93 range rover

[Jasonazx]

Was looking into purchasing a 93 range rover lwb. It has 120,000 miles on it and has had two owners. First one was a doctor and the current owner is a service manager at a shop. Is there anything in particular that any of you think I should be on the look out for. Current owner mentioned he did a lot of work to the coolant system/hoses, but said that it has never overheated. Starter, power steering lines, and all hoses have been replaced. Also, the airbag suspension setup was replaced by the land rover bilstein setup. Birfields look clean on the front axle etc. I was hoping to be able to wheel the vehicle every now and then and take it on some more long distance trips such as moab and colorado. Do you think this vehicle could accomplish this for me? Also, it would not be a daily driver. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[pismo62]

Hi Jason, I'm a landcruiser guy but also love rovers. You might want to check out the site http://www.eastcoastrover.com/ they have a wealth of information. Good Luck ,Guy

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Jason, if it's a clean Arizona vehicle it should do great for what you want. There're still not many 4x4s that can match the RR's combination of off-road ability and on-road comfort. Possibly none, in fact.

The earlier years of the Range Rover missed out on a lot of the later nightmares that started in the P38 series. If it came here (I'm in Tucson too) from somewhere else look for rust in the chassis and tailgate. Make sure all the drivetrain works as it should, and a compression check would be in order to make sure all cylinders are close.

Good luck, and post a photo!

 

[Jasonazx]

Thanks for your responses so far guys. Jonathan, it has been here (tucson) all its life. I would also like to be able to enjoy taking the vehicle on longer trips through mexico, baja, and possibly even down into central america. Do you guys see this as being a vehicle that can reliably tackle adventures such as these? I guess i'm just a little hesitant as I have mostly been a yota guy. I am selling my Xterra which did me well for 5 years on all my adventures. I most recently owned a lexus lx 450 which just got wrecked in a recent accident. Just want to make sure I am making the right decision going with a land rover. I will be test driving it tomorrow morning. I will make sure to take it into some dirt to check out the 4x4 system (low range). I did have an opportunity to hear it run today and it ran great.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[nvprospector]

Thanks for your responses so far guys. Jonathan, it has been here (tucson) all its life. I would also like to be able to enjoy taking the vehicle on longer trips through mexico, baja, and possibly even down into central america. Do you guys see this as being a vehicle that can reliably tackle adventures such as these? I guess i'm just a little hesitant as I have mostly been a yota guy. I am selling my Xterra which did me well for 5 years on all my adventures. I most recently owned a lexus lx 450 which just got wrecked in a recent accident. Just want to make sure I am making the right decision going with a land rover. I will be test driving it tomorrow morning. I will make sure to take it into some dirt to check out the 4x4 system (low range). I did have an opportunity to hear it run today and it ran great.

Thanks,
Jason

If the owner has taken good care of it and kept up with its oil changes you should not have any problems with the RR. It sounds like he liked the RR enough to get rid of the problematic air suspension system and do the RR’s 100,000 mile hose change. Defiantly check the 4wd system that it does engage.

If it was not used off road, some times the lever that engages the 4 low will stick because of lack of use. I can’t remember if this is the RR that has a CDL, I believe it does, just make sure you can lock the center diff. If you can’t engage any of the 4wd systems that is ok, all you need is hit the CDL nipple and 4 low lever on the T-Case with PB Blast and let it sit for a hour.

Also I would like to add, GREAT FIND. I have been looking for a ’93 RR for a long time that has not been already modified. This vehicle is more than capable to do the trip you want and more.

 

[nvprospector]

The earlier years of the Range Rover missed out on a lot of the later nightmares that started in the P38 series.

You are not kidding on the P38 nightmare. The only good thing that come out the P38 is taking its front hub assembly and putting it on a DII. Giving you the ability now to replace the front bearings instead of buying the whole hub assembly.

Oh, they look pretty too

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Jason, I'd be doing you a disservice if I told you you could expect Toyota-like reliability out of a Range Rover. Ain't gonna happen, unless you're fabulously lucky. Even setting aside all the fancy later-year electrogimmicks, the Land Rover ancillaries such as fuel pumps, alternators, etc., just don't seem to last as long as Japanese parts.

