Hello, I'm really glad I found this forum because I wanted to find people who actually own Range Rovers and could give me some advice. Anyway, I found this really nice 2001 Range Rover with 68k miles. It has exactly what I want (black with tan interior, navigation, etc.) It's a 3 hour drive to the dealership where I found it so I'm either going to make the drive and buy it or not. I've researched a lot and found amazing reviews and horrible ones on Range Rovers. I'm so confused and I know the car will go fast. The carfax is clean. I'm really only planning on having this car for about 2 years, possibly 3 because I'm planning on moving to California (and probably buying a newer RR after.) Do you think the car will hold up without playing thousands of dollars for fixes? I always take care of my car (oil changes at 3000 miles and such.) I'm definitely not a mechanic but I'd be willing to take the time out for small fixes that go wrong. I just don't have money for like $1000, $2000, $3000 repairs. I wan't this car so bad though!

P.S. Do you have to put premium gas in Range Rovers or regular? Also, how would I go about getting an extended warranty? How much would it be? (I hear almost no one does warranties on RRs?) SORRY THIS IS SO LONG, I HAVE ALOT OF QUESTIONS LOL!

 

I also have an 01 RR HSE. A couple of things to check on that car:

1. suspension. examine the air bags very carefully and test the suspension system by using the features on the dashboard make sure all 4 settings work.

2. rev that engine up and look very good at the valve covers and under the car for oil leakage. All range rovers will leak oil eventually. If you see any oil seepage don't be alramed but it could be a good bargaining chip at the dealership.

3. after you test drive the car and rev it up. unscrew the oil cap and look and make sure its clean and not smoking.

4. tranny - test every gear low and high

5. run a obd2 scanner on it for any hidden codes ....sometimes codes are reset and don't come back for 30+ miles. RR take a while for the computer to reset itself when the codes are erased. demand the dealer to do this with you there if you don't have a scanner.


I have owned mine for about 5 years now. I bought it with 45k miles. started to see oil leakage around 60k. So far I replaced only the thermostat, MAF mass air flow sensor, and o2 sensors. These cars are great but you have to stay on top of them. Biggest cost would be if your suspension failed (avg 1500 to replace with coils) If the tranny goes your beat....I think a rebuild would prob cost about 2500 - 4000. but thats pretty comon in any used car just add some extra cash because its a RR.

I have about 90k on mine now and I need to replace the drive belt soon and probably water pump. mine has a 4.6 bosch engine , not sure what kind yours would have...

Just curious whats the asking price on that RR? Good Luck let me know if you have any more questions...

 

It's $10,995 but I'm going to try to get them down to 10,000 plus I'm trading in my car. It is a 4.6SE but basically with all the HSE options. Thank you for all your help I'll definitely be sure to do that when I'm test driving. Looks like yours turned out good, I'm really hoping I have luck with this.

 

I wouldn't recommend buying a RR unless you can afford a couple thousand in repairs because many do have reliability issues. That's not to say they aren't reliable or that it will cost you thousands to maintain it just comes down to maintenance and if the previous owner stayed on top of problems as they arose but some are plagued with poor build quality.

That price seems a bit steep for a 2001. Unless it is in pristine condition I would keep looking.

I would recommend you also check for any fault lights, including the A/C system (which could be an extensive and expensive repair)

 

You don't have to put premium gas in.

For extended warranties there are few places that will cover Rovers and even fewer that cover all the parts (EAS system generally isn't covered). I got a warranty through Warranties 4 Wheels and have been pleased with them, though I have only filed one claim.

You don't need to be a mechanic to fix most problems with the Rover. You do need to pay attention to and solve problems as they arise because negligence will cause repair costs to skyrocket (i.e. your suspension starts dropping overnight but you ignore it--- causing the EAS motor to die). There's a very active Rover community that has encountered just about any problem you could imagine so research any problems and ask any questions and you should love your Rover.

 

[quote=ldivine;139073]You don't have to put premium gas in. quote]

Thank you for your help. The price is pretty high but it only has 65k miles on it, which is definitely good for the age. Also, the carfax is clean of accidents. I've been searching for Range Rovers in my area and most of them have 100k more or less for similar prices. I'll most likely only be using it for 2 years so i'd be putting about 25k-30k miles on it. I'd definitely be sure to keep on top of things, and it's nice to know there are plenty of people that can help me out on here. I'm just hoping I can steer clear of major expensive problems. Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to change to coil springs (just incase any problems did happen with the suspension?) And do you suggest it? Thanks again!

 

I don't suggest coils. It kind of defeats the purpose of buying a Rover. The EAS system is fairly solid if it is maintained properly (in which case you *should* only have to replace the EAS bags rather then the entire EAS system- and the airbags run about 100-250 a piece). If the bags are shot but the owner keep driving, or other conditions occur, the compressor can die which is very expensive to replace (about 1K).

 

Can you give me any suggestions on what to check to make sure the suspension is in good condition?

 

If the EAS system is still in good condition you should be able to raise and lower it to all 3 positions and it should take no longer then 5-10 seconds to raise. There is also the physical condition of the bags to check, for which you'll have to crawl under the chassis and visually inspect for large cracks. Some cracks are normal but many excessively large cracks indicate the bag is dead or dying. On a 2001 if the air suspension bags haven't been replaced it's probably going to need to be done very soon as the rubber bladders wear out with age. You should also listen for any leaks and if the EAS compressor is running constantly or often.

You could also spray down, with a soapy mixture, around the collets where the tubing enters the airbags and where the tubing enters the EAS valve block (in the EAS compartment under the front hood). Ideally you don't want to see bubbles at any of these points but slight bubbling wouldn't be catastrophic.

If possible, the ideal test would be to disconnect the EAS system and see if the vehicle stays raised overnight or sinks to the bumpstops.

Best of luck!

 

The repairs are very expensive if they are done at the dealer. I would recommend finding a local garage that services rovers, that or one that is not afraid of them . Maintenance on these is a lot higher than most vehicles because, to put it simple, they have a lot more things on them that can break than an average car. Key thing is to stay on top of the maintenance like ldivine said. I believe the kit to convert over to springs is about $300 and can usually be done by someone who is mechanically inclined. Although, the air suspension is what sets the rover apart from all others. Which makes me want to convert back to air suspension, but I have to take care of the other nagging things first.

Reviews are going to be mixed on these vehicles. They are great cars and are fun to drive. However, when you let things go on them, catastrophic and EXPENSIVE failures occur. You biggest friend is going to be research, finding a good parts provider, and looking up basic repair procedures, that can be found all over the web, are very useful. Many issues that rovers have are not very hard to fix, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Doing some of the repairs yourself and buying parts anywhere other than the dealer, is going to save you a very large sum of money. Many problems with the P38a are common and well documented. The service manual is also free to download and offers many step by step repair procedures.

Getting a warranty on a P38 is going to be difficult and I recommend not doing it.

I highly recommend using premium though. Or at least 91 plus. Some stations here are 91 octane on the medium grade whereas premium is 93. Regular is 89 to 87, just depends. I believe the discovery with the same engine is rated for regular, so I see no reason that you couldn't use regular. However, many discovery drivers use premium anyways.

Good luck to you, what ever you decide!