Advice buying an old Range Rover or Discovery
Discussion
I'm considering getting an old Range Rover or Discovery as an occasional run-about. I have an every-day car but would like something that I can use for the garden centre, dropping stuff off at the tip, big shop item collection etc.
It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
Define ‘old’?
Is this a vehicle to be used and abused until it literally falls apart, or something you’d like to sell on in a couple of years when you’re bored of it?
Are you wanting to do off-roading in it?
I had a 1996 300tdi Discovery. In many ways it was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. In other ways it was one of the worst.
Cheap servicing? Yes. Many parts are very cheap. Some things can be a doddle to work on. Others can be an utter pain in the arse, (propshaft removal and inlet / exhaust manifold are two that still give me nightmares).
Rust is the biggest killer on these. People only generally clean the shiny, (top), of the vehicle whilst ignoring the multitude of rust traps underneath.
Boot floors, inner front wings, inner and outer sills and rear arches all love to rust at alarmingly quick rates and can get very expensive to fix to a factory looking standard. However, if you’re half decent at metal-fab and welding, you can do it yourself for relative peanuts.
The 200 / 300tdi’s are painfully slow, they like a drink and are noisy. But they’re so dam comfy to spend hours sitting in, have an almost endless supply of modding parts available, plenty of owners forums and YouTube videos to show you how to do various jobs on them, and you’ll run out of talent a long time before a LR runs out of ability.
If it’s an itch you want to scratch, I say do it. They always sell on quickly and easily, so you’re unlikely to lose your shirt on one.
Is this a vehicle to be used and abused until it literally falls apart, or something you’d like to sell on in a couple of years when you’re bored of it?
Are you wanting to do off-roading in it?
I had a 1996 300tdi Discovery. In many ways it was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. In other ways it was one of the worst.
Cheap servicing? Yes. Many parts are very cheap. Some things can be a doddle to work on. Others can be an utter pain in the arse, (propshaft removal and inlet / exhaust manifold are two that still give me nightmares).
Rust is the biggest killer on these. People only generally clean the shiny, (top), of the vehicle whilst ignoring the multitude of rust traps underneath.
Boot floors, inner front wings, inner and outer sills and rear arches all love to rust at alarmingly quick rates and can get very expensive to fix to a factory looking standard. However, if you’re half decent at metal-fab and welding, you can do it yourself for relative peanuts.
The 200 / 300tdi’s are painfully slow, they like a drink and are noisy. But they’re so dam comfy to spend hours sitting in, have an almost endless supply of modding parts available, plenty of owners forums and YouTube videos to show you how to do various jobs on them, and you’ll run out of talent a long time before a LR runs out of ability.
If it’s an itch you want to scratch, I say do it. They always sell on quickly and easily, so you’re unlikely to lose your shirt on one.
Edited by 105.4 on Wednesday 23 November 20:25
Make sure you have a good poke around underneath.
I was in the market for an early L322 but couldn't believe how bad they all were underneath. The BMW powered ones weren't too bad at the front because of how much oil would invariably be leaking out of them but the rear subframes were shocking on everyone I looked at.
Quite frustrating as a liberal coating of Lanoguard or Dynax UC once or twice in its life would have solved the problem.
I was in the market for an early L322 but couldn't believe how bad they all were underneath. The BMW powered ones weren't too bad at the front because of how much oil would invariably be leaking out of them but the rear subframes were shocking on everyone I looked at.
Quite frustrating as a liberal coating of Lanoguard or Dynax UC once or twice in its life would have solved the problem.
About 6 years ago I was looking at buying an L322. Went and spoke to the garage owner in my village about how bad they really were. His first comment was "but one, some of my best customers have one". To be fair he did say in reality they were no worse than any other complex luxury car of that age. I ended up with a Lexus rx400h. Which in 6 years has not cost a lot to run.
105.4 said:
Define ‘old’?
Is this a vehicle to be used and abused until it literally falls apart, or something you’d like to sell on in a couple of years when you’re bored of it?
Are you wanting to do off-roading in it?
I had a 1996 300tdi Discovery. In many ways it was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. In other ways it was one of the worst.
