Considering a Used Range Rover or Land Rover?
Range Rovers & Land Rovers have notoriously high depreciation and buying one slightly used can save you thousands, if you do it right. With over 20 years of experience in Range Rover & Land Rover repair, we have evaluated many used vehicles and know what to look for. We have a few suggestions for you, but the best way to ensure you’re purchasing a well-maintained vehicle is to call us at 847-593-6252 and set up an appointment so we can inspect the vehicle.
Decide What Year Range Rover/Land Rover You’re Interested In
The features, reliability, and other factors change depending on what year you’re looking to buy. You’ll want to look at the Wiki for Range Rovers and the Wiki for Land Rovers to see which generations you’re interested in so you know what model years to look for. In general, we recommend buying later years of each generation. For example, if you’re interested in a third generation Range Rover, years 2002-2012, we suggest you look closer to 2012.
Check for any Vehicle Recalls
A quick Google search can help keep you informed on common recalls of the vehicle. You can use a free tool like this one on cars.com which allows you to put in exact vehicle years, makes, and models to do a quick search of recalls. When you have a few vehicles picked out, you can easily call the owners and ask them if they have had the recalls performed. If so, they likely had the recalls performed at the dealership (since those are free) and you can likely call the dealer to verify.
Ask for Maintenance Records
If the owner has maintenance records, that would be very helpful and it might even be worth paying a little more for a vehicle that comes with service records. If a vehicle has maintenance records, that likely means that the owner took better care of the vehicle in general. If the service was done at an independent shop, feel free to call the shop and ask their input, or take a look at their reviews and website to make sure it’s a legitimate shop that has experience with foreign cars.
Inquire About the Air Suspension
The air suspension on Land Rovers & Range Rovers is a unique feature and gives them their fantastic ride quality. That said, if the suspension is not used at all, some of the components can malfunction and need to be replaced. Many owners will swap out the air suspension for a shock and spring kit. This will impact the ride quality and resale value.
Bring it into the Shop!
The best thing you can do is have a trained mechanic inspect your vehicle.
