Afternoon All,

A change in circumstances means I'm looking to chop my 2006 Lexus GS300 LE in for possibly a Range Rover. My budget is pointing at the L322, around 18k, possibly a touch more.

I regularly drive to Cumbria from Sheffield to pick up my little girl, and drive down to Watford for work purposes, so a good comfortable motorway car is vital. My other half (bless 'er...) is looking to get another dog, and her Tiguan is not big enough for two or more pedigree greyhounds. This change is for the ability to carry large loads and more interior space generally. I have a BMW M5 for weekend stuff, so pace is not really required. I can average around 40mpg on a long steady 70mph drive in my Lexus, and would be looking for pretty similar from something else. For this reason, I've been looking at the TDV8 3.6 and the Vogue or the Vogue SE spec to match the toys in the Lexus. I'm going to spend some time looking over the buying guide threads on here to find the general faults that can occur, but I've found it difficult to find an option list for this model when it was new. I want to find the options available and then go looking for a car with the spec I want.

Do any of you guys on here have any recommendations for options that you really want to see included and any that perhaps sound good but are in fact rubbish? The Logic 7 hifi sounds like something I want, tunes are important to me on a long drive, and the standard system in my Lexus is quite impressive. I also have cooled seats in there, and this seems to be an option that's not as easy to find on the RR.

If I am going to change, then I want to find the right one, the Lexus has done nothing wrong and is a great car (totally faultless in terms of problems), and I don't want to move into something else and regret it.

Any input would be most welcome, it would be good to be able to find a supportive forum to help in ownership, M5board is invaluable in owning the M5 for DIY's and general technical help and advice.

Hello

This topic is a frequent one here, the L322 man is Saint V8

Here's a quote from another time it was covered:

Saint.V8 said:

They are AWESOME

BUT - they are unreliable and costly to repair...the rear quarter leaks trashing the electronics, and even the V8 gearbox is prone to issues on the 2002-2005 models as much as the GM box on the diesels..only less catastrophic when it goes...

The V8 Engine is strong aslong as it is well maintained...

The ride is sublime, the drive is awesome and is certainly a nice place to be...

But they are expensive to run, and will empty a healthy bank balance quickly if you can't diagnose and DIY your own repairs....

An L322 on a budget is not a good thing, so make sure you keep some cash to one side for repairs....

The biggest bug bear is the electrical niggles they have...but keep on top of maintenance, and sort the gearbox as soon as you get any issues...and they'll do you fine...just don't get one, then realise the Alternator is £400...ONE Air Strut is over £200....the Thermostat is £70....ONE cat is £500...(all these prices don't include the VAT either)

Never Ever buy a Range Rover with faults...ever unless you know what it is going to cost tofix

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What I have found in my ownership of a P38, is that if you keep an eye open for issues, grab them early and fix them yourself (which is generally possible even for the non seriously mechanically minded), then you can have the best car in the world
However, if you either want a car to never go wrong/don't want to fork out unreasonable amounts to garages... Then it might not be the right choice.

You are guaranteed to have issues with a range rover as compared to your Lexus. That's how range rovers just are

If you want reliable, you don't want a Range Rover. If you do buy a Range Rover, either you need to be able to DIY service and repairs or you need to allow about £3K a year for repairs and car hire.
If you want big and reliable, stick with Lexus or Toyota.

Datatek ............. how good are the new ones? with warrenty

Thor1950 said:

Datatek ............. how good are the new ones? with warrenty

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no one knows.

there not old enough to start developing problems

Thor1950 said:

Datatek ............. how good are the new ones? with warrenty

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According the the latest J D Power survey, the latest Disco is good, the L405 is too new to know.
The L322 will never be problem free IMO, manufacturers warrenty will cover the costs but not always the inconvenience.
I reckon that the second and third years are likely to be the most reliable, first year the teething problems and fourth year the problems of wear and tear in a car with a deisgn life of 5 years.
The Jag petrol engine would seem to have more issues than the BMW lump and the Ford/Peugeot V6/V8 diesels are also not bomb proof.
There are so many electronic gizmo's on the L405 that it's hard to believe it will be trouble free.
No personal experience, just what I have read.