Cheap servicing? Yes. Many parts are very cheap. Some things can be a doddle to work on. Others can be an utter pain in the arse, (propshaft removal and inlet / exhaust manifold are two that still give me nightmares).
Rust is the biggest killer on these. People only generally clean the shiny, (top), of the vehicle whilst ignoring the multitude of rust traps underneath.
Boot floors, inner front wings, inner and outer sills and rear arches all love to rust at alarmingly quick rates and can get very expensive to fix to a factory looking standard. However, if you’re half decent at metal-fab and welding, you can do it yourself for relative peanuts.
The 200 / 300tdi’s are painfully slow, they like a drink and are noisy. But they’re so dam comfy to spend hours sitting in, have an almost endless supply of modding parts available, plenty of owners forums and YouTube videos to show you how to do various jobs on them, and you’ll run out of talent a long time before a LR runs out of ability.
If it’s an itch you want to scratch, I say do it. They always sell on quickly and easily, so you’re unlikely to lose your shirt on one.
Wow, thanks for taking the time to write all that. Very interesting. Unfortunately, I am crap as a mechanic so all work would have to be done by a garage. Is this a vehicle to be used and abused until it literally falls apart, or something you’d like to sell on in a couple of years when you’re bored of it?
Are you wanting to do off-roading in it?
I had a 1996 300tdi Discovery. In many ways it was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. In other ways it was one of the worst.
Cheap servicing? Yes. Many parts are very cheap. Some things can be a doddle to work on. Others can be an utter pain in the arse, (propshaft removal and inlet / exhaust manifold are two that still give me nightmares).
Rust is the biggest killer on these. People only generally clean the shiny, (top), of the vehicle whilst ignoring the multitude of rust traps underneath.
Boot floors, inner front wings, inner and outer sills and rear arches all love to rust at alarmingly quick rates and can get very expensive to fix to a factory looking standard. However, if you’re half decent at metal-fab and welding, you can do it yourself for relative peanuts.
The 200 / 300tdi’s are painfully slow, they like a drink and are noisy. But they’re so dam comfy to spend hours sitting in, have an almost endless supply of modding parts available, plenty of owners forums and YouTube videos to show you how to do various jobs on them, and you’ll run out of talent a long time before a LR runs out of ability.
If it’s an itch you want to scratch, I say do it. They always sell on quickly and easily, so you’re unlikely to lose your shirt on one.
Edited by 105.4 on Wednesday 23 November 20:25
I really would prefer a petrol rather than a diesel. But I looked at Autotrader and the diesels are far cheaper and there are loads more for sale. I'd like under 100k
mileage, so a 2010/11 model looks poss. But I'm worried that they'll be unreliable, expensive to run and all the gadgets won't work and will cost a fortune to fix.
No off-road for me except the odd field car parking
Edited by Focused on Wednesday 23 November 21:25
ChocolateFrog said:
Make sure you have a good poke around underneath.
I was in the market for an early L322 but couldn't believe how bad they all were underneath. The BMW powered ones weren't too bad at the front because of how much oil would invariably be leaking out of them but the rear subframes were shocking on everyone I looked at.
Quite frustrating as a liberal coating of Lanoguard or Dynax UC once or twice in its life would have solved the problem.
Good advice, thanks. If I find one that is good underneath I will do as you suggest too I was in the market for an early L322 but couldn't believe how bad they all were underneath. The BMW powered ones weren't too bad at the front because of how much oil would invariably be leaking out of them but the rear subframes were shocking on everyone I looked at.
Quite frustrating as a liberal coating of Lanoguard or Dynax UC once or twice in its life would have solved the problem.
ARHarh said:
About 6 years ago I was looking at buying an L322. Went and spoke to the garage owner in my village about how bad they really were. His first comment was "but one, some of my best customers have one". To be fair he did say in reality they were no worse than any other complex luxury car of that age. I ended up with a Lexus rx400h. Which in 6 years has not cost a lot to run.
Thanks for your comments. I'll take a look at the Lexus but I really fancy a Land Rover for some reason. I think it's an itch that needs scratching. The ULEZ within the North Circular seems to be forcing the Chelsea lot to be selling their diesel RRs too. I'm just outside the M25Focused said:
Wow, thanks for taking the time to write all that. Very interesting. Unfortunately, I am crap as a mechanic so all work would have to be done by a garage.
