Range Rover Current/Past Owners - Need your opinions

Chedman13

Chedman13

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Location
Illinois
Car
2014 Mercedes-Benz GL63 4Matic
I'm looking at two SUV's to purchase in the future:
Land Rover Range Rover L322 / Mark III (2002 - Present) Full Size.
Land Rover Range Rover Sport L320 (2005 - Present).

I want opinions from current or past owners. I can read all I want online, but want to get a FX'ers opinion.

No, I am not getting rid of the FX for those of you about to ask.

This would be left stock as a daily driver for my wife. I'm asking for things to look out for and how much I will spent in a year on average to just keep it running. I am thinking $2,000 - $5,000/year in maintenance.

There are a ton of items that can go wrong like a very expensive air suspension system, but if I can keep it fully maintained with OEM parts -- is it too much to ask to take a 50,000-100,000 miles Range Rover in good condition to 200,000 miles?

Start the discussion -- I'm really looking for comments if you actually owned one in the past or now to reiterate.
 
I only knew one person who owned a range rover and that was through my wife's work. He had a few years old range rover. We had dinner and he talked about how much he loved it and what it can do for a good 30 minutes at the dinner table. At the time I just had my fast car without any bells and whistles so I asked him after hearing about this all if he can show me (referring to the suspension) and he said he can't because it's not working right now. I asked why he hasn't gotten it fixed and he basically said it's too expensive...it just rides at an incorrect height. He mentions that he was bringing it into the dealer frequently. I remember vividly wondering how can you like the car and brag about it for so long but then at the same time have these problems. That was just one person a few years back.
 
Thanks for the comment, this helps. There are different ride heights, access mode, highway mode, etc... where it automatically raises/lowers depending on speed, etc...

If the system goes wrong, I think it's about $6,000 to fix. Probably why he left it alone. That would be a safety issue as being on stilts on the highway increases roll-over probability.

jdTrader said:
I only knew one person who owned a range rover and that was through my wife's work. He had a few years old range rover. We had dinner and he talked about how much he loved it and what it can do for a good 30 minutes at the dinner table. At the time I just had my fast car without any bells and whistles so I asked him after hearing about this all if he can show me (referring to the suspension) and he said he can't because it's not working right now. I asked why he hasn't gotten it fixed and he basically said it's too expensive...it just rides at an incorrect height. He mentions that he was bringing it into the dealer frequently. I remember vividly wondering how can you like the car and brag about it for so long but then at the same time have these problems. That was just one person a few years back.
Click to expand...
 
I didn't know of anyone personally, but what I heard from Marus' friend/neighbor (next street over) that owns a HSE Sport (I know its not the exact model you're asking). So, to cliff note the whole 30 minutes of talk; he said the Range Rover HSE Sport is so unreliable and expensive to maintain and repair at the dealer.
 
I have known a few people with Range Rovers and they're ownership experience kept me from buying one on two seperate occasions. They are excellent vehicles when they're in tip-top shape, but it costs a lot of money and time to keep them in tip-top shape. It's not a question of if it'll break down, it's when and how much. If you're dead-set on getting one, be willing to stretch your budget to go as new as possible and/or the least amount of miles you can manage or buy the extended warranty. It's not to say they're problematic, but they are very expensive to fix.

I usually don't recommend Toyotas because they're boring but a Land Cruiser or it's Lexus equivalent (GX470?) would be a much better choice if you're looking for a luxury vehicle with good all-weather/off road capabilities.
 
I had an HSE the best thing about it? The day I sold it. I felt I needed to open a separate savings account just to pay for the maintenance. This car was great when it was problem free, I think it was one week each month, no wait, a year. Too heavy so it kept "eating" brakes like crazy, the suspension would fail non stop and I learnt a trick to open the door while driving to trick the sensor to pump the air in and lift it up again. I loved the design, and went against everyone who told me not to buy it. I only have one friend who had hers for now 10 years and just recently it caught on fire while driving! Lol that was her first major problem. Surprisingly she still drives it.
 
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Ed, thanks for this thread... very interesting as we are planning to lease a RR for various reasons. Question for the RR owners... when do you find the bulk of major problems (suspension failure, etc) start occurring? What parts did you find failing within the first 2-3 years of ownership?
 
BTW, I was planning on the RR HSE (full size) + overfinch 3rd row seat conversion instead of the Land Rover LR4...

Maybe I'll just lease a RR, does that mean major items are fixed for free? I just have to take care of brakes and oil changes, etc...?

