That's the tow car sorted - Cheap L322 Range Rover Content
Discussion
Quick update. I've now covered 5000 miles in the Range for the total investment of a couple of front tyres and a radiator/upper rad hose. The rad wasn't strictly necessary but the lower channels were fairly well clogged leading to the box going into high temp protection mode when stuck in traffic or after towing for a bit.
I've done a few none essential things like some fresher trim to replace the torn a-pillar trim and sorted the lacquer peel on the bootlid. The old bus carries on going and I'm currently on the lookout for a cheap, right colour bonnet and load cover on e-bay.
I drove it to Magny Cours a month or so ago (as the Porsche was mid drive shaft rebuild) and it was the most ridiculously comfortable thing ever, in 1000 miles it used about 3/4L of oil which isn't bad for a motor with well North of 200K miles on it. This would no doubt be lower if I actually addressed the oil leak it had too
Next on the job list is to sort the surface rust on the rear arches and pull the side skirts off to make sure there isn't anything nasty under there. I also need to find a low range switch on the bay as mine is broken. It will probably need a gearbox rebuild soon but right now it's going strong aside from a slight random low speed judder that I can never replicate.
I can only conclude that a cheap L322 is incredible value for money and it's likely we'll always have one around from now on!
I've done a few none essential things like some fresher trim to replace the torn a-pillar trim and sorted the lacquer peel on the bootlid. The old bus carries on going and I'm currently on the lookout for a cheap, right colour bonnet and load cover on e-bay.
I drove it to Magny Cours a month or so ago (as the Porsche was mid drive shaft rebuild) and it was the most ridiculously comfortable thing ever, in 1000 miles it used about 3/4L of oil which isn't bad for a motor with well North of 200K miles on it. This would no doubt be lower if I actually addressed the oil leak it had too
Next on the job list is to sort the surface rust on the rear arches and pull the side skirts off to make sure there isn't anything nasty under there. I also need to find a low range switch on the bay as mine is broken. It will probably need a gearbox rebuild soon but right now it's going strong aside from a slight random low speed judder that I can never replicate.
I can only conclude that a cheap L322 is incredible value for money and it's likely we'll always have one around from now on!
poppopbangbang said:
It only has to work for a couple of thousand miles this year and I'll have got my monies worth vs renting something that can tow..... and where's the fun/challenge in that
poppopbangbang said:
Quick update. I've now covered 5000 miles in the Range for the total investment of a couple of front tyres and a radiator/upper rad hose.
Glad it's going well, some motors just don't want to stop.Well that's 210,000 miles ticked off. The "Range" has had a bit of a birthday to celebrate:
I'm blown away by how good it has come up! I'm not much of a detailer but that was a big claybar, few machine polished bits, black hole, HD wax, plastics hot air gunned, wheels cleaned, interior scrubbed to buggery with a rotary brush on a drill to get the muck out of the textured plastics and a damn good hoover. Along with lining some stuff back up and sorting some loose trim. I also got a cheap set of black door handle trims from e-bay as the chrome ones were looking very second hand.
It's also had a new water rad, new aircon rad, new gearbox heat exchanger, brakes all round, drop links and ball joints and a service. This has resulted in a gearbox that no longer goes into temperature related limp mode, aircon that works and is icy cold and no more rattles from the front end. I've also tidied the interior up with some second hand bits of ebay, so the seats no longer have broken trims and the A pillars aren't peeling. It's a really nice place to be now!
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup. I'd also like to swap the rock sliders for side steps to get rid of the last of the chrome. I'll get around to that at some point!
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one, afterall there are so many horror stories about cheap Range Rovers but I am considering it the best bargain buy I've every managed!
I'm blown away by how good it has come up! I'm not much of a detailer but that was a big claybar, few machine polished bits, black hole, HD wax, plastics hot air gunned, wheels cleaned, interior scrubbed to buggery with a rotary brush on a drill to get the muck out of the textured plastics and a damn good hoover. Along with lining some stuff back up and sorting some loose trim. I also got a cheap set of black door handle trims from e-bay as the chrome ones were looking very second hand.