I really would prefer a petrol rather than a diesel. But I looked at Autotrader and the diesels are far cheaper and there are loads more for sale. I'd like under 100k
mileage, so a 2010/11 model looks poss. But I'm worried that they'll be unreliable, expensive to run and all the gadgets won't work and will cost a fortune to fix.
In which case, why not get something for £3000-£4000, which would leave plenty in the kitty for when things go wrong?I really would prefer a petrol rather than a diesel. But I looked at Autotrader and the diesels are far cheaper and there are loads more for sale. I'd like under 100k
mileage, so a 2010/11 model looks poss. But I'm worried that they'll be unreliable, expensive to run and all the gadgets won't work and will cost a fortune to fix.
Or maybe a WJ Grand Cherokee, (around 1999-2000 vintage). They’re built like absolute tanks, parts are cheap, (but might have to be imported from USA), and the 4.0 straight sixes, (petrol) engines are as bullet proof as it’s possible to get.
We’re on our second WJ Grand Cherokee, this current one being a 4.7 petrol V8 and I love it.
Focused said:
ARHarh said:
About 6 years ago I was looking at buying an L322. Went and spoke to the garage owner in my village about how bad they really were. His first comment was "but one, some of my best customers have one". To be fair he did say in reality they were no worse than any other complex luxury car of that age. I ended up with a Lexus rx400h. Which in 6 years has not cost a lot to run.
Thanks for your comments. I'll take a look at the Lexus but I really fancy a Land Rover for some reason. I think it's an itch that needs scratching. The ULEZ within the North Circular seems to be forcing the Chelsea lot to be selling their diesel RRs too. I'm just outside the M25Focused said:
Wow, thanks for taking the time to write all that. Very interesting. Unfortunately, I am crap as a mechanic so all work would have to be done by a garage.
I really would prefer a petrol rather than a diesel. But I looked at Autotrader and the diesels are far cheaper and there are loads more for sale. I'd like under 100k
mileage, so a 2010/11 model looks poss. But I'm worried that they'll be unreliable, expensive to run and all the gadgets won't work and will cost a fortune to fix.
No off-road for me except the odd field car parking
Seriously... At that age, don't buy any car based on mileage, always buy on condition.I really would prefer a petrol rather than a diesel. But I looked at Autotrader and the diesels are far cheaper and there are loads more for sale. I'd like under 100k
mileage, so a 2010/11 model looks poss. But I'm worried that they'll be unreliable, expensive to run and all the gadgets won't work and will cost a fortune to fix.
No off-road for me except the odd field car parking
A well maintained, high milage car is probably going to be more reliable than a low mileage car where the owner hasn't bothered servicing "coz I've not done enough miles this year".
Diesel vs Petrol: 90% of LR sales in Europe were traditionally diesel... So much so, in 2006 LR decided the only petrol variants they would sell in Europe are the Supercharged engines. That would probably explain the lack of petrol options turning up in your searches.
Rust is the main problem with most older Land Rovers... TBF - Rust is the main problem with any older UK car.
If you're only going to do short journeys, I would avoid any diesel with a DPF. That means you're looking at circa pre-2010/2011 cars (I can't remember exactly when the DPF was introduced into the LR range). The sweat-spot for me is the TDV8... It's a fantastic engine.
If it's practical and load carrying... The D3/D4 take some beating. The D3 was also available with the 4.4 V8. You might also get lucky and find some Jap imports with the V8 too... The V8 was also available in the D4 but not in the UK. The nice thing about any imported D4 V8s is that they'd be the 5.0.
Good luck
M
£10k will get you a decent L322 but for god's sake avoid the early 4.4 V8 petrol BMW engine - it's a hopeless lump.
Look for one of the early Jaguar engined petrol V8s or, even better, a 4.2 Supercharged, which is definitely what you want. Given that someone mentioned on here that the 4.2 Jag engine is allegedly the only engine featured in an L322 that has no known major issues, why wouldn't you?
My 2006 L322 4.2 s/c cost me £7400 two years ago and it's worth every single penny. Reliability-wise there have been a couple of bills but only for things that you would expect on a 17 year old vehicle with 90-100,000 miles on it, not things that you can specifically say have failed "because it's a Land Rover".
