General questions about your ownership experiences

[alleghenyman]

Hello all, I'm new to Land Rovers and know very little about them. I'm contemplating a move to NYC and buying a late 80's-early 90's Land Rover.
I want something can stand up to urban abuse and get me outdoors, but with more character than the average SUV. I also want something cheap that no one will steal, so I don't have to pay insurance premiums (which are double the rate elsewhere, probably due to the proximity of New Jersey). I'm looking to spend $4000 or less, and don't mind some maintenance costs but won't have a garage.

Several questions:
- Aluminum body sounds great but is frame rust a problem?
- I realize LR's from this era have a bad rep but do most of the reliability problems get remedied by the time it's made 150,000 miles?
- What is the maintenance situation for an LR with 150,000 miles? When do driveline components need to be rebuilt?
- Should I walk or run away from an air suspension?
- If I sort out obvious problems are little gremlins likely to leave me stranded at a trailhead?
- Are the earlier ones lighter and less complicated?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bigbris1]

Do yourself a favor & buy a P38 (1996-2002). Many of the problem with the classic models have been solved & generally they're more reliable. If you're planning to spend only $4,000 on a Range rover, most probably you'll spend a lot more on repair.

I live in NYC & I pay $1600 a year for insurance (the same on my BMW 325ic) with GEICO (lower than all others I've had by about $1,000)

Several questions:
- Aluminum body sounds great but is frame rust a problem?

On the Classics-YES

- I realize LR's from this era have a bad rep but do most of the reliability problems get remedied by the time it's made 150,000 miles?

As with any vehicle, maintenece history is the key to it's longevity.

- What is the maintenance situation for an LR with 150,000 miles? When do driveline components need to be rebuilt?

ASAP

- Should I walk or run away from an air suspension?

NOOOOO! That's the beauty of owning a Range Rover (see sig)

- If I sort out obvious problems are little gremlins likely to leave me stranded at a trailhead?

Hit or miss but again, maintenance records!

- Are the earlier ones lighter and less complicated?

To a fault. The newer models are much better IMHO. I once wanted a Classic merely because I could not afford an MKII but now that the MKIII's are here they have become surprisingly affordable.

Summation; save up & get an MKII.

 

[bigbris1]

OH, spend a lot of time reading thru this site http://www.rangerovers.net/index.shtml

 

[jcbran981]

I was just reading your post. I'm fairly new to the whole Land Rover thing, though I have had 4wd's before. I just recently bought a 91 Range Rover Country.

I'm not real experianced at this point, but from what I've gathered, you should expect a good bit of maintenance time with the earlier model Range Rovers. It's not really something you'd want as a primary vehicle since they tend to... I dunno, break down a lot.

I really haven't noticed rust as a problem though. I live in Hawaii, so my Range Rover has been on the coast it's entire life. Aside from some minor issues around the sunroof, the body is in incredibly good shape.