Hi, all. Guess I'm looking for a little feedback to reassure me; that, or I'm a glutton for punishment. Allow me to explain.

I bought my first Range Rover; a red 1990 3.9 Classic, about a month ago and was told by the seller that it was in good shape. So I get on a Southwest flight to Baltimore from Nashville, and get a ride up to his shop in Little River, MD. There I find what resembles the vehicle in the photos, only rougher, but I think, well, I can work with it. So, I take off back to Nashville, and manage to get a whopping 75 miles or so around the loop in Washington, DC when the truck starts trailing smoke like a Lancaster limping back home over the Channel. I pull off at the first exit and into a strip mall, where I go to open the hood and see what is the matter, and as I start to lift, what do my eyes see? No, it's not Santa Claus- more like Satan cause, I see flames rolling under the hood. I slam it shut again, grab my bag and stuff from the passenger's seat, and surely goodness and mercy will follow, 'cause I'm getting the heck out of this car! After a couple o tries, I find someone who will let me call 911 and the firemen arrive and put it out, mainly by opening up the dash and bonnet with a rather large pickaxe and soaking it down. So there I was, stranger in a strange land, on foot 725 miles from home and staring as the wrecker hauls away my "new" Rover. Joy, oh joy. I get a cab back to the Baltimore airport and fly back home, feeling like "Get thee behind me, Rover!" Longer story short; the seller- Ron Jones of K & J Autos- won't return my calls, and I'm waiting to see what the Maryland Attorney General's office can do with him.

Meanwhile, I'm back to looking for another car.

And after searching about, what do I find but another Range Rover- this one a 1988 Classic with 105000 miles and an owner that is planning on driving it from New York to Texas, and possibly bringing it to me here in Nashville. Price is right, this time HE is taking the burden of proof (if it can make the drive from New York state to Tennessee, I would think it should be in decent condition logically). I plan on doing a complete service on it when I get it here- axle pivots, inspecting all hoses, new filters, etc.

So what do you all think? Am I being overly optimistic in hoping that not EVERY Rover I could own would spontaniously combust, and that it is worth taking the risk twice in a row? Are these machines worth the effort that they seem to be, or should I run screaming into the night, holding onto my wallet with both hands now, before I have a second experience where they cheat the others and pass the savings on to me?!?!? Oh, and does anyone in the Silver Springs, Maryland area want a REALLY good deal on a parts Rover?

 

So no opinions on the 1988 3.5 Rover versus the 1989 3.9? I would haave thought that this would be a good place to get opinions on the pros and cons of them from those who have had more firsthand experience with them. I'm honestly hoping that my initial ownership nightmare was just a fluke, and that they are generally a pretty good vehicle if one is willing to keep up the service on them. I've owned plenty of British cars before (3 MGBs, 1 Triumph spitfire, 1 Jag XJ6 and one Jag XJS) but never a Land Rover. I hear plenty of tales out there from "friends of friends" who had one that was always in the shop, blah, blah, blah, but 99% of them come from people whose idea of a "good car" is a friggen' Taurus, so I take all that with a lick of salt, not merely a grain. But I would like to hear from those here who have had a 1988 Range Rover and who use it as a daily driver, as to what to look out for in particular so I can have an idea of what to check this next one for, before I buy it. I'd hate to see two in a row go up in smoke... especially when they are using my wallet for the kindling. Anyone? Anyone?

 

i dont have any experience with RR's but from what i experience and by looking at designs that the disco I is very solid and its much cheaper and easier to replace worn parts. and that vehicle you bought which caught fire i am sure is a fluke probably due to the owner before you not maintaining it correctly

 

Thanks. I'm strongly considering saving up a little extra and having the new rover shipped home, so I can go over it before I take it on a long drive and see if anything is trying to ****** defeat from the jaws of victory this time. I'm still not sure what went wron with the last one; I suppose it mught have been a leaky fuel line, or maybe a short in something. But if I can start at home, with my tools and garage and the guidence from here and Rangie.com, etc. then I hope I will have better luck this time around.

 

Just read this on 2/18/06. Curious as to how your newest Rover worked out. Have an employee with a 96 Defender that tells of older LR's that have rubber hose oil cooler lines going completeing the line up to the radiator and that they sometimes can't handle the pressure, resulting in many fires on 3.9's like yours, but in Defenders. Don't know if it was your case, but thought I would pass it on.
jeff