Look for one of the early Jaguar engined petrol V8s or, even better, a 4.2 Supercharged, which is definitely what you want. Given that someone mentioned on here that the 4.2 Jag engine is allegedly the only engine featured in an L322 that has no known major issues, why wouldn't you?
My 2006 L322 4.2 s/c cost me £7400 two years ago and it's worth every single penny. Reliability-wise there have been a couple of bills but only for things that you would expect on a 17 year old vehicle with 90-100,000 miles on it, not things that you can specifically say have failed "because it's a Land Rover".
Focused said:
I'm considering getting an old Range Rover or Discovery as an occasional run-about. I have an every-day car but would like something that I can use for the garden centre, dropping stuff off at the tip, big shop item collection etc.
It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
'Must be reliable'.....ok then It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
How much research have you done? or is this it. Seen Land Rovers, got £10k to spend, please provide info.
£10k will buy you a D4 or a Full Fat Range Rover or a Range Rover Sport. You would also get a mint Discovery 3 for that with some change.
If you want a Van/Car, then the D4 is as good as it gets, but you take you risks on the engine. The 3.0 is well know for crank snapping issues and that is a £4-9k bill depending where you go.
However, is a great family car with plenty of space. £10k will buy you a 6sp box XS which still gets you heated leather and DAB. The later 8Sp boxes that came in for 2012MY are better, but £10k will be a stretch for those cars.
My money would go on a 3.6TDV8 FFRR (What I have). £10k will get you a tidy one and possibly a facelift from 2011 if you are willing to stomach a high mileage example.
The 3.6TDV8 is a brilliant engine and better than the 3.0 V6 in the D4. Its more powerful and has more character IME. Less 'snappy' too, but eth Turbos are a £3k job on the RR.
Interior fit and finish is better on the RRs and leagues ahead of a D3 of the same vintage
Range Rover Sport offers less space than the RR and Discovery, but the cheapest route in and usually good value too. £10k will probably stretch to a 3.0 V6 or the 3.6TDV8 8Sp or late 6Sp.
What to look for?
Suspension suspension and suspension on all of them. Airbags aren't the best on the RR, but more durable on the D3/D4
Compressors break. Cheaper and easier to replace on the RR due to to spare wheel well location
Valve Blocks fail on D3/4
Unions to air tank fail
Sensors can cause issues
Engines
D4 with a rebuilt engine from a decent garage are worth more. This is a fact
Same issues as the above
Plastic manifolds break on the D4. Budget £1500-2k to replace and they was a shortage on those for a while so garages were getting creative in fixes
The FFRR 3.0TD6 is not the one IMO. Underpowered in something that size. Same can be said for the TDv6 in the D3. However, late model D3s with full colour coding are worth more than D4s due to the better reliability of the 2.7 engine vs the 3.0
The 3.6 TDV8 is around 280bhp and that is around 40bhp up on a 3.0 V6 D4 and 100bhp up on the 2.7 in the Discovery 3. The Discovery 3 is one I car I've owned where I thought it was underpwered and generally quite sluggish. EGR blank does next to nothing as well.
D3
Glowplugs fail and people fit remote starters for the fuel burning heater to save them them trying to remove the glow plugs
Interior trim is very dated now, but its all quite hard wearing
Rust
This is the L322 FFRR's biggest issue IMO. Water fills up in the sills and rusts the arches. Dain plugs on the boot, get blocked but generally speaking the boot is much less of an issue compared to the arcges and cars are just written off nowe as the rair is about £1k-2k for both sides on the sills/arches.
However the RR has a less practical cabin and boot compared to the D3 and D4.
When Land Rovers are working, they are simply best in class. My FFRR is the best cruiser I have ever owned. Seats are excellent and they are actually the same seats that they put in the P38 and that was launched in 1996 (I think)
They are not vehicles that I advise buying with no research. You will just get burned and I advise everyone that you should budget £1k per year for maintenance and have £3k at the ready just in case as you can easily swallow £1k for an air compressor and a few other bits and pieces.
