Thread: what would you do?

You'd probably be over capitalising to overhaul the 3.5 if you dont do it yourself. Unless you love the vehicle, plan to keep it a long time and are happy to pay the fuel bills. But the auto is also getting a bit long in the tooth and they are also not cheap.

Buying a newer, more economical vehicle can also be false economy due to the finance and depreciation costs involved - its often cheaper to run an older, less fuel efficient vehicle.

The cheapest option is probably to do only the bare minimum to it to keep it going with a level of reliability you are happy to live with and then drive it until it dies. I often laugh when people spend thousands to fix an engine which burns a bit of oil, a couple of litres of oil a week is a lot cheaper than a new engine. Even if you give it away when it dies, you will most likely still be ahead. You might also be surprised how long it continues to go for.

Smac - I have an 87 Rangie 5 speed and I reckon it goes pretty well. It has well over 200 000 km on board (odometer has never worked in the time I have owned it, stuck on 200 009 km). I would suggest having a really good go at the entire intake system with carby cleaner. Throttle body, vacuum pipes and the idle solenoid down on the manifold. Mine is stalling a bit and the idle solenoid is the number one suspect. I will be down that way in a couple of months, maybe you can give it to me...

Originally Posted by mark2

You'd probably be over capitalising to overhaul the 3.5 if you dont do it yourself. Unless you love the vehicle, plan to keep it a long time and are happy to pay the fuel bills. But the auto is also getting a bit long in the tooth and they are also not cheap.

Buying a newer, more economical vehicle can also be false economy due to the finance and depreciation costs involved - its often cheaper to run an older, less fuel efficient vehicle.

The cheapest option is probably to do only the bare minimum to it to keep it going with a level of reliability you are happy to live with and then drive it until it dies. I often laugh when people spend thousands to fix an engine which burns a bit of oil, a couple of litres of oil a week is a lot cheaper than a new engine. Even if you give it away when it dies, you will most likely still be ahead. You might also be surprised how long it continues to go for.

SMAC this advice from mark2 is sound and very sensible ...but you don't want to hear it as you would'nt have posted..your inner child is yearning for a newish car.. having owned for some years a 86 RR I would suggest you buy a Disco 1 Tdi as your used to sluggish you won't know he difference the ride is slightly similar and the aircons work great and you will save a lot in fuel costs.$15000 is about $80 per week..go on there are heaps of bargains out there and with interest rates going up, fuel costs and groceries lots of 2 car families will become one, find a pearler and buy it..go on you know you want to..

I'd turn it into one of these....