Good evening everyone

I'm a new member and have read many threads here and elsewhere and I think I'm ready to commit to an L322!

I'm a farmer and currently run a 13 plate Hilux. It's up for change but double cab pickups are getting very expensive for what they are. So, thinking left field, I would commit the same budget as a couple year old pickup to get an old little runaround 4x4 for the farm (which could get dirty, better in fields than hilux etc) and then the L322 for towing and family carrying duties. I like cars but haven't had anything interesting for quite a while so this would also scratch that itch!

Have been looking at the usual sites and much like was commented on another recent thread, the spread of prices is quite astonishing. I know about the usual problems,fixes, condition/history etc but my main question is where have members found the best value - one with, say 90,000 on the clock or paying more for 60 - 70,000 miles (all things being equal)?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

Last edited by FarmerRJ on 26th Feb 2021 8:33am. Edited 1 time in total

As much as i love the l322 if i were in your position the only rout id go down is a Discovery 3 or4 fantastic family car upyo 7 seats loads of room for dogs and kit and the seats fold completely flat for a massive load space 2012 Range Rover Westminster 4.4 TDV8
2006 Discovery 3 HSE 260k miles and still going strong with a new owner

Thank you.

It's funny you should say that as I've wanted a D4 for a long time and I thought that it would be my next. But they've jumped an incredible amount this year and there are a lot of miles on the ones I can stretch to - more than many l322s in te same price range. They also seem to be a bit hit and miss on reliability so that isn't a point in their favour over the l322.

Certainly not discounted, but they're not particularly good value atm. And D5's are just crazy!!

Exactly the move I made from a died in the wool Hilux owner (5 double cabs, 2 single) when they changed to commercial only insurance and everything was plus VAT. I just couldn’t justify 20k on a pickup. Now on my second L322 4.4 Westminster, first was a 2005 facelift TD6, have loved them both although the Westminster is by far the better out of the two the TD6 was Uber reliable. A great all round vehicle, I take it shooting, throw the dogs in the back, tow the horse trailer with it, It goes to France every year for the annual ski trip And does general family duties. IMO the only car one ever needs.

Where to buy and get value ? Start with the forum, they tend to be good honest cars in the main, with knowledgeable owners who have maintained their cars well and are usually well priced. Don’t let mileage put you off the right car, if looked after shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve seen some well priced cars on Autotrader over the last few months with good specs suppose it just depends on what your looking for ? The V8 diesels are in a different league to the TD6 (but I loved mine when I had it, it did everything I wanted although a little noisy and pedestrian) the 3.6 is good the 4.4 is just better and the 8 speed box is fantastic.

Hope this helps you some, best of luck in the search ! 2015 L405 Range Rover 4.4Sdv8 Vogue SE, Baltic Blue, Ivory
2012 L322 Range Rover 4.4 Westminster Baltic Blue, Ivory - Deceased
2012 Discovery 4 HSE 3.0 Sdv6 Oslo Grey, Black - Gone
2006 L322 Range Rover Td6 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue, Parchment - Gone
1996 P38 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Rioja Red, Black - Gone
1990 Landrover 110 2.5TD CSW - Why Oh Why ???

+1 for what rodjules says.
Mileage on these big ol' brutes isn't really a problem, the average L322 4.4TDV8 will probably be on the plus side of 100k & they are so low revving these engines aren't strained. Forum member cars are definitely a plus when they come up for sale. Service history [not necessarily main dealer] is paramount, as long as someone has looked after them they're generally fine. Like anything else of this iconic breed they like a little bit of attention & love. 2012 Orkney Grey Westminster 4.4TDV8 with Ivory interior.........nice!
BMW R1200GS
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Just one Montesa now, 349 White Wonder
Austin A40 Farina MK2
1975 Morris Marina 1.8TC

Thank you both.

The engine doesn't bother me, it's the ancillaries which seem to provide the niggles. But I guess I would follow the advice and see a 90000 plus example which has had work done on the suspect areas just as good as a 65000 model which maybe hasn't. There seems to be a (roughly) £4000 jump between those sorts of mileages.

100000 miles is a little bit of a mental block though, no reason for it I suppose, just the way we've been conditioned.

Had another look at D4s since the comment above. Ate they still climbing?! 12/13 models with 80000 plus making very strong money. On a par with L322s!

Agree with the earlier comments on the D4 being more practical but heh they are chalk and cheese. In my opinion there is no comparison the D4 is great but it just isn't a FF Range Rover !!!! If in doubt if you haven't already drive them both and make your own mind up.

Good luck  2015 L405 Range Rover 4.4Sdv8 Vogue SE, Baltic Blue, Ivory
2012 L322 Range Rover 4.4 Westminster Baltic Blue, Ivory - Deceased
2012 Discovery 4 HSE 3.0 Sdv6 Oslo Grey, Black - Gone
2006 L322 Range Rover Td6 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue, Parchment - Gone
1996 P38 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Rioja Red, Black - Gone
1990 Landrover 110 2.5TD CSW - Why Oh Why ???

