The 50th is a great car, refined by Land Rover or commercial vehicle
standards, but not by car standards.
They all leak water - usually into the footwells and above the front
doors into the inside - this because the bodys are difficult to seal
and there is a gutter on the inside on the roof beneath the headlining.
So look for any staining or water damage on the
headlining/upholstery/carpet.
The car is also over-geared as standard - some people say for the
American market, others because the gears they used were quieter. If
it has had the 1.411 transfer gear ratio conversion (as many have) the
gears will whine but it should not be intrusive. Also make sure that
the stubby low range gear lever will move between low and high ratio.
The gear change should be quick and smooth - if there are any thumps or
bangs when shifting there is wear in the transmission or driveline -
walk away! Also check the driveline by taking the car to 65mph and
apply/back off the throttle. This will also reveal 'shunt' in the
driveline - any slower and the auto-box will mask the shunt.
Little oil leaks are to be expected from the engine, but if the top of
the engine is oily beware - it is an indication that the breathing
system is not working properly due to irregular maintenance. Listen to
the engine too - if you hear a regular tapping it also indicates wear
in the camshaft and tappets caused by age/and or irregular servicing.
The V8 engine is very heavy on it's camshaft - at 80,000 miles it will
need replacing soon - budget £500- for this. Even a light tapping is a
warning of this! Take a small torch to take a peek into the top of the
engine with the oil filler cap off the colour should be light golden or
lighter - any darker - walk away, it will need an engine rebuild.
The service history is very important, a missed service will damage a
V8 engine. Also check the filler cap for emulsion or 'mayonnaise' -
this indicates a head gasket or even worse a leaking cylinder liner
(the block is aluminium, the liners steel). Ask the seller - 'how
often do you have to top up the radiator?' - 'has the car ever
overheated?' - and if the answer is once a month or more and yes - walk
away!
On the road test make sure you run the nearside front wheel over a few
potholes on the test drive, if the steering wobbles violently you know
you have bushes, dampers and swivels to repair/replace. If the
steering is inaccurate and the car requires correction - it's worn,
Land Rovers did not leave the factory like that!
The ride is firm compared to a car - that's normal. If the ride feels
harsh and bouncy (as opposed to hard) - that's the dampers at fault.
If heavy duty dampers have been fitted to a 90 the ride becomes harsh,
even uncontrolled.
A little bit of electrolytic corrosion is normal on the door bottoms
where the aluminium meets steel. This shows up a bubbles in the metal
and is caused by road salt reacting with the steel and aluminium.
Unless the skin is holed it's just cosmetic and can be treated. Also
check the body carefully - the cappings and fixings corrode, e.g. look
at the screws that fix the doors to the body - if they look crusty it
indicates that the car might have had a hard life. Also look at the
rear chassis crossmember, flaking paint is OK, but anything else is
going to cost £7-800 to replace - very important if you're towing
heavy loads. Also it's really important to check the bulkhead (between
the front wing and front door)- this is made of steel and rusts - check
above the door mirror mount for flaky metal - on a car of this age it
should nit be rusty, if it is - walk away.
As a tow car it's awesome! Maybe a little bouncy because of the short
wheelbase, but perfectly man for the job of towing up to 3.5 tonnes.
Happy looking!
