Apologies if there is a similar thread already. Need some realistic advice on buying a high mileage L322.

I've always wanted an L322, but I don't have a large budget (£7k tops). The car would be for almost daily use of about 20 miles, and some off-roading at weekends. Nothing too extreme...some trials, some green-laning down in England, etc. My head is telling my to buy a Land Cruiser, but my heart wants an L322. The Scottish Land Rover club also do a bunch of cool events, and I wouldn't be able to join in with an LC.

Given my reasonably low budget, the options seem to be an L322 with above 100k miles. I'd prefer a 3.6 TDV8 than the previous 3.0 TD6, as I've read that they're more reliable and better on fuel. I can afford to spend a while looking for a good one...there's no rush, as my wife has a car (reliable little Honda!).

So, would I be crazy to buy a Range Rover at my price point? Are they really as unreliable as some people seem to say? I can't afford to spend thousands every year just keeping the thing on the road. And my wife would end up killing me! I'm happy to do a few mechanical things myself (previously had an old Discovery 300Tdi), but I don't currently have a garage, so can't really do any of the big jobs. And I'm clueless with electrics.

Thanks for any advice!

Crazy? Not at all!

And forget the Land Cruiser. Listen to your heart!

I bought my 2011 4.4 diesel with 108k miles on it's digital clock. A year and a bit later I'm happier than Larry. Touch wood.

Mine was one-owner with full, main dealer history. In fact it was serviced the whole time by the dealer that supplied it new. These things, well maintained can go and go and go. Look for one or two owners if possible, naturally with full service history.

At least one guy here ran his to around 200k miles.

You will be looking at older vehicles than mine so a bit more rust to look for given an older age bracket but I've seen the a couple of 4.4 V8 petrols (maybe 2006 era) that were immaculate for sale here around eight grand, maybe less.

Best advice is be patient, be flexible on colour and spec too. Put a wanted ad up here too.

If you're lucky you'll get someone who's spent all the right money on their pride and joy, only to find when time to move on that it's not worth too much part-ex, and they just want it to go to a good home rather than some auction house / trader.

Good luck. Cheers, Greg
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2011 Vogue SE 4.4 with lots of toys in Stornaway

Only as crazy as the rest of us  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Definitely not crazy. ! The engine's only just run in at that mileage. However, the suspension could be either well worn or well re-furbed by then & the gearbox could be either good or knackered - dependant on how it's been abused.

I bought a 2006 TDV8 with 122k in mid November after lots of research about the potential issues & a careful search for "OK" cars. Knowing the issues I managed to negotiate a more than £1.3k discount on the asking price to cover costs I could see coming in the near future (tyres, wheel refurb, smoking engine, down on power, failed steering wheel tilt motor, paint issues, front suspension clunks etc). My final price was £7.3k, but I have already spent £1500 overcoming known issues & improving it)

The key thing is to make sure you really know what the expensive faults are, how to spot the faults & how much roughly they could cost to fix via whatever route you'd want to use (I've got the advantage of 200k miles experience in a Discovery 2 & an unhealthy aversion to spending money in any sort of dealer - lol).

Its worth point out that the fuel consumption can be fairly variable & is very dependant on journey distances.
I'd already made the decision that I could tolerate the specified urban fuel consumption of 18mpg if it happened, but was surprised to find I couldn't actually get anywhere near that for the first few weeks while the temperature was low & our journeys were short (less than 10 miles). The average hovered around 17.8 mpg for 3 weeks & when starting out, you could see it was only achieving 13 mpg when really cold !. It was only when I got the first chance for a 30+ mile journey, that the actual journey fuel consumption improved to 25mpg & the overall average to 19 !
The TD6 may not be as good on motorway fuel consumption, but I believe it would be better on short journeys - because it will have less engine friction & will warm up faster.

As mentioned, finding a vehicle with a low number of owners is ideal - as you can make some assumptions about how well it's been treated from the service history, vehicle condition etc. However, those cars are already at a premium & maybe at a price above your budget.
You've got to do your research about the cars faults first & then decide what your budget is for the car + fault fixing & go in with your eyes wide open & don't get carried away with the first 1 that looks good ! (paint is 1 of the lower costs on a RR to sort out - lol) Paul,
2001 Discovery 2 TD5, 211,000 miles & climbing
2006 FFRR TDV8 Vogue 145,000 miles & climbing
Member of Midland (Land) Rover Owners Club, www.mroc.co.uk

225k and still going

Well, that's definitely encouraging!

Thanks gonna_go, that's a really good idea about posting up a 'wanted' on this forum. I'm not too bothered about colour/interior, so very happy to be flexible there.

Pawl, that's an interesting point about the fuel consumption on shorter journeys for the TD6. I'll probably only be doing a couple of long motorway journeys per year, so it will be journeys on country roads usually under 20 miles distance that will be the main source of mileage. Perhaps I'll have a rethink on looking at TD6s, as they're definitely that bit cheaper.

If I can ask, what is the average cost of maintenance per year? Are most people spending into the £thousands per annum? That would be a big concern for me.

Thanks!

If it helps, here's my two pen'orth.

I'd always wanted a Range Rover. Back in the dark ages in my school days, they were the defacto school run vehicle, and spent much time in them, and had an effect on me.

