My girlfriend is looking at buying a 3 year old Range Rover Sport HSE.
Does anyone have one?
What are they like to drive?
Anything to look out for?
Thanks in advance

I believe this won drug dealer car of the year 2011,2012 and 2013

Anything to look out for?

more money than sense?

I would suggest that she keeps her present car so that she can get around when the RR sport is at the garage / broken down.

My wife would like one too, but I have put my foot down as I have heard many tales of woe with them.

-to give you an idea of their reputation a local car trader I know was going down to France for a holiday. He was running a RR sport and considered taking a stock (non RR sport) car instead as he was concerned about it making the journey there and back!

I am sure more specific advice will be along in a minute, but I would be very wary.

Evoque?

Hang Over Range Rover by dottedt, on Flickr

Yup, somewhere to park it.

Hiddeous tosh.

unfitgeezer – Member
I believe this won drug dealer car of the year 2011,2012 and 2013

Footballer **** car of the year too iirc

Chavtastic.

My wife suggested the same a year back, so amiably I took her to said garage and we tried one, it was a barge, it wallowed, it lagged, it faffed, I fumed and gave the guy his keys back saying we already had a very nice sofa at home and didnt need another.

Think they are based on the Disco rather than Range Rover so probably lots to go wrong.

I reckon they will continue to depreciate heavily – they seem to have questionable reliability and questionable ‘image’ (being polite there)

What does she like about them?

She wants a Wayne rover?
Sack her.

Blimey, this is attracting some flaming… 😯

She saw one in the local dealer and decided she likes it

She saw one in and the local dealer and decided she likes it has one

Maybe they’re viewed differently in Austria…

Friend of a friend had one he was sure he could see the fuel gauge dropping when he booted it.
Changed it fairly quickly for a ‘proper’ range rover, he is a geezer though. 😉

Yes they are

Maybe they’re viewed differently in Austria…

No I just checked with the Austrian Drug cartel and apperntly its the car of choice as well…

I was trying to be helpful!

I would want to look underneath to see if there was any evidence of off roading (unlikely)

Tyres check for any damage as they will be expensive to replace – also look for any possible tracking issues – heavy things like this can ruin a tyre very quickly.

I believe one of the issues is the self levelling suspension – expensive to replace so do any checks you can on function and listen out for any odd noises.

Buy a warranty!

No I just checked with the Austrian Drug cartel and apperntly its the car of choice as well…

AMG M Class, shirley

Nothing to add except that the new model is lush,

has she also suggested you start dealing crystal meth?

I fumed and gave the guy his keys back

You went to a garage, asked to test drive a car and got upset with the dealer when you didn’t like it. Quality.

I have my Duster. Selling drugs from that is far more undercover.

mega +1

There are some common faults that most magazines that have run 2nd hand buyers guides on pick up on (shared Discovery parts) – steering and suspension get mentioned more than anything else and are four figure fixes..

Add in monster fuel consumption..

At least it’s not your money iolo 😉

iolo – Member
I have my Duster. Selling drugs from that is far more undercover.

[quote]

Werther’s paedopellets Originals from that, shirley?

I’ve a mate who loves them, he’s on his third in 2 years, yup the second one broke. Apart from the small boot, limited space in the rear, not a lot of headroom, squeaky dash and seats and a thirst for fuel like the USS Galveston, it wallows and takes ages to stop.
If thats what you aspire to I’m sure it’ll be fine.
If you are in Austria Shirley you seek an A6 Allroad?? ❓

Werther’s paedopellets Originals from that, shirley?

No, PCP – it’s not known as the ‘Angel Duster’ for nothing…

CFH, I don’t get it

Clearly money isn’t an issue – so why settle for the WAGmobile*?

Far nicer cars out there! RS4 or RS6 springs to mind…

*(not quite a footballers WAGmobile, as it isn’t brand new)

Get an XC90. About twice as much useable space inside, pretty bombproof volvo mechanicals (except for the 4×4 drop gear failures on very early (pre 06) models). You’ll never need as much off road capability as the RRS gives (and if you use it, be prepared to do 4 figure damage to all the plastic bits underneath). Volvo is also a proper 7 seater.

At an absolute push, get a late model L322 Range Rover (not sport), they are JUST about acceptable. (it will still cost you a fortune to run and has the turning circle of a supertanker, but at least you look less like a drug dealer) For full effect, you wife however must wear Red or Mustard coloured trousers…….. 😉

Not a representative sample but I have heard of two horror stories from owners – both major engine failures with Land Rover wanting nothing to do with it anymore (both just out of warranty – like yours will be…).

I’d be looking at xc90s (Edit: As would him above!)

Walk away quickly, they are the most expensive, unreliable cars I have ever owned, never ever again
Mine was 5 years old, but Christ I was glad to sell that car
Looks the part, but my god it was a lemom

I don’t personally like the styling (or image!) of the sport – it’s massive compromise in every regard. It’s a really capable offroader underneath (Discovery) and handles well considering that – it’ll never be a sports car though! Fuel economy is poor (permanent 4×4 – expect 25-30mpg) and they lack the cavernous space that the Disco has, so aren’t as practical in that regard.

If you want a real 4×4 (and don’t mind the bills) get a Discovery. If you don’t go offroad and want a softroader then there are better out there (think X5 or similar).

They are also expensive to run with lots that can, and does, go wrong. I’ve well and truly scratched my Land Rover itch after about 4 years of owning Discos – as much as I love them when they’re working, they cost too much to maintain.

Not to mention the fact that every time you’re stuck in traffic someone will knock on the window trying to score drugs from you or your wife…..

JonEdwards They’re closer in scale and shape to the original mk1 Rangies

er, not really:

And I don’t know what four figure damage you could do to the plastics underneath – not been under one but they are based on the Disco and no plastics under there. Intercooler is low and exposed at the front and the air suspension compressor is slightly exposed, but you’ve gotta be doing some serious offroading to damage either of those!

Residuals on Discovery’s are remarkably good – dunno about sports…

A friend has had a RR sport for about five years, getting the latest autobiography 18mths ago. We call it the Cock wagon and had some plates made up ‘Cock 1’ for when we went on a trip in it.

Having said that, we did 500 miles in this latest incarnation and its pretty awesome. Goes like a train and is rock solid, got four blokes, four golf bags, four cases in no problem. It has a heated steering wheel FFS! 😯 Someone came in to tell us it was making a strange noise…..only to be told that it always warms itself up at 8am and 6pm for his journeys to and from work! You gotta laugh!

I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the “rock gulley” at LR’s Gaydon facility? Basically, it’s a pretty heinous series of massive boulders and rocks, in funnily enough a gulley. A std defender can’t get along it due to the lack of locking diffs but the D5/RRS and FFRR get down it fine, waving wheels several feet in the air, with the cross axle brake system acting like locking diffs, it’s very impressive. But, one mistake, and boy oh boy, is it going to cost you. On one demo day, a front wheel slipped of a rock, the car landed on the front bump/sill and exhaust. 4k worth of parts (inc paint) to fix according to the proto workshop (obviously it didn’t actually cost them that, but it would cost you that if it was yours). So my point was, and it applies to any modern painted sills/low plastic bumpered off roaded, that unlike a defender which you can straighten out with a hammer, for something like a RRS, the off road ability is not limited by the vehicle, but more by your wallet…… 😉