Picture Margot Robbie, since Barbie; most girls want to be her, and most men would love to wake up next to her. That's how I feel about the fourth and fifth generation Range Rover. No matter how bad your day is, unlocking a car like that and sitting in the interior of British luxury is in a class of its own. Until you open the hood, it's a Rosanne Barr; no matter how much money you sink into her, she is a dud. No matter how badly you tell her to please be quiet, she will say something regrettable, and you will be forced to ship her back to Hawaii as quickly as possible. It's sad, honestly; that is the reason they don't sell all that well
After reading reviews and watching YouTube media guys gush about Range Rover, no one talks about the stale points, the reality of the vehicle. BMW and Ford are both involved in putting a decent heart in these vehicles, and it's honestly been a total flop. The dreaded 2003-2006 Range Rover had a BMW engine, and British electronics plagued that SUV. I know I am paraphrasing the issue, but it's the truth. Now the 2015 Range Rover has a Ford 5.0 Coyote engine with a supercharger on it, boasting a whopping 500 horsepower. As I delve into the used Range Rover market, I see a lot of 4th and 5th generations with 80k miles, and they are all being sold or traded in at that mileage due to needing a milestone checkup. All fluids need to be replaced, belts checked, brakes checked, and so on. It's quite the expense if you are not a do-it-yourself person.
Now, here is a hard pivot, but another grasp and sad but true reality for Range Rover: the diesel market. In my humble opinion, Volkswagen and Chevrolet make great used diesel vehicles. Yet again, Range Rover has the TD6 and TD8. I have looked into those as well. The TD6 is the same engine that's in the Ford F-150 diesel. Coldly put, it's a flop, and Ford is walking away from it, like they did with the 6.0 and 6.4 diesel engines. These engines are prone to oil leaks, and from what I have found on the forums, one area is the oil cooler. Diesels are also prone to being more expensive in the long run in terms of repair and DEF issues. Another weakness is these engines have two belts, one is the timing belt that keeps the top part of the engine in sync with the lower part. The second belt runs the fuel system. Honestly put, without special tools and nerves of steel, it's not something I would want to attempt, and that cost really adds up once your vehicle gets to 140K and heads to the shop for just this repair. I have called and got quotes ranging from $2,500-$4,000. Mechanics I speak to, when I tell them I want a used diesel Range Rover, they tell me to get my wallet ready.
Range Rover petrol motors are not as bad but require the same maintenance as the diesel. The turbo V6 and V8 come across as reliable, more so than the diesel counterpart. These engines are known for coolant leaks, and they use lots of plastic parts that break down and tend to crack. These engines are also prone to oil leaks from various locations. Range Rover is also at a point where it's mixing its own Jaguar engines as its merger with Ford ends. Starting in 2019, Ranger Rover has started putting its own engines in. Time will tell as these hit the used car market with higher mileage and how they fare. What both vehicles have in common, regardless of body, is the air suspension. Range Rovers are known for their smooth ride due to the air suspension. This comes at a price; with time, the air compressor dies, and where it's bolted in is a pain to get to and replace. The struts themselves are an airbag, and over time, they start to leak, in which case the air compressor runs all the time and eventually dies. Range Rover can't seem to fix this glaring issue. I know that suspension is a wear item, but unlike an SUV with normal springs and gas struts, they last twice as long, and a consumer can choose when to replace them
All this research has come about since I am in a position to find the perfect luxury SUV for my family. The point of my article is: don't buy a Range Rover. I'm just pointing out faults that I know are faults for me, but a buyer that hasn't looked into these issues could end up with a used lemon. I am not against doing preventative maintenance, but for a used vehicle in the used car market, finding one that has been treated well and has the ability to last me a few years is well worth taking the time to research its bad points so I know what the future holds for that vehicle. Another thing to look out for is depreciation of the vehicle as the miles go up and years go by. Use a depreciation calculator so you can best control when to sell the vehicle or start looking to trade it in for a newer one. Also, if you find any vehicle you like, take it to a repair shop to be checked over before trading cash for the title.
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