Datatek said:

According the the latest J D Power survey, the latest Disco is good, the L405 is too new to know.
The L322 will never be problem free IMO, manufacturers warrenty will cover the costs but not always the inconvenience.
I reckon that the second and third years are likely to be the most reliable, first year the teething problems and fourth year the problems of wear and tear in a car with a deisgn life of 5 years.
The Jag petrol engine would seem to have more issues than the BMW lump and the Ford/Peugeot V6/V8 diesels are also not bomb proof.
There are so many electronic gizmo's on the L405 that it's hard to believe it will be trouble free.
No personal experience, just what I have read.

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With your fourth year being problems, am more interested in mileage than a age thing, as Doris would be doing about 40-50 miles 7 days a week average, and she likes them. And has to have AC, she is spoiled.

feeblebob.

as you have got used to lexus.....run from a RR...

Thor1950 said:

With your fourth year being problems, am more interested in mileage than a age thing, as Doris would be doing about 40-50 miles 7 days a week average, and she likes them. And has to have AC, she is spoiled.

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I have never thought mileage alone is a good indicator, a car with 30K that has spent all it's time doing the local school run will not be as good as one that has 50K of motorway miles.
Likewise driving style and maintenance also have a big effect.
Any car as complicated as the L322 is always going to have issues, some will go for quite long periods trouble free, I have 2 mates with L322's one basic spec no HID's etc has been trouble free, the other with a higher spec has had the usual problems, water ingress DSP failure etc.

Datatek said:

I have never thought mileage alone is a good indicator, a car with 30K that has spent all it's time doing the local school run will not be as good as one that has 50K of motorway miles.
Likewise driving style and maintenance also have a big effect.
Any car as complicated as the L322 is always going to have issues, some will go for quite long periods trouble free, I have 2 mates with L322's one basic spec no HID's etc has been trouble free, the other with a higher spec has had the usual problems, water ingress DSP failure etc.

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Agree with you on that, would much rather have a highway car than a soccer moms car. Them short 5-6 miles one way trips kills a car. And mainteance is a issue that I have seen on here. IMO those soccer mom cars/trips need oil changed every 3k as it never gets to temp, and moisture and acids build up in the oil, And most over heating occurs on long trips or caravan towing as most system have a fault that never showed because engine never got to temp to begin with. And them automatics never get checked or fluids/filters changed until a problem surfaces.

feeblebob said:

..... I can average around 40mpg on a long steady 70mph drive in my Lexus, and would be looking for pretty similar from something else. For this reason, I've been looking at the TDV8 3.6 and the Vogue or the Vogue SE spec to match the toys in the Lexus. ......

If I am going to change, then I want to find the right one, the Lexus has done nothing wrong and is a great car (totally faultless in terms of problems), and I don't want to move into something else and regret it.

.......

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You wont get much more than 28-30mpg if you are very lucky from the 3.6 TDV8....never buy a Range Rover then moan about the mpg, you'll only be spending all your time moaning....

If you don't want to move onto something else less reliable than a Lexus, steer very clear of a Range Rover, I love them, but they are unreliable and demand great attention to repairs, diagnostics and maintenance.

If you can't spanner your own repairs or maintenance, you'll be in for big bills and heartache.

A Range Rover isn't for everyone, they are awesome cars, but only a select few with the right attitude towards them will truly love them, the rest will only complain and then get rid.

You can't run a champagne car on lemonade money.....

Saint.V8 said:

You can't run a champagne car on lemonade money.....

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In fairness Saint, all my expenditure on my P38 (car, repairs, fuel, insurance, tax) has amounted (by some quick calculations just now) to about the price of a new VW Polo 1.2 3dr non/AC

That's over 1.5 years of ownership, so I'd say that being able to have had a Range Rover for 1.5 years before someone could even set off in their new Polo, and amount to the same cost, isn't bad

Guys,

Many thanks for the feedback, much appreciated, and the honesty is appreciated too, sometimes you ask on forums and everyone comes back showering the car in praises, and then comes back later with the what did you expect.

