Looking to buy a 2005 Range rover HSE with 83,000 miles i've heard all of the horror stories and seen all the post from guys on how much they have paid either a dealership or their personal mechanic to keep their cars going or just maintaining them. What i want to know is what is the cost of ownership for the guys who buy parts off roverland or other good sources and do the work on their own. I'm a decent mechanic i build my own race cars and do alot of my own maintinance unless i get lazy or just dont have the equipment to do the job. So with your typical part malfunctions and regular servicing how much have you spent and saved? I questions this because like i've stated in my previous post on the 2005 range rover new buyer thread i'm coming from a AMG mercedes, BMW M3, BMW X5, BMW 740IL, MErcedes ML, etc. where people have a similar notation that they are "horrible", break down 24/7, are super expensive to own and maintain, etc. but it has clearly not been the case with good old fasioned common sense, regualar reventive maintinance, driving it with half a brain, not cutting corners on gas, oil, etc. and simply doing alot of the work myself. Back to the topic at hand I would really appreciate some honest opinions and facts.

 

I've had my rover for over 4 years and it now has 160K on it. I turn my own wrenches and since I have owned it, it has never seen the dealer or mechanic. Cost of ownership hasn't been too bad but I don't care to track that stuff. It is not quite as good as the Mercedes or BMW as I have owned both (current ride is a CLK430)

 

Nice so we have something in common, so compared to the cost of parts would you say its the same or more? I looked around on roverland.com and they didnt seem too different but i also read that parts are not easy to get? I did the fuel pumps in my C55 recently and that was a $700ish project in itself but completely DIY, i dont see how there can be that many "special" tools for RR stuff.

 

Parts are comparable. Not too many special tools, especially compared to Mercedes. They have a special tool for everything. I love my truck but if I had to take it to the dealer for everything I couldn't afford to keep it.

 

bmw engines have issues with the water cooled alternators that even napa prices arent cheap. Not to mention most issues are caused by the long intervals causing the pcv systems to build pressure and ruin the seals. Depending on where you live will also determine the amount of money you spend on your rover. salt states get it worse, stuff breaks and rusts up and you need to replace practically the entire component.

 

what do you mean by long intervals and what pcv seals? i'm still learning the in's and out's of the rr stuff, yea I noticed that the alternators are a bit pricey at $500+ but its really not too far off from Mercedes stuff i'm just not sure on the frequency maybe.