a trade sale you will have some comeback. Traders know this, and therefore many issue a three month warranty worth around £20 (i.e. what it costs them), just to ensure they have no further liability. These warranties will usually have exclusions relating to wear and tear, and have a claim limit which can be anything from £200 to £1,000, and upwards.

IF you check the warranty, and the coverage is good, that would say good things about the dealer.

Check what they will be replacing the head unit with, I would guess they are getting a secondhand unit from a breaker, but they may struggle with the complex electronics.

Power steering, well I'd get it checked pre-purchase. Once the deal is done, it's too late. How large was the deposit? Better to lose a couple of hundred pounds than get the wrong car, though this may still be the car for you, I'm just counselling caution.

Last car I didn't buy, I got inspected by Warranty Direct, it cost me £70, and basically if the car passed, they would have covered all components, and included wear and tear.

As Gaz says, there are plenty of cars available, so be cautious and make sure you're really happy with it.

P.S. Just re-read, the deal is dependent on you being happy that all is fixed, so just stand your ground, and push for deposit back if you're not happy with anything! Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

Thanks bozmandb9, I do want honest opinions. The deposit was £200 and its written and signed on the agreement what needs to be fixed, however I first put the steering down to tyre size so I may need to revisit that, the dealer suggested a £500 deposit but didnt argue when i said £200, as for being overpriced I honestly thought it was reasonable based on what I've seen on eBay and autotrader....what would your valuation be?

Robbie you dont seem happy with the asking price even if the faults are fixed and i dont think I would be either.

So why don't you go back and be honest and say that you feel its overpriced and walk away if he won't reduce the price down. You could lose hour deposit but he will not want to lose the sale.

I'm surprised a dealer has advertised it with these faults and I think you have to question this.

If I were you I would offer him £500 less than what you've agreed plus the problems rectified.

That's my gut feeling mate.  2009 Vogue TDV8 Nara Bronze
2002 Vogue V8 Zambezi Silver
1986 90 Pick up Deep Bronze Green
1978 Series III SWB Deep Bronze Green

I had the Sat nav and indicator problem ( work but no noise or indicator light on the dash), it was the LCM (light control monitor). An expensive part, and it needs to be coded to the vehicle.

If I was buying right now, I'd be buying a 2007 Facelift 4.4 Vogue SE petrol for just under £12k, with 106k miles.

First question is do you really want the diesel, if so, for the money you're spending, I'd try to get a 2005 facelift. Isn't there one on the forum? I'd buy forum cars generally with much more peace of mind than from an indy dealer.

As I said though, a lot depends on how good the dealer warrranty is, I may be being unfair, and if they are offering a 'proper' warranty, and really are fully preparing the car, with any new parts it needs, then maybe it's worth the money.

But with spring just commencing, they should be glad to shift the car, and book values are not that reliable.

Having said all that it looks great in the photos. Only you can decide, and don't be put off by me. Does it feel right to you? Does the dealer feel right? Do you trust them, and do you feel happy with the price? If so, just make sure that the faults are put right, and enjoy it!

Or how about this one? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

I've had both issues and both simple fix's. my head unit was goosed when I went to pic mine up. Could get radio but no display on the screen, indicators worked but couldn't hear them etc. eventually an Expedia cemindy pulled fuse 40something for a few mins and it was fixed. The steering I thought was normal until I used my RAC and reset everything for the first time, nearly pulled the steering wheel off it had gone so light. So your issues could be simple sizes or be power steering pump or ECU related causing costing ££££ [img]http://www.fuelly.com/driver/rob2529/range-rover[img/]
04, 4.4V8, Vogue Oslo Blue with LPG.
"You can sleep in your car, BUT you can't race your house!!!!"

If something can't be fixed with a hammer....... You have yourself an electrical fault!

Or how about this one? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p

The above touch screen facelift 2006 TD6 posted previously looks a seriously good deal

bozmandb9 wrote:

If I was buying right now, I'd be buying a 2007 Facelift 4.4 Vogue SE petrol for just under £12k, with 106k miles.

First question is do you really want the diesel, if so, for the money you're spending, I'd try to get a 2005 facelift. Isn't there one on the forum? I'd buy forum cars generally with much more peace of mind than from an indy dealer.

As I said though, a lot depends on how good the dealer warrranty is, I may be being unfair, and if they are offering a 'proper' warranty, and really are fully preparing the car, with any new parts it needs, then maybe it's worth the money.

But with spring just commencing, they should be glad to shift the car, and book values are not that reliable.

Having said all that it looks great in the photos. Only you can decide, and don't be put off by me. Does it feel right to you? Does the dealer feel right? Do you trust them, and do you feel happy with the price? If so, just make sure that the faults are put right, and enjoy it!

Or how about this one? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...?logcode=p

Think it's only an SE, so would be cheaper than Vogue.

Could also be higher tax bracket

Last edited by Johnte on 16th Apr 2013 8:44am. Edited 1 time in total