Been thinking about switching it up...

[Jobaker4]

Hey Everyone. I've been thinking about selling the LR4 and trying to find a full size RR (maybe supercharged) used. I bought mine new (July 2011) so it's right at 2 years old. I have 34,000 on it and it's in pristine condition.

Have watched this board ever since I bought it and have loved every minute of the vehicle. Always dreamed of having a RR but couldn't afford it new. I love the 2010/2011 body and interior so I could probably do something to make the numbers work. Saw one at CarMax here: http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car...&pT=400&pC=200&pB=0&No=0&Ep=homepage:homepage Make&Rp=R&PP=20&sV=List&CD=662+14+966+240+398+15+9&Q=8fcf95d9-81a0-4c9b-a07b-16ec6636bc20

It's a year older with some more miles but it is a Supercharged.

You guys are the pros out there and have the best opinions, what should I do? If I do go the route of the RR, what should I look for/what should I be concerned about? Are they as reliable as the LR4 has been?
If I sell mine, what do you all think of CarMax as an option?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Jobaker4]

By the way, if anybody is interested in mine I'm in Virginia. It's an HSE LUX with Vision Assist. The only thing it doesn't have is Heavy Duty Package. I just put a set of Cooper Zeon LTZ's on it brand new. Also got a new rim and have it ready to be mounted on one of the old Continentals but just haven't done it yet. Was going to get the dealer to do it so that the spare tire TPMS could be activated too.

 

[Finlayforprez]

PALR4 could probably offer some advice as he ha had those year RRs, an LR4, and the new RR.

 

[spizzi]

Not to scare you

Ok, every once in a while some vehicles are problematic. My RR ownership experience might be typical, or it might not.

I came from an L322. To preface: mine was a 2003 (first model year for that generation) so take what I am going to tell you with a grain of salt. Mine was not a 2010. Definitely go peruse Rangerovers.net and ask questions. And this is not meant to be disrespectful to this forum but wow the Rangerovers.net has a lot of active members sharing technical experiences. I figured a lot of LR4 owners like to do their own work and take their rigs off road so I have been searching for a highly active, high number member LR4/Discovery forum. Maybe I got lucky and stumbled upon a very rare club of LR4 owners by way of this forum.

So listen, I put about ~$10,000 in repairs into the vehicle over the course of ownership. I purchased it pre-owned in 2005. Owned it for ~8 years. At around Year 2009, I had only 51,000 miles on it. Between 2009 - 2013, I put 80% money into repairs, not including regular wear-and-tear items such as brakes and tires which came out to be $2,000.

My belts were great. My hoses were not. Radiator developed a crack and needed replacement in Year 2012 with less than 60K miles. The coolant expansion is a known/common replacement, especially in 4 season extreme weather areas. Left (driver) side rear window 3/4 panel developed a leak that ran into the electronics housing.

My low/high range gear transfer mechanism broke in 2010. That was $ thousands, I think close to $3K. I figure I could've done this myself had I had the time and the lift.

My driver side xenon ignitor went out in 2012. I bought a BMW ignitor part and replaced it myself. Part was less than $100 and I had to use the working parts from the other headlight to determine the culprit; a lot of trial-and-error. Replacement was no small feat since I had to remove the entire wrap-around front brush guard before I could even get to the headlight housings. But I would rather take the hit on labor than the dealership.

Fuel lines including fuel filter were great even after 10 years. That BMW engine was bombproof and an engineering gem.

I maintained the vehicle myself regarding fluids and kept that rig in pristine condition to the point where a few work colleagues were fighting each other to buy it from me for $9,000 above market in Apr 2013.

The final straw was the transmission started acting up. Random occurrences of slipping in low gears. Probably fixable via a new clutch pack or maybe just a transmission fluid flush (but that could have introduced issues). Traded the vehicle in at 71,000 miles on the odo in April 2013. Still a baby in terms of miles in my book.

All that being said. I miss it. Call it the Land Rover charm I gave my friend the same history lesson prior to him purchasing a 2012 Range Rover LUX with 21,000 miles on it. He's excited for it and I'm excited for him.

I am very curious what everyone's reliability experience has been with the LR4.

 

[mbw]

I love that SC V8, but im not sure it would be worth the change and risk, just my opinion.

Do you really think you would drive it harder? The engine is great on a test drive, but day to day my LR4 has plenty of power and I never feel it lacking, even when im passing or something, so on that note I wouldn't just for the engine.

Now if the size/style is really something you love and the lr4 doesn't do it for you... might be worth it.

I don't think anyone can really answer it for you, you just have to really think about why you want to. Don't do it for a badge with 'range' on it. The LR4 is damn amazing, and I actually enjoy 'land', its a little more 'get the job done' and less 'parked at the mall'.

 

[Count Laszlo]

Here's my 2 cents. The outgoing FFRR is beautiful and always will be in my book, I'd personally get the NA 5.0 V8 HSE Lux though... because it's plenty powerful enough and not as expensive as the SC version... allowing you find a newer FFRR ('11, '12) under full warranty and possibly CPO. I would not buy anything from Carmax. Try and get one from LR.

 

[alexcorral]

I would not trade in an LR4 you bought brand new for a 2010 RRSC with 41K miles on it. If you really want the trade up to a RR and can't afford a new one (or don't like the new "evoqued" RR) find a CPO from Land Rover and save yourself the potential problems/headaches.

 

[bushway9172]

I was interested in purchasing a car from Carmax last November and they were just plain awful. The cars on the lot looked like they were in very rough shape (even the newer-model, low-mileage ones). I'm sure people have had fine experiences with them, but I would never go back.

 

[Finlayforprez]

I wouldn't buy a used Land Rover unless it was CPO from a dealership.

 

[ougrad1]

I wouldn't buy a used Land Rover unless it was CPO from a dealership.

I highly agree with this. In addition, I would also not own a LR outside of OEM warranty without an extended warranty. I really like the outgoing RR Sports but love the better utility the LR4 offers. Having said that, I'm going to Moab next month to check that off my off road bucket list and can see myself getting a used 2013 RR sport lux in a few years as potentially a better appointed city dweller vehicle.

If I were you, I would save up a little longer until the dealer used is in your budget. It will save you some worries, IMHO.