Good morning everyone. I am looking to buy an RRS. I have identified a potential purchase in a local garage, but I have a couple of concerns, so I would like to get some opinions.

Which section of the forum should I post it in? Am I okay to post a link to a vehicle for sale in a garage? Not sure whether I fall foul of any rules - number of posts, length of forum membership etc.

Any advice gratefully appreciated

I think you should be fine - I did the same when I joined the forum. In fact when I've got a mo I'll point you toward my original post, as I think somebody linked to the buyers guide in there which proved to be really handy.

Good luck

Loggo, posting links to potential buys isn't a problem........... So long as you aren't trying to sell the car yourself! To use the PM system you have to have a minimum of 5 posts (your have more now so no problem there). There isn't a specific section to get buying advice so the General section is OK, you will get plenty of people responding if you post here looking for advice.
As Tom says the Buyer's Guide is useful when you are looking. Remember, there are loads and loads of RRS's out there for sale, not all are loved examples and there are certainly plenty of dodgy ones around so if you find something you like don't hesitate to ask in the forum. Best route to go though is to find something that isn't mucked around with and is as close to the spec it left the factory with and also make sure it has mountains of history, like all used cars there are fantastic looking RRS's out there, but without any history best to walk on by. Be aware of body knitted/ modified vehicles and anything riding on non standard wheels - RRS1 is a very heavy car and many after market wheels look lovely but aren't strong enough, also there are many many fakes of original Land Rover designs that are not up to the job. The wheel size is especially important on cars build from launch up to 2007 when LR used different, heavy duty steering racks on cars with 20" wheels, basically V8S/C's and V8 4.4's. The 2.7TDv6 only got the heavy duty rack if the Dynamic Response Pack was optioned. After 2007MY all RRS's got the heavy duty rack. If you can afford to then often the franchised Land Rover dealers have the best used cars and they come with a warranty that is extendable, but they do go for top money too! To qualify for the LR approved used scheme then a used Landy has to be less than 10 years old and have less than 100,000 miles on the odo IIRC, it will also have a full service history, two keys etc etc. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Cheers Tom. Here goes then.

I am looking to buy an RRS as a family car. We don't do many miles, so mpg is not a top priority. I went to see this one yesterday and took it for a 30 minute scoot up the motorway;

http://www.wirralcar.co.uk/used-cars/land-...5194107383

I really liked it. To my untrained eye, it looked straight and well cared for. The interior was pretty much spot on, apart from the driver's door trim which was loose at the bottom. The leather was in very good condition. It started and ran well. Once I'd gotten used to gently pressing the loud pedal from a standstill, it drove very smoothly through the gears. We did nearly end up in the front garden of the house opposite the forecourt when I first pulled out though - man, this car has some torque

The dealer seems like a genuinely nice bloke. Not pushy, answered all my questions. Also offered me a very good price for my BMW as a trade in. Now the downside - it has a chunk of service history missing. All good from 2005 to 2009, then nothing for 4 years. The last owner had it serviced twice by a good indie, so it has a 4 year period missing, during which it went from 74k to around 90k. Would you be concerned at this? Or are there any other stand-out issues that people can see? Sorry if this is a bit long-winded

Lastly, the dealer has offered to take it to the local indie for me prior to purchase (Ian Barclay on the Wirral, LR specialist) for a full report prior to purchase.

The buying guide I have seems to mostly lean towards the diesel models. Is there a good guide for the S/C? Come on, girls and boys, tell me to stop messing about and just buy the beast

As much as I'd like to say I'd be cautious about a 4 year gap, if it has been serviced recently and it's being inspected before purchase I probably woudn't be too worried. I do struggle to be sensible when I've found a car I like, though.

These cars can be high maintenance. Mine has a stellar service history from new, had 4k of precautionary work done on it to get it ready for sale, new service, new clean MOT etc but it's still been back in the garage 3 times for minor bits and bobs. I do many miles, about 20,000 a year, which I imagine makes a difference.

If the inspection comes out OK and you think it's been done impartially, it drives alright and it seems sound underneath I'd probably be reasonably happy. Again, see disclaimer at the top, I am rubbish at being sensible with cars.

If the door trim is loose at the bottom, the door card might have been removed for some reason? What would that reason be, aftermarket trim? Wing mirror removal? When was the cambelt last done? If it was a while back, see if they'll do it as part of the sale. Has the gearbox been flushed at all? Should have been done either at the LR interval of (I think) 70k, but most get it done at shorter intervals than that.

Cheers Tom. I hear you loud and clear about heart ruling head. My other car is a 1995 Porsche 911. I did months of research, found a reputable garage, drove 200 miles to the forecourt - and bought the first one I drove

All reason went out of the window because the car just felt right! Seven years later, she still makes me smile every time I drive her

I know an RRS is a different animal from the 911, but after trade-in this RRS will cost me 4k, so if the inspection passes muster - and the indie is well-respected in this case - I just know I will end up going with my gut.

I did the same with my Alfa v6 GTV. Had 4 lined up, spent a while looking at buyers guides, bought the first one I saw. Did 40,000 trouble free miles in it, it's still sat on the drive. Needs reviving/selling.

I bought first RRS I saw as well. There were 4 within a 4 mile radius of me. This one had the lowest miles and the best history. The others are still on the forecourts of the other garages.

You could take your time and look at a few, they don't shift that quickly, but ultimately if you find a 'good' one on your first visit there's not much reason to hold back.

Who put the cheapo tyres on? The dealer or the previous owner? Budget for some real tyres to replace the Chinese ditch finders. You really don't want to try sliding 2.5 tonnes of 4x4 at speed on a wet road!

It says that a new battery and wishbones fitted. When and why? A new battery might help hide multiple issues for a while. Which wishbones were changed? All of them or just the lower fronts? Who had the work done - dealer or previous owner?

The big gap in the service history is a bit worrying to be honest. It might just be that the previous owner thought "service every 15,000 miles" so didn't bother about the 12 month bit. There are lots of RRS about so buying one with a big history gap isn't necessary. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

For me, with this marque of vehicle, a full service history is essential IMHO. (Quickly looking, with tyres on, what else hasn't been done?)
Also all the MOTs and work required etc. With missing history you are never sure what has been missed, even having a cheap oil change at these all in price Oil Change offers, generally use crap oil anyway.
From genuine LR dealerships you will pay more, but they come with minimum 2 year full warranty, 2 Year MOT cover, LR assist 2 years which is like the AA only better, half day off road experience day, and other goodies.
If you really want the car, I know what it's like, but can become expensive very quickly. The Independant report would help, plus normal checks on vehicle or a RAC vehicle check and examination hey pick up everything.

Whatever you decide you will enjoy the RRS so there are plenty out there, take care, and then have fun.


EDIT: Now getting a 404 error with their site. Page not found even for Home page.  John

RRS MY12 SDV6 HSE. Sumatra Black/Ebony & Walnut + Dynamic Pack, + Cold Climate Pack + Memory Pack, Digital TV/DVD, Premium Leather, Cornering Lights, Cooler/Fridge Box, & most Options.

Perhaps it's running under one of their desks and gets powered off at 5:30

Sounds like I'm a bit more impulsive than the others. Probably better off listening to them. A gap in service history doesn't mean a car is bad, and FSH doesn't mean it's good either, but there are plenty for sale.

Whatever you do, make sure you get one, there's nothing else like it.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Plenty to mull over. I might cool my heels for a week or three, as I won't have the money before then anyway. Back to my second-favourite pastime - internet research!