Just purchased from the second owner ( english lady that bought it from the orig owner in early 2008 for $7000).
70K original miles. black on black with sidesteps, full brushguard, rear guards, basket roof rack, tinted windows, etc. It is 100% rust-free, never wrecked.Ran a CARFAX, it came out clean, two owners.

$2700.

Now, the one caviat, the lady's "mechanic" told her it needed brakes badly ( how expensive could that be?!).
There was literally a line of people trying to get to it ( including the usual amateur car dealers); I was merely fortunate to have the $$ in hand as I was going to the bank to make a deposit that am.

When I arrived there, the "mechanic" told me it needed brakes badly and it was a "money pit" for the lady. I guess with three little kids and a non-involved husband it must be hard.
Upon going thru the center console receipts, I found out that the original owner had done ALL new brakes at 65K miles, removed the AES at 60K ( even though according to the receipts, it had had ALL NEW AES done at 48K).

When I asked the mechanic about this, he shrugged and said " well, it needs a booster, probably a new ABS too"... that is kinda Fd up. mechanicals repairs by guessing? I wonder if that's why she freaked out?

Anyway, long story short, I'm about to do a full service on it ( oil, coolant and trans service, fuel & air filter, brake flush, tune). What am I missing?

I looked up the KBB on it, and it says $11K. I see them around with 130-150K for about $6-7K, with low miles in the 10K range and up. Is this so?

The ONLY issue I've had is the blasted alarm when I lock it; sometimes it will go off and won't stop. Any ideas? I'm about to just disconnect it.

Other than that, NO warning lights, and the brakes were a bit funky once or twice ( like the pedal wants to go low, but then resets and works fine).

100% rust and ding free ( other than gummy bears stuck in the headliner and Cheerios all over the floor; have had it detailed since. Is it a keeper?

Would appreciate input from everybody. Thanks

 

Well, despite the issues $2700 on a 1999 is a steal, especially if it runs. No offense, but I think the mechanic is full of BS. Even if there is a problem with the braking system, it is usually not that hard to figure it out. Brakes are not overly expensive and should cost about the same to change as any other car. Even though KBB is usually pretty accurate, the real value of the car is most likely 6 to 7k depending on your location. Do you know if yours is a GEMS or BOSCH rover?

Here is a link on the braking system setup: http://yourwebdesigns.com/abpmp/

 

That's what I figured. I live in the SF Bay area; these are going for about $6500-7000 with about 120K. Saw one with 92K for $9000. Have seen nothing even close, except for one 97; HSE with 155K for $6500.
This one has the full brushguard, running boards, rear guards, basket roof rack and tinted glass.

The thing is, according to the records, the previous ( original) owner did all new brakes at around 65K. The rotors and pads look like new, and the disc surfaces are 100% blemish free. The pads are fat.

It surely runs; and it runs great. I drove it to Sacramento two days ago, and down to Big Sur yesterday, not one problem.

Why are mechanics such liars?!

According to what I read, a lot of DII parts ( brake components) are interchangeable with the 96-02 RRs. Is this true?

 

Forgot to ask, please educate me on what a "GEMS or BOSCH Rover" means. I know BOSCH is the electrical maker of injections, electronics and so forth. Never heard of GEMS..

 

"Why are mechanics such liars?!"

You described a problem braking that has nothing to do with pads, rotors, or calipers. From your brief description, it sounds like you need to get ABS codes read somewhere. Even though the light may not be on (maybe removed) you might have a hidden fault that could ruin your day. You may have even misunderstood the mechanic to begin with because it sounds like you plunged into the world of Land Rover simply because the price was right. I'm a technician at a Jaguar Land Rover dealership and I have NEVER lied to a customer to pad my paycheck. Sorry for the rant but statements such as the one above **** me off.