I guess if I buy, QX56, GX470, LX470, MDX are back on the list. I really only like the 1st generation QX56. But if I get that, there is NO way I cannot mod it. And my wife won't deal with a modded car, so it would be a bad scenario.
 
Ed, you've been talking about the QX56 for awhile now, why all of a sudden RR?

It doesn't matter if you get a 1st gen QX56 or a RR, you will mod it. It's in your blood. I said I wouldn't mod mine with a stick when I got it. I would have bet big $$ that I wouldn't. You've completely modded your ride so your wife may just be concerned about you going overboard, but a mod here or two shouldn't be too bad.

pmanliu and Ed,
Just curious, why such a strong pursuit for a SUV that is well known to have issues? If you are looking for that hard utility with luxury features, the new Jeep Grand Cherokees Overlands are very nice.

---------- Post added at 04:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:13 PM ----------

And even if you get the new Jeep Grand Cherokee...I'm sure you'll mod it to be like this :) No biggie, just some black spray paint :)

398579_10150694592086515_7037526514_11262417_1504451469_n.jpg
 
jdTrader said:
Ed, you've been talking about the QX56 for awhile now, why all of a sudden RR?
Click to expand...

His wife is cracking the whip, that's why, lol. If you must go RR, then lease it Ed. If you want to purchase a family hauler and keep it, then go for the QX56. Make sure you get a 2008+ QX for the updates too.
 
This was interesting....Youtube "range rover problems" you get over 1,000 videos of mostly issues relating to not just regarding the suspension.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Range+rover+problems

Youtube "infiniti FX" or "infiniti FX35" and you get only a few with the rest having to do with reviews or mods.

This one was pretty sad:
[video=youtube;os3XmN2KUJM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os3XmN2KUJM[/video]
 
As much as I'm an Infiniti guy, I would watch out for the 1st generation QX56. The 04-07 models suffered from alot of quality issues and electrical problems. Some issues with ECM's crapping out from corrosion from water leaking onto them, headliner booming noises, screwed up transmission computers, etc etc ( I troll the QX forums sometimes). Only in the 08-10 revision did they fix these issues. Probably explains why the new QX56 is built in Japan now and not in American like the previous gen.


Something to look out for buddy:smile (2):
 
Yeah, I keep hearing 2008 is the way to go.

Eh, this is quickly fading any excuses to get the RR. Land Cruisers/LX's seem pretty reliable and maybe I just go that route.
 
AeroBFA said:
His wife is cracking the whip, that's why, lol. If you must go RR, then lease it Ed. If you want to purchase a family hauler and keep it, then go for the QX56. Make sure you get a 2008+ QX for the updates too.
Click to expand...

Yeah but look at like the first video I found....it's a guy, the wife is standing, and a stroller! Is that Ed in the future? Arriving at a store and they can't go to the store because their car won't lock. Most of the videos don't even look like the range rovers are that old.

"As the husband it's my responsibility to make sure you and baby Ed are safe at all times." :))))
 
Jonas thanks for the link. I took a look at the guy's other videos and all the other problems he has on his RR with only 14,000 miles. Def a big turn off. Even if the RR is a lease, the time inconvenience, dealer trips, and other headaches from these problems make it not worthwhile.

We've always been a fan of the Lexus LX series and have owned them in the past. Our 1997 LX450 is still running (only major problem is oil consumption) @ 170k miles after living its whole life in NYC winters. The new LX is nice, but IMO has lost that "raw" feeling the old land cruisers had. Curiosity has hit and thus itching for some Euro rides but not interested in keeping long term.
 
Don't tempt me Ian, I keep saying it's a 100% bad idea and then I see it and I change my mind EVERY time.
 
If it breaks, just fix it.. It's only money and you can't take it with you..

Or you can come by Berman infiniti and pick up this M37s that has your name on it.
401b8227-1f73-4f87.jpg

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Galaxy S2 on
 
My family has had multiple RR Sports (not the full-size), and the dealership was their second home. So many issues. I wanted one before my second FX, but was scared to buy one and get stuck with a bad one. But I guess some people haven't had as many issues. I honestly think it's luck. My best friend has a 2008 full-size RR (not sure of the exact model), and she says that she's never been so pissed owning a car. She's super jealous of my FX. As far as the modding goes, I too said that I would not even get anywhere near modding this FX because it was so nice and clean in all of its perfect whiteness... well, that lasted about two weeks haha.
 
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