'Cheap Servicing'
Not really sure what you mean. I changed the oil every year on my D3 for about £70 including filters. It had absolutely no bearing on the other items that broke on the car. Remember these are highly complex vehciles. m
ARHarh said:
About 6 years ago I was looking at buying an L322. Went and spoke to the garage owner in my village about how bad they really were. His first comment was "but one, some of my best customers have one". To be fair he did say in reality they were no worse than any other complex luxury car of that age. I ended up with a Lexus rx400h. Which in 6 years has not cost a lot to run.
No worse? Such BS Much rust on a 07 Lexus Hybrid? L322s are well known for this.
Also, no transfer box or air suspension to worry about on the Lexus either.
I considered the Lexus as they are good value and ticked many boxes, but I just wanted the RR more and I know it will cost me more in the long run. Might consider the Lexus next time as at least they are petrol.
bakerstreet said:
ARHarh said:
About 6 years ago I was looking at buying an L322. Went and spoke to the garage owner in my village about how bad they really were. His first comment was "but one, some of my best customers have one". To be fair he did say in reality they were no worse than any other complex luxury car of that age. I ended up with a Lexus rx400h. Which in 6 years has not cost a lot to run.
No worse? Such BS Much rust on a 07 Lexus Hybrid? L322s are well known for this.
Also, no transfer box or air suspension to worry about on the Lexus either.
I considered the Lexus as they are good value and ticked many boxes, but I just wanted the RR more and I know it will cost me more in the long run. Might consider the Lexus next time as at least they are petrol.
bakerstreet said:
Focused said:
I'm considering getting an old Range Rover or Discovery as an occasional run-about. I have an every-day car but would like something that I can use for the garden centre, dropping stuff off at the tip, big shop item collection etc.
It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
'Must be reliable'.....ok then It needs to be petrol
£10k budget
Will sit on the drive quite a lot
Doesn't need to be powerful
Must be reliable
Cheap servicing
Is this possible?
Any advice appreciated
TIA
How much research have you done? or is this it. Seen Land Rovers, got £10k to spend, please provide info.
£10k will buy you a D4 or a Full Fat Range Rover or a Range Rover Sport. You would also get a mint Discovery 3 for that with some change.
If you want a Van/Car, then the D4 is as good as it gets, but you take you risks on the engine. The 3.0 is well know for crank snapping issues and that is a £4-9k bill depending where you go.
However, is a great family car with plenty of space. £10k will buy you a 6sp box XS which still gets you heated leather and DAB. The later 8Sp boxes that came in for 2012MY are better, but £10k will be a stretch for those cars.
My money would go on a 3.6TDV8 FFRR (What I have). £10k will get you a tidy one and possibly a facelift from 2011 if you are willing to stomach a high mileage example.
The 3.6TDV8 is a brilliant engine and better than the 3.0 V6 in the D4. Its more powerful and has more character IME. Less 'snappy' too, but eth Turbos are a £3k job on the RR.
Interior fit and finish is better on the RRs and leagues ahead of a D3 of the same vintage
Range Rover Sport offers less space than the RR and Discovery, but the cheapest route in and usually good value too. £10k will probably stretch to a 3.0 V6 or the 3.6TDV8 8Sp or late 6Sp.
What to look for?
Suspension suspension and suspension on all of them. Airbags aren't the best on the RR, but more durable on the D3/D4
Compressors break. Cheaper and easier to replace on the RR due to to spare wheel well location
Valve Blocks fail on D3/4
Unions to air tank fail
Sensors can cause issues
Engines
D4 with a rebuilt engine from a decent garage are worth more. This is a fact
Same issues as the above
Plastic manifolds break on the D4. Budget £1500-2k to replace and they was a shortage on those for a while so garages were getting creative in fixes
The FFRR 3.0TD6 is not the one IMO. Underpowered in something that size. Same can be said for the TDv6 in the D3. However, late model D3s with full colour coding are worth more than D4s due to the better reliability of the 2.7 engine vs the 3.0
The 3.6 TDV8 is around 280bhp and that is around 40bhp up on a 3.0 V6 D4 and 100bhp up on the 2.7 in the Discovery 3. The Discovery 3 is one I car I've owned where I thought it was underpwered and generally quite sluggish. EGR blank does next to nothing as well.
