What to look out for on a Ranger?

[EVOeng]

I am looking at buying a Range Rover but unsure if it is the right choice...

I do not have a very large budget and this car will be covering around 8000 miles per year and have a few questions to ask you guys.

1) I'm not expecting the 4.4 V8 to be economical but how bad is it (for town and motorway use)?
2) What is the difference between the HSE and the Vogue (they are miles apart on insurance quotes and groups)?
3) How reliable is it, as from what I understand the Air Suspension is not the most reliable?
4) Are there any typical problems I should look out for?
5) Should I spend the extra and buy from a main dealer? If not, is it worth having a warranty?
6) Is it worth opting for one with the Satellite Navigation, as the OEM one I have in my M3 is rubbish; it doesn’t have the postcode search function?
7) How would this compare to a Jeep Commander, in terms of usability and general running costs?
8) How much is a service likely to cost?

9) What are your opinions on this car?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1510192.htm

Thanks in advance.

[Jem0911]

Hi have a look at www.fullfatrr.com this should answer most of your questions.
I get 16mpg on my daily journey mixed A roads and duals. But I have an LPG converted 4.4 so only pay 50ppl.

Vogue has all the options HSE can have but the seats are lesser spec.
Really 100% more realiable than the P38 it replaced.
Looking at that HSE it's thin on options. Depends what you like from a car. Toys etc?
A Jeep is miles from a FFRR nothing similar apart from both having four wheels and an engine.

Edited by Jem0911 on Sunday 7th March 17:55

[JW911]

EVOeng said:

I am looking at buying a Range Rover but unsure if it is the right choice...

I do not have a very large budget and this car will be covering around 8000 miles per year and have a few questions to ask you guys.

1) I'm not expecting the 4.4 V8 to be economical but how bad is it (for town and motorway use)?
2) What is the difference between the HSE and the Vogue (they are miles apart on insurance quotes and groups)?
3) How reliable is it, as from what I understand the Air Suspension is not the most reliable?
4) Are there any typical problems I should look out for?
5) Should I spend the extra and buy from a main dealer? If not, is it worth having a warranty?
6) Is it worth opting for one with the Satellite Navigation, as the OEM one I have in my M3 is rubbish; it doesn’t have the postcode search function?
7) How would this compare to a Jeep Commander, in terms of usability and general running costs?
8) How much is a service likely to cost?

9) What are your opinions on this car?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1510192.htm

Thanks in advance.

1. I do probably 60% motorway and would get 20mpg on petrol (on LPG, I get 16.5mpg).

2. Vogue has higher spec including satnav (which will be cr@p on the age you'll be looking at) and better seats. Some HSEs are effectively Vogue spec, just without the badge. Allegedly Vogues will have a higher resale value but I would suggest it's spec dependent.

3/4. Generally, they're pretty robust. Air suspension on the L322 is pretty reliable. However, when the bags go, they are expensive though. Otherwise, front diffs fail at about 30000 miles but LR will upgrade them for free and gearboxes need the oil changing at each Inspection II but it isn't actually in the service schedule so will probably not have been done. If not, expect a new gearbox at 100000 miles+. Radiators also fail after six or seven years (mine is going in tomorrow for a new one - £470 fitted). Otherwise, generally pretty good and a million times better than a P38.

5. Warranty? Well, perhaps. Be aware that LR offer two flavours of warranty depending on the mileage of the car. Third party warranties will generally have a maximum claim limit of about £1000 on a Rangie. If you can't afford £1000 to fix it once a year, you shouldn't bother. Interestingly, an extended warranty will cost you broadly the same.

6. Buy an HSE and a Tom Tom. Seriously, unless you're into one of the latest models, unless you want to retrofit the BMW Mk4 satnav, go without.

7. Sorry no idea but I would expect the Rangie to be more expensive to run. More importantly, why on earth would you want a Jeep instead of a FFRR?

8. Assuming nothing goes wrong, my specialist will do an Inspection II (the big one) for £400 ish.

9. Definitely worth a look if the mileage is genuine. Same spec as mine, more or less. Check whether or not the front differential has been changed and pay particular attention to the cooling system and gearbox, although at that mileage the gearbox should be ok (get the oil changed if you buy it). Ideally, get an expert to look it over.

At the end of the day, you may only pay £15000 but you're buying a £70000 car with extremely complicated systems (water-cooled alternator anyone) and the bills will be comensurate with that.

[phill2812]

Without wishing to cause offence, isnt a 'Ranger' a ford pick up?