Range Rovers are an experience--and it looks like you have made up your mind already and need some validation. I was the same way when I got mine despite many warnings about its reliability.
We purchased a 2005 HSE Westminster (which is a limited edition with a few extra perks; more unique than phenomenal compared to base) near the end of 2008. The Rover has had its share of problems, the biggest being the air suspension, in my opinion a useless thing that only results in problems with little practical value. The truck started going up and down on its own and stumped 2 of the most busy dealerships in the country on how to fix. Surprisingly a small dealership with poor communication and a non-national reputation fixed it with no issues on the first try. We have had some other issues with it but that's the biggest one. Extended warranty cost $3500+ for 3 years and we used up every dime and probably put in ~$4-5K on top of it. You have to factor in cost of ownership on these cars, pay to play.
On depreciation, it all depends on where on the curve you get it. Brand new or close, you will get hosed. But, if you hit the sweet spot, you can get a great deal. The Westminster I have probably had a new tag of ~90K (I'm sure it was discounted from MSRP by a bit). With 22k miles, the dealer was asking $38k for a 3+ year old car. I said I wouldn't pay more than $30K and got it (this is for ppl who get offended at lowballing; no harm trying, it's called negotiations). We've put 61K miles on it (83k total) and extended warranty has ended. Thankfully, it has been pretty good post-warranty (some minor body things that I haven't gotten fixed) and from what I'm seeing with comparable cars, it should have excellent resale (maybe it's westminster thing or maybe it's just RR). Just hitting the sweet spot on the depreciation curve with this particular model and getting a great deal will (hopefully) essentially make for money I put into it.
I had 2005 model which was a BMW built one and perhaps more troublesome than others. But in terms of the car itself, we love it. It's fun and refined to be in--not just name brand but that means a lot to ppl to. It looks great and with running boards and exterior grill, it looks real aggressive. When I tell ppl I got it for less than $30K @ 22K miles, they are shocked. Might be a sick deal that I got. But did end up pouring more money into it after adding up tax, extended warranty, repairs, misc. Maybe it's like an abusive relationship, but we are probably planning to replace this Range with newer, used one, down the line. I'm just not sure when, maybe this year. I feel like many of the potential problems have been sorted out and want to milk it and put more mileage on before jettisoning it (of course, this may be playing with fire).
