I'm new to the forum - greetings everyone - and am looking for some advice.

I have been wanting a FFRR for a while but never gone for it. I have looked at a few recently - looking to spend £7k max. I don't do many miles - 8k a year. Need it for a general vehicle, we do a lot of driving on Yorkshire country roads in all weathers and need something practical and comfortable. Also the kids moan about feeling car sick so i'm hoping the higher seating would help that. I have owned series Landrovers in the past and can do basic mechanical stuff. I have read everything on the forums and wikis so am aware of most of the pitfalls.

Looked at http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ad...;logcode=p . Has 7 owners which is a bit of a worry but other than that seems good. Any opinions on value for money or is it a bit overpriced? Any advice is much appreciated.

welcome to the forum.

there's a great buyers guide in our wiki and have a read of this section as your question has been asked and responded to many times .. enjoy the forum.  ... - .- -.




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By the looks of the photos it doesn't look bad at all, pretty well looked after just showing a few minor things, Aftermarket front grille, they are cheap chromed plastic and the chrome is flaking off... front tow eye cover is missing, rear reflector missing, scrape on rear bumper, parking sensors need painting, either they are new and unpainted or old and corroded, big scuff on the alloy pictured at 6-7 o'clock, and you guess he chose the best to picture, also the LPG tank looks like the small 80ltr tank you can go to 90+ ltrs... (might be wrong here, funny angle of pic...!!!)

The general look of the interior is nice, seats just need a good clean and feed and the non genuine mats don't fit too good...

No deal breakers there, just some bargaining tools...

Private seller so I guess he's done a WBAC.com and they offered him sub £3000... I'd go in hard, offer £5,500 and see where you end up...

Not too far from me if you want a second opinion in person  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Hope you or other members don’t take offence to this

Tread carefully when buying an older 322 petrol model, especially on LPG when you have a budget set! Ive always been wary of the ageing BMW 4.4 engine as a hole, put LPG in the mix, especially with a previous owner or two that have cut corners on her upkeep and you have a recopy for a disastrous ownership sir...

Do your homework on the car you choose before shelling out on the purchase sir... Check out the fab buying guide in the wiki for tips

In addition to the advice you already have above, I'd be looking at the gearbox refurb and asking who/why/how much. That could be the difference between a 5K and 6.5K car.

Craig, I totally agree, to be fare I know I bought one but only because the price was right and I am able to deal with whatever it throws at me and don't mind spending the money....

But

Any early FF is a gamble, especially the 4.4, and then even more the 4.4 with LPG... I know there will always be the good one out there which soldiers on for years without a hiccup but there are also loads with a hand grenade under the bonnet with the pin just about to fall out....

The ridiculous temp Land Rover made them run at, after 10-14 years just destroys lots of things under the bonnet, the associated pressure in the system finds any weakness and will destroy parts in seconds... the vanos system's are a week spot, the plastic timing gear tensioner was a stroke of genius (NOT) The smart arse gearbox control that lets it slip to smooth changes was great at the start but everyone pays for it now....

Then add in a totally new fuel system probably fitted by a monkey and badly set up......

The cheap painted interior trim, the cheap painted leather, the list goes on and on....

If I didn't do all the work myself I wouldn't even think of buying one, mine has cost thousands in parts over two years, I know it gets used much harder than most and it doesn't worry me but if I had to pay someone to do all the work it would have cost me at least the purchase price every year to keep it on the road....

As some of you know I'm in the process of buying a boat to laze on for 1/2 the year in the Caribbean, they are a lot like Land Rovers... a great saying I read...

"If you own a boat you have to expect that something new will break every day, if you USE the boat then every hour....!!!"

This is/can be the same with an early FF... they are cheap for a reason....

If you can't do the work yourself then budget for several thousand a year...

Heck, buy a good one with nothing wrong with it and it will cost you the best part of £1000 to change all the fluids, go over the car and sort out all the little odds and sods...

Maybe they should come with a health warning....

