Trench Rat · Monday at 14:25

What’s the sort of price ball park for a daily usable early 1990s RRC using the 200tdi engine? I’m seeing a large variation on auto trader/car and classic between 8k all the way up to 60k. Obviously for some more special more rare models.

Just a big standard, 200tdi and relatively tidy car. Ideally manual but open to automatic but it’s a negative in my mind.

What should I expect?

Ta!

kermit_rr · Monday at 16:00

Not an expert anymore on the classic but i would have thought 8-10k assuming is not a rust bucket and the engine and gearbox are good

Trench Rat · Monday at 16:34

kermit_rr said:
Not an expert anymore on the classic but i would have thought 8-10k assuming is not a rust bucket and the engine and gearbox are good

That’s what I want. I don’t want anything fancy, just solid and reliable enough for a short range daily.

Cheers! Seems more attainable now

Hicap phill · Monday at 18:03

Trench Rat said:
That’s what I want. I don’t want anything fancy, just solid and reliable enough for a short range daily.

Cheers! Seems more attainable now

They rot in the same places as a disco.
Hard to find a nice RRC that has not been butchered.
Saw 1 the other week pushed out of a bush make £5k no engine or box(was a 2door but still rotten)

300bhp/ton · Monday at 19:10

Trench Rat said:
That’s what I want. I don’t want anything fancy, just solid and reliable enough for a short range daily.

Cheers! Seems more attainable now

How short a range? As in what sort of annual milage? If you aren't doing many miles, then a V8 may not cost all that much more to run. And would open up a lot of choice.

I'd also say keep an eye out for the 2.5 VM ones. The VM unit is more powerful and drives better than the Tdi's.

Trench Rat · Monday at 20:59

300bhp/ton said:
How short a range? As in what sort of annual milage? If you aren't doing many miles, then a V8 may not cost all that much more to run. And would open up a lot of choice.

I'd also say keep an eye out for the 2.5 VM ones. The VM unit is more powerful and drives better than the Tdi's.

10-15 miles a day during the week. Then whatever I’m doing on the weekend. Would also be used on trips and camping.

kermit_rr · Monday at 21:57

I'd go for a v8 over a diesel any day.. the earlier ones don't suffer with liner problems like the later engines in the p38

Trench Rat · Monday at 22:06

kermit_rr said:
I'd go for a v8 over a diesel any day.. the earlier ones don't suffer with liner problems like the later engines in the p38

I get that. I’d love a v8. Just seems very very thirsty and I know that the 200tdi is a reliable bitch

kermit_rr · Monday at 22:15

I'd say the v8 in the rrc is reliable.. no it doesn't do 50mpg but unless it's your only car and you do 30k a year.. who cares? You only live once

300bhp/ton · Monday at 22:53

Trench Rat said:
10-15 miles a day during the week. Then whatever I’m doing on the weekend. Would also be used on trips and camping.

So a Tdi is likely to return 24-28mpg real world. They can do better, but you'd really need to try. A V8 is going to use more fuel, more like 15-18mpg and up to maybe 20mpg on a run.

Don't know how many weekend miles you'll do, but making a few assumptions 10-15 miles a day would seem to be about 6000 miles a year.

Current prices a Tdi would be about £120/month vs £175/month for a V8 to fuel for this distance.

Which in the grand scheme of car ownership is not a huge difference IMO. And if you could say save £2k on purchase price you could run the V8 for over a year at this distance on just the initial outlay savings.

I'm not saying do go V8 or don't go Tdi. But I'd seriously consider it an option.

Trench Rat · Tuesday at 14:49

300bhp/ton said:
So a Tdi is likely to return 24-28mpg real world. They can do better, but you'd really need to try. A V8 is going to use more fuel, more like 15-18mpg and up to maybe 20mpg on a run.

Don't know how many weekend miles you'll do, but making a few assumptions 10-15 miles a day would seem to be about 6000 miles a year.

Current prices a Tdi would be about £120/month vs £175/month for a V8 to fuel for this distance.

Which in the grand scheme of car ownership is not a huge difference IMO. And if you could say save £2k on purchase price you could run the V8 for over a year at this distance on just the initial outlay savings.

I'm not saying do go V8 or don't go Tdi. But I'd seriously consider it an option.

Okay, that is certainly a contender. It’s a consistent 10-15 miles every day in the week. Weekends will be anything from 20-30 miles but then we also do quite a lot of trips around the country. Not weekly but at least once every month or two. From Sussex to Cornwall, Dorset, Nottingham etc.

It would be my only car but not the only car in the household. I would be selling my jimny as part of this.

RangeRoller dt · 2025-06-11T21:04:24+0100

+1 to (most) of the above
half decent bucket looking at 10-12k for fair deal. It’s a RR so it’s gonna have something on the to do list.
I’m a diesel guy but when it comes to Classics it’d be the VM if available everytime

Henry_b · 2025-06-11T22:14:39+0100

Vm's are alright the early 492's were/are gutless horrible things the 425 in the 1990-92 cars is better, the 200-300tdi being the pick of the bunch in diesel terms, quite rare though compared to the V8's.

As for fuel economy with the 3.9 i'd expect 12-14 around the doors and up to 17-18 on a run.. my old manual v8 was horrendous on fuel..

But it's all part of the fun...

Just be ready to drive like a nurse if you want anything coming to "reasonable" mpg, give em some welly and it plummets.

resto_d1 · 2025-06-11T23:36:21+0100

Don’t think you’ll even be choosing on what engine it is to be honest. I think you’ll be choosing on which needs least welding unless your buying one that’s been restored and then your looking at bigger money (from 15 up to Bentley money!)

Trench Rat

Well-Known Member

kermit_rr

Very

Trench Rat

Well-Known Member

Hicap phill

Well-Known Member

300bhp/ton

Well-Known Member

Trench Rat

Well-Known Member

kermit_rr

Very

Trench Rat

Well-Known Member

kermit_rr

Very

300bhp/ton

Well-Known Member

Trench Rat

Well-Known Member

RangeRoller dt

Well-Sprung Member

Henry_b

Think outside, no box required.

resto_d1

Well-Known Member

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