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Considering Entering the World of RR ... but need help :)


tallman

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Hello Members, I am new to the forum and I am from Malta (Island).

I am in a point in my life were I need a vehicle that is a classic, comfortable for day to day and good for the family. I am 6'3" tall, so not all cars are comfortable for me especially when getting in and out of it. I had a Mercedes 190d for a couple of years which I had to sell due to back pain, getting in and out was a strain, apart from that it was perfect, well engineered and quality was top notch.

I am considering a classic range rover (1985-1989 range) since there are good reviews about comfort. To be honest, there are some same period Japanese competition as well. but most probably I will stick with something European.

My doubts that I have are the following and I would appreciate if someone can answer me please:

1. Since I am 6'3" tall, would it be comfortable for me to drive everyday? leg room and head room?

2. I am after a diesel. Most of them came here with v8 and were converted to 200tdi. Would you buy one? Opinions please?

3. How reliable are these cars if properly taken care of?

4. What about the interior? Is quality right? plastics quality? cracking? etc...

5. How much would you be willing to pay for a restored vehicle, converted to diesel and with A/C ?

If would appropriate if someone would give me some feedback as I have been searching lots of sites and I did not manage to get answers for my ques.

Thank you once again for your time,

Regards :i-m_so_happy:

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1) Plenty of room. I'm not that much shorter (185cm), and didn't even have the seat all the way back.

2) That depends entirely on your driving style. They're slow. A V8 on LPG will be nicer to drive, and cheaper to run as well (if LPG prices on Malta are comparable).

3) It depends on what you mean by reliable. You do need to keep an eye on things, whatever the engine overheating is a possible issue. Don't keep driving it when it overheats, and that'll be fine. The V8 models can have some issues with the EFI system, but the driveability is IMO well worth the hassle.

4) Pretty good. Headliners sag. Not sure about the rest of the non-softdash interior though.

5) I'm not sure. It's very market specific, obviously. And they seem to be going up in price lately.

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1. Since I am 6'3" tall, would it be comfortable for me to drive everyday? leg room and head room?

2. I am after a diesel. Most of them came here with v8 and were converted to 200tdi. Would you buy one? Opinions please?

3. How reliable are these cars if properly taken care of?

4. What about the interior? Is quality right? plastics quality? cracking? etc...

5. How much would you be willing to pay for a restored vehicle, converted to diesel and with A/C ?

1. If headroom is a problem and I am 6'2" and had plenty myself, then simply take the roof off. :hysterical: Seriously I don't think it will be a problem.

2. I would buy a V8 and convert to LPG certainly in the Uk it is cheaper, A good TDi conversion is worthwhile though.

3. Much more reliable than the P38 that followed however there will be things that do go wrong but if you are handy with a spanner then there will be little you cannot do.

4. Leather interior every time although Velour does wear well.

5. Good question. The UK market has the classics on the rise. If I was looking here I would expect to pay at least £7k for something half decent.

Also have a look at Discoveries. Not as refined as a classic but very practical.

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I'm 6'4 and I find the headroom quite comfortable. The big problem I get in most cars is the bottom of the headrest digs into the back my shoulders, the pedal / steering wheel position is wrong so I have to sit a bit like a cross between donkey kong on mario kart and a frog about to jump of a lilly pad, and the rear view mirror completely blocks any vision to the left. I find the classic range rover these are not mush of a problem and it's a nice cruiser type position. The armrests are even a reasonable height when wound right up.

As for reliability they are very simple and share many parts with discoveries and defenders, I don't know what land rover stocks are like in Malta but it might make parts easier to come by? There are quite a lot of electrics but not really any computers as such, it's mainly just switches lights, relays and wires so fairly easy to trace stuff with basic tools. If you get a V8 EFI get the manuals off here, they are invaluable for diagnosing faults.

Which engine to go for is up to you, I appreciate the V8 is very underpowered for it's MPG and CC but I drive modern diesels all day long so the idea of trekking around in a 30 year old 100hp tdi isn't the most inspiring thought I've ever had and if the RRC were an animal it would be considered a crime of nature to have a diesel in one. :ph34r:

The plastic is a bit soft and nasty but you do get some wood too! We don't get enough sun for the interior to crack :hysterical:

Prices are climbing here, even a hacked about V8 can fetch £2k so long as it's a runner. I bought mine a few years ago in that condition for £400.

All the best with your search ^_^

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Many thanks for your input guys, appreciated. Not much v8's here, mainly they were converted to diesel for economy. Here it is more like city driving all the time, hence I guess a diesel looks more eco for dd.

Well, its seems that this RRC is for big boys! I like the idea....I like to do small repairs my self too, so we should get a long fine as long as I don't buy a lemon.

Here prices vary from Euro 6k to Euro 10k....and I think that LPG conv. will cost around Euro 1500 minimum.

I can always import from the UK, we drive on the wrong side too :rofl: but it must be older than 1985 - otherwise registration and tax would not make it feasible. The idea behind 1985 is that it will be considered as a classic since it will be more than 30 yrs old.

A/c is a must in here, summer is too hot :o

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Well, we only get rain in September to November and usually from January to March...the rest is usually dry, with some occasionally light rain. No snow at all since we are surround by sea water.

Since we are surrounded by sea water, it gets a bit humid here, so over night there is salty condensation but this can be avoided if the car sleeps in a garage - which I have. If one live close to sea yes, cars do rust, but I don't so should not be a problem.

So yes cars rust much much less than in the UK :i-m_so_happy: the other problem is interior would suffer much more due to strong sunny days...plastic/rubber does not like heat and uv :unsure:

Yes I am really tempted to buy one....if I find the right one.

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In that case, definitely take a pointy screwdriver with you and poke the sills, rear crossmember, rear floor, and front wheel wells. Those are the main rust points on the Classic and Discovery 1. If the previous owner didn't garage it, it might still have suffered, even if you'll take good care of it in the future.

But definitely go for it if you find the right one :i-m_so_happy:

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A/c is a must in here, summer is too hot :o

I have been looking in France and Spain for a 2 door classic circa 88 to 91 for a body shell for my CSK and mine is fatally rusted. There are many Classics which look reasonable and will be a lot less rusty with the steering on the wrong side.

http://www.autoscout24.com

http://www.leboncoin.fr/

Try these sites.

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