Thoughts on 2016 LR4 HSE Lux (Landmark) purchase?

[DavidSG]

Hey everybody - I found a 2016 LR4 Landmark edition on Carmax - has all the features I'm looking for including the HD package and rear seat entertainment. Just under 38K miles and still under factory warranty until April 2020. It's not in my area so I would need to have it transferred to my local Carmax here in Northern Virginia.

Carfax report shows it had scheduled maintenance at 9K (15K mile service) and 25K (30K mile service). It was a leased vehicle so looks like they went the max (or a little more than max) on the oil change interval, but not sure if that is a big deal or not.

The other potential issue is that it does have an accident history. Exact language from Carfax report: "Vehicle involved in a rear-end collision involving rear impact with another motor vehicle - minor damage reported." So just as easily could have been the other car with the damage. FWIW - the Carmax employee said it looked like there was some paint touch up on the front bumper but other than that, has all the original body panels and no other signs of damage.

I will get a pre-purchase inspection done at either a LR dealership or an independent shop. And I may take it to a body shop as well to make sure there is nothing that could be an issue. Assuming it has only superficial repairs / touch up to the bumper, I will probably pull the trigger as the price seems fair (accident history seems to be priced in).

My question - given that the vehicle is still under the original factory warranty, does it make more sense to get the pre-purchase inspection at the LR dealership and have them do the next scheduled maintenance or would it be better to take it to a well-regarded indy shop in the area?

And anything else I should make sure to have checked out given this car's history?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BikePilot]

Welcome! Good job finding a HD package LR4. On 2014+ models I would consider that mandatory!

 

[TheWidup]

If it's still in warranty have all maintenance done by the dealership IMO. They will log the work properly and keep it on spec with the warranty guidelines.

I'm not a fan of an accident involved vehicle as that will ride the entire history of it and impact the value now and more so later if you should decide to trade it. That being said if you are getting everything you want and the inspections come back clean I'd jump on it.

 

[DavidSG]

^ Thanks. I do think it makes sense to get the maintenance done by the dealership during the warranty period. But what about the pre-purchase inspection? Do you think a dealership is more likely to not notice potential issues given it is still under warranty and that I would get a more comprehensive inspection by an indy shop?

Edit - and yes, not ideal with the accident history - was certainly bummed to find that out. Although in looking at comparable vehicles with similar mileage and less features (i.e. no HD package or rear seat entertainment), it does seem like the accident history is already priced in to some extent.

And I guess not too concerned with additional loss of value when I'm ready to get rid of it - hopefully I'll keep it a long time as the family activity vehicle. But if I do decide to sell in 5 years or so, maybe a buyer looking for the HD package would overlook the minor accident history (just as I'm potentially willing to overlook it now because it has that feature - assuming everything generally checks out).

 

[TheWidup]

It's tough to say if another shop would notice more. I think if you tell the dealership that it has accident history on the front they would focus to make sure everything is within specifications and further validate any non-warrantable repairs more so than a local shop. The last thing you want is a sensor or camera in the bumper to go out and have them cry foul on warranty repair claiming it was improperly repaired.

If you have a trusted mechanic that does collision/impact work I'd get them to do a second opinion.

 

[cperez]

FWIW, we've seen some awesome photos here on the forum of LR4s that were hit in the rear. In just about every case it was the other vehicle that got punished the most.

If you do indeed decide to sell in 5 years or so, I think that would be ample "proof" that the accident damage you inherited didn't compromise the vehicle or your enjoyment of it. The fact that you sound like an owner who intends to be conscientious about maintenance will also serve you well when you sell (i.e., document everything. I like the myCarFax app for logging my DIY and shop repairs/maintenance).

Sounds like a good find; hope you are able to land it.

 

[R Hermann]

I wouldn't be too worried about the accident since they report it as minor damage. The lesson I learned- I'd rather have the reported accident than the unreported one. I recently bought a CPO BMW X5 and made the classic mistake of buying it on a rainy day. No obvious damage and I got a good deal on a vehicle like the one you are looking at- well-equipped (night vision!) lease return so I am happy. Shortly after the purchase I discovered the rear bumper paint doesn't quite match the rest of the body so I am assuming it was hit and repaired but not reported as an accident. So--- enough damage to require repairs but no idea how much damage vs. reported and classified as "minor" by CarFax. Which would you prefer?

Envious of your LR4, if you get it. I LOVE my X5 but I still look at every LR4 I see with a slightly lustful eye.

 

[DavidSG]

^ Good point. Although good chance your bumper was simply resprayed to cover up the typical bumper wear and tear from parking lot incidents and such. Not so much worried about the accident itself (assuming it checks out) but the flag on Carfax does limit the potential buyer pool (or would hurt if I traded it in).

But yeah, excited to finally see this vehicle in person - should get to the dealer this week. The only thing that has me on the fence is that these 2016's haven't really hit the sweet spot on the depreciation curve - but I guess that's the price for wanting something still under warranty where I get ahead on the maintenance.

 

[DavidSG]

Pulled the trigger - took this guy home from CarMax the other night. Had the Land Rover dealer look it over yesterday - everything seemed to check out ok. I can’t see any evidence of accident damage.

A few issues need to be sorted out that should be covered by the warranty - front radar sensor (get a message periodically that it is blocked), the eco start-stop (it unfortunately works but it is triggering an error code and the warning light stays on when I deactivate it), and the sunroof screens on the back don’t stay closed.

Still have a few days to decide if I want the CarMax extended warranty - I think it’s close to $4500 up to 100k with a $50 deductible or a little over $3k with a $500 deductible. Probably will roll the dice and go without it.

 

[DavidSG]

Another question - I noticed that the driver side front seemed slightly higher than the passenger side. So I measured the wheel gap for each of the different ride settings and sure enough there is about a quarter inch difference between driver side and passenger side. No difference with the rear wheels.

Is this unusual? A sign of a potential serious issue or just in need of a calibration or something? I’ll have the dealer check it out - now just paranoid it is related to the minor accident the vehicle was involved in - but hopefully not and just a one time warranty fix. But any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.