my first rangie??

[landy_bug]

i have been considering a new toy which would be used for camping, greenlaning and general fun fun fun! :lol:i quite like the look of a 300tdi manual soft dash model and was wondering if this was a good choice or not, if so what to look out for etc. as this will be my first rangie. I love the V8's but couldn't live with it everyday as this will be my missus's work vehicle as well when she needs it. the thoughts of fellow mud cubbers would be very much welcome.

cheers
chris harvey

[martyn]

If ti was for my wife thats all id be doing is cleaning it after offroad activities so top tip get her use to it being ditry

[Range Rover Blues]

We've got 2 300TDi softies in the family, an auto and a manual.  They are lovely cars if you can find one in decent nick, I've seen people asking daft money for them though!

[landy_bug]

thanks for the info RRB. I will be after one in fairly good nick but it will be for off roading so some dents and scratches won't be a problem.

If ti was for my wife thats all id be doing is cleaning it after offroad activities so top tip get her use to it being ditry

she won't mind it being dirty as she will be helping me get it dirty in the first place!!

[Rainbird]

The three big things to look for are rust, rust and rust

Take a good look at the sills, front wheel arches, rear seat belt mounts, rear cross member, boot floor, front footwells.  They're all well known rust points.  Check for dampness in the front footwells and carpets which could indicate either a heater matrix leak, windscreen seal leak, air con drain leak or sun roof drain leak.

If its got air suspensio, check it all works properly (same goes for all the electrics). 

If it's got a viscous coupling (effectively and automatic diff lock) check it's not seized.  Simple way to do this is stick it on full lock on a loose surface and see if the front wheels turn the car smoothly or whether it scuffs and slides as the diff is locked.

[landy_bug]

all the normal landy rust problems, thanks rainbird for pointing out some of the problem areas to check for i will keep them in mind. i am kinda handy no with some issues but air sus will be new to me , i will probably convert to coils if it becomes a problem

[Range Rover Blues]

i will probably convert to coils if it becomes a problem

You don't want to do a silly thing like that, the EAS is one of the best things about the late model RRC, that and the heater in a softie is way better than a hard dash.

[Range Rover Red]

We've got 2 300TDi softies in the family, an auto and a manual.  They are lovely cars if you can find one in decent nick, I've seen people asking daft money for them though!

Someone knocked on the door this morning asking if mine was for sale!

[Bobtail]

We've got 2 300TDi softies in the family, an auto and a manual.  They are lovely cars if you can find one in decent nick, I've seen people asking daft money for them though!

Someone knocked on the door this morning asking if mine was for sale!

Is It(has his finges crossed)

[Range Rover Blues]

Afriad not (not ubless something else expensive goes wrong) and given that our TDi is in her garage with no sills and no boot floor at the moment I'd say there would be a queue is it was.

If you look at a late model RRC check the boot floor, it appears they rust worse than ealry ones.  Check the rear door pillar above the wheel, all ours suffered here, then check the sills.  Later RRC have an open sill trim which seems to create rust worse than the early closed sill trim, though both are a rust trap.

Any water leaks into the car seem to cause silsl to rot out, check inside the drian holes for signs of a build up of mud or silt.  I've seen bad rust in front of ther A post on newish cars and leaks form rusted out bonnet hinges that soak the floors.

Also check the doors for rust around the hinges and the back edges.  Later models don't seem as rustproof.

[Rainbird]

I believe that the later models being less rust proof is the result of Landrover changing their steel suppliers in the early nineties in order to reduce costs.  The new suppliers used a lower quality steel to get the price down which has a (not surprising) effect on the biodegradation of the vehicle

[Range Rover Blues]

That makes sense.  There is also less Ali and more steel, like the boot floor for example.  There are not enough decent drain holes either.

[Rainbird]

The lack of drain holes is built into the design.  If there are not enough, then simple chemical reactions create more until the water can drain out.  It saves the designers having to calculate the required drainage!

[Range Rover Red]

So it looks like mine could well be the next one in the garage with no sills and no boot floor