- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
I've enjoyed my Armada and its been a fun and surprisingly capable vehicle. But my biggest complaint is that its... big! I frequently find myself missing my Trooper, which I think was the perfect size for backcountry exploring. So that has got me thinking about buying something more reasonably proportioned. And as all logical people would do, that has me looking at Range Rover L322's.
I've always dug Rovers, but there is something particularly appealing to me about how the 3rd Generation Range Rover (L322) looks when its lifted a bit with some mildly aggressive tires under it. And yes, partially its appealing because its a bit of an odd ball (though it's still more mainstream than the Armada and Trooper ever were). Also, you can pick up relatively low mile examples for around $7000.
Obviously the downside is that its a Rover, so there's no getting around the basketcaseness that these things are. My research indicates that the 2006 - 2009 NA 4.4L are the best ones to get in the US (if we could get the TDV8, that's the one to have). The engine itself, if it's been well maintained is apparently solid. With a used vehicle, that's a roll of the dice I guess.
The other big issue is the air suspension. It frequently goes out, but if you're mechanically inclined its not hard or too expensive to fix. Or you can just replace it with struts and springs.
The transmission is a ZF unit, so super common and easy to work on and cheap to get parts for.
And finally are the electronics. It's "British", so it goes without saying that this is an area of many nickel and dime issues. Since the vehicles are ~20 years old at this point, there's going to be problems. BUT, there are well documented fixes and work arounds.
What would I do with it? Well, not much honestly. Mild 2" lift, Terrafirma black steelies with some AT's, skid plates, and a winch. Beyond that, the Rover 4wd system is supposedly amazing (as long as the electronics aren't toast) so no real need for lockers or anything like that.
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So, RME brain trust, am I insane for thinking about this? Does anyone have experience with late model Rovers or the L322 specifically? Should I just buy a Toyota? No, @bryson! Toyotas are boring.
I've always dug Rovers, but there is something particularly appealing to me about how the 3rd Generation Range Rover (L322) looks when its lifted a bit with some mildly aggressive tires under it. And yes, partially its appealing because its a bit of an odd ball (though it's still more mainstream than the Armada and Trooper ever were). Also, you can pick up relatively low mile examples for around $7000.
Obviously the downside is that its a Rover, so there's no getting around the basketcaseness that these things are. My research indicates that the 2006 - 2009 NA 4.4L are the best ones to get in the US (if we could get the TDV8, that's the one to have). The engine itself, if it's been well maintained is apparently solid. With a used vehicle, that's a roll of the dice I guess.
The other big issue is the air suspension. It frequently goes out, but if you're mechanically inclined its not hard or too expensive to fix. Or you can just replace it with struts and springs.
The transmission is a ZF unit, so super common and easy to work on and cheap to get parts for.
And finally are the electronics. It's "British", so it goes without saying that this is an area of many nickel and dime issues. Since the vehicles are ~20 years old at this point, there's going to be problems. BUT, there are well documented fixes and work arounds.
What would I do with it? Well, not much honestly. Mild 2" lift, Terrafirma black steelies with some AT's, skid plates, and a winch. Beyond that, the Rover 4wd system is supposedly amazing (as long as the electronics aren't toast) so no real need for lockers or anything like that.
____
So, RME brain trust, am I insane for thinking about this? Does anyone have experience with late model Rovers or the L322 specifically? Should I just buy a Toyota? No, @bryson! Toyotas are boring.
