for mountain biking and snowboarding trips, something that isn;t going to bottom out going into rocky car parks, I'm not going to worry about putting muddy bikes and gear into the back etc, 4wd, toys, comfort.

My neighbour has a 4.6(?) minter in green which he picked up around £7,000, full leather, all the toys, tons of space for bikes, gear and people, and he gets 25mpg.

Anyone tell me what I can get for between 7k and 15k?

Any particular model or spec I should be looking for?

What's the reliability like? I see plenty on piston heads with 150k+ mileage still looking very tidy so they must go on?

What's the performance and ride like? Any improvements to be made etc etc?

The usual questions really.

Thanks,
Ed

 

They look like overgrown London cabs.
But I still like them.

About to enter LR ownership, albeit with a new Defender.

 

This kind of thing seems nice?

D.J. Sargent of Copthorne : 4.4 HSE Auto (Sat-Nav,Television,Electric sunroof)

 

Assumed you were talking about the old shape ones.

That's a bit of a bargain - love the latest shape!

 

i used to own a 3.9 efi, it was a nice car, very capable off road but extremely bad on fuel, single figures when offroading, you say your neighbour gets 25mpg in his 4.6, i would suggest that that was his all time best mpg figure, i would recomend a jap double-cab for durability and econoomy (relatively speaking), but if you are determined to go for a rangerover then go for the BMW engined 2.5 td as the petrol engined models don't offer enough of a performance advantage to justify the extra fuel cost, having said that, there a loads of LPG converted cars out there which offer the running costs of the diesel but the performance of the 4.6. £15k should get you a 2001-2002 with about 40k miles.

 

yeah looking at old shape too - 7-8k mark

 

assume you can get the 2.5td remapped?

 

i can imagine being a figure of hate driving this particular one!!! burnt orange, bull bars for ramming kiddies outside schools etc.

 

Main question at the moment, what is the reliability like on a MY2000> rangie?

ta
Ed

 

yes,superchips takes it from 134 to 149bhp for approx £500, not a massive improvement but the torque goes from 199 ftlb to apprx 230 0-60 becomes 12s. with in gear times improved. the 4.6 standard 0-60 is approx 10s.

 

relatively poor in comparison to japanese models, lots of leaks and electrical problems. physically strong though.

 

They really tow well

 

Dont do it. The 4.6 is a terrible engine, bascially a 3.9, rebored again and again. Terrible problems with the liners inside which fail, over heat the engine, which is why you see many for sale mention how they've had new engines. They also suffer from oil slugde / oil ways blocking. Gearbox issues, front steering hub failures.

Here are some web sites to check.

http://www.rrr.co.uk/P38/P38%20Ownership.htm

Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes

They have over 7 - 10 ecu's inside the car for all the electrics, which often fail.

I went down this road myself, looked at many, took a friend that is heavily into them, and finding a good one is difficult. In the end I brought a Pajero. For £7K you could get tons of jap jeeps, double cabs, etc.

SBK

 

Sorry for going off topic but what about a Nissan X-trail????

 

X Trail maybe a bit small?
Not the same cred to it, but the Landcruiser Amazon can be picked up for peanuts and the later ones have over 200bhp and go pretty well.
Wife's parents had three, and her grandparents currently have a 54 reg 4.2TD VX - very comfy, very capable off road and very very reliable.

 

The main issues relate to steering column failure, front diffs and drive shafts going and the odd electrical gremlin. Check to see if any of these have been replaced but the best advice I can give you is to ensure you have an extended Land Rover warranty which is around £1400 - may seem a lot but parts are expensive.

 

Now a Landcruiser is the way to go. All depends on the model you go for aswell. £7K will buy you a older series, not the newer one currently still avialable.

There's a saying in Saudi Arabi, if you want to go into the desert, take a Land Rover, if you want to come back, take a Landcruiser ! :-)

Dont bother with a Toyota Surf, but if u do, then only go for the 3.0l diesel engines, 2.4 suffer from head failures.

SBK

 

At this rate I'm gonna fck it all and get a mercedes vito van

 

Noooooo

My dads mate had one, lost 8 grand in a year, paid 30k, sold it for 22 just under a year later after a catalog of faults, leaks, clonks, overheating. It did 14/16 mpg and got out accelrated and cornered by just about everything.

There was someone on here that had a nightmare with one, they posted a long diatribe about the state of it.

Another chap I know, has had them for years and has recently gone over to the Lexus Suv thingy.

I think they are fine if you are buying new, you are minted and have something else to drive when it goes wrong.

 

The old 2.5TD RR is painfully underpowered.

With the higher capacity V8's you take a chance, thats why the prices are so low. Lovely vehicle though.

If big V8's are your thing you can pick up 2002 on 4.7litre or 5.7litre Grand Cherokees in top flight Overland trim for around £7k.
Performance is better than the Range Rovers and the Quadra Drive 4X4 system is better than the old Rangies. Mechanicals are strong but make sure all the electrics work. Interior build isn't a patch on the RR but they still have loads of toys.

an example.
Find 2002 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND 4.7L V8 on eBay within, Jeep, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 03-Nov-07 21:16:56 GMT)

A 2005 5.7l hemi here is £5k over budget but 2003/4 from private buyer should be in the £15k range.
Find 2005 (05) JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 5.7 V8 HEMI 4x4 Auto on eBay within, Jeep, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 10-Nov-07 11:21:42 GMT)

Cheers
Lee

 

Hmmmm. That 5.7 hemi is interesting.

 

So, without a doubt, stay away from Range Rovers :-)

Friend has a VW Transport van, 1.9TDI, quite rapid, good on fuel, kitted out the back so he can sleep in it, aswell as tow things, carry boards.

Perhaps that makes more sense.

SBK

 

SBK - its honestly looking more and more tempting! I;d love a new vw california but they're like 30k+

 

Volkswagen California (05 on) Review - Parker's

 

The Calofornia has no space for bikes.

May as well spend £30k on a proper small motorhome and have bikes on the back.

Driving a van doesn't really fill you luxury, comfort and toys specification though.

Cheers
Lee

 

Get a Caravelle with the 5 cyl tdi engine, went in one as an airport taxi in Geneva and it moved really well and was very comfy.

 

If money is tight, you can buy a 51 plate transport van for £3K, ex works. Then kit it out, spending about £2K.

All depends on what you want it for, and what goodies you want in side, that cant live without.

My friend cant stop ******** birds in his van now, I think he's getting more turned on by the fact he's in a sainsburys car park, whilst its busy, than the acutally bird ! hahaha

SBK

 

I'd buy a land rover defender,absoulutely awesome off road

 

Ed, I recently picked this up



£15,000 gets you a 2.5 that's frugal and fast enough with six seats and tons of space for toys in the back. I'm putting a roof tent on mine for longer trips.

 

Jack...out of interest would you fit a motorbike in the back? can you remove the rear seats at will? manual or auto? how much for the roof conversion.

Hmmm.