2003 Range Rover L322. 4.4 Petrol. Am I mad?
Discussion
Been to see a 2003 L322. Always been dealer serviced and maintained from new, 124k miles. However, it has been sat for over 12 months. It passed its last MOT in Feb 2019 and had a lot of work done to power steering system then.
Its mega cheap and I'm thinking it's worth a punt as my weekend car (I have company vehicle so doing less than 2000 miles/year in my personal car. Am I crazy for even considering it?
Its mega cheap and I'm thinking it's worth a punt as my weekend car (I have company vehicle so doing less than 2000 miles/year in my personal car. Am I crazy for even considering it?
4.4 petrol is the BMW one. It’ll drink oil like any old BMW (1 litre/1000km is within tolerance), and either leak or lose coolant basically for giggles. As with any large heavy old SUV, it’s probably being sold because it either has, or is about to, throw a hefty bill.
That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
Shirt587 said:
4.4 petrol is the BMW one. It’ll drink oil like any old BMW (1 litre/1000km is within tolerance), and either leak or lose coolant basically for giggles. As with any large heavy old SUV, it’s probably being sold because it either has, or is about to, throw a hefty bill.
That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
I had one (a 54 plate) for several years. I had to replace the gearbox twice (fortunately under warranty) and both water pump and the air suspension shat the bed and cost a fortune to put right. That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
The onboard computer/stereo was unpredictable but it was a lovely thing to be in and I drove/wafted to and from Italy frequently. It has the aerodynamics of a brick, however, so autobahn storming tends to see you refuelling every three or four service areas.
Shirt587 said:
4.4 petrol is the BMW one. It’ll drink oil like any old BMW (1 litre/1000km is within tolerance), and either leak or lose coolant basically for giggles. As with any large heavy old SUV, it’s probably being sold because it either has, or is about to, throw a hefty bill.
That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
Yes it is a BMW engine one. I did notice some coolant leaks mentioned on MOT history, makes sense now. That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
Hopefully could work for me as 95% of the time I drive my company vehicle, so won't be reliant on it at all. Just looking for a bit of a run around for the odd weekend trip. Can't get anything like this level of comfort for the money.
psi310398 said:
Shirt587 said:
4.4 petrol is the BMW one. It’ll drink oil like any old BMW (1 litre/1000km is within tolerance), and either leak or lose coolant basically for giggles. As with any large heavy old SUV, it’s probably being sold because it either has, or is about to, throw a hefty bill.
That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
I had one (a 54 plate) for several years. I had to replace the gearbox twice (fortunately under warranty) and both water pump and the air suspension shat the bed and cost a fortune to put right. That said, could be a very fun car if it’s a second one and you can treat it as disposable motoring - so if it lasts six months you’re happy.
The onboard computer/stereo was unpredictable but it was a lovely thing to be in and I drove/wafted to and from Italy frequently. It has the aerodynamics of a brick, however, so autobahn storming tends to see you refuelling every three or four service areas.
A friend had warned me of air suspension issues, but it is still sat perfectly level after not moving for month so hopefully the bags are okay.
It is very cheap and I am definitely budgeting for the usual things like tyres and brakes. Hopefully it'll be worth a punt.
Bwt128 said:
As said above its always been dealer maintained and was driven as an every day until 12 months ago, so hopefully a major gearbox issue would have risen by now.
A friend had warned me of air suspension issues, but it is still sat perfectly level after not moving for month so hopefully the bags are okay.
It is very cheap and I am definitely budgeting for the usual things like tyres and brakes. Hopefully it'll be worth a punt.
A friend had warned me of air suspension issues, but it is still sat perfectly level after not moving for month so hopefully the bags are okay.
It is very cheap and I am definitely budgeting for the usual things like tyres and brakes. Hopefully it'll be worth a punt.
As long as you continue to be philosophical when something happens, you should have fun! I made full use of breakers’ yards/eBay, too, for broken bits of trim, lights etc.BTW, I found battery drain to be a bit of an issue if it was left standing. I’d invest in one of those solar things that rests on the dash and plugs into the OBD port if you will be leaving it stand for a while.
Prices on these are tumbling as there is so much that probabaly will go wrong. Also, the early ones are getting close to 20 years old now and that is why they are so cheap.
Stock stereo will sound good, but be prepared to copy your music to cD so you can listen to it. However yo can get a double din Amp bypass cable kit for it for about £150.
Suspension. Its a Land Rover with air suspension so expect that to go wrong (Valves, airlines, sensors, air tank...or wiring)
Gearbox. Once again, its a Land Rover so expect that to go wrong. Could well be on its way out already. WHy do you think its being sold? Think a rebuild isn't too bad at £1500 and its incredibly common failure point.
