jamied

Hi all I had a post up the other week asking advice on buying a rr for my wife as she has a very bad back and we live at the end of a rough track. Well, having taken on board the advice (thanks) and decided to go for a range rover classic, the only decent one ive been able to find anywhere near us is a 300tdi classic converted to springs only. The problem is that the springs on it are police spec, which, while great for going round corners at speed (not really an issue in a 300 tdi!) is no good for us as you feel every bump in the road. The guys selling it have offered to put softer springs and oil filled shocks on but Im not sure how much difference it will make. Obviously the logical thing would be to test another classic with the right springs but I cant find one nearby and dont want to miss what is otherwise a great car (if some what pricey). I did a search on the forum but only found stuff on going to firmer springs. Any advice? We compared it to a standard P38 which was better but I dont really know what to expect from a resprung classic and how it would compare to a p38. Im getting very confused! Anyone in South-West Scotland got one we can try? Cheers Jamie

Thanks everyone for the comments. Ill try a disco, or at least get the missus to try one and see how it works with her back, but I still like the idea of a range rover . To sum up then: a) Im not totally barking then b ) a good 200 tdi classic would be agricultural in the engine dept but worth considering c ) a very good soft dash would also be worth looking at d) P38 could be good as well. hmm My main concern about getting into the later models (soft dash with air susp and P38s) is that all those electronic gadgets have a nasty tendency to go wrong. ABS would be nice but otherwise I dont really need any of it. I wont be doing serious off roading with it (well ...hmm.. maybe) just some thing that can take edge off farm tracks and mean my wife can get in and out in all weathers (necessary for her job). The main problem for her back is the shock transmitted through the car when it hits a pothole, of which we have plenty. Neither of us cares much about the look of the beast or whether it has CD changers etc - what counts is the basic function and reliability (the last one being the sticky point with RRs I know) We have a budget of about £5-6000 but could go to 8-9 if it was really really worth it. That said money spent on the range rover comes off the money we have to spend on replacing the other car and on what we have to repair the dam thing when it inevitably goes wrong. Im assuming the classic is a bit more agricultural in its mechanics and is therefore cheaper and easier to fix. I think Im going to go for the 200 tdi classic if I can find one in good nick but as I trawl the market place ill see what comes up. More comments welcome Cheers Jamie D

Hi all Having recently moved to a house at the end of a long track in the wild wet west of Scotland I have decided to live my childhood dream and buy a range rover. There is also a more practical reason which is that my other half has had back surgery recently and doest get on well with the bumpy track (the house was her choice btw). I reckon they dont get more comfy than a range rover and it would still be cheaper than tarmacing the whole road only to have the forestry stick lorries tear it up. Not being made of money it has to be an old range rover and a diesel to boot. I have considered LPG but the nearest filling station is about 30 miles away. As Im likely (if she lets me) to use it as a every day car reliability becomes an issue. In my own twisted thought processes I came to the conclusion that it might be better to get a low(ish) mileage pre 1994 model rather than the air suspensioned BMW engined one. Something along the lines of -if they made the same car for 20 plus years they must have nearly got it right in the end. Could anyone confirm or deny that I am not completely barking mad? many of my friends have decided that I must be. Also (apart from the noise) are the non BMW diesels any good? Pedestrian I can deal with but endless blown head gaskets no thanks. Any advice welcome. Thanks Jamie D