So a little background. This would be my first Range Rover. I always buy roughly 10 year old vehicles and prefer European. I currently drive a Jaguar XJR X308 which is my second one. I am looking for the FFRR to replace a recently retired Ford Excursion and soon to be retired BMW e38 740i sport.

I am attracted to the FFRR SC as I love the endless torque and am a fan of the Jaguar engines. I also see the FFRR as a perfect mix of utilitarian SUV mixed with the best European luxury, as I am sure everyone here agrees. As this will be my wife's rig, she prefers the secure feeling of the driving position of the SUV with its command of the road. And I want the SC and the luxury. She cares but doesn't care as she always loved the Excursion whereas I always saw it as a truck that could never be accused of being luxurious!

Now, to the point... I have been lurking here and other forums to learn everything I can, and am conducting a national search of the states to find the best possible candidate. I want to find one that doesn't exceed 120K miles and is as new as possible with a price point of roughly $15K give or take $2K. Of course all of the things as mentioned in countless threads and the Wiki about the demonstrated care and feeding of the vehicle. The following is the current one I am considering. It is 2500 miles away so I can't view it personally. I have been provided with about 40 photos in addition to the ones in the web posting as well as a Facetime walk around. Besides some normal wear and tear items, the only two things I have discovered that need attention day one is the engine is missing the cover and the lower front spoilers / deflectors in front of the front wheels are missing. Unfortunately, the fact that the engine cover is missing the Facetime walk around rendered the cold start procedure useless as the noise level without the cover made it impossible for me to hear any timing chain rattle over the general noise of the top end of the engine.

Any thoughts of what I may not be considering, next steps... any help would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.arlingtonautogroup.net/2011-La...tails.aspx

Jerry
Washington USA

Great to read your post and background.

I hadn't thought much about comparative values US to UK but the sticker price on the link equates to GBP £13,353. Which I think is about what that same car, same milage value would be in the uK give or take.

Obviously there are a lot of UK based conversations so it's different to read a US buyer's tale.
A huge difference straight away are the distances involved buying cars in the US.

I'm in the 4.4TDV8 camp, somebody more 5.0 will be along soon to help with timing chain advice.

Welcome and good luck with your search, I think you have great taste in cars well at least the Jag and the forthcoming FFRR

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

I understand this site has fewer US members than others, but his one definitely has the most knowledgeable members. I would love to have the option of the TDV8, but sadly we only have the 5.0 NA or SC. I have loved my SC 4.0 Jags and they have not been any worse than other NA engines such as the M62 in the BMW so I much prefer the ponies and torque of the SC option. Of course it also means much shorter supply.

I looked at a local example, and was beautiful with 82K miles, but had rust on the right had side bottom lip of the rear upper hatch and the seal on the widow above had obvious corrosion issue as it was swelled to triple the normal thickness. On top of that they were at $20K! And like a typical dealer, it is just a minor cosmetic issue!

I tried to get them to deliver it to the nearest Landy dealer for an inspection but, the dealer doesn't want the vehicle off their lot as they have had too many issues of damage to vehicles upon return. I am trying to find someone local to do an on-site inspection but I want to be more of mechanical than cosmetic as I have all the pictures I need to confirm that the vehicle was cosmetically cared for by the only owner this RR has had. But we all know that some people are about how they look in the rig but can't be bothered to attend to the mechanical needs.

The only thing the Carfax is indicating is that some normal age related issues have been attended to such as alternator, control arms, and belts. But it doesn't reveal any suspension replacements other than the control arms and it doesn't reveal any fluids such as transmission, differentials and t-case.

A one owner car is always reassuring, particularly if it comes with well documented history... in which case it would seem a no-brainer to me. Get a bumper to bumper warranty for peace of mind, no doubt it will need stuff doing every year.

See that dealers on the other side of the pond use the same fake excuse. If they don't want a landy check up, forget it. It might be worthwhile to buy or borrow a GAP tool and use that on a potential Rangy. Good luck with your search. I bought mine on pics only from first owner in the UK and had it transported to my home in France, it,s now in its fifth year here, doing it's best to please me

Yes, I think dealers are a breed of their own.

So here is another to compare with. Private party, just purchased 2019 FFRR and is selling this as he didn't want to accept the trade in price. One owner again but I would be dealing directly with the owner rather than a dealer who has never even met the owner. Limited pictures, and he is out of town so I won't see more for a few days. He commented that he has repaired the minor dings and scratches the vehicle has received in his 7 years of ownership. He responded off the top of his head as he is out of town that he has had extensive service and AC, belts, water pump, and suspension work. That is all that I know at this point. As it is an AB, it does carry a price premium but I'm not sure how much at this mileage. This is a bit higher than I wanted as the other was pushing my range, but as it is an AB and one owner, it may have more value in the maintenance history and my ability to speak directly to the owner. I will find out more over the course of the next couple of days.

