Hi All! I'm looking at buying my first Land Rover. I'd like some input.

I'm looking at a 2005 RR Autobiography... it's got 98,000 mi and the interior is as to be expected: reasonable wear and tear --- good price.

It has a good service history... catalytic converter replaced, air bag replaced, air compressor replaced, spare tire replaced, and a few other minor things. Been regularly dealer serviced.

I took it to be inspected with my mechanic. His response, "we don't even touch those cars, buy anything but a Land Rover." Despite, he inspected it and found a few minor issues and said that it looked in good repair. The Rover dealership in town is willing to fix them.

So, I want your opinions. I really do like Land Rovers. I've been servicing my own cars for about 10 years.... so, I'm not scared of something breaking that I can't fix.

But, is the rover really worth it? I want to make a decision on a car this Monday, so any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Seems like a plan, you DIY, backed up by indy mechanic and local dealer if needed.

 

A dealer-serviced Rangie? Sounds like a good place to start. And being able and willing to work on it, I can't imagine you wouldn't enjoy it. Others can speak to reliability far better than I can.

I thought real hard about a 2003 before I bought my Disco - they are really nice trucks.

 

I asked myself very similar questions and just bought a Range Rover after almost a year of looking. I'm not a DIY type beyond the very basic stuff. I will just pass on the information I got from a number of different non-dealer LR mechanics.

The unanimous advice was to be very wary of the 2003-2005 Rovers because of the BMW engine/transmission. They told me the fixes were frequent and expensive. All recommended 2006MY or newer to get the Jaguar power train.

I had been sorely tempted by a lovely 2005 RR, but I took their advice and kept looking. The Jag powered ones seemed a little tighter and more responsive on the highway, but that might be down to the examples I drove.

Whatever year you get, you will enjoy it. I am amazed every time I get in how lovely and comfortable the car is. Handling at highway speeds is amazing.

Of course they are complicated cars. Find a mechanic you trust who knows these cars.

 

Thanks for the input, friends.

Crs, interesting that you mention the power train. I had actually heard that the BMW is better.... go figured. Obviously, there was the recall on the differential. However, I didn't see anything else. Can you clue me in as to what the known issues are?

 

Go figure - I wouldn't think the BMW stuff would be problematic, but admittedly, I don't know a ton about Rangies. They have ZF transmissions, right? As long as it is not that really, really awful GM L-series tranny that BMW used in a couple of sedans (and that I had in my Isuzu Trooper)...

The thing that impressed me most about the Range Rover I tested out was how good it was on pavement - completely non-truck-like, yet completely capable off-road. The LR3/4 is good in that respect, too - I had one for three weeks while my Freelander was in the shop - but the Rangie does everything just a little bit better.

I'm more of a Disco person (which is why I ultimately got one) but I can't imagine someone not enjoying a Rangie as long as they got a well-cared-for example and aren't afraid to dig into into it from time to time.

But definitely research what CRS mentioned - he'll know far better than me, I didn't do much research into the Rangie before I got my Disco.

 

I just got back from my very first off-roading ever. Terrifying and great fun!

OK, as I said, I'm not up with the technical stuff, but here is what I remember: a number of electrical gremlins that were gradually removed with 05 better than 03-04 and 06+ better still; a complicated, expensive and rather delicate cooling system (fans/etc) on the BMW V8. I got the impression that the BMW hardware was excellent in its native environment (bmws!), but they didn't seem to suit the needs of the Range Rover. It's just my impression, but BMWs are every bit as complicated as LRs, so I wonder if all LR mechanics mastered the quirks on the BMW hardware.

If you care about gadgets for the audio system, the 05 puts you in a bit of a bind. The 03-04 used a copper wired computer system which meant audio components and the gps could easily (but not cheaply) be updated with 'plug'n'play' parts from newer bmws. The 05+ version has something called MOST which makes non-OEM bits much harder to integrate. MOST continued in the RRs, but iPod integration is expensive to achieve until the factory offered an 'aux' port a few years later.

Personally, the biggest disappointment in the BMW RRs was the interior. The silver coating on the plastic seemed to have flaked off through out the cars. Also the interior door handles seemed to easily show wear. It made many I looked at seem 'scruffy.' A few very abused RR Series IIs I looked at had interiors that had stood up far better.

I'll end with the fact that this is only what I was told. I did look at a lovely teal green 04 Range Rover whose owner was as fastidious as me. He ALWAYS had it dealer serviced, never off-roaded and it looked and drove like NEW. An 05 has already been hit for a LOT of depreciation, so the money you save compared to buying a newer one can be squirreled away to pay for any repairs that, hopefully, you won't need. good luck