Anyone with a Range Rover County?

[HHI944]

I'm pretty sure I'm picking up a VERY clean one tomorrow. It's a '95 LWB with 100k. It took a little haggling and some other potential buyers falling through, but I finally got it down to a price I'm comfortable with paying. Anyone have any experience? I really like the body style and the interior just seems to be a step above the p38 despite being older. I'm excited and dreading another bought with the prince of darkness all at once.

[pookie]

Don't own one, don't really like them, but can we see some pics of the Series Rover?

[HHI944]

Yeah, I don't have much in my photobucket and it's wet/dark out so no new photos.


It's a pretty solid old beast, structural rust is pretty minimal, drive train is all in good condition, 24 spline axle, manual warn lockers, I just did valves/shocks/oil/all filters/coil and have the crap coming to upgrade to parabolics, exmoor interior carpeting and some other little things. I'm thinking about doing a grill conversion so I can run 4 head lights.

I'm still up in the air about the County LWB. The SIII isn't going anywhere, I just wouldn't mind it having a more refined yet still old school sibling in the driveway.
I was looking at one with an ECR Pursuit engine in it, but after talking to the owner I got a bit of a bad feeling. The install was done by a couple of guys in a garage and they never figured out how to rig the AC back up and it was having a few other problems.

[jyl]

We had a 95 RR County LWB from about '02 to recently. We bought it with appx 40K miles, and I sold it a while ago with about 140K miles in pretty mediocre shape for - well, so little that I can't even remember - I think $500?

We had it maintained religiously, but it still ate about $3K/year in repairs and maintenance, including eating up the front diff for no apparent reason. For the first 80K miles of our ownership, it was a really comfortable vehicle and the best snow ride I've ever had - if you didn't mind the $3K/yr. After about 120K miles it started deteriorating faster than we could keep fixing it. Electrical broke, the EAS broke, trim broke, head gaskets went, leather cracked, paint started failing, the body rubber looked like crap, on and on.

Nice-looking ones w/ 100-120K go for about $2K last I checked. So, plan to DIY everything, or consider it disposable, because it isn't worth paying a mechanic to fix it, and it is barely worth buying new parts to fix it yourself. Sorry, but that's the truth.

I had a series IIA for years, did all my own work, and thought the RR would be the same way. But I didn't find it interesting to work on, not like the old Landie, and the parts aren't cheap if bought from catalogs. The basic mechanicals held up pretty well for the most part, except the diff-munching episode and some fuel-injection problems, but all the accessories and body electricals and air suspension are crap, and they hung a lot of that crap on that vehicle. There are a lot of them in salvage yards though, that's where we got the diff, so if there is a RR salvage place near you and you like working on the vehicle, you are probably good to go.

[willtel]

I daily drove a '95 LWB for 4 years. To say it kept me busy would be an understatement.

Things I fixed or broke in that time:
Distributor was replaced with a Buick HEI
Power window controller had to be removed and re-soldered
U-Joint in the front driveshaft let go at speed and put a window in the transmission
Replaced transmission due to window
Replaced transfer case while the trans was out because the center viscous diff was shot
Rear end sheared the pinon gear pulling out of my driveway
Replaced front and rear diffs with 4:11 gears and ARB lockers I bought used
Removed EAS and put in standard coil springs
Head gaskets let go at about 90k
Radiator went 20k before that
I believe the camshaft was consuming itself
Heater core was shot
Lots and lots of little electrical stuff
A few ABS relays

I did enjoy it when it was running correctly but at the time I couldn't afford to maintain it correctly anymore so I stopped driving it and sold it after it sat for about a year. In the 4 years I owned it I took off road once, the rest of the time something was broken that would keep me close to home. Have fun, I hope you won't be paying someone for repairs.

[HHI944]

Most of the repairs I would do myself. The suspension has already been converted to coil springs, the HG was done 20k back and all new UJ's will be on their way if I do buy this truck.
I've got a really good Britcar mechanic that keeps tabs on dead cars and yards with a good stock of parts so that's no problem.

I figured it wouldn't be as easy to work on as the SIII, but that's to be expected when comparing to a vehicle you could completely rebuild in your driveway with minimal tools.

[jyl]

I did really like the rear legroom and the solid, heavy. firm feel of the RR.

I forgot to mention it ate brakes every couple years, needed a new radiator and water pump, the EAS went out 3X, the rear hatch latches failed, one door latch was jamming, the headliner was falling down, the alarm system would go on if you didn't lock/unlock it just right, there were more problems, big and small, but I can't recall them all because there were so many. My mechanic once introduced me to his son as "the man who is putting you through school". Hopefully you won't become as valued to yours.

Oh BTW, mpg was awful, in sunny CA we got around 12 mpg city and in the winter in OR we were getting <10 mpg.

It could have been worse (maybe), the other vehicle I was liking at the time was a BMW 750iL.

