SamO Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 I'm getting together with 3 other guys and looking to buy and off-roading SUV. Of course my preference is a rover Two of the guys have pretty extensive experience rebuilding autos, but we're all on a budget so we want the most bang for the buck. We're probably looking to buy the rover for a few thousand dollars and don't want to sink a ton of money into it. Here are a few that we're considering. Anyone have any suggestions on the best model to search for?2001 Disco II for $3,800http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2750228474.html 1997 Disco for $1,700http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2735895538.html 1995 Range SWB $2,800http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2748252653.html 1995 Range LWB $1k(needs to transmission)http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2759328089.html Is the goal of only putting a few thousand into upkeep and improvements reasonable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandRonB Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Good meeting you Sam @ the Meet/Greet at Catahoula; I'd look for a SWB Range Rover Classic; LWB is fine also if you want more leg room in the backseat area. I built-up a 1990 Range Rover Classic for the Rubicon and been happy with it; been to the Rubicon twice (3rd trip planned in 2012), Dusy once and many other off-road trips including our famous snow trips in Shaver Lake. Let us know if you have any other questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 I think I'm partial to the Range Rover Classics (especially the LWB - lots of space). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 What kind of trails are you looking to do? The D2 is great. It has more creature comforts than the RRC or D1, but there are some expensive repairs that usually come with it. Head gaskets, and the 3 amigos are the first to come to mind. There are plenty of off road goodies for the D1, RRC, and D2. How much modifying are you looking to do? I know you're on a budget (aren't we all!), but sometimes there are trucks for sale with goodies already installed. Whatever you get, try to get one with service records. If you want to expand your search beyond the Bay Area, give Roverdude (John Gadd) a call. He'll help you find what you're looking for too and be able to give a sound judgement on the condition before you see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astateofmike Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 So you have a D1, P38 and a RRC LWB. IF that LWB owner calls you back, awesome. He did not call me back at all or answer my email. P38's can go off road, but the best one I have ever seen lifted was a Catahoula. Lifts etc are not as common as others. RRC LWB is pretty awesome. I again, and I keep saying it, would caution against the 95. Interior parts are hard to find and if broken, good luck. If you find a 93 or 94, then jump on it. 4.2, 24 spline axles, leg room etc, but dash and door panels are easier to come by. Biggest LWB in these parts is Colin's I think (now that Nathan is coming off it) and his is absolute comfort in the rocks and has plenty of leg room. I was lucky to take a ride at Hollister. 4 of us in comfort when we got stuck! D1 is easy to get parts, great head room, seem easy enough to work on, SWB. Leg room with 4 people, well I find it a bit cramped, but headroom is the king. Rear cargo stacks vertical well and lift/parts/engine etc can be found everywhere. Basically the same as a SWB RRC, but newer, a bit more "creature comforts" and a ton of headroom. So, if I was looking for something to offroad co op, I'd go with a D1. No LR will give you LWB legroom, so if that is not a must, D1 would be pretty cool. Numerous examples of how to do it right. Search for Gotrover, that is one well set up machine. Second, would be RRC and just follow Ron's link to his machine. Well thought out and built, and can be done to LWB or SWB. Third, P38. But that is just me. Happy hunting and as always, we are waiting for pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Brad has the P38 seen at Catahoula. I sent him an email today about the Shaver trip. Conal down in SoCal has a nicely built P38 too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 I love both my classic and my d2. For off-roading the classic is amazing. If you want a more street friendly truck get a later disco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamO Posted December 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 Are there commonly any issues with the limited slip center diff in the classics and P38s? My preference is for a center diff lock. It sounds like the best way to get this is to buy a Disco I or an old DII and install it ourselves? IE: http://www.discoweb.org/cdl/index.htm It looks like anything older than 2002 comes with a diff-lock (if not the lever):http://allisons.org/ll/4/LandRover/Discovery/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted December 21, 2011 Report Share Posted December 21, 2011 The only issue is when the BW (Borg Warner) t-case stops locking in the RRC. If you want a Classic, just buy an LT230 with the cdl nipple and swap it in. All D1's have the cdl and linkage to lock the t-case, so no need to make a lever. D2's from '99-(mid year)'01 have the cdl guys but no linkage. Later half '01-'03 d2's have no cdl guts and no linkage. The '04 D2 has both the cdl guts and a nice cable linkage to lock the t-case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrVideo Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Sam, If you're near Downtown Oakland, stop by Besa Quality Auto. Rod has built up 2 D1s and I'm sure he'd be happy to show you the mods on his rigs. You will almost always find a number of Range Rovers there at one time so you can see some of the differences. I love my D1. It's been the most dependable off-road vehicle I've ever owned. I also have a D2 and it's has a lot of features the D1 doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pedram Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 Lets see, I got a D1, I like that it has a lot of buttons, most still working. Of course the D1 is basic but it's found in most wreckers. I know I found at least 4 at my local Pick&Pull. Parts are easily found for this. RRC are the best looking and just as capable as the D1. Antonio has one. And he also has the P38. I love both of them. But between the two Range Rovers I would have to say I like his P38 better because it doesn't lack power. It's more of a comfort than a wheeler. But it is very capable. If you are hard core and want to enjoy the AC get a D1. If you like to enjoy the ride with AC then buy a P38. And if you like to just be able to get from A to B and get home without breaking the bank, buy a RRC. That's as simple as I can get to it. All really up to you though. I just realized that you are not even talking about the P38.... why did that even come up??? My bad..... Just buy the RRC! It's easily the best wallet friendly off road LR here so far. If you notice a lot of the Discovery guys are switching to RRC's. But I'm okay with my 5 spd D1. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AA Journey Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 If you are still in the market for an off road rig. Check this out: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2784079492.html. :-) Is ready to hit the trails. AA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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