Hi All,

I have dreamed of owning an RRS for years and after running a semi-successful business for 5 years I am getting to the point where the dream is an achievable one. The problem is that I have started looking into reviews and used RRS and cant stop seeing all the negative reviews about reliability, service costs, repair costs, new part costs etc. All these are making me worried I'm going to buy a money pit and think that the dream is less achievable due to cost.

This would be a second car for my family and more of a weekend runabout than a long journey car. Particularly due to fuel costs. I live in a semi-rural location so being able to get places in snow etc is a bonus but I doubt I will be driving it offroad much if at all.

My budget isn't high and is probably a maximum of £9-£10k. Although I have cash so did think about getting something low cost with a busted engine and then replacing it, so that I get a decent model with a decent engine for less overall cost.

But thought that maybe I could get some advice on which model and year to go for, spec and perhaps dealer recommendations etc. Anything you wish you had known before you bought yours.

Based on the above, I also want to know:

- Dealer or direct from owner?
- Diesel or petrol?
- V6 or V8?
- Cash or PCP agreement?
- Buy cheap to retain money for repairs or spend more on a better car thats more reliable?
- Minimum milage?
- Minimum year (heard that models made after TATA took over are more reliable)

if you don't do much mileage, avoid the diesels and go for the 5L Supercharged.

if you do need to go diesel, avoid the 3L SDV6 and get the SDV8. --
2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear
2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged V8 HSE Dynamic



Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9
Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO
Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ

Thanks. Why would I need to go for a diesel? As in why would anyone be forced to go with one fuel type over another?

As naks says if your doing low mileage a petrol will be better option,,diesels don’t like short journeys especially if they have a dpf fitted.But if you have to go diesel go for a V8 as you’ll have less problems with it as long as it’s been serviced regularly Andy.
21 Ford Ranger
Gone but not forgotten
Focus RS Red Edition
2015 RRS AB Fuji.
2014 RRS SC Santorini
2016 VW Amarok
2014 RRS AB Fuji
2012 RRS Red Edition Fuji
2015 Nissan Navara
2012 RRS SE Santorini
2008 RRS White
2007 RRS Santorino

Realistically what can you get for his budget though that would be a good buy? 2023 P440e SE Dynamic on order -cancelled

2022 HSE Dynamic P400e

2017 Discovery 3.0 HSE Silicon Silver Nimbus interior and a few extra toys SOLD

2013 HSE Black, Orkney Grey, Ebony Seats and Ivory Interior SOLD

2006 HSE

Plus a few other cars inbetween!

Mmmm I’ve just noticed 9-10k ain’t going to buy you a nice clean RRS that won’t want plenty of money throwing at it. Andy.
21 Ford Ranger
Gone but not forgotten
Focus RS Red Edition
2015 RRS AB Fuji.
2014 RRS SC Santorini
2016 VW Amarok
2014 RRS AB Fuji
2012 RRS Red Edition Fuji
2015 Nissan Navara
2012 RRS SE Santorini
2008 RRS White
2007 RRS Santorino

How much will IYO Andy?

For that money you will be looking at a large miles TDv6 HSE or a lower miles but alcoholic 4.2 V8 Supercharged or a neglected TDv8 with huge miles. You would need to put aside 50% of the price to cover repairs likely to be the result of a line of neglectful owners too, old luxury cars this complicated are money pits........ decent ones will still cost you more than £12-£15,000 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

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Sat Dec 22 2018 4:54pm. Edited 1 time in total

Hi,
I would look for 2005 RRS 2.7 thats been looked after with good Recent history for £5-6K and keep the rest for

well you never really know whats around the corner

If you use it at weekends and it has good long runs
as said a diesel is no good for four 3 mile school run trips every day, but one 60 mile round trip a week would be much better




what you need as a second car round about for the weekend is a Mini Cooper  Porsche Cayenne 2022
gone Porsche Cayenne 2020
gone Corris Grey HSE Dynamic 2016
gone Ipanema HSE lux 2010
gone Rimini HSE 2005
!!

