[nariman]

hi iam getting used range rover sport either 06 or 08 with 100k or more miles

would 2008 be a better car?
what are the thing i should look for?
supercharged or not?
should i take it for pre purchased inspection at Rover mechanic?

i will be driving sometimes mostly in the winter up to 5k miles a year

any suggestions or advice please

Thanks in advance

 

[jhartz]

I have owned LR3s with both the 4.2 (early 05 model) 4.4 engine and an 08 RRS/SC with the 4.2 SC engine. I like the 4.2 engine in a Supercharged model - stronger. Which years -- price matters, but the very most important piece is the repair and service record that can be provided. Go with the one with the best record of critical parts being replaced recently and newness of tires, battery, et al. One of these where an anal owner has replaced all tranny and axle lubricants would be a winner in my book.

It would also be useful to know where you live: and where the car was last garaged (Florida and Southern California cars, not confronting Winter, would be better than a snow shoe in Illinois or a bumper car from NYC, wouldn't you think?).

 

[cba20k]

I drive an '06 that I am in love with. I particularly like the fact that, given that it was at the beginning of the product life cycle, it has fewer farkles and fancy electrical niceties to go wrong. For example, it has a manual adjust steering column. That's a big gnarly one to repair.

Having said that, you can rely on RRS' to have pretty consistent issues (i.e. they will all have pretty much identical issues). I found that mine has cost me roughly $5k in fixes but hasn't bothered me one bit, so they are reliable in their unreliability.

Common things that'll be wrong with, or will go wrong with yours are:
1. Suspension bushings front and rear. Replace them with Polybush. It's a less compliant ride (whatever that means...I haven't noticed), but will far outlast the rubber bushings that typically last between 50k-70k miles.
2. Rotary spiral cassette coupler in the steering column. This connects your steering wheel buttons to the guts of the car. This frequently triggers 'cruise control not permitted' on the gauge cluster display and can trigger a check engine light as well if you try to fight it and use the cruise control.
3. The coolant reservoir / sensor will trigger a low coolant level warning in the gauge cluster despite being full. Granted, if you have enough coolant, that's great, but not trusting your reservoir, gauge cluster kind of sucks too.
4. Hood latch sensors. These give out causing the alarm to go off randomly.
5. Moon roof drain tubes. These can clog. When they clog, moisture gets trapped in the vehicle (duh), making it a greenhouse after it rains, and also potentially leading to faults and corrosion in the electrical system. No Bueno.
6. A/C compressor. This isn't fair to pin on Land Rover as literally any and every car has its A/C go out. Still, you can plan on fixing it over 100k.
7. Heater cores. These can clog, on the driver's side in particular (LHD), leading to baffling cold air when you'd think that that wouldn't be possible with an ICE vehicle.
8. Air suspension - valve blocks can give out and air springs can dry up and crack, leading to a sagging vehicle, but I think LR did a brilliant job with designing the EAS as it still functions even as it (or part of it) fails slowly over time with age, wear, and tear...unlike previous systems in the P38 and L322 which appear to give up the barn when a single component fails IMHO.
9. Engines and transmissions. People seem to love the 4.4l AJ-V8 used in the 06-09 RRS/LR3 and while there are a smattering of stories about transfer cases binning themselves, the engine is considered to be exceptionally solid. The 4.2SC I don't think has the same reputation for reliability though. Correct me if I'm wrong.
10. Rattles - common rattles and vibrations (not including shot bushings) include under the dash, the moonroof shade/headliner, and the center console cupholder cover (when rolled back).

Even with all these things though, an '06 (and '08 too probably) RRS is still an exceptional vehicle and value proposition given what you will pay for one (in terms of its depreciation) and the costs to fix the issues. Will you ever get your money back? No. Is it less than the cost of a new Corolla? BY FAR. Does it have Apple CarPlay? Stick your phone on the dash and use the aux port.

Okay, that's all I got

 

[phil.]

3. The coolant reservoir / sensor will trigger a low coolant level warning in the gauge cluster despite being full. Granted, if you have enough coolant, that's great, but not trusting your reservoir, gauge cluster kind of sucks too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSU3H10YfGc

4. Hood latch sensors. These give out causing the alarm to go off randomly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cd01ZWc0jk

 

[nariman]

Thanks!
how i know timing chain is in ok condition?
car sounds super smooth

 

[MI2VA]

Thanks!
how i know timing chain is in ok condition?
car sounds super smooth

Timing chain has no issues, the chain guides can wear and cause issues. If the car sounds super smooth your timing chain guide are OK. When you hear a ticking noise from the front of the engine you may have timing chain guide issues.

 

[nariman]

i took the car for a check and got estimate of 10k in parts and labor
i wish i did the pre purchase inspection before purchasing the car, but it did not work out
the gas tank is all rusty and needs replacement
brake lines need replacement also rusty and more staff
i just don't know if it is so bad or it is normal and i can take my time fixing it up slowly

any suggestion?

 

[MI2VA]

1. Replace entire rear drive shaft from Roverparts.com = $500 easy DIY and most likely the front CV on the rear shaft is spitting grease and should be replaced. Easy insurance money

2. Break plates: to replace them they need to remove the rear hub assembly so just have then replace the whole hub/bearing and call it insurance money.

3. Battery box cover: gorilla tape, easy DIY

4. Air box: use over sized screws, easy DIY or gorilla tape

5. Trans pan: get the Roverparts.com pan/filter oil kit. ~$280 on sale. this kit is the new metal pan with separate filter which makes it easier to replace filter in the future

6. EAS could be as simple as cleaning the desiccant in the drier or ordering an EAS tune-up kit (valve kit or piston kit) that has new desiccant and new o rings and other easy DIY stuff. Tons of videos out there for most of this stuff. worse case replace compressor from anywhere but stealership

7. Break flush: do it, good idea and cheap insurance

8. Skid plate: do it, although I did not see the cost of the plate

9. Thermostat/housing: easy DIY and a must do. Don’t forget to replace the plastic T bleed on top of the engine under the plastic cover(google this too). They disintegrate and will leave you stranded. Just get a straight brass 3/8 barb at lowes = $2

10. Do the gas tank strap/cradle they rust to the point of disintegration, not a bad DIY… youtube

11. Do the water pump & all hoses you can do

12. Valve covers: try tightening all the bolts just a bit to see if that fixes the leak


For all this stuff you don't want to do, take it to an independent shop. This stuff is not any different on a Rover than any other car, except the EAS. The $ per hour may be less than stealership.

This sounds bad but is all stuff that we all have done/will do. you will love your L320 and forget about this garbage soon, just like you overlook it's thirst for premium fuel.

 

[nariman]

Thanks so much, iam trying to find some videos if there is anything i can do it my self

 

[fmq67]

did you replace your timing chair, water pump ? how much?