Having said all that and undoubtedly, like Craig will have upset a few people I wouldn't be without it, mines just developed a thirst for coolant (no obvious leak, but you can smell it) and I've got some knocking from the very overworked front suspension so back on the ramp it will go.... But I love it, honestly the nicest car I've ever owned, far from the best car but you can't beat the sole of a Land Rover product....  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

You're making me regret buying mine

My last car was a 2003 XJ6 (X350). Although the trim is much better than the FF, they suffer the same issues with air suspension, compressors, bending rads, suspension bushes and torque converter lock-up clutches. It also seemed susceptible to blowing out tyre sidewalls. I had that for 3 years and it was just about perfect, all the rest is just maintenance on a 10+ year old car.

Before that I had a £500 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Well, I bought it for £500, spent £500 on brakes and electrics, and sold it for £600. Same thing - unburstable engine, but rubbish electrics, plastic trim, failing tailgate struts, bushes, etc. etc. Great fun though.

Before that a 2003 Maserati Gransport. Just driving over a pothole could deliver a bill for a wheel refurb or alternator (the lowest point in the engine bay, duh). I became almost to worried to use it, it just wasn't any fun on UK roads. In France it was magnificent.

Before that a 1989 Porsche 928. You think FF electrics are complex? Ha. The 928 is all ancient ECUs and relays. Lots of relays. Also a plastic interior, noisy seat motors etc. I had it for 9 years and sold it when I decided that I was either going to spend 5K on updates/fixes or move on.

What I'm saying is, find a luxury car at that sort of age/price point and they all have issues. Read about Volvo gearboxes, Rolls Royce electrics and suspension, Aston Martin everything, Porsche rear main seals and bore ovalling. Even new ones fail.

Unless it's a Lexus. And then you have no problems, but you have a Lexus.

The FFRR maybe isn't so bad.

Ian, it's bad alright, like you say most luxury cars are a money pit after a few years, the FF is no exception

My point is more towards several posts we have had recently about buying an early FF, people have saved enough to get into ownership but don't appreciate how much these things cost to run properly, to keep them tip top takes a lot of work and/or a lot of money...

They are unlike Land Rover products of old that would soldier on for many years with no servicing and constant abuse, mine is about the simplest and has 17 ECU's, any one of them has a bad day and it has the chance to keep it on the drive...

I know what it's like to buy a new car and I'm excellent at man maths (I can make anything look cheap with enough time..!!) just don't want folk being surprised when the big bills come in....  Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

@ Pete Haylands,

183,00 and still trucking on!!

No regrets!

Agree Pete, it's often said about all sorts of cars, but I think it's especially true of a FF: it was an expensive car when new, and just because it's depreciated doesn't make it less complex or expensive now!

I think there's a point in the depreciation curve when the "community" works out how to fix things at less expense than the OEM did - transfer box motors and steering solenoids being examples (we hope, right?) - and that's when the enthusiasts start to be able to maintain some examples ready for when the value goes up again. The Porsche 928 being a good example, the 996 also starting to get there.

Let's hope the FFs do that too!

gents

I think you are hash on the early L322 V8 with BMW engines .

1/ this engine is bullet proof if properly maintained

BUT I agree that GPL may create issues ....

2/ The ZF Gearbox is much better than the GM one for the TD6 .
And same if properly maintained and flushed and pan changed ... no issues

3/ An aging L322 is like any other aging vehicle and gremlins may appear .
All the more spending a few quids in a IIDTool is a sound investment .

For sure if you can buy a much earlier one with the Jag enfgine , then fine ...

But if you want to play with the beast and do some off-road , even much softer than haylands , then its a swell vehicle to have . Jaybear

2002 V8 , premier edition , 19" alloys ,

But...but... you're getting it dirty!

thanks all. Haylands, thats a really generous offer - I may take you up on it.

after reading most of the replies I am feeling a bit worried and it feels a bit risky. Trouble is it seemed lovely to drive so my head is saying no but by heart says yes Currently driving a diesel Jag S-Type which has been totally reliable, relatively quick and comfy

BTW the wiki is great - really useful information