[Casket]

I’ve had a 1992 Range Rover Classic for the last 10 years. In addition to what the other guys have said I’ve dealt with a perpetually leaking swivel-ball (that resulted in a CV joint failure right after I bought the vehicle), problems with some weird governor on the back of the transmission that I can’t get to without dropping the transfer case, blown head gaskets, O2 sensor failures, an electrical system that doesn’t remotely resemble any of the schematics available for it, two failed radiators, and best of all …an exploding heater core. The heater core deserves special mention because when Land Rover “engineers” designed the Range Rover, they hung a heater core in the middle of a room and built the entire vehicle around it.

On the plus side, you don’t have to jack it up to get under it. I’m selling it pretty soon because I’m moving to Texas and the Rover’s got 190k miles on it and I don’t want to deal with getting it down there only to have the motor puke on me in a year. ….Oh, and it get’s 11mpg.

Some time in the future I plan on getting another Rover, but it will probably be a Series IIA or a Disco.

[HHI944]

I'm small change to my mechanic. He's got a few vintage rolls and bentleys that could put a kid through harvard. He always cuts me a good deal though because I've thrown a lot of business his way via local defender owners. Like I said the eas isn't a problem because it has been converted.

[mike monde]

I still own my 95 RR county. All of the above is spot on. If you plan on using it as DD then budget 2 to 3k a year for repairs and maintenance. Unfortunately, these vehicles are expensive and don't hold up nearly as well as you would expect. Find a good mechanic who knows these trucks, otherwise you will create a black hole. Dealership, avoid at all costs. Had a former RR mechanic work for me and the tales he told convinced me to never have my truck serviced by a dealer.
I have owned a few sport utes over the years and I always liked the way my RR drove the best. Also, always loved the look. Mine is currently being used by my daughter who is away @ college. School is close enough so if she has a problem I can get to her.
Bottom line.....I wouldn't recommend as a DD unless you are willing to spend some $$$. Once my daughter tires of it, off it goes to the sale lot or scrap heap. Don't think I would buy or recommend another...now a LR Defender as a weekend warrior

[HHI944]

2-3k a year would be a relief. My last jag robbed me of 7500 in less than a year. I'm on my way to pick it up.
I wouldn't gonear adealer. Last time I went they tried to convince me there was no such thing as a series rover.

[Steve F]

Originally Posted by HHI944

My last jag robbed me of 7500 in less than a year.

Welcome to my world Same thing to the penny

[HHI944]

I sold that ***** for 1500 after the second time electricals went nuts almost catching the trunk on fire.

[HHI944]

Not quite as clean as he advertised it as being. He intentionally only took pictures of what was good. The wood trim on the right side was pristing, on the drivers side it was cracked to hell and falling off. The hood was faded as hell (described as interior and exterior in great condition). The transfer case was coated in gunk and making a disconcerting rattle. He didn't know how to open the hood and has owned the truck for almost 2 years. The hatch wouldn't close. The ABS light was on. The locks were screwy. It 'needed an alignment'

I'm still looking for a County LWB if anyone knows of one for sale, I'm just not willing to pay on the high end of value for a ragged out turd.

[willtel]

This is where I found mine, Land Rovers for Sale at the Land Rover Exchange.

I think if I were to own another Range Rover it would be an early 2-door model with a manual trans. Much less electrical stuff to worry about.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by HHI944

Not quite as clean as he advertised it as being. He intentionally only took pictures of what was good. The wood trim on the right side was pristing, on the drivers side it was cracked to hell and falling off. The hood was faded as hell (described as interior and exterior in great condition). The transfer case was coated in gunk and making a disconcerting rattle. He didn't know how to open the hood and has owned the truck for almost 2 years. The hatch wouldn't close. The ABS light was on. The locks were screwy. It 'needed an alignment'

Sounds worse than the one I sold for appx $500. When you do find a nice one, I'd still have a PPI done.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by willtel

Regardless of all the horror stories I still would like to have one of these to play around with. I've always liked the look of that model...more so than the latest RR's prowling the parking lots...

Also always like the 80 series (Early '90s) Toyota Landcruiser but the RR had a far nicer interior.

[HHI944]

Javabrewer, that's exactly why I want one the aesthetics are great.

[RWebb]

from everything I hear, you should never take a County out of the county - and even that is pretty risky.

Why not get a Land Bruiser instead? What is the adv. of the Range Romper over those?

[HHI944]

I've got a bit of an addiction to british vehicles. Not so much on the Jap stuff though a few LC's have caught my eye at times. I'm not opposed to high maintenance vehicles and I'm willing to pay for it at the shop, I'm just not looking to pick one up that already needs a ton of work.

I'd love to find a 2d grey market Range Rover really. Their still relatively simple vehicles to work on and they have the aesthetic appeal I'm seeking.