This one is 1400 miles closer, so a 2.5 hour flight and a 30 minute Uber ride to where he lives... do the deal assuming if everything checks out, and then a nice drive up the California and Oregon coast to my home in Seattle.

Thoughts?

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/6892093628.html

My thoughts: you’re not very good at sticking to a budget!

Both look like they’re going to be good buys on the balance of probability, and both carry some risk (certainty?) of developing costly faults down the line. When is the AB available, is he waiting for his 2019 to be delivered? He’s out of town... but he’s still communicative?

The AB is worth a little more and that is reflected in asking price. Surely either car could be had for cheaper with a little haggling? Choose your favourite and then let them know you have optionality but theirs is your preference. Your budget was $15k but you recognise theirs is worth a touch more than that. If the car matches description will they take $1500 less (whatever) and you’ll take it off their hands there and then? That’s the angle I would take to try to get back to your budget.

It would be fascinating to know what offer he had on that AB. Must have been trade price since they cannot retail it. What’s that number, can you look it up? Then just offer $1k more than that.

Looks a very nice car and compared to European prices it's a bargain. I thought from 2010 on they all had this hidden gear stick....? Don't use all your budget on the purchase, there will be something to do, repair or whatever. Good luck, wisdom and bon voyage

5.0l supercharged continue with the 6 speed gearbox from the earlier 3.6TDV8 I think. Hence the gear lever.

First vehicle looks very nice, some cute poetic descriptive text there as well .......I am curious as to the little chrome round button/knob on the drivers door upper trim? David

Please let me know if my comments upset you, I may wish to upset you again.

ilard wrote:

My thoughts: you’re not very good at sticking to a budget!

Too funny! Actually, I'm not that far off my range. The first SC model is $500 over and the second before any negotiation is $2k over. My allowance is my general guideline to try and keep me in range of where I like to be on my rough 10 year old vehicle and my projected 10 year ownership period. This is why I set the value and age criteria. I am a miser (shrewd) as to my vehicle expenditures. The huge variable as I am very sure you all know is the maintenance that has been performed weighed against the future maintenance that could be expected. I don't buy service contracts, I self insure. I then will adjust my range based on the service history and what would be required immediately or in a short period of time. I am looking at a much higher entry point this time, as I have decided to upgrade my vehicles which requires a higher entry price as well as accounting for inflation. You can probably tell I get a little obsessed with the buying process and the financial as well as personal satisfaction equations!

ilard wrote:

Both look like they’re going to be good buys on the balance of probability, and both carry some risk (certainty?) of developing costly faults down the line. When is the AB available, is he waiting for his 2019 to be delivered? He’s out of town... but he’s still communicative?

The AB is worth a little more and that is reflected in asking price. Surely either car could be had for cheaper with a little haggling? Choose your favourite and then let them know you have optionality but theirs is your preference. Your budget was $15k but you recognise theirs is worth a touch more than that. If the car matches description will they take $1500 less (whatever) and you’ll take it off their hands there and then? That’s the angle I would take to try to get back to your budget.

It would be fascinating to know what offer he had on that AB. Must have been trade price since they cannot retail it. What’s that number, can you look it up? Then just offer $1k more than that.

Robert wrote:

.... Don't use all your budget on the purchase, there will be something to do, repair or whatever.

Boxbrownie wrote:

... I am curious as to the little chrome round button/knob on the drivers door upper trim?

Buy the AB tomorrow. If I’m wrong over the next 10 years then you can publicly slag me off on this forum.

that is definitely the direction I am headed. I have a call in the shop where the vehicle has been serviced for years and am awaiting a return call. The owner has spoken with them about this so they are expecting my call. Also, I should be getting more pictures tomorrow as well, so just a few more boxes to check and then a bit of negotiating and we should be able to come to an agreement.

I build a short spreadsheet with the two vehicles to compare values. The interesting thing is if I exclude anything to do with the timing chain guides. When I add in the deployable steps and trailer hitch that are not installed on the SC and account for the two items I identified that we missing and needing replacement on the SC as well as shipping, the vehicles are identical in price. Then there is the intangibles I can learn from the maintenance and the intrinsic value of an AB.

It does seem like a no brainer as I work through the process!