Hi! Thanks for reading this,
I thought I would come here to get the real story on range rovers, are they really as unreliable as they are made out to be? I'm 16 and looking at 2003-2005 Range Rovers... My entire family is all about the 'japanese' (using quotes because their really american) cars like Honda and Acura, and right now I have a Acura TL. So would a range rover actually be breaking down every few months, leaving me stranded, leave me broke due to repairs, gas and maintenance, or is this purely based on the older range rover's from the BMW days?

 

Spend some time reading posts from the Range Rover section. That will give you a feel for both love of the vehicle, and things that can go wrong. Breaking down every few months? Depends on how well the vehicle was maintained before you buy it, and how well you maintain it after purchase. Leave you stranded? Again, depends on how well you maintain it. Leave you broke? How much money per month do you have to put into gas (not even close to the MPG of anything Japanese), and maintenance?

I have a Discovery, my wife has an Accord. We are taking her car on vacation, just because it gets 38MPG versus 18 for the Rover. Neither vehicle has ever left us stranded, though her car has had several crank no starts in the past few months; I need to get it diagnosed before the family vacation. I have spent easily three times as much in maintenance on mine, as I have hers.

Are you able to do your own maintenance and repairs, or will you have to take it somewhere? With the advanced electronic systems on these, a lot of shops won't have the proper diagnostic tools.

Whatever you do, don't buy one on a whim, without researching the pros and cons, and a thorough maintenance and repair check on a vehicle you are considering.

 

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but who is paying for the RR lol? The reason I ask, they are not very economical. You can get into them cheap, but you can't operate them cheap.

Asian autos will give you far less BS than a RR will. I have and rely on several of them. I love the BS though... RRs usually don't leave you stranded, they just have little issues that will drive you crazy if you don't have a good sense of humor. As previously stated, its all about MAINTENANCE. If the previous owner abused it, the rover will abuse your wallet. The L322 rovers (2003 to 2005) seem to hold up better mechanically but are not near as easy to work on and often have problems that require experienced expertise on the specific systems. Mine, I can take to any mechanic and they can usually pin point what is wrong. I don't trust mechanics anymore, so I usually do the work myself . I have contemplated about buying a newer RR, but I don't see the point. What are you looking to spend on it initially?

Browsing through the forums will give you a worst case scenario of ownership. Everyone here usually posts problems and ask for help. Only a few post pictures of weekend outings, etc. Here is a website that will show you many of the possible problems that can happen with an L322. There are many more that are undocumented . http://rangerovers.net/rrmkiiiremedies.html

I don't want to scare you away, but unless you have some sort of mechanical experience, and are very detailed when it comes to maintenance, or have deep pockets. I would not recommend buying a RR at your age. I wanted and L322 initially, and who wouldn't. They are stylish, modern, look much newer then they actually are etc. I realized how unpractical it was for me though. I kept my Asian auto and bought my old fart of a RR that has been a real gem to me for almost 2 years now. From one young driver to another, do plenty of research before you make your final decision.

 

I will say this, you end up either loving your Rover or Hating it. That can do go for all their models and years. I love my Rovers though and I appreciate all they are and are not. They are not a cheap cehicle for commuting, they are not easy on the wallet if you cannot work on it yourself. They are truely classy and luxurious, they are something not everyone has.

The maintenance and records are the key, even then you may strike out and need to put some money into it. You rinsurance will not be too kind either for your age and so all in all plan on much higher operating costs. If you do not have another $300 to spend every few months then do not buy one, I am not saying it will need it I am just saying that you should have the ability to fix it otherwise you will end up hating it.

If you never plan to use it off road I would pass as well and look for a Jeep or something else. The gas mileage does not make sense for a vehicle to only see pavement.

 

If you don't like to or can't work on cars than a rover is not a good choice. Most of the people who can stand to own rovers either have deep pockets or are car guys who like working on stuff, or both. I am always looking forward to the next project, while always trying to work out the many quirks and problems these trucks are prone to have.