D3
Glowplugs fail and people fit remote starters for the fuel burning heater to save them them trying to remove the glow plugs
Interior trim is very dated now, but its all quite hard wearing
Rust
This is the L322 FFRR's biggest issue IMO. Water fills up in the sills and rusts the arches. Dain plugs on the boot, get blocked but generally speaking the boot is much less of an issue compared to the arcges and cars are just written off nowe as the rair is about £1k-2k for both sides on the sills/arches.
However the RR has a less practical cabin and boot compared to the D3 and D4.
When Land Rovers are working, they are simply best in class. My FFRR is the best cruiser I have ever owned. Seats are excellent and they are actually the same seats that they put in the P38 and that was launched in 1996 (I think)
They are not vehicles that I advise buying with no research. You will just get burned and I advise everyone that you should budget £1k per year for maintenance and have £3k at the ready just in case as you can easily swallow £1k for an air compressor and a few other bits and pieces.
'Cheap Servicing'
Not really sure what you mean. I changed the oil every year on my D3 for about £70 including filters. It had absolutely no bearing on the other items that broke on the car. Remember these are highly complex vehciles. m
I will take on board what you've said and will be aware of the pitfalls. I will also delve into the Lexus pool but for looks alone, I prefer the RR. But my criteria goes beyond looks obviously. I hope to purchase something in the new year so have time to research and choose the right model for me.
Thanks again
Just spotted this thread while looking for my own.
I bought a petrol D3 last year, because I need to be between very rural Norfolk and inner London. Being a complicated old car, it's naturally taken quite a bit of expense to get it to a standard where it can be used regularly without worry.
I can't think of anything I'd swap it for at less than £20k at the moment.
I bought a petrol D3 last year, because I need to be between very rural Norfolk and inner London. Being a complicated old car, it's naturally taken quite a bit of expense to get it to a standard where it can be used regularly without worry.
I can't think of anything I'd swap it for at less than £20k at the moment.
What about a Range Rover P38?
I was running a superb Mercedes ML320 CDI. Absolutely top of the range with every conceivable extra, a beautiful car. I was giving up work, decided on a completely different hobby car that I could tinker with if necessary. I gave the Mercedes to my son bought a 2001 4.6, P38.
I have had the car for 4 1/2 years and it hasn’t missed a beat. I bought it from a dealer with 70 K miles on the clock, two owners. The only downside was that someone had converted it to a set of springs instead of the original air suspension.
I am fortunate enough to own a 2 post lift at home. I pressure washed the underside, touched up surface rust wherever, replaced the air suspension which was easy, replace the Dampers then gave it a full service. Cosmetically sourced a different set of range Rover wheels, Had them refurbished and fitted a quality set of all-terrain tyres. Recently I fitted a pair of back exhaust boxes and pipework. £150 delivered. Prices for parts are dirt cheap and there are decent forums which are very helpful.
I absolutely love this car, smooth, quiet and the chances of seeing another one on the road are very slim. Compared to the usual grey masses, It stands out head and shoulders above them. It makes people smile and I am always being asked about it. Everything works on it apart from the heated seats which have been on my list since purchase! It is not as big as the current crop of Range Rovers but it’s huge inside.
Fuel consumption, I don’t worry about it but it will do just over 20 mpg on a run and driven sensibly returns about 17 mpg.
I paid £4200 from a dealer and I doubt if it has cost more than £1500 including wheels and tyres since I bought it.
There are plenty out there. If you are interested, go for the best and latest example. They often come up on the classic car site. There are also a lot of extremely clean Japanese imports around, all relatively cheap.
Oh, if you fancy doing a bit of green laning, the ride is superb compared to many defenders and discos and I have owned in the past
I was running a superb Mercedes ML320 CDI. Absolutely top of the range with every conceivable extra, a beautiful car. I was giving up work, decided on a completely different hobby car that I could tinker with if necessary. I gave the Mercedes to my son bought a 2001 4.6, P38.
I have had the car for 4 1/2 years and it hasn’t missed a beat. I bought it from a dealer with 70 K miles on the clock, two owners. The only downside was that someone had converted it to a set of springs instead of the original air suspension.
