I am looking at buying a 1999 Range Rover with 100,000 miles on it. Wondering if anyone had one and their thoughts on it. Or if anyone knows them really well. Just wondering how long they will run, reliability, and any thing else I may need to know. Cheers and thanks for the help.

 

4.0, 4.6, what? And for what price?

 

It is a 4.6 and for a price of around $7,000. The body and interior is in great condition, it has a a roof rack and brush bar. I main thing that I am concerned with is the reliability of them. I do not have a lot of money so I do not want to be always fixing them. Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like a nice Rover. Price sounds good if it is really nice. I am on my first Range Rover (1996 4.0 SE) and I really like it. It is not my daily driver, just something I wanted. It has been my experience that Range Rovers are quite expensive to own compared to other vehicles. That being said, they are still great. Just don't think that you are going to spend $7000.00 and get a reliable and efficient vehicle. Not the case. What you will get is a really nice vehicle that is awesome to drive on and off road. Just have your checkbook ready. Others on here know much more than I do about these vehicles, but that's my opinion.

 

As an owner of a 2000 and 2007 RR i'll give you my impressions. Wilson96rr is right in the that Rover reliability does vary quite a bit and, in my experience, is especially dependent on the previous owners and your mechanical skill level in maintaining the components. Rover mechanics tend to be pretty reliable but electrics not so much.

Rovers are more costly to maintain then most other manufacturers, however, if you are mechanically inclined (even slightly so) you can probably handle most problems that arise with a bit of research and good amount of free time. When you are able to handle the problems yourself the costs of a Rover can be minimized. There's some of the best documentation i've ever seen for Rovers... not to mention the Rover community is pretty active and willing to help where possible.

You should read up on and check the following before buying:
***EAS(make sure the compressor works and you can run it through the different positions; check the bags- if they haven't been replaced they probably need to be due to age alone)***
A/C (make sure there is no book symbol on the ATC and run the airflow through the different positions)
Make sure there aren't any check engine lights or any other illuminated dash lights
Check for fluid leaks
Drive it a bit and make sure there aren't any handling problems (ball joints, shocks, etc)
Make sure all the doors lock and unlock
Check for 2 remotes- they're quite expensive and a bit of a hassel to replace
Tires- new tires run about 1K (make sure they still have tread left or expect a significant expense)

Service records would be a major incentive as would an owner history (if a Rover is passed off a lot that's a pretty big indication it may be a lemon).

Since it's a '99 it may have either the GEMS or Bosch engine. I recommend the Bosch engines as they seem to be a bit more reliable... however, mechanics tend to be more familiar with the GEMS.

I honestly consider Rovers to be reliable as long as you pay attention any faults that occur and take proactive measures to maintain the vehicle. That being said costs are still above average.

 

Range Rovers are great vehicles but, can be a bit quirky. As previously stated, if you are mechanically inclined and do not mind getting your hands dirty, repairs can be quite reasonable. The GEMS engine is easier to work on but less reliable (my opinion) my mechanic loves the rover because it is very unique but is also familiar with all of it's GM components. 7k is good if it is in immaculate condition, get to know it and take it for a long test drive, tell them you are taking it to a local mechanic (which you will, I hope) and then take it into an empty parking lot, and start looking around for any issues. It will help you if you get it away from the owner/dealer as you will be more concentrated on the vehicle than entertaining the seller. Good luck!

 

If this is your daily driver, and all you basically have to spend on your forward-going transportation is that $7k, then don't do it. Even if you're "mechanically inclined," which is often construed on here also to mean "broke and determined," you are going to spend money on this vehicle - EAS, BECM, ABS pumps - you name it. EAS alone can run you thousands if you try to repair it prior to giving up and replacing the entire system with coils.

Take this from someone who has a handful of these cars - ranging from 87 Classic to 08 HSE - Sport, Disco, P38 -- the reason you buy more is so you have something to drive when the others are broken.

 

I agree with mlshelton. Having lived with a 2000 4.6 HSE from 36,000-90,000 miles and 6 years, I can tell you they only get worse with age. It seems that many on this forum recently purchased 2nd or 3rd or 4th hand P38s and are still in their honeymoon period with them. Neither the mechanics nor the electrics are "reliable" by any stretch of the imagination. Although my 4.6 HSE never left me stranded, it was in pretty sorry mechanical shape for a truck that had been maintained meticulously. Maybe I expected more than the newbies on here, since I paid many tens of thousands for mine, as opposed to a few grand. The price of entry looks affordable, and it is a lot of truck for the money, but you could easily spend that sum twice over in repairs and maintenance.

 

I'm sorry... but wth?!

 

Well the Rover shouldn't cost all THAT much money mlshelton and thelokolobo... I mean.. if you meticulously took care of it.. then engine wise.. it should run pretty strong. epecially if it's a 4.6... It's the same way with all cars whether it's second, third or fourth hand... it's not just a range rover that has all the troubles with all the hands that it's been in. From experience (very short experince, but experience) Yeah, they are a little more expencive than a Honda accord to opperate.. To be honest, I have a 2003 Honda Accord EX, and I've spend more money on that in 3 years than anyone should have... It truly is a luck of the draw... You might have gotten more of a lemon than the rest of them.. I dunno... But I've meticulously taken care of my Honda, and I've spend over $8,400 fixing it since I've owned it... so maybe it's trying to be a wannabe Rangie (ha ha, just kidding).. or maybe it's a lemon... My point is, scrap the EAS system.. and put coils in.. it costs around $1,500 or less and you're a happy camper... It truly takes care of A LOT of problems.. I would be a GREAT primary vehicle!

I'm with LRScott... What the heck?