It's also had a new water rad, new aircon rad, new gearbox heat exchanger, brakes all round, drop links and ball joints and a service. This has resulted in a gearbox that no longer goes into temperature related limp mode, aircon that works and is icy cold and no more rattles from the front end. I've also tidied the interior up with some second hand bits of ebay, so the seats no longer have broken trims and the A pillars aren't peeling. It's a really nice place to be now!
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup. I'd also like to swap the rock sliders for side steps to get rid of the last of the chrome. I'll get around to that at some point!
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one, afterall there are so many horror stories about cheap Range Rovers but I am considering it the best bargain buy I've every managed!
Edited by poppopbangbang on Sunday 24th June 21:58
That's looking good! I can't believe that model came out in 2002, it doesn't feel that long ago to me that they were new. Good stuff though mate, I love a high miler - my 335D is chugging towards 200k without many complaints and I couldn't part with it. What do you reckons costlier to keep on the road - this or the 996?
poppopbangbang said:
It's also had a new water rad, new aircon rad, new gearbox heat exchanger, brakes all round, drop links and ball joints and a service.
<SNIP>
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup.
<SNIP>
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one
That's considered lucky!!? <SNIP>
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup.
<SNIP>
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one
Edited by poppopbangbang on Sunday 24th June 21:58
For most mere mortals paying retail for parts and an hourly labour rate, the cost to do that would have exceeded the value, and it's still not right.
Glad to see its saved, but you are the exception not the rule!
Croutons said:
That's considered lucky!!?
Well yes because the big expensive mechanical bits are all in rude health and still going strong. Croutons said:
For most mere mortals paying retail for parts and an hourly labour rate, the cost to do that would have exceeded the value,
This is why mere mortals should stay away from anything involving the words "old", "bangernomics", "cheap" or "project" as it just ends up with a thread on here made up of 50% moaning, 50% sympathy hunting that whatever old large thing they've got off ebay has just got them a many zeros at the end bill from some marque specialist or other, or alternatively a perfectly good car gets scrapped because it takes more than a Halfords tool kit and a Youtube video to fix it.The entire point of dicking about with old stuff like this is that you have the skill set to fix it and are a shrewed discount code/e-bay'er to source the bits cheap to boot. Think of it like a side hobby with life size Mechano that's enjoyed on the odd weekend afternoon with the bonus that you get some sort of usable thing out of it
CornedBeef said:
That's looking good! I can't believe that model came out in 2002, it doesn't feel that long ago to me that they were new. Good stuff though mate, I love a high miler - my 335D is chugging towards 200k without many complaints and I couldn't part with it. What do you reckons costlier to keep on the road - this or the 996?
Neither are that bad really. My benchmark is what would a 320D cost to lease. If I'm under that montly cost per car then they're a bargain in my opinion.poppopbangbang said:
Croutons said:
That's considered lucky!!?
Well yes because the big expensive mechanical bits are all in rude health and still going strong. Croutons said:
For most mere mortals paying retail for parts and an hourly labour rate, the cost to do that would have exceeded the value,
This is why mere mortals should stay away from anything involving the words "old", "bangernomics", "cheap" or "project" as it just ends up with a thread on here made up of 50% moaning, 50% sympathy hunting that whatever old large thing they've got off ebay has just got them a many zeros at the end bill from some marque specialist or other, or alternatively a perfectly good car gets scrapped because it takes more than a Halfords tool kit and a Youtube video to fix it.The entire point of dicking about with old stuff like this is that you have the skill set to fix it and are a shrewed discount code/e-bay'er to source the bits cheap to boot. Think of it like a side hobby with life size Mechano that's enjoyed on the odd weekend afternoon with the bonus that you get some sort of usable thing out of it
My measure of success is equation based: How long it sits on parents drive, how much I've told my OH I've spent on it, how much I've actually spent on it, how many bits I've broken, how many new bits I've had to buy as I've broken something, then how many new bits I've broken... I'm just banned from owning Alfa Romeos by my entire family as there were three of them on the drive at one point.
lordf said:
I'm in the middle camp as I had a more than a fair amount more tools than a halfords tool box, but no training, and yet no fear.
