Hey Guys,

I've always found forums to be a wealth of knowledge, from my Triumph Motorcycle, to mountain bikes, to cooking recipes. I just searched for Range Rover Forums on msn and got here pretty quickly, after reading a few posts you guys seem pretty knowledgeable.

My wife and I are on the hunt for a new car. I live in Denver, CO and I'm a traveling salesman for lack of a better description. I drive about 30-50,000 miles a year.

That said, I LOVE the Range Rover HSE, i love the sport more, but i don't think I really need all that.

I'm looking for a car that will be reliable when I'm 2000 miles away from home, one that will hold up with the miles start racking up. I know all cars have their problems, and one can never foresee if their getting a lemon or not.

I guess my ultimate questions is; is the Range Rover for the guy who could go to the dealership and buy one new? The guy who loves the car so much that he can put up with paying $1200 for an alternator? I ask because that guy is NOT me, lol I'm looking at spending about 20k and I've found a few RR's for that price with around 50k miles. My car im trading in has 220k on it.

A few others; are they terrible on gas mileage? How well do they do in the snow? Are they comfortable for long distances?

Any and ALL input you guys wnat to throw out here will greatly help me out. - if it helps my other car options im looking at are the Toyota 4Runner, an older Chevy Tahoe, a Nissan Pathfinder , i guess all the mid to full size SUV's out there.

Thanks fellas.

 

Sorry if i'm really brief but this topic comes up quite a bit.

Year is kind of important with Rovers so you might give some time frame. I'm guessing you're looking at 2003ish. Keep in mind the older, 2003-2005, MKIII Rovers have more problems then the later year models.

Reliability: I've found my Rovers to be as reliable as any other vehicle. But I do acknowledge that that is not always the case and, at least from anecdotal evidence, there does seem to be a higher percentage of problematic Rovers than with other manufacturers. I've never been left stranded with my Rovers and think they are reliable when properly taken care of. Heck my classic had over 260K miles before I sold it. And my P38 is at 140K.

Gas Mileage: Is gonna be bad. It's a large and extremely heavy vehicle. It's not that bad when compared to similar vehicles (and not hybrid ones).
Snow: With proper snow tires and/or chains you really can't get a much better stock vehicle!
Comfort: Rovers are extremely comfortable. The seats are very well padded and the leather is good quality. I do just about the same mileage you do, the lower end of the spectrum thank god, and can honestly say I have yet to ride long distances in a more comfortable vehicle.

Cost: Rovers are a rare breed. They have quirks, especially electrical ones. Upkeep costs are significantly higher because of the rarity (less of a market=less incentive to produce=higher costs) and the advanced systems (mainly the electronic air suspension). I don't think you need to be extremely wealthy to own a Rover unless you take it to the dealership for everything. Rovers can be a lot less costly if you have even the slightest mechanical skill. There's also the best resources and documentation for just about anything you could ever imagine doing.

The other cars you listed, in my opinion, aren't in the same class. A Pathfinder and certainly a Tahoe aren't really luxury SUVs. And 4Runners lack... the refinement of Rovers (comfort, design, and i'd even go so far as to say off-road prowess). That said all 3 are probably gonna be considerably cheaper to keep up, especially the 4Runner. I'd recommend a Rover but know upkeep costs are significantly higher and if you don't do preventive care Rovers can become insanely expensive.

Regards

 

I don't think that I could find a worse car for you. Don't even think about the Range Rover!

 

Thanks for your replies guys. I think your probably right, if taken care of I'm sure their just as reliable as the next. I'll probably stick with somethings that's more known for reliability and easier to maintain.

Thanks for your help.

 

I can't think of a worse vehicle for you to buy based on what you asked, what you intend to do with it, and what you want to spend. Don't get me wrong - we have a handful of these vehicles and have owned them for years, but they have a purpose. If you're really going to put on that much mileage, and you don't want repair costs - or worse, the inconvenience of having your vehicle out of commission when you have to make a sales call - find a Toyota, CR-V, Tahoe, Explorer - something with a warranty and low vehicle repair history that also will be moderatley affordable at the pump. If you really want a Rover, get one use it for your weekend driver and mountain trips and lease (although your mileage could be cumbersome to an affordable lease) something made to drive the miles. A Rover isn't, and certainly not one with 50k already on it.

 

I could not consider life without a Range Rover in the garage,
You have to want to work on it yourself, tinker, read, learn, you have to be able to have, like I do, another vehicle that you can depend on, in order to get greatest benefits from the RR.

I'm not made of money like some here, so sending my car to the dealer is out of the question, but in the last years I have learned that it is possible to be your own mechanic for your Range Rover on 90% of it's needs.

For off roading, I'm sorry, but a RR just can not be beat, ever, in a mulitutde of categorys,

If you have a dependable good car, like I do in my Allroad, I advise, GET A RR as your second car, learn how to, and more importantly, do not be frightened by being your own mechanic, for me, that has been half of the joy of owning my RR, and you'll never regret it.

 

Range Rovers are expensive unless they are the older pre 1990 models have you looked at the discovery ?