OT: Range Rovers

Hi Guys. I bought a 2001 RR a month or so ago that the dealership just bought back from me because of electrical problems (in the shop 5 times in the last 4 weeks). This experience pesuaded me to spend the dough and get a newer one. Need some advice from any RR owners. I'm buying a new RR today and have to make a choice between 3 cars: 1. '03 RR with 18,000 mi -- $59k Car has a tubular brush bar, which I don't like (but may warm up to). It'll be certifieid, so comes with a 4 year warranty; 2. '04 RR brand new-- $69k 3. '04 RR with 1800 mi and 20" wheels (these wheels look great)-- 71k HELP! Thanks. Gary

depends how much money you want to lose. if money is no object, go for 2 or 3. keep in mind, 2 or 3 will be worth mid $50's in a few months. these bad boys depreciate pretty quickly.

Why do so many people put stupid 20 - 22" chrome aftermarket wheels on their Rangies? It completely negates the design and purpose. I'd like to see how well those wheels do in the dirt! Buy an Escalade and join the posers!

Thanks guys. Sounds like the '03 is thw way to go and save $10g. I'll get used to the brush bar, I suppose Bford-- the 20" wheels are a factory option. I've never seen 22" wheels on a Rover, buit that would be aftermarket.

That's right, I forgot, Range Rover has the 20" option, but where I live every other Rover has 22" rims with low profile tires, looks so silly.................good choice on the '03, let someone else take the heavy depreciation hit.

Did you not like the Cayenne? What made you go to the RR, I like the look of the RR but a client has one and hates the powerplant and the gremlins...great interior though..good luck

agree on the cayenne, but for the 50's i think the RR is one heck of an automobile.

check out huntingridgemotors.com in Portchester, near Rye, New York for a good selection of 03 RRs, they have 3 right now. I bought my last Porsche there.

Before you buy a new RR consider the new LR 3 is going to me more powerful, due out in a few weeks. This will have a further additional negative impact on the substantial depreciation that RR take. However, maybe Ford is subventing the lease (on the new one ) and that may be away to avoid it. I left out a lot of detail but I asume you'll get the gist of this response.

I never warmed up to the look of the Cayenne, and have always loved the Rovers, hence the choice. The new Land Rover LR3-- which I thought about-- looks good on paper, but I'm affraid it's going to simply be a re-pacjkaged Ford Explorer (Land Rover now owned by Ford), so I went with the proven Range Rover. I paid 59k for an '03 RR, and a new LR3 (well equiped) is north of 50g, so I'll take the RR. Thanks again fo rall of your help. Gary

I have an 04 RR and it is by far the best car I have ever purchased. Yeah ok so the motor only has 282hp and drinks a lot of gas. But I have another car to drive if I want to drive fast. I bought the RR for what it is, that is an SUV. The interior is hands down the best out there. The seating position and drivers outward view cannot, I repeat, cannot be touched by anything out there. I'm happy with mine.

Thanks RR. I'm pumped up about this '03-- it looks like a beauty. (Black with charcoal interior)

I would wait for the LR3 also. Read some good stuf about it and that they will likely have trouble moving the ,more expensive RR once the LR3 is out.

You can't really compare the LR3 with the RR in terms of a luxury SUV-- it's still a Discovery, which is Land Rover's economical SUV and well below the RR in luxury. Having said that, the LR3 appears to be a huge improvement over the outdated Discovery.

Remember the LR3 is on a Ford platform and the RR is the BMW developed SUV before took over and decided to keep the BMW designed powerplant, etc. That is the only reason I have ever considered moving up from my ML430 to the RR. Still a toss-us though between the RR, Pepper, and the G. Let us know you initial impressions if you end up getting it.

I have owned the RR, G wagen and the Cayenne. Spent three days in Moab with the RR and if you look at the promotional videos you'll see me featured in them. Finished up buyiny the Cayenne Owned 2 G-wagens, 02 and 03, Mercedes bought back the 03. Owned two Cayennes 04TT and 05TT, my wife totaled the 04. The Cayenne is the drivers car, the RR is a little bigger but less performance and the G wagen is technically challenged but still the off road king and I'm tempted to buy another. It all comes down to purpose and need, if you need room RR/G wagen, off road -G Wagen, performance Cayenne, all do each of the functions to varying degrees. My 05 has all the off road features but I've yet to try it out but I expect to be impressed.

