Some advice please

Despite the best Rangies being old... and needing work, they can be fun to fix / tinker with. If you're a masochist...:eek:

Seriously, we blokes get our fulfillment in making things work, or work better, and this is the sort or personal pride that money simply can never buy.

Be assured that your Land Rover will give you endless opportunity to experience this priceless pride of success.

This is why LR owners describe their cars as having 'Personality'... Its the owners developing "character" in the face of impossible adversity, making them grow as people... NOT a pile of metal mis-fitting parts having some mysterious life-force .

Any LR owner who thinks his car has this 'personality' must, by definition, believe that Homeopathy works better than conventional medicine.....:twisted:

James,

1995 Vogue SE with working Air suspension. - now the rear windows don't....

Hahahaha,

lm getting flash backs, with phrase's like "it has character", "its a learning curve" and "l love to tinker with the beast"

And when owners describe components as working, good to see rangie/landie owners still have a sense of humour:D

Well you cannot say you were not warned!
BTW, don't spend you time searching for a manual 3.9 . None came to Oz officially I think due to emission certification, but there are a few private imports. I actually saw the identical car to mine in Graeme Cooper some years ago but manual, but I think it has been 35 inchified.

Another good reason for a 90-92 is that most if not all of the electrics work properly. By then they actually fitted proper waterproof ( well almost) connectors instead of those bullet abominations.

I have never had an electrical problem, Oh except the Lucas/Magnetti Marelli alternator dying and I have posted a project to change to Bosch, and the number plate lights failing because a "mechanic" didn't reroute the wires away from the Long Range tank.
And I don't think you can say that about the more recent models!
Regards Philip A

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Originally Posted by PhilipA

don't spend you time searching for a manual 3.9 . None came to Oz officially I think due to emission certification, but there are a few private imports.

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They were available & sold here. Most were poverty pack spec but they're around.

Here's one on Carsales, sold new by Purnells:
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...api=2&__N=1246 1247 1252 1282 4294965541 4294965478 1216 1622&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,Max~0.5&sort=~Pric e

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superquag

Despite the best Rangies being old... and needing work, they can be fun to fix / tinker with. If you're a masochist...:eek:

Seriously, we blokes get our fulfillment in making things work, or work better, and this is the sort or personal pride that money simply can never buy.

Be assured that your Land Rover will give you endless opportunity to experience this priceless pride of success.

This is why LR owners describe their cars as having 'Personality'... Its the owners developing "character" in the face of impossible adversity, making them grow as people... NOT a pile of metal mis-fitting parts having some mysterious life-force .

Any LR owner who thinks his car has this 'personality' must, by definition, believe that Homeopathy works better than conventional medicine.....:twisted:

James,

1995 Vogue SE with working Air suspension. - now the rear windows don't....

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I do enjoy getting things to work, but the main spur for me has been about getting a solid four-wheel-drive that I could actually afford to keep. I've never had much money, so it's had to be an older car, and a simple one. A pre-EFI Rangie is still fine for modern use as far as the steering, handling, braking and power go, but without the penalty of electronics and the sometimes expensive surprises they can have. I also live in a remote area and need something that I can troubleshoot, even if it takes a while. So for me, it's as much about doing what I have to do to get a decent car as it is about any other aspect.

Thank you all again, certainly some food for thought.

Have located a 88 manual, no reg, and a stuffed clutch, well so the owner says.

What are these worth?????
l do realise its always a gamble if you can't test drive them, but curious as to whats a fair price

An 88 model? Less than a thousand bucks, then subtract the cost of a new clutch.

I have personally owned a 1984 2-door, a 1988 3.5 in which I did about 400,000km over 11 years, and currently own a 1994 soft-dash and a 1990 3.9 auto (also had a 1997 manual Discovery- shudder). I would not even consider using the soft-dash for outback touring or serious off-road use. It is a beautiful car to drive, but there is just too much that can go wrong and leave you stranded- I shudder to think what a river crossing would do to it. Forget about a carby model unless you love to tinker (picture one of those steam engine enthusiasts running back and forth with the oil can and shifter). The pre-1989 models with flapper EFI can be problematic, especially when converted to gas- one backfire will leave you stranded. I did however cover many mountain and outback kms in mine, but not uneventfully.
That leaves the 1990-1993 models. Avoid ABS and EAS (although a coil conversion is cheap and easy). The ZF auto is reliable and plenty strong enough. The LT230 transfer is an easy conversion and well worth it, as the BW transfer has 2 serious failure risks.

If you can't drive it, it's worth its value in scrap basically. You really need to find out if it is just a clutch, or the box that is stuffed before paying for anything. Does the engine run ok? Check to see if you can select all the gears - as well as high and low range. You are taking a risk buying something that doesn't move, but if you can prove it's only the clutch, then it may be worth looking at if everything checks out, and the price is right. Pity you are so far away - I have a decent spare clutch and pressure plate here that I don't need any more...

All very good advice,

Think l will be patient and save up a bit more $$$$$ and buy something thats at least going and l don't have to pay towing costs on top of purchase price

Good thinking - hang in there and wait - something will turn up eventually that will fit the bill. Although a bit different, I waited over 6 months for the right L322 to turn up - and it did eventually. They are out there, just a bit of research and patience is all that is required.

Happy hunting.:)