Newbie - 99 RR HSE w LPG - Good?

[Finn]

Hey Guys - I originally posted in the Disco 2 section, looking for advice on TD5s etc.

BUT I have happened upon an excellent looking 99 Range Rover HSE with top of the line LPG conversion/dual fuel. It's a rover specific dealer and comes with an extended 5 year warranty.

It's got a decent amount of ks - 213,000KM and he's listed it at $14,999 driveaway. I imagine I can get it for less. How many kms can I expect to get per tank? (I believe its a 60 or 70 L tank for the gas)

Been told that general maintenance on range rovers is an average 3-4k per year, without anything going wrong. Is this a decent figure? With higher miles, a lot of the reliability problems with transmissions, engines, ABS and electrics would probably have already been taken care of (hopefully?) so not sure what exactly I'm looking at in terms of yearly associated costs. I'm a new car buyer in general, so sorry for all the basic questions!:(

So - any advice? Am I buying something that will cost heaps in repairs and parts and labour? Or am I getting the solid reliable 4x4 that I'm hoping for? Any experience or help is thankful!

Cheers,
Emma

Here's the car link:
http://www.range-rov.com.au/used_car_sales_1.html?frm_data1=3&frm_data1_type=large

[PaulP38a]

Hi Emma

That car does look nice in the photos.

You will probably get more responses to this if you re-post it in the P38 Sub-forum, or perhaps one of the moderators could move this post there for you.

99-on is generally better for P38's as they changed engine management, added 4w Traction Control (instead of 2w) and a bunch of creature comfort upgrades.

Maintenance is always going to be an ongoing concern with any 11yo car, and is largely dependant on how it has been maintained previously.

If you are prepared to do some things yourself, you will save a heap of money in maintenance. You can even get diagnostic tools for the P38 which will allow you to avoid dealers altogether if you are keen enough.

The biggest criticism aimed at P38's tends to be the amount of electronics and the Electronic Air Suspension (EAS). Quite unfairly in my view. The EAS is one of the best features of the P38, and other 4wd manufacturers are now starting to introduce it also.

Too many people like to focus on the negatives rather than the positives of Range Rover ownership. The ride is great and the driving position brilliant. If you have driven it you will know what I mean ;)

Yes, it will probably cost you more in petrol and maintenance than $3-4k a year, but if you do the sums over a 3 year period...
$15k purchase + ($5k petrol and maint x 3 years) = $30k

For that money, you get a car that cost over $120K new 10 years ago, and still looks as good in Toorak as it does in the bush.

Cheers, Paul.

[Remy]

Hi Emma,
Probably a bit pricey. You can pick up a decent HSE for between 7-10K and the injected system less rebate for 3-4k after rebate. Maintenance can be that expensive in a year if you have problems but then you are back to general servicing which if done by you can be next to nothing or by a local mechanic under a 1k. There is a wealth of information in the p38 forum written by numerous gurus on this forum e.g. Ron (p38 rover), Paul (paulp38) and a host of others who know their stuff. If the probles has happened it will be on this forum or the US version. If you are not after adventure then the P38 may not be for you but once you have one well you will be hooked!

[redandy3575]

Not too much more to add to the previous posts, although i'd say $14,990 for a 99 model with the newer engine (and check on this that you're not getting an earlier runout model) with that amount of km's is about average if not a little above average. Bear in mind that you're buying from a Land Rover dealer who have to comply with certain regulations and ensure the purchase is legit and not bogus (I.E stolen, post-write off, re-birthed , etc.), so you're going to pay that little extra. If you ask me, i'd say it's worth it for that peace of mind, especially for someone that is not necessarily mechanically minded. And as Paul mentioned earlier, if you or someone you know can confidently work or repair any minor issues on the vehicle, you'll save a fortune, and they are relatively easy vehicles to work on compared with a lot of the Japanese 4WD's. Take the Air-Suspension, which gets criticized a lot on these, are one of the easiest suspension systems to replace (although not necessarily cheapest) with only half the time needed to get the problem fixed AND you can repair them easily in the field (providing you have spares with you).

So to sum it all up, if you want a vehicle that you don't want to work on, but is cheap to maintain via a qualified mechanic, i'd say look elsewhere. But if your prepared to give this vehicle a bit of attention every now and again and are prepared to budget for it, then i'd say go for it. As also mentioned in the other post, that little extra you might pay for is still a huge saving compared to buying a brand new fully featured luxury 4WD and is in my view worth it.

[big guy]

Car is sold!