I have an '03 RR and it's awesome. Looked at the Pepper and the Lexus GX but the RR got me. I would look into the '03, but if it has the orig. tires, be prepared to swap them quick. Thy are Goodyear and they cup, now sounding like truck off road tires. The '04's now use Michellin. Other than that it's an awesom car. I have a 996 for the sports car, so the speed or the Cayenne wasn't an issue...and the 4.4L BMW V8 ain't all that bad. As for the LR3...this is in NO WAY comparable to a RR. It's built on the ford platform, has a Jaguar/Ford engine, is MUCH smaller and nowehre near as luxurious. I saw one in person at the RR off-road driving event. As for off road capabilities, bone stock, not sure there is another vehicle that can compare....MAYBE the G wagon, but it's hard to beat the RR with it's ground clearance, suspension, and it's electronic goodies. Go for the RR....It's my second and I say there will be 2 things in my garage at all times...A Porsche and a Range Rover....

The LR3 is not a Ford platform, it's a brand new (using Land Rover's expertize) platform that may make it's way into future Fords. I love the RR but I'm afraid that the the new LR3 will greatly diminsh it's value..the bar has been raised. I will drive the new LR3 in a few weeks and thenI'll know for sure.

I like my RR, though they depreciate like mad. I also like the fact that they don't sell an economy priced RR. Like BMW, Merc and Porsche you have all these cheap copies driving around. Also RR are a lot rarer to see. I used to drive a LR discovery 2 and that was the best suv for the price. People didn't know what it was at that time but now they are all over the place and other suv's have really come a long way though some other Manufacturers have build their suv on a car chassie - Not LR though not sure about the Cayenne. As far as off-road goes the all they all are great. The RR is a $ status symbol as well as a great family wagon that has a reputation of worldly driving in any climate and off-roading while also being able to run for-ever in those type of enviroments. The real legend came from the series 1 and 2 which is now the defender. The discovery took the shape and design of the shorter 90 model with Higher Roof style coming from the need from the military needing the height so they can wear helmets and the RR took the shape and design of longer 110 wagon. Now that ford is starting to ruin the whole line and I believe they have bought out and are taking over the defender model line, the LR is going to nothing more then another ford. To bad really but you can still always buy a real LR, it just won't be new. While I would never truely off-road in my RR are any 50k and up SUV. I think I would choose a defender or the G-wagon. Our miltary chose to go with the G-wagon. Which is very cool, here are some pics.

i would say buy a NEW range rover...there is NOTHING better than a NEW car esp the range rover..it has a VERY good engine (hurry beefore ford plays around with it and puts a engine in it)... we had EVERY kind of range rover from the 1 door early 70's one to a 02 model... its not a SUV its the ONLY and BEST one (we had a few G wagons) but nothing compers to sitting in that range rover.. btw i would STRONGLEY rec. the (bmw 745) seats they are MUCH better.. i have to admit im a fan of porsche but land rover is a close 2nd.. i think is ome markets they are called VOUGE (not sure about the US) also the autobiography but thats $$$$$.... white is VERY nice on a range rover but if u are in the NE i would say GREEN im looking for a LHD 2 door range rover and when i find one i will RESTORE it to its former glory offcourse in the orignal rangerover GREEEN there is a new 2 door coming out but i dont think it will be the same FORD g luck...

This is an interesting thread as my wife and I are casually looking to get into an SUV. The RR line has come up in our conversations regarding which SUV to choose. I use 'SUV' as I am not sure what they actually consider the RR brand. A few years ago, my wife and I did test drive the Freelander, but felt it wasn't a good value due to interior quality etc. So far, we have looked at the Touareg, Highlander, X-3, XC90 and plan to have a closer look at the Cayenne and the LR3. X-5 is on the list as well. The XC90 is our current favorite as it had a third row seating, FWIW. The main thing we have to decide is how much we want to spend and narrow our pretty diverse list of SUV we have been looking at. Anyone know what the pricing will be like with the LR3?

The LR3 is the new Discovery so pricing would be very similar.

The LR3 will be priced higher than the discovery-- nicely equipped will be about 50k. I just took delivery of an '03 RR, Java black, with 19,000 mi. Spent all weekend driving it-- I LOVE it. Wow, what a luxurious car. Even more plush (and much better looking) than my wife's LX 470, which I had thought was the absolute top of the line in luxury until I stepped into this thing. Assuming it doesn't fall apart (I splurged for the extended warranty, so I'm covered until 2009), I highly recommend the 2003 or later RR as a top flight family car. The only negative that I can see is that the car doesn't offer a third row of seats, which is nice for large families. (That's why I chose the LX 470 for the wife). But if you don't need/care about the third row, look for an '03 with as little mileage as you can find-- you should find one in the low 60's (I lucked out at 59k) -- a helluva a value. At 7k asking 63k, I actually thought hard about this silver one ( http://www.huntingridgemotors.com/ca...ange_rover_HSE ), but decided that I wanted black.