Fast forward 30 years, early 2016 in fact, and as a dad of 3 young kids, needed a family car that could accommodate said kids, all their gear, wife and dogs. And that wasn't a French people carrier.

Realised that an L322 could do all that. Looked at a few and did my research. Then a 2004 td6 came on the market. One owner from new, selling as his wife had finally talked him into buying a new L405. 120k but full service history, including new torque converter and rebuilt box the month before. Pretty much mint condition. Never wanted for anything. Squeak or rattle? Into the main dealer to be fixed. Always kept in the heated garage. Remapped from nearly new too, so has never felt out of its depth on the road.

At £8k perhaps some would say it was too expensive. But it felt a good'un. Now on 141k. Other than routine oils and filters etc, all it's cost me is some tyres, brake discs/pads and 2 fuel injectors. Peanuts really. And continues to be every car I need.

I guess the point is, yes, they can be a money pit, but if you follow your head/gut feel and employ some common sense, you can find a good one that's not going to bankrupt you!

Disclaimer: if it grenades itself tomorrow, I shall delete this post. 2004 Vogue TD6 - Remapped
2008 Porsche Cayenne S
1998 Lotus Elise

Haha, you've jinxed yourself now Matt!
Seriously, I think the "bork factor" on these cars is misunderstood by Joe Public (it's the first thing people say to me when they see my car - "money pit mate!"). It comes down to regular and preventative maintenance - these are complex vehicles and need looking after.
Also, they are big and heavy, obviously. Therefore at higher mileages, you will need tyres, pads, discs, and suspension refurbs as a matter of course.
Luckily there are some good Indys around to look after them.
Unluckily, for me, none of those Indys are in Hampshire.

I bought mine @ 140,000 miles about three years ago. I'd have never considered one at these miles but the advert caught my eye. Went to view it ( was a good distance away) and that was it, bought it. Excellent history, wanted for nothing and once I'd bought it found out is used to belong to someone off this site, which was a bonus (at least I think so).

Anyway, fast forward to now. She's on 150,000 miles. Runs as sweet as anything. Couple of small jobs, drop link and top hose,battery but that's about it. And a new tyre this morning thanks to a screw on the inside wall

Without a doubt the most reliable car I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot.

Now I'm in the market for a newer one and the miles really don't matter, history does.

To be honest asking about buys a Range Rover on a range rover forum you are only gonna get one type of answer.
I have owned a P38 . L322 3.0 TD and a L322 4.4 TDV8
And yes when they are working they are great , but when they decided to have a bit of a day off they can cost you money.

I will mostly likley not be liked for this statement but if you have a limited budget i would go with a Landcruiser / Shogun or nissan patrol.
Yes i have owned all 3 and all are very reliable.

Just my opinion .

They are great cars when everything is working. High mileage is not a problem in itself and I would choose a newer car with a higher mileage over an older one with lower. But you need to be able to handle repair requirements, either through having the cash to get someone else to do it or being able to do it yourself. They are quite complex cars and spares are priced by reference to the new cost, one of the reasons why older ones can be cheap. With my 2004 car (4.4 petrol) I used to budget for £3,000 a year for servicing and repairs when it was older (no DIY), sometimes it was less, but there were phases when there was "aye something" which can be a bit demoralising.

Spend some time reading the buyer guides on here and choosing well. Good luck. Only Range Rovers since 1988

Buy the youngest vehicle you can with few previous owners. I bought my 2008 tdv8 with about 140,000miles. I’ve rrplaced front air spring assemblies, alternator and transmission since I bought it in 2014. They are the big items. But I picked up the car for a good price so those expenses were not too surprising. I still consider it the best car I’ve owned and would much prefer the tdv8 over the td6 with its dreaded auto box. ______________________________
Vogue tdv8 08MY poverty pack - wow

Maintenance should be more of a concern than mileage.

I’d happily have one >100k if the gearbox and diff oils were changed at 60k

I run big mileage - my L405 is approaching 90k but my cars want for nothing on the maintenance side.

I’d be looking for the subtle things - like all 4 tyres match and are a premium brand - shows it’s been looked after and not skimped vs 4 different cheap tyres

Price differential will not be much - it’s more about putting in the leg work to find a decent one - there’s lots of dogs out there,......

I think £3k a year for maintenance and repairs would be a reasonable figure to allow, that’s what I have spent on average. I have come to the conclusion that a FFRR costs double the cost of running a 2Ltr executive type car, say a C class Mercedes or 3 series BMW. If I had realised this before I bought mine, I probably would not have made the purchase. But now I have it, I would not swap it for anything else, despite the fuel consumption and other running costs.

Thanks so much for the information and opinions everyone, it's really really useful getting a range of views and real-world experience of owning an RR.

Sounds like it's pretty unanimous that maintenance and age are more important than mileage, which I guess isn't too surprising. Also encouraging that you guys think there are plenty of good ones out there if I look hard enough.

The £3k a year on maintenance does, admittedly, sound a little daunting....definitely more than I'm accustomed to, and probably right at the limit of what I could afford. But it also sounds like people have had mixed experiences, and some haven't had to spend that much...