Good Afternoon everyone.

As the title suggests, I am considering an L322 Range Rover as the next family bus. It all hinges on how well the Touareg fairs in its upcoming MOT.

Should the worst happen, I have set my sights on as new as possible 5ltr Supercharger, ideally with Autobiography spec. But my budget is only 10k so pickings are thin.

I am currently looking at a 2009 5.0 V8 Supercharged Autobiography, apparently with the Overfinch body kit, finished in Santorini Black. It shows 110k miles and the seller is asking £9990. It's about 400miles away from me, so a casual inspection is not really an option. IN the pictures I does appear to be in very good condition both in and out, with the exception of the 'Overfinch' lettering looking a but ropey. That said, I am not that fussed about the letters I would rather replace them with the standard 'Range Rover' lettering anyway.

So my questions to you lovely lot would be,
1. does the price seem fair for that level of spec and model?
2. is there an easy way to tell if its a genuine Overfinch or not, and what exactly was the Overfinch spec compared to standard Autobiography?
3. What are the big things to be looking for?

I am torn as part of me doesn't want the Treg to go as I have spent a lot of time and money on it and really enjoy it, but I have also had a hankering for a Range Rover for a long long time, and now might be the time to scratch that itch.

If your budget is £10k, is your ongoing maintenance budget healthy? It's not so much the buying but the ongoing repairs and maintenance that eats the money really. 2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography in black
2018 D300 SE Velar in champagne
Spiffing wheel centre caps available

It's not too bad, plus I am able to do most of the maintenance myself, will shortly have access to my own ramp as well, so I can save on labour costs. Things like annual services I do all myself anyone, including brakes etc. To be honest I would probably have a stab at the timing chains myself as well.

My initial checks seem to suggest that spares for the RR might actually be cheaper than the Touareg!

My main concern is what to look for when buying an L322, I am aware of the potential rust in the tail gate and front of the rear arches. Also wouldn't want to pay over the odds for pretend Overfinch. That said the wheels look to be genuine ones, as far as you can tell for a picture.

Check out the WIKI, link top right of page, lots of info and buyers guide....  Pete

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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-

Cool I'll have a look through it.

Is there any reason to choose a 5.0 s/c over the older 4.2 s/c or visa versa?
I gather the 5ltr has the bigger brakes so wheel choice is restricted to a minimum 20" is that accurate?

The 5.0 is the later 2010 -2012 fatty, it is leaps and bounds ahead of the 4.2 in just about every aspect... Pete

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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-

Well as Pete says the late 5.0SCs have a lot of improvements over the earlier 4.2. On the other hand the 5.0 engine has a bad habit of needing timing chains doing in later life at a cost of several £k - the 4.2 is pretty bullet proof. I think the best 4.2 are the post MY07 with the facelift before the 5.0 came in 2009. Both of them suffer from rust of course and they're getting pretty old now.

My winter wheels were 20"s and they fitted (just) as long as the balance weights were clipped on the rim and not stuck on the inside as is normal for alloys. The stuck on ones can be (ie were!) stripped off by the calliper on the first revolution! Mike - MPx

2017 5.0 V8 Supercharged SVAutobigraphy Dynamic SVO Palette Grey (2021-...)
2012 5.0 V8 Supercharged Autoboigraphy Orkney Grey (2017-2021)
2007 4.2 V8 Supercharged Vogue SE Tonga Green (2012-2017)
2002 4.4 V8 Vogue Bonnatti Grey (2008-2012)

Calcifur wrote:

Good Afternoon everyone.

I am torn as part of me doesn't want the Treg to go as I have spent a lot of time and money on it and really enjoy it, but I have also had a hankering for a Range Rover for a long long time, and now might be the time to scratch that itch.

Lol,

I must admit, on the whole the Treg does seem to be very well built, with little mechanical issues to spec of so far. I have found almost every maintenance job on it to be a total pain in the ass. The oil filter is blocked by a large hydraulic hose so there is no easy way to get it out with out making a huge mess. The pins that hold brake pads in will 100% of the time be seized in place and bend when trying to remove them.

Mine has a 50mm lift and 32" tyres so I do sit pretty high. And aside the air of superiority, I like being able to look over the top of most vehicles in front of me traffic, makes going for an overtake so much easier.
The draw to the RR is mainly because there have been Land Rovers in my family of some description most of my life, whether it be Defenders on the farm to my Step father's Velar. So I have always had an want for one of my own. But now having 3x daughters and a dog the space in the RR is very tempting, plus with the correct trim level it has all the toys kids could ever want in the back seats. Which lead me nicely to a question regarding the rear bench seat. In my Treg I can get 3x child seats if I carefully choose the correct combo. Is the rear of the RR much wider than that of the VW?

I have a 2007 4.2sc and have had some issues with it but nothing major, it needed a pair of front air struts and the condenser on the aircon was rotten, went through 2 alternators (not sure what brand but obviously crap ones) and a starter, had all 8 injectors refurbed and have had the gearbox serviced twice in my ownership.
I have it serviced every 5k miles or 6 months.
It has rust on the rear inner arches like every other one, I have put lots of dings and bangs on the body.

I am not a massive fan of the dual screen of the later ones and looking at the 5.0 people want silly money for the low mile ones. Unless mine develops a fault that costs in excess of £3k I won't be getting rid of it.

I have put BFG AT 275 55 20 on it and from my understanding 20" is the smallest wheel you can fit on them due to the calipers.

I got mine with 138k miles its on 163k miles now as I use it for work on longer trips or when I don't feel like driving the van.

I would not compare an L322 with an x5 or an ML or similar as the LR is a full on off road capable vehicle where the other ones look like they would be ok in the rough but don't have a huge amount of clearance or locking diffs etc.

For that you do give up a certain amount of sporty on road performance.

I pretty much lost all the performance I had in my VW when I put big tyres on it. 🤣. That said she still shifts for a big girl, when she wants to.

Mate got an low mile 08 Treg earlier this year and it's a pretty nice car but it's nothing like and L322. It was more like my old Audi A6 Allroad but a bit higher. He had it remapped and put uprated shocks on it so it's quicker on the road but I prefer the comfort and effortlessness of my L322 anyday. In the end like may comparisons like this the Treg is an 'SUV' and the L322 is a '4x4'. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I have to say, in defence of the Treg. It is a very capable 4x4 for an SUV.
When they first launched they could be specced with front and rear lockers and hydraulic sway bar disconnects. There was even a winch package for them. VW definitely built them to be capable.
I have had mine round the Land Rover off-road course at Dunkeld and it went everywhere the new Defender went with no issues, it even has automatic hill decent control! The only thing holding my one back was the lack of air suspension.

That said, obviously in terms of luxury, it will never be in the same league as a RR, but then it was never meant to be.

The first gen Treg was certainly more off road capable and more substantialy built than the 2nd gen. IMO the 1st gen also looked nicer! 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)