Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum but have been "lurking" for a few weeks and would like some advice before I purchase my first preowned Range Rover.

1. I am looking at a 1999 thru 2001. Are there any advantages in a 2001 vs a 1999?

2. Everyone always talks about "repair issues and cost". What are the main issues, in other words if thevehicle is in the shop all the time, why is it inthe shop all the time. When you talk about high cost do you mean $85.00 oil changes or regular $500 shop visits.

3. Should a preowned Rover of 6-8 years be converted from EAS?

4.Does anyone have any experience with the extended warranty's, are they worth it.

5. I drive about 12-14K miles a year, will a nice maintained Rover be reliable day after day, or will I be worried everytime I come to a stop light that something will go wrong.

6. Finally, why is it that I can buy a $75,000 vehicle new for about $8-9 thousand after 7 years? Is it because of the reliability.

Any help, advice, assistance, in buying a used 99-01 Rover would be greatly appreaciated.

 

I just called the dealer 60 miles away from my home to see about my EAS problem. $95 just to check the codes. Worst case $2-3K for repair. Mine is a 1998 Range Rover 4.0.

My first problem since buying. I love the RR and it's history. Mine only has 66K miles on it.

I'm still not ready for the bill. We are leaving at 4am in the morning to the to beat the traffic.

 

We just got back in a rental car from the dealer in Baton Rouge. The cost to repair the EAS system is $4K+, and it's only to repair the system to drive. Other parts of the EAS could fail later, and more expense.
The cost to change out the EAS to Springs and Shocks is less than $3k and no more EAS to fail.Permanent FIX.
SO we are looking at $3K plus rental cars fees.

If you do buy a usedRR, check to see if the EAS is still installed........

 

Sorry to hear about the bad news, areyou going back with the eas or springs?

I'm leaning toward a 2000 model with 87k miles. Talked with Hal about an extended warranty and just need to find a local experienced shop to give it a PPI. Has anyone ever had their local Rover dealer do a PPI, or would you guys lean towards an independent shop.

If anyone else has any additional information for a future buyer PLEASE lend me your advice.

Thanks again,

 

First off congrats if you do purchase a Rover. The only diff between the '99 and the '01 is that in 99 BMW took over the company and introduced an improved Bosch engine management system and engine so it being the first yeari'd assumethe '01 worked outany kinksthe '99 had. Other than that, they're the same inside & out.

2. Repairs,... well like another forum member stated, "Ranges are like top models, beautiful& high maintenance". If she's in good condition you shouldnt be in the shop often, but when you do yourgonna have to put out a whole lot of pennies for the parts,so if you can do the work you'll save big-time.

3. I've never driven aconverted Range on any surface other than the highway(few bumps if any)so can't personallyspeak on them, mine has the air suspension and altho its expensive to keep up, im gonna stick with it because the ride is smooth(esp compared to my car& work van). I've heard that the conversion kits give a stiffer more rigid ride, but are much more cheaper.

4. I purchased a extended warranty and so far they have'nt "covered" anything i bought her in for(suspension,door locks,etc.), but at $1500 extra i hope if/when i need them for the big stuff(engine/tranny),they'll come thru. With that being said, it def' cant hurt to purchase some.

5. WORRY!!!.... but at least you'll look good doing so. ha ha (Nah,with regular maintenance you'll be ok, but DO REMEMBER Ranges are LUXURY vehicle$.)

 

Ceven18,

Thanks so much for the info, I really appreaciate the advice.

 

1. Some of the early '99 models are hybrids (term used loosely!) between the GEMS and Bosch and my local mechanic hates working on them. Just something to think about.

2. The EAS was the first thing to go when I bought my '98. Two unexplained failures, and $100 each time to hook up the diagnostic tool. Atlantic British has coil replacements and the computer module thingy for ~$750. My bill with labor was ~$1100. The only difference in the ride is that, yes, it's a bit stiffer as one poster says, but cornering is much improved IMO.

5. Even if the EAS completely fails, the car will ride on it's bump stops until you can find a garage. Other than the 2 failures I had with the EAS, the car has only stranded me once when my water pump decided it was it's time to go around 90k miles (have 105k miles now).

Welcome aboard from a fellow noob!

 

Hey all ....new to the forum here and thought my previous experience might helpothers make the right decision about the Range Rover. I don't have a Rover anymore but had a 1998 HSE 4.7 L a few years back and am possibly considering taking a step into the newer model (maybe a 2006 this year) and so I just joined this forum to read up on the latest info. When I owned my silver HSE with front/rearbrushguards and running boards,it was a love/hate relationship. It was by far my most favorite vehicle to own but most costly with regard to repairs so I couldn't support her any longer. I think my 1998 had pretty much every common problem those Rovers had at that time ...EAS, coolant leak into the cabin, hoses crapping out, crack in the head, etc. etc. Ifyou are reading this and are interested in purchasing a used Range Rover, be advisedTHEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVETO MAINTAIN. I stress VERY EXPENSIVE! If you are unfortunate enough to not live near an INDEPENDENT mechanic, then I would advise on passing over thisvehicle. The dealerships are way too expensive and often times, too busy to give your RR the time and attention you are paying for at $125+/hour labor rate. WhenI owned mine, I was lucky b/c I was living in Southern California where there are many RR dealerships and even more independent mechanics scattered around. Range Rovers in So Cal are like Honda Accordsin the rest of the country...there are thousands of them everywhere; hence, the reason for so many mechanics. If my truck broke down on the way to work (32 mile commute each way), I had 3-4 mechanics on the way that could repair it and believe me, I used all of them often.