I am fortunate enough to own a 2 post lift at home. I pressure washed the underside, touched up surface rust wherever, replaced the air suspension which was easy, replace the Dampers then gave it a full service. Cosmetically sourced a different set of range Rover wheels, Had them refurbished and fitted a quality set of all-terrain tyres. Recently I fitted a pair of back exhaust boxes and pipework. £150 delivered. Prices for parts are dirt cheap and there are decent forums which are very helpful.
I absolutely love this car, smooth, quiet and the chances of seeing another one on the road are very slim. Compared to the usual grey masses, It stands out head and shoulders above them. It makes people smile and I am always being asked about it. Everything works on it apart from the heated seats which have been on my list since purchase! It is not as big as the current crop of Range Rovers but it’s huge inside.
Fuel consumption, I don’t worry about it but it will do just over 20 mpg on a run and driven sensibly returns about 17 mpg.
I paid £4200 from a dealer and I doubt if it has cost more than £1500 including wheels and tyres since I bought it.
There are plenty out there. If you are interested, go for the best and latest example. They often come up on the classic car site. There are also a lot of extremely clean Japanese imports around, all relatively cheap.
Oh, if you fancy doing a bit of green laning, the ride is superb compared to many defenders and discos and I have owned in the past
I'd be looking at a Defender for what you need, it ticks all of the boxes. Prices aren't nearly as strong as they were, so I reckon with care you could get something half-reasonable for 10k. Biggest issue is chassis and bulkhead rust, buy something that's been treated with Waxoyl/Lanoguard etc and you should be fine.
The shiny luxury stuff is lovely to be in and comfy, but you either need deep pockets for a major bork, or you need to be handy with spanners but more to the point, a multimeter. Defenders are so unbelievably simple, and parts so ridiculously cheap, for your "low miles, low power, sits around a lot dump-mobile" I think it would make a lot more sense. Plus if you look after it, you are very unlikely to ever lose any money.
D1s have terminal body rot, D2s have terminal chassis rot, P38s have endless electrical gremlins, anything with air suspension is a nightmare, and D3's/D4's, lovely as they are, have nightmare engine problems, and have the ridiculous situation where you need to remove the entire body to change the cam belt! The Defender has none of this, just stay on top of the chassis/bulkhead rust and the rest of it is super simple and reliable. But obviously comfort levels and equipment are pretty much non-existant, especially at that price point. But it's part of the appeal, and less to go wrong!
The shiny luxury stuff is lovely to be in and comfy, but you either need deep pockets for a major bork, or you need to be handy with spanners but more to the point, a multimeter. Defenders are so unbelievably simple, and parts so ridiculously cheap, for your "low miles, low power, sits around a lot dump-mobile" I think it would make a lot more sense. Plus if you look after it, you are very unlikely to ever lose any money.
D1s have terminal body rot, D2s have terminal chassis rot, P38s have endless electrical gremlins, anything with air suspension is a nightmare, and D3's/D4's, lovely as they are, have nightmare engine problems, and have the ridiculous situation where you need to remove the entire body to change the cam belt! The Defender has none of this, just stay on top of the chassis/bulkhead rust and the rest of it is super simple and reliable. But obviously comfort levels and equipment are pretty much non-existant, especially at that price point. But it's part of the appeal, and less to go wrong!
My first trip to Le Mans in 2005 was in a P38, so I have a huge soft spot for them. 5 large blokes and associated camping equipment were swallowed with consummate ease, and the lethargic 2.5 diesel even managed a mile-long, multi-car overtake at 90mph on the old Route Napoleon (to the surprise of many we overtook).
That said, even then that car was costing my friend a small fortune to maintain. Suspension issues, a replacement turbo and myriad other small faults all conspired to force him into selling soon after. If you're going to buy one, I'd want to see evidence of consistent maintenance spend, rather than something that's been maintained on a shoestring on someone's driveway.
That said, even then that car was costing my friend a small fortune to maintain. Suspension issues, a replacement turbo and myriad other small faults all conspired to force him into selling soon after. If you're going to buy one, I'd want to see evidence of consistent maintenance spend, rather than something that's been maintained on a shoestring on someone's driveway.
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