Thanks. What kind of milage limits would you look at for a used RRS? I have also started making a list of common faults to look out for in service history. They se to be:

Electrics
Tyres
Suspension
Fuel pump
Steering

Dealer or direct from owner?
Diesel or petrol?
V6 or V8?
Cash or PCP agreement?
Minimum milage?
Minimum year (heard that models made after TATA took over are more reliable)

L320RRS was developed under BMW as the Disco3 and then went to FORD before Tata bought JLR from Ford. There isn’t any noticeable difference from when Tata took over. The quality of JLR products lept up under BMW ownership of the company, Ford maintained investment and quality as they used a lot of Volvo and Lincoln parts that are also common to Aston Martins of the era - JLR were part of Ford’s Premier Auto Group at the time. Tata bought JLR from Ford when Ford had to bail out a pension fund. What Tata did was to shovel truck loads of money into JLR to develope new models and technologies. The real difference in the cars started with Evoque in 2011 then L405 Range Rover - the big one - when Tata introduced heaps of aluminium technology so basically anything after 2010 will have Tata input/ money - up to recently JLR has been a golden goose for Tata and has made them billions of dollars in profits but JLR got too greedy, quality slipped and there was very evident cost cutting which they have recovered from to a certain extent but not fully.

You will not find a car in your budget range at a Land Rover Dealership as they will not re-sell cars more than 100,000 miles and 10 years old, they send those taken in at that level through the auctions. You would have to go to a non-franchise dealership or 4xe specialist or buy privately at your budget unless you let a franchised dealer know what you are looking for in case they get one in as a part exchange vehicle, then they wouldn’t offer an approved used warranty on it as it would be outside the miles/age limit for approved used. There are cars in the forum For Sale section that have generally been well looked after by members here but they too might cost more than you want to spend. 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

My 2010 registered 3.0 diesel just cost me £1600 for an 8 year service at an independent specialist, including gearbox service, some work on the brakes and other bits and bobs. I never expect less than £800 when servicing (London prices). I have owned it from new and it’s been much loved etc and indeed drives like new as near as dammit. No idea the value, it is not for sale, but presume well over £15k, maybe nearer £20k due to the low mileage (36k), history and desirable options. Your budget will therefore buy somewhat less than that in age, mileage, condition and provenance which is where things might get hairy....

Out of manufacturer’s warranty mine has needed a steering pump (a few hundred), arc bushes, a fancy electronic shock absorber (those 3 jobs totalled £2200 at a specialist) and a turbo actuator (that was £900 perhaps at a main dealer). It has never let me down, kindly waiting for MOT/service time for the surprises, as many luxury cars are want to do. Prior to this I had an XKR, prior was an XJR (I still miss the lambs wool mats!), prior a 330i Touring. It does feel like the RRS costs more to run that each of those, I have to say, but I have never sat down and crunched the numbers, adjusted for inflation, or anything like that.

If you’re the sort who counts the pennies and cannot fix the type of things above yourself (which I certainly cannot!) then an RRS will be a source of heartache and you’ll be tempted to neglect critical maintenance. In that case you’re better to get a Mercedes E Class wagon or something Japanese, perhaps.

Being a [former] business owner your must be a risk taker, though? L405 P400e Autobiography (MY2020)... Silicon Silver / Espresso
RRS TDV6 HSE Lux (MY2011)... Nara Bronze / Arabica - now gone!

I’d have to agree with ilard only go for RRS if you can afford the maintenance, I got mine a couple of years back (2012 3.0 SDV6, 1 owner car) it cost me £600 on 40k service and just spent £500 on second service with an additional £450 for rear discs and pads. Mine is very clean low mileage example and expected to fetch around £21k according to a couple of dealers I know.
Save you pennies for a little longer and get a clean, low mileage car like mine, get it inspected by someone that knows these cars and listen to them when they tell you to walk away even if you think you won’t find your dream car if you let this one slip away - I did on the forst one I looked at, inspection uncovered offside damage that even the owner did not know about and he’d bought the car used approved! He took it back to the dealer with my inspectors report.
From a reliability front don’t believe everything you read, only the bad stuff gets talked about, my brother bought a X5 just before I got mine and commenced to tell me how I’d be visiting the garage regularly-he’s had a new gearbox, fuel pump, eaten through tyres like no tomorrow. Gloating, who me?
I will be selling my once I’ve had it valeted and hope someone on here who’s after something nice, clean, low mileage gets it.