To answer the original poster's questions, here are my responses:

1.) 2001 vs. 1999?? Other than BMW taking over like the one guy mentioned, probably little to no difference ...the 01s still have all the problems the 99s have.
2.) No $85.00 oil changes that I'm aware of but the repair costs are associated to the labor rate and part cost when things do go wrong with it. My independent mechanic in San Diego charged $75/hour. The dealer was $90/hour but I know some dealers are over $125/hour. Parts are through the roof b/c they are imported and RRs are luxury vehicles so prices are more for that reason. The Electronic Air Suspension system was the most costly repairs I had ...thousands and thousands of dollars. Air springs, valve block, diagnosis, electronics, valves and pumps, etc. It is a very intricate system that has many, many parts and the causes of problems are often times hard to diagnose even with the codes from the computer that the mechanic uses. Just before I sold my 98', my mechanic told me it was time (100K miles) to pull the top of the engine and replace all of the seals ...a common maintenance thing with these truck that was going to cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Basically, plan to spend average $300-$500/month on repair/maintenance issues with a higher mileage Rover that you use as a daily driver. You may go months w/o spending anything but then that one major repair you need might cost you $2,000. A brake job with new rotors/pads was around $1000. Get the idea??

3.) The EAS systm give a real nice ride ....smooth. I ended up swapping my system out for the coil/spring conversion and the ride sucked ...bouncy, ridgid BUT no more EAS problems AND I sold some of my replaced EAS parts (new air springs, valve block) on eBay and got some of my money back out of the whole expense. I think the coil spring conversion was about $1500. I had already spent over $2K in EAS repairs and it was crapping out every 2 weeks at that point. I would like to clarify a comment from the last poster ....."if the EAS fails, the car will ride on the bump stops until you find a garage" ...yes if you can deal with it. The truck car only be driven like 10 mph and you feel every little pebble you drive over. It is the most horrible ride ever!I did that on the way to work one day ..I was about half a mile away and it dropped to the bump stops and I could only handle that half a mile stretch ...cars flying by me honking, etc. If you live in an area where the closest RR shop is 90 miles away or even 30-40 miles away, you won't be able to drive it there. It must be towed. Oh, on top of saving $$ each month for repairs, you'll need to save an extra supply of $$ for towing expenses b/c the $75 you get with your car insurance is only half of what it normally cost me to get it towed.

4.) Don't have experince with exten. warranty but there are companies that sell plans on any age Rover, costly I'm sure but would probably be worth looking into.

5.) If you plan to use the truck as a daily driver (12-14K/year), I want to let you know that you WILL have times when it will leave you stranded, no matter how well you maintain it. If you take it out of town, I would map out the location of all of the nearby mechanics that can help you when you do break down b/c you will break down sooner or later.

6.) The reason why you can by a $75K+ truck for under $10K after 7-8 years is b/c ofunreliability, don't hold their value,and the fact that the demand for those trucks after 7-8 years is far less than the supply. They just have too many problems to deal with.

My advice to you and others would be rather than buy a 7-8 year old Rover and have to spend an average of another $500/month on repairs, you might as well buy a newer model with a warranty and put that $500 towards a payment for a truck that shouldn't have problems for awhile. If that's not an option, my advice would be to buy an older Lexus LX450/470 or a Toyota Land Cruiser. Dependable all the way. I do love the Rovers and as previously mentioned, I am possibly looking at a newer model with a warranty ...that's the only way I'll buy a Rover again. FYI, I paid $19K for my 1998 back in 2003 with 74K on it. Drove it 2 years to 2005 and put 30K miles on it. Sold it for $11K and had spent $4-5K in maintenance/repairs on it. Basically, in 2 years I lost over $12K. On the other hand, I purchased a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser for $15,100 after my Range Rover,drove it just under2 years, put 30K miles on it, and sold it for $14,750. Not bad ....

Good luck!
Steve

 

Well said Pans Fan, thats one to grow on.

 

the eas system is the biggest issue surrounding the 96-02 range rovers. Like the other person said if it goes out you should switch to springs and never worry about it again... My 99 has almost 175000 miles on it and the air ride suspension is great. In fact the whole truck is amazing. Strongly suggest making sure that the maintainance has been done accordingly, because if you take car of these trucks they will run forever. Excluding small electrical luxuries

The air suspension is the major worry I would have, other than that I love these trucks.