What you get with a RR Classic is a unique blend of style, comfort, and ability that will almost certainly demand more attention than a Tacoma or Land Cruiser.

 

[Andrew Walcker]

Jason, I'd be doing you a disservice if I told you you could expect Toyota-like reliability out of a Range Rover. Ain't gonna happen, unless you're fabulously lucky. Even setting aside all the fancy later-year electrogimmicks, the Land Rover ancillaries such as fuel pumps, alternators, etc., just don't seem to last as long as Japanese parts.

What you get with a RR Classic is a unique blend of style, comfort, and ability that will almost certainly demand more attention than a Tacoma or Land Cruiser.

X2, but you sure will look cool keeping it up:ylsmoke:

 

[Jasonazx]

Well everyone, I took it out for a spin. Everything seemed ok until I got it into second around 2,000rpm. It started to kind of jerk or hesitate. It almost seemed like a fuel sending problem. It definataly didn't feel like transmission. Anyway, the owner, who is also a service manager at a shop is checking it out this afternoon to try and diagnose the problem... Any ideas of what this could be?

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

It's either ignition- or fuel-related.

There, how's that for a concrete diagnosis?

Seriously, an RPM-dependent miss or stumble is usually very easy to pin down. The mechanic should be able to get to the bottom of it quickly.

 

[david despain]

Well everyone, I took it out for a spin. Everything seemed ok until I got it into second around 2,000rpm. It started to kind of jerk or hesitate. It almost seemed like a fuel sending problem. It definataly didn't feel like transmission. Anyway, the owner, who is also a service manager at a shop is checking it out this afternoon to try and diagnose the problem... Any ideas of what this could be?

fuel filter or fuel pump perhaps.

 

[david despain]

Defiantly check the 4wd system that it does engage.

it is full time 4wd, did u mean low range?

If it was not used off road, some times the lever that engages the 4 low will stick because of lack of use. I can’t remember if this is the RR that has a CDL, I believe it does, just make sure you can lock the center diff. If you can’t engage any of the 4wd systems that is ok, all you need is hit the CDL nipple and 4 low lever on the T-Case with PB Blast and let it sit for a hour.

umm nope. if its got a stock transfer case its a borg-warner unit w/ a viscous coupling unit to bias the power front to rear. so it will never truely have a 50- 50% torque spit. some people do just fine this way. only the first few years had a lockable center diff, they were the same xfer case as the disco 1. its a common enough failure and the cost for the viscous coupling is about the same cost as a used disco 1 transfer case. its a common swap to put a disco case into the classic. you just need to trim the coin holder so the handle has enough room to move to the left for center diff lock.

 

[Andrew Walcker]

Well everyone, I took it out for a spin. Everything seemed ok until I got it into second around 2,000rpm. It started to kind of jerk or hesitate. It almost seemed like a fuel sending problem. It definataly didn't feel like transmission. Anyway, the owner, who is also a service manager at a shop is checking it out this afternoon to try and diagnose the problem... Any ideas of what this could be?

Just getting mine out of the shop for the exact same problem. Turned out to be a spark plug wire arching out. Easy fix!

 

[Jasonazx]

Jason, I'd be doing you a disservice if I told you you could expect Toyota-like reliability out of a Range Rover. Ain't gonna happen, unless you're fabulously lucky. Even setting aside all the fancy later-year electrogimmicks, the Land Rover ancillaries such as fuel pumps, alternators, etc., just don't seem to last as long as Japanese parts.

What you get with a RR Classic is a unique blend of style, comfort, and ability that will almost certainly demand more attention than a Tacoma or Land Cruiser.

What makes the RR more capable than a Land Cruiser?

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

It's not necessarily more capable, just generally better (most will admit, I think) at combining superb on-road comfort with exceptional off-road ability.

The contemporary Land Cruiser to "your" 93 RR Classic was the 80-Series, which at last incorporated all-coil suspension and a modern engine. The 80-Series is certainly the equivalent of the Range Rover off-road, and better if it had factory lockers, but was still not quite as plush on the road, in my opinion. But remember that the Range Rover had had all coil suspension for 20 years before Toyota climbed on the bus. When the Range Rover first came out Toyota's closest vehicle was the FJ55, a Conestoga Wagon by comparison.

Of course, it was as reliable as a Conestoga Wagon, too . . .