So i used to haunt this froum along time ago, but now I am back with some questions. I am a biologist who spends alot of time in the desert and mountains on really bad roads - along way from help! i am looking for a new field vehicle. essentially i would drive 3 - 500 miles to a site - then spend a week bouncing along all sorts of rocks and rutted roads - then drive home. I am thinking an early 90's rover might be just the ticket. I am after:
1. dependability - I can't have it quit on me in the middle of nowhere
2. ability - I already know they are very capable of road
3. storaqge room ands comfort
My wife had a 93 LWB that she really liked - and it ran well for her

I think by far the biggest concern will be reliability - we already know the vehicle fits all of our other qualifications!

But you guys tell me - if you had 10 grand to spend - would it be on a Rover - given my application? and what years / models would you stay away from - what are the gotchas I need to be looking out for? I guess I'm thinking that the engine and drive train are probably pretty reliable - but what about electronics etc??

any insites/recomendations/ information would be appreciated?

Oh yah - and how about a disco? is it reliable?

Carl Johansson

 

Carl ...given your situation, you might be better off in something more reliable. The Rovers are high maintenance and are probablynot the best vehicle to have for what you are proposing. The only way you might be OK is if you converted an older Rover to coil springs but then you're giving up the ability to lift the vehicle over rougher terrain and the ride off road will be much rougher than with the air suspension system.You will most likely encounter EAS problems when you are at the site that is 500 miles away (not the closer sitewhere you could limp to a mechanic if you had to) unless you finda Rover that has an updated EAS system or has been converted to coil springs. With your$10k budget, you won't find much that doesn't need a crap load of work unless you go much older like a 1995 or earlier.I believe the EAS system was first seen on 95's so if you go with a LWB Country (1994 or earlier), that might be a good option. What about a Discovery? Have you looked at those? No EAS problems and great off-road. Otherwise, I would suggest a Land Cruiser or some other heavier duty Japanese SUV. I've said this many times before but I would not drive anywhere in my Rover unless I had mechanics along the route that I could bail out to if I needed them.I broke down everywhere ...it became humorous after the umpteenth time. 90% of it was EAS problems and the system will drop to the bump stops in many cases (that would be horrible if you were 500 miles from home).

Good luck.
Pads Fan