RE: SOTW Special: MR2/ Range Rover
RE: SOTW Special: MR2/ Range Rover
Friday 22nd May 2009

SOTW Special: MR2/ Range Rover

PH sells the MR2 and Garlick buys his own shed.



Every Friday I look for the PH Shed of the Week and even when the other chaps choose it, I can't help but stick my nose in and add my two- penneth, whether they want it or not. In fact I blame PistonHeads completely for my love of older, cheaper cars as SOTW has been my favourite feature for years, and it's because of this I have decided to buy my own shed. However, as I bought it from a PHer I use the phrase ‘shed’ with the utmost affection.  

Say hello to my new run around, a very brown, 1992, 3.9 V8 Range Rover Vogue. It's slightly unusual as it has a velour interior rather than leather and is fitted with a manual gearbox too. It’s an unusual spec and I can just imagine the chat in the dealership 17 years ago.

Dealer: 'Sir has great taste, the Range Rover Vogue is the model of choice for the discerning gentleman, now what about the specification?'


Punter: 'I'd like it in brown please, and hold the leather as I quite fancy some velour. Oh, and none of that auto box malarkey, I’ll take a manual please.'

Dealer: 'Err, right. That will be a 50% deposit before we order it please sir.'

Regardless of the unusual spec, I now have a 95,000 mile Rangie, with a decent history file, 4 previous owners and a full 12 months MOT. It also has a National Trust tax disc holder and a Yacht Club parking permit sticker in the windscreen. What it is with Old 'Rovers, they just reek of class in a way that no other version has ever bettered in my opinion. Rust appears to be staying away for now, the V8 is super smooth and I even quite like the manual box too.

So far I have resisted the urge to deck myself out in tweed, but I’m sure that day will come soon enough, and I am already planning on taking it to Goodwood for the FOS instead of the RS2.


So what did I pay for this lump of British class? £700. Mock it all you like, but I know you are a little bit jealous. This shed hasn't been bought to make a profit though, instead I will use it for commuting and tooling around London.

Well that was the plan anyway but now I am imagining trips to the beach, picnics on the tailgate and the odd jaunt up a bridleway. I am now so ‘old money’ that the next time you read about this car I’ll no doubt be off to a point-to-point, or perhaps the local shoot. In reality I’ll probably know the AA man/ fuel station attendant by name and will be using the PistonHeads classifieds to sell the thing. Until then, i'll enjoy the V8 'woofle' while wearing some Hunter wellies and a flat cap. Out of my way Prius driver, I'm coming through.

As one shed arrives, another departs. George managed to sell the PH MR2 and here is his story.


Safe in the knowledge that RacingPete and I had bought a gem of a car, I had no qualms about clocking up some serious miles in the MR2 in the hunt for bits to improve its rather dowdy appearance.

The hunt was on for a set of scrapheap seats, some partly worn tyres and an elusive gearnob gaitor. It sounds like a relatively simple list of bits, but with Shed’s limited budget finding them for a bargain price was going to be tricky. There was also the small matter of our MR2’s rather flat paintwork that needed to be addressed.

Thankfully Mr Will is a tireless worker with far too much energy and spare time, so after a weekend in his custody the MR2 returned a whole lot shinier. Several hours of mechanical buffing brought the paintwork back up to its former glory and after a quick valet inside and out the MR2 was now up to a decent standard and could be put back onto the classifieds.


It took a few days for the MR2 to get noticed, but eagle-eyed Sunday afternoon bargain hunters soon stumbled across our Shed, and by Monday morning I proudly walked into the office declaring the Shed was all but sold. Three prospective punters had arrange to view the car that week, and that was only the start of it.

Priced at one pound shy of our traditional £1k Shed budget, and a whopping £500 over what we paid for it the forthright and honest description of our slightly tatty MR2 seemed to be winning over the hearts and minds of the PH classifieds. A further three appointments were made before the end of the week, but in the end just two people managed to see our glorious Shed before it was snapped up.


Like the buying process, the negotiations were simple. It was £1k or no sale in my eyes, however, my opponent was after some kind of discount, and I offered up a fifty quid reduction to help seal the deal.

So, the MR2’s gone and Shed has made its third 100 per cent profit (well nearly). The lack of any decent seats at the breakers yard meant that just £80 was spent on restoring the MR2, leaving PH’s Shed Special budget in fine shape with £1290 in the kitty. All we want to know now is whether we can afford a decent Porsche 924?

Author
Discussion

6potdave

Original Poster:

2,641 posts

233 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
The Range Rover looks very tidy and for the money you can't go wrong! I can't see it as much of a commuting tool to be fair as it would probably work out cheaper to hire a limo everywhere!

Cassius81

285 posts

209 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Like the RR - a superb vehicle, but Garlick are you sure its a Vogue? I always thought they came with leather as standard, plus it doesn't have electric seats etc (as far as I can see??)

