Hello all!

I signed up a while back, but so far have just been a bit of a lurker.

I'm 24, a Mechanical Engineer, from NI but living in the Lakes. I drive a 2004 Discovery TD5 Landmark every day along with an ever-changing fleet of toys, currently a 1964 Austin 1100, 1961 Land Rover 88", and a 1998 Volvo V70R AWD.

I've wanted an L322 for quite some time, and I'm getting to the point where I reckon I can justify one to myself, for the first time.

I've never actually travelled in a 322 yet, or in fact any full size RR, so any members in the area who might give me a look around a tidy one, it would be much appreciated!

What I'm looking for, as an ideal (though realistically I'm always open to the right car, in the right condition, and may consider a TD6 once I've had a go in one)

4.4 V8
Not totally aware of what's included with the various trim levels, but I'd like the better front seats (a la BMW Personal Line), the Satnav/TV set up, sensible 18"ish wheels, ideally a dark colour (favourites being green and blue) and if I'm very lucky, green or blue leather!

I'm not keen on any aftermarket facelift trinkets, and the aim would be to run on LPG, so if one has a kit already fitted, it must run faultlessly and have decent service history. I've had a few LPGd motors, from a top end Prins VSI system which was perfect, to a mongrel half Necam Koltec half OMVL kit which was no end of trouble, from a seller who lied to me before a 6 hour train journey.

Any advice, warnings of imminent sales of suitable vehicles, or offers of a spin in the locality much appreciated!

Stephen

Hi Stephen,
Welcome to the Forum, I'm also a Mechanical Engineer by profession but regrettably am not 24 anymore.
I'm up in NW Cumbria by the sea so if you don't get a closer offer your quite welcome to have look at my TD6 anytime you might be up here.

Hi Stephen,

Welcome to a great forum. Have sent u a pm.

Welcome to the club.

Trim levels on the 4.4 V8 are:

SE -very basic, plastic trims, basic seats, no toys, standard radio system
HSE - basic, some have wood trims, basic seats, standard MID radio system, basic toys
Vogue - full spec, wood trims, sun roof, contour seats (aka the BMW ones) full sat nav entertainment system with 12 speakers and DSP amp, with all the toys (aka the dogs )
Autobiography - same as Vogue at the time but with 2 tone leather interior, some had the logic 7 audio system with rear seat entertainment ( although these are very rare as Autobiogrphy wasn't an actual spec level at the time and was a special vehicles devision order during this period)

The 4.4 is an excellent engine, sounds amazing when your right foot gets acquainted with the deep pile carpets and very powerful compare to the TD6. However the 4.4 does suffer with its cooling systems, as standard the engine runs at around 110 degrees constantly so after 10+ years of running at these temperatures parts of the system can become brittle, add to that the increase in temp that LPG causes and you need to ensure that the system has been maintained really well.

The 4.4 also has the advantage of having the ZF 5 speed gearbox which is pretty much bulletproof compared to the rather paper thin GM box that is in the TD6, the 4.4 and in fact the GM box also can suffer with torque converter issues where the lock up clutch in the TC starts to break up. This is indicated when you drive over 50mph and can hear a drumming/cattle grid type sound coming from the rear/underside of the car. This involves gearbox out and new TC fitted.

With regards to your colour preferences, they did do a dark blue/navy and parchment(Ivory colour) piping interior and a parchment and aspen(green) piping interior at that time of production along with a few other variants, sand(cream), jet(black) and a rare Ivory. The exterior colours usually dictate the interior during this period, green cars are usually fitted with the aspen interior, black usually have the jet or sand interiors etc...

Once you have driven or been driven in an L322 or any full size Range Rover you will soon realise they are like no other car you have ever been in and will ask yourself how have i lived so long without owning one!

You can use my website www.myrangerover.co.uk to access a pre purchase check list and download a copy of the Rave (workshop manual) as you will no doubt need it in the future.

Good luck with your search and if you need any more advice you know where we are

Matt

nicedayforit - Thanks! I work in the West so might get quite close to you, I'd very much like a spin in a TD6 to see what they're all about, if they're a bit more effortless and less clattery than my TD5 Disco I'd be swayed into looking at them!

Dolphin - Thanks, can't see any PMs in my inbox though

Matt - Thanks for that, very informative! I'm sure the lower spec models are still very pleasant and have most of the character, but I'm a sucker for toys. I've had a few Volvos as a student and since, nearly all the T5 engine, one all wheel drive, all with heated electric half leather, surround sound etc. Maybe I'm fickle! Even my Disco TD5 had to have rare black leather and Harmon Kardon!

I have RAVE for the Disco and it's been very useful, especially as I DIY just about everything.

When I looked at Discos (probably 15 before I found one that was both solid underneath and running without any looming issues, I heard nothing but horror stories of warped heads, front hubs which could only have 2 new sets of balljoints before being scrap, collapsing suspension etc. but buying a good condition one, being proactive with the maintenance, and expecting it to need more work than a japanese hatchback, all make for a fairly pleasant ownership! In 13 months and 30k in my TD5 I've had to remove the cat as it was rattling and affecting gasflow, that cost £0 and an hour with slitting disc and MIG welder, it's had a new MAF, wheel bearing, three full services, and 2 headlight bulbs. If I could reasonably expect a 322 to be similar in terms of maintenance costs, then it's no big issue!

Welcome abord!

We loved discovering the Lake Disctrict in the L322 TDV8 back in 2008, including with Kankku

Click image to enlarge

@Warninglight.
The L322 is light years ahead of the TD5. Granted the TD6 is not as refined as the 3.6 or 4.4 V8 diesels, but still a capable motor. The TD6 is probably the most reliable engine of them all, not as refined, but a proven engine non the less.
Gearbox on the TD6 is regarded as the weakest gearbox fitted to the L322, but if looked after with regular oil changes should be capable of good mileage.
Vogue around the years 2002 - 2006 is/was usually the top model, with Autobiography being quite rare in those years.
HSE is not too bad but usually missing the Sat Nav unit (ours has that as an optional extra) Vinyl instead of leather on top of the dash, Vinyl instead of leather on door handle pulls on the door cards. Might have a sun roof (optional extra?) Ours doesn't have one but its one less place for water leaks. No heated rear seats and a poor sound system (according to some) but does us fine and sounds ok. SE spec is fairly uncommon, I have yet to see one.
A wealth of info on here. Choose your L322 wisely or they will bite you back in a big way. There are some good ones out there, but also a lot of rough ones.
Read, search, read, search and take your time when buying, get someone with plenty of info/knowledge to go with you if possible, then you should get a cracking vehicle.
Worth checking out the for sale section on here as well for a good used and cared for vehicle by fellow enthusiasts.

Steve. 1968 Series IIA Pastel Green, nearly there project

That looks smart on the lanes! I see Kankku stuff around the lakes all the time, seem very popular!

Nice to see another series enthusiast Vaz! I'm going to have to sell my s2 in the coming weeks as I'm really lacking space at present!

Hope you find what you're looking for. Should have some fun up in the lakes. Well, not actually IN the lakes....... Current:
2012 RR 4,4V8 Westminster)
2007 Bentley Continental GT 6.0 W12
1998 Jeep Cherokee 4.0
2018 Maserati Ghibli 3.0 V6 Gran Lusso
2017 Aston Martin Rapide S. Shadow Edition