Range Rover buying help

[sanukc]

Hi!

What should one look for when buying a used Range Rover HSE, like a 1998?

I had a 1995 Disco that got totalled recently and am looking to replace it with a Rangie.

What are the good years (or the bad ones)? Is there anything mechanically that I should keep an extra eye on? What should I ask my mechanic to keep an eye out for?

Any and all help greatly appreciated.

Sanu

 

[montoya]

http://rangerovers.net/rrbuying.htm

when i was looking into p38's i had narrowed the model years down to 2000+. but i think that was primarily due to wanting a remainder of the factory warranty to be included. i also wanted a hse in chawton white or vienna green with the light tan interior and dark piping. good luck!

 

[Knut]

I would look for a 1999 or newer with the Bocsh electronics and 4-wheel traction control.

 

[LRNationals]

i would get one that is an off lease! one previous owner, and dealer mantained.

 

[jsonova99]

I'm not personally an expert on these, but I would have the EAS (air suspension) checked out, I know that they have a tendency to go, and can be quite pricey to fix.

 

[dcd]

Don't do it! Or at least stay away from the older models with the bosch systems. I just got rid of my 97' HSE and I could not be happier. I can't believe Land Rover actually let that thing roll off the assembly line.

 

[Knut]

The older models (95-98) had the GEMS system by Lucas (the inventor of darkness). 1999 and newer has the Bosch system, which is a huge improvement

 

[agro1]

As others have said, the Bosch motors are better, but even still, they too have many of the same (electrical) probs as the GEMS cars. In 1998 the HVAC systems was reworked and is better. Have the heater O rings looked at to make sure they're not leaking coolant into the passanger footwell. The EAS is total junk - I ripped mine out the second it started failing, and trust me, they all fail at some point. Replace with coils.
Have a compression test and leakdown down done as well as a thorough PPI from a good Rover indy shop.
Also, unless you want the bling factor, there is no need to pay the premium for a 4.6. The 4.0 has plenty of power and from what I've heard, the 4.6 have a higher failure rate than the 4.0.
This site has plenty of info:

http://www.rangerovers.net/newrremedies.htm

 

[Knut]

I've heard the same thing regarding the 4.0 vs. 4.6 failure rates also. After test driving several 4.6's and 4.0's, I ended up buying a 2000 4.0 SE.

 

[jsonova99]

I've heard the same thing regarding the 4.0 vs. 4.6 failure rates also. After test driving several 4.6's and 4.0's, I ended up buying a 2000 4.0 SE.

The 4.6 doesn't offer much improvement over the 4.0? Glad to hear that, I was always jealous about only having the 4.0 in my Disco, now I don't have to be!

 

[agro1]

Everytime I see someone in a 4.6 I laugh at the putz that paid more for nothing but a higher probability of failure.