Range Rover Classic's & Disco's What to Look For

[SRN]

My wife has decided that we need a more practical car (for some reason a Samurai, Miata and non running Datsun 510 are not practical). She wants something she can drive easily in the winter and is big enough to haul stuff. I want something that is capable of handling moderate trails with minimal to no modification (I'm not allowed to modify it too much, I have the Samurai for that I'm told) while holding way more gear than the Samurai.
I've always liked RRC's and Discovery's, but I know very little about them. I figured that I would ask the fine people in the ExPo Land Rover section for advice on what to look for and what to avoid in these vehicles.

 

[David Harris]

My wife has decided that we need a more practical car (for some reason a Samurai, Miata and non running Datsun 510 are not practical). She wants something she can drive easily in the winter and is big enough to haul stuff. I want something that is capable of handling moderate trails with minimal to no modification (I'm not allowed to modify it too much, I have the Samurai for that I'm told) while holding way more gear than the Samurai.
I've always liked RRC's and Discovery's, but I know very little about them. I figured that I would ask the fine people in the ExPo Land Rover section for advice on what to look for and what to avoid in these vehicles.

Search the forums and you'll find plenty. There have been several fairly recent threads that include the info you're looking for.

David

 

[sven]

Rust!

 

[SRN]

Rust!

Where does it typically occur on the vehicle?

 

[SRN]

Search the forums and you'll find plenty. There have been several fairly recent threads that include the info you're looking for.

David

I have searched the forum, but I have found little about what I want to know without having to read through page after page of people talking about unrelated topics to the original post. After multiple searches trying to be more and more precise but always running into the same issue, I decided to post my own question. Perhaps I should extrapolate as to avoid further confusion.

I am looking for information regarding common issues when inspecting a Discovery I or RRC.
Where might I usually find rust?
Are there common engine issues that I should be aware of?
Transmission? Axles?
Rovers have a reputation of having electrical problems, are there certain problems that are more prevalent than others?
Was there a particular year/trim level on either of these vehicles that was more desirable due to reliability than others?

Thank you for your input on these questions. I, and others I'm sure, would like to have these all answered concisely.

And before anyone decides to get angry about making the "Same damn post blah, blah, blight to the forum, blah blah, use the search function." Think to yourself, "Gee, I could just as easily ignore this post and let people who want to answer the questions relevantly do so." I will continue to do my part and search for this information independently, but my hope is that others will help me in my quest for this information. After all, isn't that what a community such as this is all about?

 

[sven]

Where does it typically occur on the vehicle?

Pretty much on all the areas you dont see.... wheelwells, floors, sills, rear crossmember (under rear door), rear cargo floor, and frame.

 

[SRN]

Pretty much on all the areas you dont see.... wheelwells, floors, sills, rear crossmember (under rear door), rear cargo floor, and frame.

Thank you.

 

[getlost4x4]

go here.

http://rangerovers.net/rrbuying.htm

scroll down and look at the year by year buying guides.

 

[dcarr1971]

Some good info in the first post of this thread...

http://landroverforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21328

...even though it's in the DII section of that site's forum.

 

[David Harris]

I have searched the forum, but I have found little about what I want to know without having to read through page after page of people talking about unrelated topics to the original post. After multiple searches trying to be more and more precise but always running into the same issue, I decided to post my own question. Perhaps I should extrapolate as to avoid further confusion.

I am looking for information regarding common issues when inspecting a Discovery I or RRC.
Where might I usually find rust?
Are there common engine issues that I should be aware of?
Transmission? Axles?
Rovers have a reputation of having electrical problems, are there certain problems that are more prevalent than others?
Was there a particular year/trim level on either of these vehicles that was more desirable due to reliability than others?

Thank you for your input on these questions. I, and others I'm sure, would like to have these all answered concisely.

And before anyone decides to get angry about making the "Same damn post blah, blah, blight to the forum, blah blah, use the search function." Think to yourself, "Gee, I could just as easily ignore this post and let people who want to answer the questions relevantly do so." I will continue to do my part and search for this information independently, but my hope is that others will help me in my quest for this information. After all, isn't that what a community such as this is all about?

For the Discovery's this thread pretty much covers everything:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51721

For the Range Rover Classic:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50886&highlight=Range+Rover+Classic

For the P38 Range Rover:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35473&highlight=plunge

For owning a Land Rover in general:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20219

Enjoy,

David

 

[Viggen]

Pretty much on all the areas you dont see.... wheelwells, floors, sills, rear crossmember (under rear door), rear cargo floor, and frame.

Peel up every single piece of carpeting along with the sound deadening mat. That mat is about an inch thick and traps moisture leading to holes.

Fix that 510. My favorite Datsun/ Nissan.

 

[SRN]

Peel up every single piece of carpeting along with the sound deadening mat. That mat is about an inch thick and traps moisture leading to holes.

Fix that 510. My favorite Datsun/ Nissan.

Thanks for the advice. I've found a couple really clean looking RRC's I'm going to be taking a loot at this weekend. We'll see what happens.

510's are one of my favorite cars from that era, so I am super excited to get it restored and back on the road. But, it's not an immediate need, so I'm just collecting parts and doing little things right now. Hopefully in a year or so it will be back on the road and good to go.