I think no fear is very important..... .as is a fairly large amount of patience lordf said:
My measure of success is equation based: How long it sits on parents drive, how much I've told my OH I've spent on it, how much I've actually spent on it, how many bits I've broken, how many new bits I've had to buy as I've broken something, then how many new bits I've broken... I'm just banned from owning Alfa Romeos by my entire family as there were three of them on the drive at one point.
Ah yes the actual spend vs the reported spend balance! Always a tricky one to get right...... Out of interest where do you keep the Alfas now? poppopbangbang said:
lordf said:
I'm in the middle camp as I had a more than a fair amount more tools than a halfords tool box, but no training, and yet no fear.
I think no fear is very important..... .as is a fairly large amount of patience lordf said:
My measure of success is equation based: How long it sits on parents drive, how much I've told my OH I've spent on it, how much I've actually spent on it, how many bits I've broken, how many new bits I've had to buy as I've broken something, then how many new bits I've broken... I'm just banned from owning Alfa Romeos by my entire family as there were three of them on the drive at one point.
Ah yes the actual spend vs the reported spend balance! Always a tricky one to get right...... Out of interest where do you keep the Alfas now? It cost you £5k, that’s £2500 wife dollars.
You sold it for £3k, that’s £1500 wife dollars.
poppopbangbang said:
lordf said:
I'm in the middle camp as I had a more than a fair amount more tools than a halfords tool box, but no training, and yet no fear.
I think no fear is very important..... .as is a fairly large amount of patience lordf said:
My measure of success is equation based: How long it sits on parents drive, how much I've told my OH I've spent on it, how much I've actually spent on it, how many bits I've broken, how many new bits I've had to buy as I've broken something, then how many new bits I've broken... I'm just banned from owning Alfa Romeos by my entire family as there were three of them on the drive at one point.
Ah yes the actual spend vs the reported spend balance! Always a tricky one to get right...... Out of interest where do you keep the Alfas now? Two of the three Alfas are still alive (as far as 14+ year old Alfa Romeos can be). My best mate and I still own two 145's between us, they are thankfully hidden in a shed behind his house for the time being until we are both stupid enough to attempt to re-build them again. The 166 we sold on to a chap with a similar fettish for pain...
eltax91 said:
poppopbangbang said:
lordf said:
I'm in the middle camp as I had a more than a fair amount more tools than a halfords tool box, but no training, and yet no fear.
I think no fear is very important..... .as is a fairly large amount of patience lordf said:
My measure of success is equation based: How long it sits on parents drive, how much I've told my OH I've spent on it, how much I've actually spent on it, how many bits I've broken, how many new bits I've had to buy as I've broken something, then how many new bits I've broken... I'm just banned from owning Alfa Romeos by my entire family as there were three of them on the drive at one point.
Ah yes the actual spend vs the reported spend balance! Always a tricky one to get right...... Out of interest where do you keep the Alfas now? It cost you £5k, that’s £2500 wife dollars.
You sold it for £3k, that’s £1500 wife dollars.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Even if I am disappointed at the lack of Bork.
Er, say what now?! Croutons said:
poppopbangbang said:
It's also had a new water rad, new aircon rad, new gearbox heat exchanger, brakes all round, drop links and ball joints and a service.
<SNIP>
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup.
<SNIP>
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one
That's considered lucky!!? <SNIP>
All I've got left to sort is a slight oil leak and the fact that the HVAC flaps do weird stuff and randomly turn off the centre vents a few seconds after startup.
<SNIP>
I'm sure I have just been lucky with this one
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