 

There should be three lights that come on when you first start the rover in the lower left hand corner of the instrument panel. "ABS, TRAC, BRAKE". They should extinguish when the pump supplies the accumulator with enough pressure to safely operate the braking system. If the lights are not on, and there is no unusual feeling in the brake pedal, things should be functioning normally. I do not know why you would need a new modulator, the things are very durable. The only thing that might need attention is the accumulator. A small $200 item that is overlooked a lot and can cause all sorts of fun and exciting problems . It’s easy to replace too.

Except for the pads and rotors, the systems are entirely different from each other and parts between the two are not interchangeable.

GEMS 1995-1999: Is an engine management system that has been used by RR and Discovery. Most of the components are made by Lucas and Valeo.

BOSCH 1999-2002: An engine management system that BMW put on the rovers when they bought out the company. Same block, different injectors, spark plugs, etc. All of which made by Bosch, some components I think were still made by Valeo, such as the head lights.

Here is a link that shows the visual difference between them: http://www.roverparts.com/TechTips/boschvsgems.cfm

From the pictures you have, I'd say it is a BOSCH rover. It has the newer style rims.

 

Why would you take offense dude? I did not say ALL.
There is nothing absolute about anything. Just like officers in the Army caught skimming off the top; some did. I didn't. Why would I take offense?? I know what I have and have not done.

As for for THIS specific mechanic, he was a pleasant guy, but his honesty I felt ( and still do) feel was questionable.
How could he tell the former owner ( the english lady), that it needed all new brakes, when the brakes were less than 2000 miles old? He said it, not me.
Also, when I asked him directly, he told me " oh, well, it probably needs a brake booster" (exact quote), and "probably a new ABS pump".
THAT to me, is guessing.
Bottom line, his quote was close to $4K. Which would explain to me that she did not want to spend any more money on the car.

And NO, I did not misunderstand him at all. People die on misunderstandings ( I have seen it in my own experiences). I know what to ask and how to ask; you merely let people hang themselves with their own tongue if they are not being truthful.
And NO, man, while I may be a "newbie" in the Forum, I have owned over 30 Land Rovers and Range Rovers over the 30+ years I've been driving.
If you took offense to my comment, there must be a little guilt in there somewhere..

 

" The only thing that might need attention is the accumulator. A small $200 item that is overlooked a lot and can cause all sorts of fun and exciting problems "

Do you mean as in "going to step on the brake and it takes like superhuman strenght to stop..........? "
It happened ONCE, when I removed a relay from trhe fuse board ( lost the AC, radio and some other stuff). After I put it back on, it went back to normal.
Have had no problems at all ( not yet anyway).

ALL the dash lights ( TRAC, ABS etc) come on as expected, then go away as soon as the car idles for about 2 seconds, and I get full brake pressure right abut then too. I always have it idle for about 30 seconds or a1 minute before doing anything.
Every single thing seems to work fine ( except that I did not realize I was missing one of the hood shocks until it took my hat right off)...

Also just found out that the english woman had just had the valve cover gaskets redone priort ot me buying it( the shop had told her the oil leak might be a POSSIBLE headgasket leak!) ( BRG don't get mad, life is too short; but I dunno about THIS particular mechanic. It's a fairly big shop in San Francisco)..

SO, based on what the guys say here, I SHOULD be able to install the new EBC rotors and pads that I had originally purchased for the rear of my 99' DII, in my 99' RR P38, right..?

*
ATTACHED PHOTOS: ....Driving back from the East bay today ( near Hayward), this fool cut me off and others. Funny thing, caught up with him about 3 miles down the road.......Check out the photos...doesn't pay to drive like a maniac:

 

Yep

That Lumina probably hated getting gunned at every stop and decided to commit suicide!

What kind of Mercedes is that?

 

This is a typical Range Rover story, people get told it will cost a lot to keep it running and they freak out. And a shifty mechanic steals the car from them puts a couple hundred into it and resells it for big coin. A mechanic at a dealer ship does not tell you about things you don't need because they are well trained and know the vehicle well. However they do not set the price Rover does. So bottom line is keep it serviced and it will treat you well. I've always taken care of mine (I've had 8) and sure they need repairs now and again but Once you go Rover you don't go back