Garlick

40,601 posts

260 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Cassius81 said:
Like the RR - a superb vehicle, but Garlick are you sure its a Vogue? I always thought they came with leather as standard, plus it doesn't have electric seats etc (as far as I can see??)
Not 100%, but it says so on the Log book and HPI check.

Cassius81

285 posts

209 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Garlick said:
Cassius81 said:
Like the RR - a superb vehicle, but Garlick are you sure its a Vogue? I always thought they came with leather as standard, plus it doesn't have electric seats etc (as far as I can see??)
Not 100%, but it says so on the Log book and HPI check.
Fair enough - as you say, the first owner must have just altered the spec...

MPG?!

Wilburo

391 posts

217 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Perhaps they were a vegetarian?

Edited by Wilburo on Friday 22 May 13:16

mister.t

3,135 posts

216 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Vogue never came with leather or cruise cotrol as standard, but the Vogue SE did along with electric seats, air conditioning and so on smile

Finding a manual Vogue V8 is quite hard but it's one of the best you can buy due to fewer electronics and for economy/speed reasons

varsas

4,071 posts

222 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
No shots of the engine? Shame!

Cassius81

285 posts

209 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
mister.t said:
Vogue never came with leather or cruise cotrol as standard, but the Vogue SE did along with electric seats, air conditioning and so on smile

Finding a manual Vogue V8 is quite hard but it's one of the best you can buy due to fewer electronics and for economy/speed reasons
Ah, I stand corrected...
Yes, I imagine you can make better use of that V8 with a maunal box...

Oppressed Mass

217 posts

303 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
"...a decent Porsche 924"? now there's a debate waiting to start...

scoobsydub

17 posts

199 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
My old pal bought one when he was 20 years old, thought it made him look cool (It did), he had it for 5 months before writing it off. We worked out that for every mile he had travelled in it he could have quite comfortably afforded a Taxi everywhere for the money he spent/lost on it.. Cracking fun though.

Strawman

6,463 posts

227 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Wilburo said:
Perhaps they were a vegetarian?
hehe

Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

262 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Cassius81 said:
Like the RR - a superb vehicle, but Garlick are you sure its a Vogue? I always thought they came with leather as standard, plus it doesn't have electric seats etc (as far as I can see??)
I have a Vogue in classic towling fabric. It's the choice of champions.

Maybe it was the Vogue EFi which was leather as standard.

Strawman

6,463 posts

227 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Oppressed Mass said:
"...a decent Porsche 924"? now there's a debate waiting to start...
You could probably get a 924S for £1,200

(924 owner)

chris.mapey

4,778 posts

287 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Garlick said:
Cassius81 said:
Like the RR - a superb vehicle, but Garlick are you sure its a Vogue? I always thought they came with leather as standard, plus it doesn't have electric seats etc (as far as I can see??)
Not 100%, but it says so on the Log book and HPI check.
It'll be a Vogue.

The Vogue SE was the one with the auto & leather as standard at that age of RR. IIRC you should have the "high pressure" ABS brakes as well...

Top find though, and you'll get every penny back when you come to sell as well - adevrtise it as a towcar at local stables etc...

James.

963 posts

203 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
The standard Vogue didn't have leather. That was reserved for the Vogue SE which did not arrive until '88/'89 (well before Paul's car). I had a Merc 450SEL 6.9 once and that had velour in it despite costing as much as a Rolls in its day. Velour was considered more comfortable and I believe it was actually a cost option on the Merc.

Ecurie Ecosse

4,812 posts

238 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
That looks great, Paul.

A little detail I love on that model are the symbols used on the heating controls - with the picture of the hat and the stout shoe.


Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

262 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Oppressed Mass said:
"...a decent Porsche 924"? now there's a debate waiting to start...
I believe it was John Wayne who used to say that the only good indian, was a dead one:


Davi

17,153 posts

240 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
Strawman said:
Oppressed Mass said:
"...a decent Porsche 924"? now there's a debate waiting to start...
You could probably get a 924S for £1,200

(924 owner)
Isn't there some old saying about 'could' and 'should'? wink

Stuart

11,638 posts

271 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
I think that Garlick is understating the excitement that this vehicle (The Rangie, not that white appliance) caused when it arrived. We share office space with the chaps on Classic & Sports Car, no strangers to the appeal of thirsty, torquey engines doing little for CO2 emissions and a lot for petrol sales. When it arrived the entire team trooped downstairs to crawl all over it and the verdict was a massive thumbup.

When C&SC's editor arrived mid-way through (in his hot Triumph 2000) you could see the look of jealousy in his eyes. A look that said "in the battle for Big Engined British Built Vehicle car park superiority, today I have been usurped."

If and when you sell it Paul, I think you need look no further than your own work colleagues. We're not letting this one leave...

leon9191

752 posts

213 months

Friday 22nd May 2009
quotequote all
The 'Rover is the coolest thing iv seen in ages, iv already started looking for one, was thinking about a disco but if i can find a good one with LPG its all systems go!

Cant wait to see the girlfriends face when i spring this one.