Range Rover Classic - Anyone own one?

[Jayboundless]

Sorry this is not a Porsche question, but I know us classic p-car owners usually like off the beaten path vehicles. I'm looking for options as a new secondary car/winter driver and have always loved the classic design Ranger Rover 88-95. Does anyone own one and willing to provide some insights on ongoing maintenance issues etc. Obviously not afraid of doing a little of my own maintenance.

Feel free to delete if this offends, just looking for some advice from a trusted source.

Thanks
Jay

[tharbert]

You're right. Non-Porsche stuff goes in the OT forum. Post over there and you'll tend to get more answers. This question belongs right between the "Good steakhouse in Vegas?" and "Do you Floss?" threads.

[onewhippedpuppy]

They are everything you would expect out of an old Land Rover. Lots of character, not very reliable, like to rust. At least they are old enough that they don't have a massive number of electrical gizmos to malfunction. I had a Disco 1 that was a cool old truck, lots of character but not very well made. If I went down that road again it would be a Land Cruiser, my FJ80 was so much more truck for the money.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Very capable trucks and fairly stout but I would do an engine swap-

The engines have all sorts of issues (design flaws) and the ignition systems are a joke. Drop a fuel injected crate motor (your preferred flavor) and donor engine harness into it and never look back. Even in California you can do a swap if you get a CA smog compliant crate engine. If you look a lot one will turn up for sale in good condition for not too much money- Look in Southern/Northern California as they were sold in high numbers here.

[Nostril Cheese]

It's old. It's British. Run away.

[JavaBrewer]

Definitely not the most reliable vehicle out there - even when judged by Range/Land Rover standards. They can be had for dirt cheap. If you plan to DIY for most repairs then I would say find one that is not rusted and was property maintained. Otherwise follow the advise of others and look elsewhere.

That said they are very adept on and off the road and have a character than no other SUV can approach. Head over to discoweb.org -- and do some research there before you commit. They also have a used car section where you will find realistically priced (cheap) options to buy.

[Nostril Cheese]

Get an Isuzu Trooper.

Cheap, Japanese build quality, can drive anywhere. I bought mine for $700 with working AC and a 5-speed. I beat the hell out of it.

[EMJ]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

If I went down that road again it would be a Land Cruiser...

This! Same category, much more reliable than an old Range.

[chrisf]

yes, I have owned one:

Is there a reliable Range/Land Rover?

[Nickshu]

I had a 95 County LWB. The last year which had the nicer Discovery interior for only that year.

It was awesome...when it worked.

Ran good. Air suspension was always broken or leaking or faulting out. Airbag faults were a problem too and dealer could never find the cause. Parts are very expensive, much more than Porsche parts.

Best advice I can give is get an earlier classic without abs or airbags. Be ready for electrical problems. Ditch the air suspension for a spring kit. Be prepared to constantly gasp at the cost of even simple parts.

[avi8torny]

These will suck $100 bills out of your pocket almost as fast as it goes through a tank of gas. Nice to look at though.

[Eric 951]

I had a 91 Classic for about 2 years or so. It was an okay vehicle. I had to do some sorting with the ignition to get it to idle correctly and not bog down--it got terrible gas mileage. Some parts were hard to come by--it had a leak at the gas tank float and getting the proper seal ring took some time since it is NLA from Rover.

Rust wasn't an issue on mine.

The ABS system was finicky.

Interior was nice--very roomy and it did go everyehere--very capable off-road--make sure the locking dif works--alot of these were never taken off-roas and the diff lever can become seized--which then takes some sorting from underneath.

I sold it when the front end starting to go. I began collecting parts to do a refresh, but stopped when a decent Land Crusier became available near me. I bought the FJ62 with 260K on the odo and haven't had a single regret. Rebuilding the front end on it took less than half the cost and time it would have taken on the Classic.

The Classic was my second Rover, but since getting the Toyota, I wouldn't consider going back to them.

A couple pics:

[speeder]

So good looking. Such a POS.

I second the advice of buying a clean TLC FJ62 instead if you want a cool old SUV with some character. The only problem with that is the fact that a really nice FJ62 can cost a lot of money and a clean early '90s Range Rover's value depends on its exact weight.

[mattdavis11]

The 90 FJ62 is my favorite of the family owned Land Cruisers (7). Part time X-fer case, manual locking hubs, push button 4 wheel drive, hand throttle. I wouldn't overlook the 91-92 FJ80 though.

[DonDavis]

I'm bouncing the idea around of a project/beater 4wd to work on with my son.

Should I do this...
1989 Toyota Landcruiser FJ62

or this... ( loosely translated, they're chanting about rust and electrical gremlins, I think )

[mattdavis11]

[QUOTE=DonDavis;7741728]I'm bouncing the idea around of a project/beater 4wd to work on with my son.

Should I do this...
1989 Toyota Landcruiser FJ62

I would, but with that being said, I do have many spare parts to fit a 87-90 FJ62 or 91-92 FJ80. They all had the 3FE. I would ask what electrical parts are missing.


Sorry to the OP for the hijack.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

The 90 FJ62 is my favorite of the family owned Land Cruisers (7). Part time X-fer case, manual locking hubs, push button 4 wheel drive, hand throttle. I wouldn't overlook the 91-92 FJ80 though.

Matt, how does the FJ62 compare to the FJ80 on the highway? I've always read that the 80 is a much better driving truck. I'm personally a sucker for the old school 62, if one popped up that was rust-free and a stick shift I would be VERY tempted.

[jyl]

I had a 95 Rangie LWD County. Great driving vehicle, best snow ride I ever had, comfortable, roomy, classy looking. Unfortunately, something went wrong every couple of months, usually body electricals or air suspension or ABS but then the front diff imploded 200 miles from home. If I owned a cabin on a mountain dirt road or something like that, I'd get another RR but no air suspension (or swap in springs).

[speeder]

Matt, there are no manual transmission FJ62s, unless they've been converted. They are all automatics. The FJ60, (up to MY 1987), are all 4-speed manuals. They are easily ID'ed by their single round headlights. FJ62s have the quad rectangular headlights, otherwise the two are identical on the outside.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Denis thanks, I know FJ60 vs 62 but wasn't aware that the manual gearbox ended with the 60. Considering how close the 2F and 3FE are in lineage, I can't imagine that a swap would be too impossible. Probably why I'm pretty sure I've seen an FJ62 with a manual transmission.