At least its a good old fashioned handbrake, so no EPB to worry about and they are a troublesome area on D3/D4s.
Rust. Wheel arches and sills. Think you have to remove plastic panels to see the true damage.
Its a Land Rover, so they leak and if memory serves the weak point on L322s is the rear 3/4 so water leaks onto the stereo control unit.
Digital display in the clocks. Looses pixels, but that isn't limited to LRs, so got to cut them some slack there.
If you are doing low miles, then V8 is probably better than the TD6 which is a little under powered in something that size. Also, at least you don't have to worry about glow plug issues in the V8.
The Interior on L322s is one of Land Roiver's best efforts. An absolute triumph in design an its reasonably hard wearing too. Looks great in beige and grey IMO.
My fear with LR products as a second cars, is second cars could go weeks without use and when you do need it its broke because of XY reason and then its fix it your self or off to the garage and with something like that, it has the ability to be a genuine headache quite quickly.
Also, cheap for a L322 these days is £2k. Good is about £5k and upwards but even that is no guarantee.
Stock stereo will sound good, but be prepared to copy your music to cD so you can listen to it. However yo can get a double din Amp bypass cable kit for it for about £150.
Suspension. Its a Land Rover with air suspension so expect that to go wrong (Valves, airlines, sensors, air tank...or wiring)
Gearbox. Once again, its a Land Rover so expect that to go wrong. Could well be on its way out already. WHy do you think its being sold? Think a rebuild isn't too bad at £1500 and its incredibly common failure point.
At least its a good old fashioned handbrake, so no EPB to worry about and they are a troublesome area on D3/D4s.
Rust. Wheel arches and sills. Think you have to remove plastic panels to see the true damage.
Its a Land Rover, so they leak and if memory serves the weak point on L322s is the rear 3/4 so water leaks onto the stereo control unit.
Digital display in the clocks. Looses pixels, but that isn't limited to LRs, so got to cut them some slack there.
If you are doing low miles, then V8 is probably better than the TD6 which is a little under powered in something that size. Also, at least you don't have to worry about glow plug issues in the V8.
The Interior on L322s is one of Land Roiver's best efforts. An absolute triumph in design an its reasonably hard wearing too. Looks great in beige and grey IMO.
My fear with LR products as a second cars, is second cars could go weeks without use and when you do need it its broke because of XY reason and then its fix it your self or off to the garage and with something like that, it has the ability to be a genuine headache quite quickly.
Also, cheap for a L322 these days is £2k. Good is about £5k and upwards but even that is no guarantee.
I had a 4.4 V8 and sold it with something like 170k on the clock. The only problems I had with it were coolant issues which previous posts have mentioned.
I'd recommend just replacing the whole set of hoses & expansion tank as they seem to have a hard time. In particular the hose right at the back of the block is a bugger when it blows. Cheap to replace just a pain to get to. During the last few years of ownership I ran it with Evans Waterless Coolant and didn't have any probs during that time.
If you're planning to keep it for a while change the gearbox fluids. They tend to get through brakes & bushes but they're not particularly expensive to replace.
I'd recommend just replacing the whole set of hoses & expansion tank as they seem to have a hard time. In particular the hose right at the back of the block is a bugger when it blows. Cheap to replace just a pain to get to. During the last few years of ownership I ran it with Evans Waterless Coolant and didn't have any probs during that time.
If you're planning to keep it for a while change the gearbox fluids. They tend to get through brakes & bushes but they're not particularly expensive to replace.
Yes, you are mad. If it's a 4.4 BMW V8 then this has a cooling system made from tinfoil and will set you back the thick end of £2000 to replace most of its components when it starts leaking and bits start breaking, which it will (guess how I know...).
On the other hand, rational decisions rarely have much to do with L322 Range Rover ownwership. Mine's currently broken with the air suspension lowered and refusing to budge, a couple of error messages on the LCD and three warning lights on. I took it to my local indy this morning for the fault codes to be read and maybe reset - there weren't any...
On the other hand, rational decisions rarely have much to do with L322 Range Rover ownwership. Mine's currently broken with the air suspension lowered and refusing to budge, a couple of error messages on the LCD and three warning lights on. I took it to my local indy this morning for the fault codes to be read and maybe reset - there weren't any...
Deranged Rover said:
And uglier and infinitely more boring!
Agreed. The RR has the bigger boot too....However the post above did perk my interest a bit to go an check the classifies on those early RX Hybrids. They are pretty cheap now and even the leggy ones look mint inside and reviews do look to be quite favorable.However they are far from an RR in terms of road presence and simple feel good factor, and at least you will be smug whilst you wait for the recovery agent of your choice....which will probably happen at some point.
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