Hi all,

I'm considering a RR and finding lots of options. From reading through this forum I've learned:

• RR do have issues, but the majority are reasonable for a DIYer
• *Usually* if I stay on top of maintenance and fix things quickly, it won't be major
• Stay away from dealers for repair
• Newer models have some better features, but if there's a key model year to go for or avoid, I haven't picked up on it so I'm looking at 03-11 (depending on $)

This made sense to me as it reconciled LRs reputation for issues with the strong enthusiast following (and capability!)

The part I don't know is whether it's worth the premium to try to find a certified used model. Thoughts? I'm not risk averse but don't want to take on issues that could be easily got around either!

Dan

 

Check out the buying advice on robisonservice.com. There is a great year by year breakdown of pros and cons.

 

@mtrdrms - thank you! I found it here:

Land Rover buying advice

And it's exactly what I was hoping for. Until this recent investigation I didn't know Tata bought LR. Does that change anything for you?

I'll study up on this but it's looking like a 2011/2012 Sport (maybe even certified) is a sweet spot.

THANKS!

 

dont buy any LR without having it inspected by an independent shop

 

"Is buying certified preowned worth it?"

HELL YEAH!!!!!

I got a blessing in disguise when I bought my 2010 RRS S/C last October. We bought Certified Ore-Owned at a dealership in Laval Quebec. A few weeks later I took the car into the dealership on advice from my cousin who is a mechanic and its a good thing we did. Long story short, the car needed up getting over 8k worth of warranty work. So yeah, Certified Pre-Owned is definitely the way to go. Because these cars are so complex, you never know what's going on under the hood

 

I bought a CPO car over the internet from out of state (not a Landy, but it applies). The vehicle arrived and I did not sign any paperwork for the transporter until I had a chance to drive it. It made a weird noise. Took it into the local dealer shop and it turned out the transporter had damaged the exhaust and heat shielding driving it up the ramp onto the truck...but he denied it. Guess what? The CPO inspection showed the car was fine when it left the lot, so the transport company's insurance paid the entire $ 3,000+ to have the work done at the dealer shop.

Moral of the story: if you are having a car delivered, CPO is the way to go, just for the documentation.

 

PS: I should mention that we have bought two Land Rovers (in fact, almost all of our cars) from Carmax and gotten their extended warranty, usually to ~ 100,000 miles (at which time we get something different). We've had a transmission "blow up", an engine fail, and various electrical gremlins, and it's all been covered. The price point has always been less than for a CPO car with a shorter warranty.

 

"is certified used worth the $?"

YES MOST DEFINITELY!!!!!

I bought mine Certified Pre-Owned and 2 weeks into it, I found our the car needed over 8K worth of warranty work. Nothing came out of my pocket

Do it!!!! A bit more expensive but you'll be glad you did.

 

My first Rover was a LR3, and I'll second the recommendation for the warranty. I had mine for 3 days before I had to take it to the shop and then LR took 3 weeks to fix it. I guess some obscure bearing seized. it was a bitch. buy the warranty, if you don't use it you'll be in the guiness book.

 

I can fix my own Rover, but I bought an L322 w/ CPO and it paid for itself. The DVD changer in the rear went out twice while under warranty, both times replaced at no cost. Parts alone was over $1,000, so thats $2K just in parts. The electrical sealing sleeve also developed a leak and I convinced them to replace the sleeve and pan (with integrated filter) and fluid. Got a loaner car the whole time as well.