Land Rover Range Rover (1994 – 2002) Review

Land Rover Range Rover (1994 – 2002) At A Glance

Fantastically able and comfortable over tough terrain. Better road manners than previous version. Strong image.

Poor build quality and reliability problems. V8 guzzles petrol. Standard BMW diesel very slow unless chipped.

Ask Honest John

Are P38 Range Rovers becoming valuable?

"Are Range Rover P38 becoming collectible classics and are their value gradually increasing?"

Now that Range Rover Classics are proper collector's vehicles, the P38 (second-generation) model appears to be following suit. A few years ago you could get one in good order for £2000. You'll need three times that now and they're still on the up. But they do require patience and specialist maintenance!

Answered by Craig Cheetham

Are the BMW diesel engines in P38 Range Rovers reliable?

"With the weather becoming more unpredictable and winter soon upon us I've been looking at a 1999 P38 DT 2.5 DSE with the BMW engine. 1. Are there any known common faults with that engine? 2. Is the engine run by an ECU or is it a pretty basic diesel with a manual pump etc? 3. According to the owner this model 2nd Gen doesn't suffer from rust worm as badly as others, it does look very good topside wheel arches, doors etc but I can't slide under it to look at the chassis."

The BMW M51 diesel engine fitted to the P38 Range Rover is known for its longevity and reliability, but it is important to remember that this engine is approaching 25 years old so some problems are to be expected. As with many diesels of this generation EGR valves can become clogged, so cleaning the intake and EGR valve can assist smooth running. Frequent oil changes are recommended to maintain the health of the turbocharger, and ensuring the engine is allowed to get up to temperature when driving and allowing it to cool at the end of your journey is also helpful. The fuel injection is operated by a Bosch ECU. As for rust, unfortunately a thorough examination underneath is the only way to be sure about the state of the chassis.

Answered by David Ross

What SUV will hold its value over the next five years?

"Can you suggest a reliable SUV under £9000 that will hold its value over 5 years? I live in Bristol so was leaning towards petrol."

Unfortunately, unless you buy a classic car, any SUV you buy will depreciate in value over five years. You could go for something like a classic Range Rover – a tidy one could be a good investment but it'll need regular maintenance. Otherwise, a reliable SUV for £9k would be a Suzuki Vitara or, if you need more space, a Honda CR-V. We'd recommend a petrol if you live (or regularly drive into) the centre of Bristol.

Answered by Andrew Brady

What cars would you recommend as possible future classics?

"What cars would you recommend as possible future classics? They must be automatic and reasonable to maintain."

You could have a look at a Mercedes-Benz SL (R107) although these are expensive now. Maybe a P38 Range Rover or a Bentley Arnage Red Label. If you'd like to go a bit more modern, then perhaps one of the first Audi TTs with the DSG box like the 2003 3.2 is an option (although the boxes are fragile) or something like a Smart Roadster. Also worth a look might be an American muscle car like a Mustang, or you could go for a high-performance model like a BMW M3 or Mercedes-Benz AMG. Feeling flush? Then how about a Nissan GT-R.

Answered by Keith Moody

More Questions

Model History

• March 1994: New Range Rover launched

Land Rover Range Rover (1994 – 2002) Buying Guide

Good

Undeniable road presence. 

Far less vague on the road than the old model.

Excellent off-road ability.

Low 3 out of 9 point death rate from accidents in this model.

Bad

Apalling catalogue of build problems.

BMW-powered diesel version is ridiculously slow on the road - especially in automatic form.

4.6HE drinks petrol. 4.0 V8 a bit less juicy.

4.6HE loses value fast.

Heavy duty new prices of £53,000 for the 4.6 Vogue, £57,500 for the 30th Anniversary (30 years ago a Range Rover was £2,000) and £64,495 for the Holland & Holland (no shotguns included).

S and T platers 19th from bottom in 2001 Top Gear / J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.

In June 2001 Land Rover was rated by Motor Warranty Direct as Britain's 2nd worst out of 22 marques for warranty claims  LandRover had joint highest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old.

Land Rover 3rd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; least reliable of 32 makes built 1997 - 1999.

2nd bottom vehicle in Warranty Direct 2003 reliability index.

Land Rovers had third highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 167.53 v/s lowest 31.93).

Land Rover 4th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £367.03 with highest 46.23 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies.

1995-2002 Range Rover 7th equal least reliable car in 2007 Warranty Direct Reliability Survey with 48 faults per 100 cars.

Watch

Water ingress into ECU will stop the car. 

Complaints of collapsing rear air suspension on late examples. 

Avoid the 4.6. Reports both from Telegraph readers and from the trade of the over-bored 4.6 V8 engines developing porous bore liners, costing from £1,800 (trade price) to £3,600 (punter price) to put right. Further reports of camshaft failures on 4.0 litre V8s. Useful site for information about V8 and for replacements: www.v8engine.com 

Check for signs of severe usage. Tow hooks (what's it been towing?). Listen for transmission noise on manual versions. Make sure all gearbox functions work (manual and automatic). 

Look for oil leaks from axles, gearbox and transfer case. 

Look for dog damage to leather seats and trim. Scuff marks and trim damage from shooting trips. 

Check all electrics. 

Make sure wheels will come off as the alloy wheels have a habit of corroding to the hubs. 

If paying dealer prices, make sure it comes with a full service history. See 5/12/2000 Recall notice below. This has resulted in some cooling systems becoming over-pressurised resulting in total engine failure. Further problem on 4.6s of coolant loss through block porosity (see above), so check for lack of coolant.

Recalls

1995 (VIN LP311035 to LP312917): ABS braking hose may fail.

1998 V8: cooling system hoses found to be failing. 2000: June '94-August '98 build: automatic gearbox fluid can seep out and spill onto hot exhaust creating fire risk. V8 models built June '98-Sept '99 may lose power steering.

5/12/2000: 15,767 Range Rover V8s recalled because of possibility of premature failure of cooling system hoses and throttle body heater gasket. Expelled coolant allowed to remain on hot engine components could result in the evaporation of the water content and leave an artificially high concentration level of anti-freeze which is both corrosive and inflammable. Affected vehicles to be recalled to replace cooling system hoses and throttle body heater gasket.

TWO RECALLS 3/4/2001: Build 1/1/1998 to 31/12/2000, VINs XA410482 to 1A452817 and XA220000 to 1A299999: Recall 1 (automatics only): Water may migrate up gearbox breather pipe and corrode park lock mechanism leading it to fail to lock properly. Gearbox breather pipe to be re-routed and affected gearboxes to be repaired. Recall 2: High pressure hose of Active Cornering Enhancement system not fitted with anti vibtation attenuator may fracture. Where attenuator not fitted, hiogh pressure hoses to be replaced. May 2005: Official recall to check and replace plastic fuel tanks if necessary.