Buying a used car can have a lot of benefits, especially in the luxury car market. Cars from Audi and BMW practically eat their depreciation, from the moment you drive them off the lot along with every mile you add to the odometer. There are some luxury cars that you can confidently buy in the used car market and avoid depreciation, but there are some that you should definitely avoid, and the Land Rover Range Rover is one of them.

What’s the problem with used Range Rovers?

Regardless of which model or year you choose, used Land Rover Range Rovers are notorious for being unreliable and plagued with expensive repair costs. Additionally, even Range Rovers that appear, upon first glance, to be in exceptional or in like-new condition can be hiding some nefarious mechanical problems. So, there are some major problems you should be aware of if you absolutely must buy a used Range Rover.

From the outside, many older used Range Rovers look to be in good condition because the body of most Range Rovers is aluminum, so you won’t find them rusting out. Unlike some lower-priced cars, Range Rovers use a higher-quality paint and clear coat, so you can typically find them without UV burn or sun spots and with paint in relatively good condition for a used car. However, when it comes to buying a car, looks aren’t the most important factor if they cover up major underlying issues.

Furthermore, even buying a more recent used model, like the most reliable Range Rover year (the 2014 Land Rover Range Rover), could pose a threat to your wallet, as repair and maintenance costs over five years can rack up to several thousand dollars.

The Land Rover Range Rover air suspension is cool, but expensive

Many Land Rover Range Rovers come equipped with an air suspension that, when working, gives the car a smooth ride that can be adjusted for different driving conditions. In fact, it’s only one of the many potential problems you might have when buying a used Range Rover. An air suspension consists of several major components that cost thousands of dollars to repair or replace. Because many Range Rovers can still be driven with many of these mechanical pieces damaged, you can buy one without realizing that the suspension needs a substantial amount of work.

Bags of air located at each corner of the luxury SUV allow the height of the Range Rover to be adjusted. At around 100,000 miles, these bags start to fail, causing them to leak air and become completely ineffective. This is a problem almost all Range Rover owners are complaining about once their mileage gets higher.

Land Rover Range Rover owners complain about oil leaks

Another concern that many Land Rover Range Rover drivers complain about is oil leaks, which are not inevitable but also happen to low-mileage cars. Some owners even claim they have oil leak problems as low as 70,000 miles or sooner. If you’re looking to buy a used Range Rover, it’s a red flag to look out for. Depending on where oil is leaking from, this issue can cause significant inconveniences, and it’s not uncommon for an oil leak to burn in the engine bay and cause disgusting-smelling smoke.

Finally, many new and old Range Rover models are experiencing these issues. While they may not sound too bad at first, many owners are dealing with expensive repairs.