Advice on 94 Range Rover

[mjlonghorn]

Hi guys, I have been reading the forums for quite a while and would like to jump into the world of vehicle expeditions. I found a 94 Range Rover SWB online at a dealer's lot for 2 grand. When I inquired about the vehicle I was told the head gasket was blown and it would need repair. From the looks of the vehicle the body appears to be straight and rust is minimal. What would you guys venture is a decent offer for a clean Range Rover needing major work?

I live in Austin and the car in question is in North Texas.

I appreciate any help or advice you guys can offer. I look forward to contributing when I can.

Cheers

 

[Gventure]

I've owned 3 RRCs and love them. The last I bought for $4k, put over $4k in it, then sold it to my unlce - I'm sure I'll get it back one day

In any event, $2k could be a good deal if the truck is otherwise pretty sound. The only way I'd do it is to take it to an independent Rover mechanic and go over the truck with him/her. You might get a great truck or it might need $5k worth of repairs in the next 6 months. Swivel seals, heater core, rotoflex, valve job etc all add up.

 

[galen216]

I love RRC's and miss my '94. BUT as a reference I bought my '94 for $1600 with a bad alternator. I poured a lot into it after that but it was still a good deal. Came with ARB bumper, winch, lights, OME suspension and Bilstein shocks among other things.

$2k is too much for a truck with blown headgaskets. What if it is actually a cracked block? If the body is perfect then $1k tops. You'll put $4k into it before you know what happened.

Do you have a link? Still on air suspension or coils? Any mods?

Here's my old RRC. I paid $1600 for a non-runner b/c it needed an alternator and I had it running 4 days later. I sold it for $4k little over a year later.

 

[nickyill]

Yep - $1000 max - there will be plenty more you'll need to spend money on down the line!

 

[mjlonghorn]

Here is the link to the vehicle. I need to make a trip up north to get a better idea of the overall condition. No mods from what I can tell from the pictures. Interior is in decent shape. Thanks for all the help.

http://www.bonhamchrysler.com/usedstickerframeset.htm?stock_number=B15997

 

[yubert]

$2K for a Toyota Range Rover sounds like a deal as long as it doesn't have a sticky accelerator pedal...

Seriously, the body and interior look clean but as other mentioned you should have the engine checked for overheating damage such as a cracked block, slipped liners and warped heads. I wouldn't pay more than $1K and if you shop around, you could find a running RRC for not much moire.

 

[galen216]

Something about that color that they don't rust like all the others. Looks good but get the price down.

 

[Gore Ranger]

I don't know man, are you going to fix the headgaskets yourself or take it to a shop? Right around 100K miles it needs a ton of maintenance. Do they have records? Looks like its sitting a little higher. Does it have air suspension still?

If you have some $$ to play around with, it might be a good truck, but otherwise, buyer beware, that the price is way too high and it could be a huge money pit. I mean, as it sits now, $500 seems fair.

 

[mjlonghorn]

I gave the salesman a hard time for the Toyota Range Rover. Thanks for all the input. If I could get the deal to go low enough I was contemplating taking the truck to Land Rovers Unlimited in Houston. Anyone have any recommendations for a decent shop in/around central Texas. Maybe its not worth driving all over Texas. From my notes, the dealer did not have major service records.

 

[sloanfiske]

save your dough and look for a late 93 or 94 LWB with a good engine. The 4.2 in the LWB is huge compared to the 3.9. A head gasket job is 700 DIY after valve/head machining and 2k or so by a mechanic.

LWB has an addl 8 inches added to the middle of the vehicle which doesnt sound like much...but boy howdy.

make sure that it's been converted to coils. the air suspension is awesome...when it works. so make sure it's gone. late 93 was a change over to 24 spline axles/diffs which has more options should you want to move to lockers, HD axles etc in the future.

94 was still u-joint rear propshaft. No need for a rotoflex conversion.

I own both a 94 LWB and 92 SWB and wouldn't trade the LWB for long trips.

FWIW, I spent 3k on my truck 5 years ago. I've put 50k on it since then. 2 trips across country and 1 from LA-Cabo. Plus lots of long weekends.

Easy to work on and great to drive. Even stock, these trucks are great.

 

[jrose609]

There are plenty of RRCs out there. Check out this one. Most of the works done for you. All the mechanical anyway.

http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?t=15918

 

[Schattenjager]

Having had a few Rovers - the RRC is my favorite! They are real beauties both to look at and to drive!

Do your home work - those RRC are a temptress dressed in metal - don't settle for a fix it upper - it will bankrupt you. Find a good one and be rewarded with a very fun British experience. You might research parts availability and pricing too - lots of consumables are becoming hard to source and pricey.

Good Luck!

 

[mjlonghorn]

So it seems like the recommendation is to spend a few extra dollars and get a vehicle that is already running and doesn't need repairs unless I could pick the car up for $500 or thereabouts. I'll see what I can get the dealership down to and if nothing else keep looking. I'll keep everyone updated.

 

[rovertech]

So it seems like the recommendation is to spend a few extra dollars and get a vehicle that is already running and doesn't need repairs unless I could pick the car up for $500 or thereabouts. I'll see what I can get the dealership down to and if nothing else keep looking. I'll keep everyone updated.

Walk away. Who knows who diagnosed the heads and who knows what they mean by blown. There could be a myriad of other issues hiding in this beast. My advice in general is avoid car lots. Look for one that is being sold private party that has some history with it.

 

[sloanfiske]

There are plenty of RRCs out there. Check out this one. Most of the works done for you. All the mechanical anyway.

http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?t=15918

Concur on that truck in SoCal. Elias is a good guy. Wouldn't hesitate jumping on a flight and driving that home. I'm sure if theres a concern, he could take it out to West Coast or Inland Rovers and have them do a 3rd party confirmation that it's a strong truck.

there's also this:

http://www.lrrforums.com/showthread.php?t=15879

it has the 2 things you might want for off-road...Mechanical CDL and a Rear Locker. I've seen the truck...it's pretty nice and has the 4.2 and 8" more room in the back. work out a deal and have the stuff fixed and you wont need anything else. the air suspension is a great thing to have if you aren't planning on hardcore wheeling. like riding on pillows. although i've seen newer truck with air suspension do crazy stuff. when it fails, then swap it out with coils.

"Head gaskets" could also mean slipped liner, although that's pretty rare on the 3.9 SWB engine.

Find one well sorted. Walk away from anything that needs work like that.