This 1988 range rover classic

[polsta]

Land Rover : 1988 Classic Range Rover (Diesel)

Can i have thoughts on this please, going to view it wednesday (he cant do it tomorrow)

its a 1988 manual 2.5 td, 2 owners from new with all history and old mots etc to varify the milage, 10 months mot and a few months tax

had a good chat with him (an older owner sounds like a nice fella) , he says its as lovely as it looks, interior is like new and no damage or heavy wear, head lining not sagging, and its fantastic to be inside

underneath is glorious, no rust or anything , last mot it only needed new break lines and all were replaced

drives faultless and not been an abused work horse in its life

he said it really is nice,paint work is as nice as it looks in the pics, open to any inspection

so... whats the thoughts on it ? and the price ? and should i be looking to pay for it ?

is it a nice viable option being a 1988 td, or really would a later classic tdi be better all round ? or is it a case of all classics are mmore or less the same in most ways and it doesnt really matter as long as the condition is nice ?

also i notice the front doesnt have any fog lights/lower valance bit, are they a latter thing and can one easily be sourced and added on ?

would this be a good investment to purchase and look after and be great to own would you say ?

appriciate some thoughts

thanks

 

[eightinavee]

If its a VM diesel I wouldnt bother unless you need a boat anchor.If its had a retrofit TDI AND its as good as they say then go for it.
Converting from a VM to a TDI is not that straightforward either.

 

[polsta]

no tdi its the original engine ?

i know nothing about these, so need some advice why not etc ?

at 3k i wouldnt want to be thinking about engine swaps either

would it be ok mpg wise or worse than a tdi ?

is it good value for 3k ?

but on the other hang im thinking it looks so nice condition wise and almost so classic like its maybe too nice to want to use as a work horse and wouldnt want to go off road in it

this defender is also in my thoughtsa to go view ..

both so different, and have different aspects and merrits, i really am stuck on deciding weather a classic or a defender

1987 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 200 Tdi

 

[zen]

looks tidy,but you must see it first..any rust and its worth a grand max..no rust and well its worth what you want to pay..

NOTHING wrong with the vm engine..as long as the cooling system is good..ie rad must be excellent.

i recon the vm is a better engine than the tdi..

 

[harlequin]

looks tidy,but you must see it first..any rust and its worth a grand max..no rust and well its worth what you want to pay..

NOTHING wrong with the vm engine..as long as the cooling system is good..ie rad must be excellent.

i recon the vm is a better engine than the tdi..

Got the VM engine in my Maxus van. Superb engine.

 

[polsta]

so how would you justify "any rust" ie a little surface rust etc or absoloutly none and it must be imaculate to be worth that ?

what if there is a little bit on the chassis of surface ? do i walk away or say look... , ive no idea about these or prices, but am i literaly paying £2k for it being rust free ? ....as i then think hmmm maybe its expensivce and too nice for my needs ? nice to own and have, but id want to look after it too much , when i want a 4x4 to protect my bmw from winter,and drive one in all snow and ice and grit on roads etc..exposing the chassis to the elements, aswell as some light off roading and mud etc

whats the vm engine like on fuel ? hes saying 32mpg ?

 

[joe1972]

Go see it, n have a quick test drive round the block. Then go have a look at one with a Petrol V8 3.5,3.9 or LSE 4.2 engine in it n test drive that. Petrol vs Diesel, bit like marmite really.
The best thing I can suggest

 

[juiceyv8]

Go see it, n have a quick test drive round the block. Then go have a look at one with a Petrol engine in it n test drive that.
The best thing I can suggest really

well said. All raniges will have rust to some degree.....surface is ok. holes and falling apart is not.

 

[eightinavee]

The VM engines are ****e boat engines that had marginal cooling systems when new - cant see why anyone with decent experience of both types of engine would favour a VM.They are made from poor quality materials,(Esp the cyl heads) are difficult to work on,(Try finding anyone to fix it and warrant their work in the LR independant world) and harder to resell than any TDI powered LR.
Speaks for itself really,TDI's are sold and fitted to allsorts of motors - try finding any retrofit conversions based on a VM.
The last VM I built fully from scratch was a 2.5 from a Rover 820,after I swore I would never waste so many hours working on such crap that I knew was never going to give decent service.Still happy to stand by a 200 or 300TDI though,they can be fixed and work hard with a minimum of care.

 

[zen]

for 3k it must be oringinal..totally..(or very modded) and totally rust free..ie abit of surface rust is ok,by surface rust i mean no flaky bits....any proper rust (needs welding/will need welding in a year or so)and its not worth anything like that..

 

[polsta]

for 3k it must be oringinal..totally..(or very modded) and totally rust free..ie abit of surface rust is ok,by surface rust i mean no flaky bits....any proper rust (needs welding/will need welding in a year or so)and its not worth anything like that..

fact is...this will be the 1st range rover classic ive ever looked at, so im not going to have a clue about originality and small details on whats original or not :doh: , although i had my disco and looked unde a few others at chassis and used to 80s cars and rust etc so im ok with that and having a good poke around

The VM engines are ****e boat engines that had marginal cooling systems when new - cant see why anyone with decent experience of both types of engine would favour a VM.They are made from poor quality materials,(Esp the cyl heads) are difficult to work on,(Try finding anyone to fix it and warrant their work in the LR independant world) and harder to resell than any TDI powered LR.
Speaks for itself really,TDI's are sold and fitted to allsorts of motors - try finding any retrofit conversions based on a VM.
The last VM I built fully from scratch was a 2.5 from a Rover 820,after I swore I would never waste so many hours working on such crap that I knew was never going to give decent service.Still happy to stand by a 200 or 300TDI though,they can be fixed and work hard with a minimum of care.

maybe i should swerve it then ? ie if its got a rubbish engine, although a nice original example and lovely condition...its more of a show type and not to be driven much , maybe not for my needs at 3k , i do want a solid work horse type 4x4 that doesnt need too much care and maintenence more than average, my 300tdi disco was great in that sence, a service when i got it and that was it,i bought and had the egr blanking and de cat pipe fitted, and never needed to touch the engine again in a year, just to check the fluid levels that was it , i did a couple of 400 mile round trips in it this summmer faultlessly

so much to think about and look for , and still so split between a classic or a defender

guys , this...

1987 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 200 Tdi

i might go view tomorrow morning hes around, its had a 200tdi conversion around 4 months ago, after previously having a 200tdi in that was knackered he said

but...its got no intercooler fitted, its there with it, but not fitted, is that something to be wary off as to why its not fitted and its for sale ?

what can i be checking/should i be looking for if i go to see it engine wise

does it look like good value for 3k, compared to the classic above ?

im really so split un decided on what route to take

 

[fett]

actually truning up would be a good start!

 

[norseman]

Hi Polsta - I got your PM but as I replied my connection went down (again) so I'm not sure if you've received it. I'll lose the will to live if I go though it all again but, in a nutshell, you are looking at a model that is a notorious rot box so check everywhere, especially the inner sills & any metal around seat belt mounts as they are MOT failure points. If this car is as good as it's made out to be then it's now a rare beast, so why is a dealer selling it for under 3k, I'm a terrible cynic but .........

 

[bobbler]

would be very wary buying a mint example for top dollar that is going to be a winter hack.

The RR looks and probably is very nice but give it a couple of winters and you will start to see the effects of the road salt and your 3k RR could become a 1k motor if not looked after.