Don’t worry about mileage, I bought a Jag 2.7 TDV6 with 80k & the owner was worried about hitting the 100k barrier. 2 years later I sold her on 250-260k (can’t remember which) with minimal problems but she was serviced every 8-10 weeks (chauffeur car) what I’m saying is, if she’s properly serviced mileage isn’t really an issue.
Gut feeling normally helps. 2012 Orkney Grey Westminster 4.4TDV8 with Ivory interior.........nice!
BMW R1200GS
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
Just one Montesa now, 349 White Wonder
Austin A40 Farina MK2
1975 Morris Marina 1.8TC

You have to define reliability!!
i brought mine knowing it was a few years old and have had to carry out some work to it some by me / other parts by the supplying dealer.
I think i am nearly there now with just the GB / Diffs & transfer case to service which is booked in for.

so i have spent some money on it but in return it should now be reliable from a mechanical point of view.

things like

suspension
discs / pads
air components
vac / water / boost hoses
Battery
DPF
Sensors

these are all Maintenance in my world along with the ordinary items and i think once you are on top of them all should be good.
what seems to catch us out are the unusual items like doors freezing internally and not locking or shutting or odd electrical gremlins that pop up.
We have to remember these are expensive tubs at the beginning of there life and parts can reflect that when maintaining them! we pay not much for them but then have a shock if a front suspension unit needs replacing also some of the routing jobs like a EGR valve on other cars are cheap and straight forward like a Mondeo but for the 4.4 TDV8 the EGR is nearly £500 then if you have to get a garage to carry out the work it is a 6-8hr job so you can add another £4-600 in labour
once on top of maintenance and any other issues generally they are reliable cars and for me personally one of the finest places to be when driving  2012 Vogue 4.4 TDV8 - Current
2014 Navara V6 - Gone
2004 Vogue TD6 - Gone
Grand Cherokee - Gone
Discovery V8 (LPG) - Gone
Discovery TD5 - Gone

TDV8 L322 over TD6 D4 all day long.

Never understood why the Disco is so much more money unless it is the 7 seat appeal?

Also, no real engine issues with a TDV8 Bish.

2005 110 TD5 CSW
2011 TDV8 Vogue SE (gone)

I got rid of an 2013 Isuzu D-max and bought an L322 TDV8, I now actually enjoy driving around with a trailer behind an sit in civilised comfort, yes some things need sorting and maintenance of engine, gearbox and axles if not already done is vital. The fuel consumption is a little bit more but what the heck, you only live once.

When looking at two cars. Get an early L322 for around the farm. And get a late L322 5.0SC for everything else. 🤣

I agree with the other comments. To me these are just maintenance items. On mine at the moment in the last year;
* Coolant leak; sure those hoses are a bit old now, just need replacing.
* brake pads and disc again normal maintenance items.
* CV Boots split; yup again happens on all cars.

The only thing out of the ordinary is the super charger coupler that has worn out. But again not that bad considering it has done 110K miles and it was original.

I’d say the biggest thing against these cars is the stupid door opener cable design that could cause the door to be frozen shut AFTER you thawed it. But now I know it’s an easy fix.

OK no farm experience here, but went from a Nissan Navara Outlaw ( why do picks have daft names? ) to an L322,
(Td6) and would never go back - The Nissan was an excellent piece of kit, apart from the chassis but driving the Fatty is so effortless. As for towing they are both on about the same level to me. Just take the time to find the right one.

L322's are a fantastic and very capable vehicle.

If i was to sum them up, I'd say they're a bit 'heavy on their feet'. So this means, tough on suspension components and brakes in my experience. I don't think they suffer any more mechanical issues than any other 4x4 out there (in fact probably less).

Forums will always have lots of people discussing what has gone wrong, that's the same across all brands and the engines / gearboxes / drivetrain of the L322 is pretty robust. I've seen all sorts of issues with Nissan 4x4's which are meant to be the epitome of robust simplicity, from thrown pistons to snapped chassis being commonplace!

I own two L322's and they both suffer from the same issues at a certain mileage (usually around 100K!), lower arm ball joints, suspension bushes and rear suspension knuckles, they also tend to need front to rear brake pipe replacement at around 9 years old (both mine have!). Being a 2.7T vehicle they are also heavy on their brakes, but a small price to pay for such a refined vehicle.

I wouldn't hesitate in advising anyone to own one, just budget for a few annual repairs. If you're handy with the spanners, then that helps, if not (or you don't have the time) find a good reliable independent garage.

Buy with your gut, not your heart and always remember to look carefully at the vehicle, but even more carefully at the seller!

Jon 1992 RR Classic 3.9 efi Vogue
===================
Both my fatties now gone...
Previous: 2011 L322 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE /// 2002 L322 4.4 V8 HSE /// 2009 Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 XS /// 2004 Defender 90 TD5 /// 1993 110 V8 Snatch Landrover /// 2005 Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 SE (Aus) /// 1990 110 Isuzu 3.9 County (Aus) /// 1976 Series III Trayback (Aus)

Thanks to you all for your comments.

A few thoughts after your comments and some more research (I do research things to a death amdfsr too often talk myself out of things!).

1. D4 - while I've always liked it and thought it would be a real possibility next, I think they are too expensive. Budgetwould allow a D4 2 years younger than L322, sameish mileage and reliability/costs to keep them going not appreciably better.

2. Is it fair to say that buying one with 90,000 on it but with a lot of useful bits having been replaced would be no worse than buying a lower mileage one if the difference in price was a couple of thousand? Once the handful of replacements/gbox flush etc have been done at 80-100k, what are people's experience of the next 50k? I would look to do 5-8k a yr.

3. Ideally looking for a 4.4 v8 but having not driven either, would I be disappointed with a 3.6 v8?

4. Who would be the go to independent for Mid Wales/Shropshire border?