Congrats! I have the Zambezi Silver with the Oxford Luxory package...First brand new car I bought. It is AWESOME...by the way the LR3 will NOT compete with the RR...It's smaller and LESS capable. It is a discovery replacement...In fact in Europe it's the Discovery 4....only in the states is it the LR3. It will be priced slightly above the current Discovery. Saw it in person last month and I was not impressed. Only if I was looking for a Discovery, but compared to a RR...not even close. Oh and Range Rovers don't "fall apart"...they are VERY well built. My last one was a 1995 and I had 150k miles on it and the paint looked new and interior looked close to new. Never left me stranded. Did some motor work at 130K...valve job and head gasket. After that it ran like a top. Other than that normal maintainance. One of the best cars I owned. Sold it to someone in my office building and they drive it daily and it still looks and runs great. Not bad for a 10 year old car.

GBG, You prefer the Range Rover to the Lexus LX 470 ? Please share the pluses and minuses comparison between the two. Boy, there seems to be a lot of us in the SUV market these last couple of weeks.

I have not ever heard of on RR owner that did not have problems and alot of them...I think they are crap in the quality dept...I know 2 people here that have had them bought back... Good luck to you...........

Like I said...I'm on my 2nd...and no major issues with either. I know many others with them and most have not had problems, but you know, I know MANY more people with Porsche issues...No Range Rover I have EVER heard of has had engine failures at 10k, 20k, or 40k miles...Plenty of 996 and Boxster stories, and RMS???? let's not get started. I know someone on their 3rd engine on a 2003 996....the RR is a great car...there are lemons, but also how were these cars maintained? I know someone with a "classic" rover that still runs perfect...These are great cars and if you take care of them will last 30 years...Just like our beloved Porsches....I'll share my RR vs. LX470 views. The RR rides better, is much more comfortable. I found the Lexus seats too soft....Kind of like Lay Z Boy recliners. The RR has very nice comfortable yet firm seats. (Recaros?) The audio system I like better in the RR but the Nav system in the Lexus is a little easier to use. The oevrall feel of the RR is better as is the handling of the car. Then there is the styling.

Thanks Newport-- your thread is very encouraging. I'm looking forward to a good run with this RR (knocking on wood at the moment). RR vs. LX 470: Both are GREAT suv's-- can't go wrong with with either, IMO. Having said that, if SPACE is your top priority, go for the LX 470. The interior is the same or larger, but the trunk in the LX 470 is 50% bigger, plus you have the option of having three kids sit back there comfortably. Otherwise, I'd go for the RR. The LX 470 drives and handles well, but is too antiseptic-- feels like I'm sitting on my living room couch. The steering wheel is too responsive-- move the steering wheel a milimeter and your changing lanes; the seats are like lounge chairs; the engine is completely silent; the suspension is very soft-- everything is so damn polished that you forget you're in a car. (Some people love that). The RR, as luxurious as it is, stil requires some effort to drive, which makes it fun; you need to actually turn the steering wheel, not just touch it; you hear the engine (although it's MUCH quieter than the Discovery that I used to own); you feel bumps every now and then (but still a very soft suspenion), and, IMO, the RR is the best looking SUV, hands down. But, as I said that the outset, BOTH are first rate SUV's. So, there's my 30 second review. Gary

It is a shmae that so many newer cars have all sorts of quality issues! Why can't they build em like they used to? Maybe because most factory workers could give a ratts as... about the quality of their work? Oh well, I am very surprised at how poor Porsche quality is as of late and can't wait to see if the 997 holds up in teh engine dept. I hope you guys have good luck with the RR's! (the biggest piece of junk I have ever owned was the ML430- What shock...Mercedes is going down the same path....towards mediocraty!

By thw way, for all of you RR guys, I just learned of what appears to be an excellent RR board. Check it out: http://landroversonly.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=8

hey Robert...I think all cars have some gremlins and with the popularity of the internet it seems we get ALL the info now, so it seems we have more breakdowns than normal, but in reality I think it is about the same. Every car I have owned has been VERY reliable. A Saab Turbo with 250+K, a RR with 150+K, and my 2 Porsches....Boxster 75+K, and my 996 with 60+k...I fully expect my Porsche to get up to 150+k with no problems....I was simply trying to point out that no car manufacturer has 100% reliability. But I have found that if it's not a Lemon from the start, then you have got a pretty good car, take care of it and it will last many many years. Because the materials used in RR's is high quality, you can expect the structure of the vehicle to be sound for 30+ years. Motors can be rebuilt....This is why a 20 year old Rover has some value and a 20 year old Datsun is almost worthless. Same with Porsches....A good 914 is worth a lot more than most 30 year old cars. Double of what it cost new. Will a 996 hold it's value like that...probably not, but who knows...

I would take a very close look at the LR3 - My wife had three RR in the last 10 years - Many problems, mostly electrical (lucas electronics - sucks) RR switched to BOSCH, now things are better - RR do drop like a hot rock, but they are truly solid and great in bad weather, not to mention off-road. As always, I would get the latest verison my budget allows. Good luck amigo...

Awesome Picture - you are truly HARDCORE - I LOVE IT