Well.. I did it (Range Rover)

got my wife out of that crazy ass mind set of getting a 500hp muscle car, and pointed her in the direction of a luxery SUV. It's simpler, we have a dog.. and with her career the extra space could come into play.

So, I'm looking at the Range Rover V8 (non supercharged) 305hp car.. what do you boys think? Anyone have any owners experience with these cars? Are they a nightmare when it comes to service?

I heard you either get lucky and have zero problems, or you're at the dealership once a month.

a bit scary

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125573

Vote. It's that time of year anyway.

 

Over the last ten years I have owned many sports cars as well as SUVs. I hads an 05 Range Rover for about a year. It was the biggest, unreliable,finicky,problematice PO$ I have ever owned. Broke down totally unexpectedly and without warning on the highway with my wife and son. Neither would ever ride in it again. Read previous threads and investigate the MB GL 450,Denali or H2. At the very minimum, these trucks will start and not leave you stranded. Be sure and read previous threads.

 

What is wrong with you? If you wife wanted the 500hp car, you should have let her get it. Then you could have bought the SUV yourself and taken the car out when desired.

 

I think you can get a cayenne turbo for cheap used no? relatively speaking? also I think the Infiniti FX is a great buy.

 

Matthew-

As Bullfighter pointed out, this topic has been covered quite "extensively" already but I'll try to give some input. What I recomend doing prior to the purchase of any vehicle is do as much research as possible, especially if the car is British! Your new favorite website should become www.rangerovers.net but specifically this link http://www.rangerovers.net/rrmkiiiremedies.html. Almost 95% of the problems listed on that page are minor and very easy/cheap to remedy. It's always best to familiarize yourself with the possible problems that may arise. When you ask people what they think about Range Rovers they've owned your going to get a mix of polar opposite answers. There's two groups of Rover owners, one group that can't praise the trucks enough because they haven't had any problems, and the other group who could write a novel about how horrible they are because they've obviously had to spend their life savings on repairs. From 2003 (which was the first year for the new body rover "Mk III") unti 2005, there weren't many changes. For these three production years they kept the same BMW 4.4 engine which I believe to be far superior to the new Jaguar derived engine they introduced in the summer of '05 which became the '06's. The most common issues that I've seen are the little things such as electrical gremlines, brake switches, etc. On two occasions I have seen failure of the tilt function of the steering column which can either be as easy as a motor replacement all the way to a new coulumn needing to be installed. I've yet to see any front differential failures, but that's likely due to the fact that these issues were still being remedied by the dealers. One big plus is the air suspension in the MkIII's is also far superior than the system in the previous model. I've yet to see any MkIII's with air system issues. My advice would be to skip out on purchasing a new 2006 and look for a new '05 with a good warranty, or saving yourself 15-20k and buying a Land Rover Certified lease return '03-04' with under 30,000miles. Most of these certified Rovers still have warranties remaining and when those run out it wouldn't hurt to purchase an extended through a third-party company. Also become familiar with any independent service facilites in your area. Chances are you can save a good amount of money by having your Rover *serviced* at an independent instead of a dealer. The reason I recomend buying a lease return or certified rover is that most of the problems in these cars arise early on and would have been alleviated by the first owner. Another point is that these things depreciate like a lead rake. An '06 will have the same value as an '03-'04 in 1-2yrs and the average joe blow couldnt tell the difference between the two cars so you'd be better off saving money and buying an older model. The only exterior change was a different front facia and rear taillights in '06. Hardly noticeable. For me, the pro's far outweigh the con's and it comes down to how much you like the vehicle. Personally I wouldn't be caught dead in any other SUV. You're not going to find the quality of the Rover interior in any other SUV on the market these days. Keep in mind I deal with these things on a daily basis as I work at an independent Land Rover service facility so I do have an idea of what I'm talking about. This may also make me a bit biased as well... Hopefully my reply will give you a little insight. If you have any other specific questions, shoot away and I'll answer them. The more you know before you buy, the better off you are! Best Regards, -Matt

 

I hate to disagree but 33% of all Range Rovers from 2003-present have had the differential failure. This is per the RR Forum. My local dealer says that that is actually a conservative number. From your own personal experience, how ofter have you seen one broken down on the side of the road. How often have you had ex-owners comment on how unreliable they are. The owner websites are full of people discussing the problems they have had.Makes F-Chat look like a tea party. Build quality-what a joke. I cannot count how many CD players and electrical gremilns mine had. Lights worked sometimes, sometimes they did not. Sunroof did not line uup and close properly-three trips...goes on and on. I took over a $20K loss in 1 year- the dealer told me they did not want used ones back. The MB GL450 is light years beyond the RR- not even in the same class.

 

Good Luck!!
My neighbour bought one 2 weeks ago. The car has been at the workshop 3 days already, for trivial faults he wanted sorted. BUT, he had to be rescued once on the road (don't know why), and this morning the RR wouldn't start and he had to call the AA again. I just gave him a lift to the train station in my Jeep as he was going to miss a business appointment.
The guy is well pissed off, and I didn't ask too many questions about his first impressions!

 

To steal a phrase,

Absolute Junk, Absolutely.

 

Friends don't let friends drive SUVs...

 

You've been doing a lot of car shopping lately, good luck in your quest.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127163
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124819
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125554
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126791

 

mmmmmmm, decisions decisions decisions!!!!!

What to buy out of all those cars, hmmmmmm.........

 

I have been shopping around quite a bit lately, and I appreciate all of the information you guys have shared with me. I came to a conclusion this is one of the best places to get information on car, ferrari or not.

After driving an M6 I just wasn't impressed, same with the M5.. My wife is looking into a new car and I just dont have a giant knowledge on standard cars that she's into (SUVs, etc..) so i thought I'd ask some of you guys.

I personally now have started my quest for a 575M (wish me luck ), and I've never been so excited. The Range Rover was going to be something that my wife and I would use as a dailey.. but with these reports I think i'll stay away.

 

Have her check out the SRT-8 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Loads of performance for a bargain price.

 

Toyota LandCruiser , nothing else even comes close!!


doug

 

Agreed!

 

They get up and go, I've driven one. Also, the interior is pretty nice too, especially the seats.

 

Well, I have a 2006 Sport and it is the best new car I have ever owned, 12,000 miles and not a single issue...

My Mercedes sucked.... Hummer really sucked!!!!!!!!!

Chris

 

parkerfe. Can you explain us WHY?

 

Well, now you are talking!
I have a 2-year old Grand Cherokee, and never had any problem.
Good service from the dealer, and good value for money too.

 

He might be able to tell you why it's not right for HIM, but he can't tell you why it's not right for YOU.