HI all. I'm taking the plunge and want to get a Land Rover Ranger Rover in the 1990 - 1999 range and need recommendations as to the more reliable years. My main concern is drive train issues. I do understand by nature these vehicles are not without issues but I've cut my teeth on four Volvos from 1987 to 1999 doing everything from replacing axles and suspensions to rebuilding ABS computers with allot in between and I'm looking for some new kind of fun. So, which years do I search for and which years do I avoid.

Thanks in advance.

 

Anything after '94 will be the second Gen Rovers (P38's). In all honesty I'd look for a '99 on because it has a, supposedly, more reliable engine. The only trade off is the engine is more difficult to work on. If you don't mind the work and do your research Rovers are fantastic cars so it sounds like one might be right for you! The Rover community is also very active and willing to help troubleshoot when you do run into problems. I would highly advise looking at the common problems (use rangerovers.net) and do a thorough inspection before buying. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for the in for ID. As for the forum I'm a firm believer. I was a long time member on the Volvo forums and they are what kept my vehicles on the road.

 

So, with the second gen. Ranger Rover, are there any major reliability diffrences in the 4.0 and 4.6? Is the 4.0 more prone to head gasket problems?

 

I also own a Volvo XC70 and have found the Rover sites to be equally as good as the Volvo sites and I think the Rovers take an equal amount of tinkering to keep them going. I love my RR and XC but some days I really miss my Honda Accord (it had 315k miles on it when I sold it and it still ran like a top and cost me peanuts to maintain)

 

Chris,
Volvo xc...you do like to have fun! Personally, great looking car but I never had the stomach to deal with Volvo angle gears. I've done allot of research on the AWD design but could never pull the trigger. Great forum, however, is:
http://www.v70xc.com/forums/
Another is volvospeed.com.
Thanks for your feedback.

 

Tell me how to rebuild the ABS module in ly 98 V70R.

The Rover is a great vehicle, I have 3 of them, 2 Discos and 1 P38. There really is not difference in the 4.0 to 4.6 other than power and I prefer GEMS motors over BOSCH since I think it simpler. The key areas to look for are the suspension and the climate control, niehter which are overly difficult to repair or replce if you are willing to turn a wrench. In fact I just did the rear Air Springs on the P38 and it was the simplest design ever and only took about 30 minutes.

Try to find some service history with it and you should have a good idea what you will need to fix. Good Luck.

 

I'm also curious about the ABS module too. Mine is on the fritz in my XC and I was going to send it out to be rebuilt. (sorry about hijacking the thread and turning it into Volvo talk.)

 

Thanks for the info Rob. A good friend of mine gave me his 92 classic to play with today. I've put it up on the lift and I've looked at the air suspension set up. It also seems that the drive train is very accessible - more so that my S&V70S.

Krazzz, if the ABS light is intermittently coming on and then going off for a while and then coming on again for longer periods of time until it stays on it is most likely that a few soldering points within the ABS computer are cracked (most likly from heat stress). This is a highly common issue and I've personally had two units that did this.

You have three options: 1. Buy a new unit from Volvo $600.00; 2. send if off to be repaired $160.00 - $115.00 (this guy comes highly recommended and gives you great instructions how to remove the unit so it can be shipped.) http://home.earthlink.net/~vicrocha/; or 3. DIY (running the risk of damaging the unit). Never the less, here is a great step by step link:
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/for...st=0&sk=t&sd=a most important step is resealing the unit after you have made the repair! Good luck.

 

Don't buy.....trouble, trouble, trouble! Read consumer reports reviews. Heck, just ask anyone who has owned a Landrover. If you enjoy learning how to work on a vehicle on a weekly basis, the Landrover is for you.