It's a toughy. I went down to Watford last night to do some datacentre work, and it was good drive, set the cruise at 70 mph for pretty much most of the way there and all the way back, 288 miles in all and averaged just over 42mpg (according to the trip comp so there or there abouts), quiet and comfortable. Not bad for a 3.0 V6 petrol. I was passed by a few L322's and I still think they look great, granted not everyone's cup of tea I suppose, but I do like them.

Saint - Many thanks for the honesty about the fuel consumption. I wouldn't moan about it, imagine how quickly I can empty a tank of V-Power while driving in a 'spirited' manner in an M5... But point taken, it's just when I do the high miles at expenses rates, it's nice to come out the other end with some left over. I would never expect something like a RR to be frugal.

As for the problems bit, I own an E39 M5. That is my 'project' car, the one that has the regular, not inexpensive issues, so I'm familiar with a lower level of reliability of complex cars. I do a fair bit of work on that myself, but there are some excellent forums with good pictured DIYs and contributors who know those cars inside and out, down to the nuts and bolts. I find that great support, and a real help in ownership. As a full-on petrolhead, I don't mind spending oney on cars, but I guess it comes down to the fact that I need a reliable daily driver, and the Lexus fits that bill very, very well. I could almost go so far as to say I've abused that car by not taking care of it anything like as well as the M5, purely because it just doesn't feel as though it needs it. I know it will start every time, and everything on it, no matter how complex, will just work.

Time for some thinking. It would be a change of thinking to step into a RR from what I'm used to, and the accepted reliability issues are definitely something to bear in mind. If I can't travel to our datacentres at short notice, someone else could go but I miss out on the 45p a mile and the time and a half and that's a big thing.

I'll carry on perusing around in here to get an idea of the issues that occur and take it from there. Again, many thanks to those of you taking the time to answer the age old question AGAIN

Hi from Sheffield
All i can add to this really is that if you haven't done so already, take one for a long test drive. See how it compares for comfort against the Lexus etc.
I converted to 4X4's after having luxury saloons by accident (had the opportunity to swap my company Audi A6 to a Disco 3 at work & never looked back since). A RR is a nice place to be whether on country lanes or a long slog from Sheffield to North London, of which i do at least once a week.
As many have already said, maintenance is key to owning a RR & it certainly helps to have back up cars as you do. Having said that, mine has never left me stranded by the roadside despite being an 11 year old P38 but the maintenance costs so far have been pretty high but i would never complain as i expect it with any LR product.

Once again I'm going to have to swim against the tide, a little. Whilst some on here have had lots of issues with their L322 (and yet others have bought total lemons and post daily with faults ), I will tempt fate and say my L322 has been fairly good to me. There is a thread on here showing several comparisons of cost of running over a year, sorry I can't link but on tablet. Perhaps a look at it would help. Especially if you take a look at my costs and factor them against some of the others. Although mpg may break your heart if you're looking for something that does over 40mpg
I'm not saying the L322 is faultless but spending time to get the right one can help. Also the golden rule must always be applied, unless you want to end up posting thread after thread of 'how do I fix'

As far as the MPG goes, bear in mind I'm getting 40+ while sitting at just under 70 mph on CC on a quiet motorway, so fairly exceptional circumstances... Under 'normal' urban driving, it can show low 20's without too much trouble. It's just good to have a car that does long journeys well without drinking the gold stuff on the motorway.

Bob, have had 2 FFRRs over the last 4 years and had no major dramas with either. The 3.6 TD is a lovely engine although they are sometimes prone to probs (check fullfatrr.com for details) but haven't heard of any major dramas.

They are untouchable for long distances. I have driven for 11 hours to Europe in a single go, stopping only for fuel (600 mile range!!) and got out the other end refreshed and not totally shagged!

Gary Elliot is a very trustworthy dealer (does it for fun not a full-time job!!) and can be found on fullfatrr.com. He has some of the best RRs I have seen.

Or how about this?

fullfatrr.com - View topic - For Sale: 2007 3.6TDV8 Vogue (Black / Piano Black)

Good luck.

I've had a fair bit of grief with mine in the short time i've had it and its pretty bad on fuel but i absolutely love it mate!!

I friend of mine had a sport.

including depreciation.
it cost him 10k in 12mths.