| Author |
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Bob
| | Posted on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 05:09 pm: | 
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Taking a survey wondering the annual cost of repair for Land Rover owners particularly 87 - 95 Range Rovers. Just trying to legitimize my purchase ! Thanks in advance to all. |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 08:14 pm: |
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I bought an '85 RRC with 60, 000 miles on it last year (11/01) for $4500, below is a list of what was done and the costs since (parts only, I did all the labor). Keep in mind that in fourteen months I have put a little over 20,000 miles on the truck and has never been out of service for more than a couple of weeks.
12/01
New rotors, pads, shocks (Bilsteins), springs (LR HD), panhard and f & r radius arm bushings (oem).
$1100
12/01
Adjusted swivel pre-load, replaced front ALL bearings, seals and gaskets. Installed a Bilstein steering damper.
$350
1/02
Replaced and painted rt rear quarter panel and corner with parts from a Rover that was being parted out along with new taillight lens. My wife backed into a tree!
$500
4/02
Replaced faulty Fawcet fuel pump with cheap aftermarket pump from AutoZone.
$50
6/02
Installed new Dunlop Radial R/T's (245/75/16) tires on five wheels.
$600
7/02
Alternator went bad but was rebuilt successfully.
$140
10/02
Blew a head gasket (left side). Had a valve job done while both heads were off. Installed new down pipes and y-pipe as well.
$800
The oil gets changed every 3,000 miles and every other drop of fluid gets changed every 6,000 miles. The radiator was flushed right after I bought the truck and again when the head gaskets were done.
8 oil changes x $35 each (Mobile One)
$280
4 major fluid changes X $70 each (Mobile One ATF and 75/90)
$280
Grand Total for fourteen months exclusive of gas (15mpg).
$4100 or roughly $.20 a mile
With gas figured in the total rises to a little over $.30 a mile.
Keep in mind that the damage done by the tree, the tires (something I wanted but didn't really need) and the head gasket are unusual and compromise a large part of the total. Also, the shocks, springs and full brake job are really nothing remarkable for a car of this age or mileage. Otherwise, maintainence has really been pretty minor.
This does not include a Brownchurch full length roof rack, ARB bull bar and another list of accessories I have bought for the truck in the last fourteen months, If I were not so involved in the rebuild of my '74 SIII I could see the list being even longer! |
Jay Hobbs (Jayxd)
| | Posted on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 11:01 pm: |
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I bought a 93 RR LWB with about 160K on the clock, sold it with about 190K on the clock, spent about $5K in between. Loved it, even when broken down and wished I had it back. Land Rovers can, and often do, cost quite a bit more to maintain. What you have to decide for yourself is are you ready to own one. |
Will Roeder (Will_Roeder)
| | Posted on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 11:17 pm: |
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FWIW,
My 98 Disco has not broken down once this year. I can also proudly say that It has not been to the dealer(nor been to the dealer since 2001.
The only thing i have NEEDED to replace were:
Pan Hard Rod Bushings : $18(Labor:Me)
Brake Pads : $120 (Labor:Me)
Things I replaced because I broke/wore out off road:
GBR front CV Drive shaft-replaced with new GBR shaft for $399
Although i didnt NEED any of this, ive added about a grand to my front suspension in the last year, 2 grand to drivetrain, etc....
Also had about 3-4 Oil changes...
So, you see.....not all Land Rovers are expensive to maintain...
Now, our 96 Disco..
Its had 2 Valve Jobs and one additoinal top end rebuild....other than that it has been fine. |
Paul Grant (Paulgrant)
| | Posted on Sunday, January 05, 2003 - 04:59 am: |
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I was thinking about my first Rover, a 1994 RRC LWB that I bought new for around $50K. Back then I didn't do any maintainence myself. I didn't have the skills and even if I did I would have been afraid of voiding the warranty. That car had to be the worst car I ever owned. The air suspension kept failing, I had leaks that were never fixed, hell even I had an engine fire at one point and many of these problems were as much a fault of inept dealerships as they were of the car. I would have to estimate warranty work at well over $12K! It was insane!
However, knowing what I know now about car maintainence and Rovers in particular, I can honestly say that I could have taken care of much of what was wrong with that car and probably would have had a far better ownership experience as a result. There are plenty of people who would balk at the notion of doing repairs for yourself on a $50K car and I can certainly understand that. Yet, it seems to me that ownership of just about any British car requires a penchant for tinkering or conversely the financial wherewithal to have a fulltime mechanic on the staff!
In the end, what I've have learned is if you love Rovers as much as I do and you want them to function the way they were designed (with some regularity), you must either have VERY deep pockets or a willingness to get your hands dirty. Regardless of which path you choose it also helps to have a tremendous amount of patience too! |
Bob
| | Posted on Sunday, January 05, 2003 - 09:17 am: |
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I guess you guys have answered many thoughts I have had regarding my Land Rover purchase. I will eventually buy one but I will make sure it has a warranty and or I have plenty of reserves (cash) to spend ! With the wife and kids you can imagine the responsibilities at home !! Thanks again and Happy New Year to all ! |
John Moore (Jmoore)
| | Posted on Sunday, January 05, 2003 - 05:31 pm: |
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Bob, check out this site:
http://www.rangerovers.net/
Great information on owning a Rangie. Sold my 88 late last year to buy a 99 D2.
-John |
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