Hey all,

Lately the appeal of parting ways with my 2015 Range Rover Sport (and the $45K loan balance) sounds mighty appealing. I love the truck and all, don't get me wrong, but something about the RRC beckons. I've never owned one, have only admired from afar... I'm afraid that perhaps I'm looking at them through rose-colored glasses though? The wife daily drives a Disco 2, and I've worked on that car down to the very bowels of the motor/chassis, so I'm not a stranger to wrenching on LRs. One of the most worrisome long-term ownership barriers seems to be propensity of RRCs to rust. That's one of the awesome traits of the RRS - no rust in it's future since it's 100% aluminum. Any thoughts or advice? I'm going to go look at a pristine-ish example, 1994, on Friday.

B

 

RRC is what started it all for me and I have owned 3. I miss having one in the drive. As long as you are ok with next to no technology and a classic car feel it will be fantastic. Rust is the enemy however and clean examples are getting hard to find.

 

I'm kind of in pursuit of the low-tech life. I had an Evoque, then we got the D2, and then sold the Evoque and now have the RRS in its place, and even though the D2 still has tech, it feels like the last generation of LRs that are able to be worked on without fussing with software. I'm a millennial, and love how tech helps me live my life, but I hate how it governs the repairability of cars now. I had an issue with an acceleration hesitation on the RRS and the fix was a software update. They had the car connected to the factory in the UK and received an update overnight to correct the problem. I hate that. Now, even though I LOVE the RRS, I think I want an analog car again.

Is rust REALLY that big of an issue with these? It's a California car, which puts it far ahead of any living their lives out in snow country. All the posts I've read range from doom to those who buy, it'll disintegrate in a few years; to this is the best car and we use it all the time and it'll last forever. Quite a range of experiences.

 

Rust is a issue with all of the earlier Rovers, the body will look fantastic the rest will be held together with hope and dreams.

If you can find a South East or South West truck than odds are it’s clean and if you take care of it you will have many happy miles.

I love them and they are fantastic, RRC’s took me all over this country never failing to get me home. I have road tripped and wheeled them. They are fantastic trucks.

I to like a lack of tech that’s probably why I went further back from the RRC to a early Land Rover 110 aka Defender

 

Ha, noted. I'm taking a look at it tomorrow morning, anything I should hone in on?

 

I have owned more RRC's than all other trucks combined over the course of my life. The thing that you have to keep in mind is that these are, at the very least, 25 year old vehicles. Depending upon their condition that can mean relatively smooth sailing or a continuance of nightmares that push diagnostic limits. If you're not terribly experienced with these trucks, while helpful, a few pointers offered up here on the boards is only going to get you so far. I remember thinking that I would pick up a 24 year old Series III that had been languishing in someone barn. I, foolishly thought, between the bulletin boards and the sites that were available in the late 1990's, I could have the truck as a daily driver in no time. Tens of thousands of dollars later, yes, I had a cool daily driver that I managed to put over 50K on BUT it was not, nor was it ever intended as a replacement for a more modern truck and, most important of all, none of it was easy.

My suggestion would be to hold on to the RRS or maybe get something a little cheaper as your main vehicle. With whatever money you save, start looking for a RRC that you can get up to speed as easily as possible so you can at least start to get a feel for what an older truck is all about. While doing this, also seek out a Rover club in your area. It's amazing how many there are. Get involved with the club and maybe you can get the help of someone who has lived with these RRC's to help you chart your way through to a purchase.

 

Hey Paul! This post was super helpful. Ended up taking your advice and holding off on the RRC for now. They're still in my sights, just not for a DD yet.

Also, awesome eBay store. Currently putting together a cart full of D2 things

 

If I was able to find a rust free example I'd go with the 95 RRC (love that dash). Then I'd slap in an LS3 V8, upgrade the system to OBD2, ditch the EAS for coils, replace the Viscous Coupling TC with a D1/D2 LT230 unit with CDL, add a nice winch bumper, a set of BFG's and call it a day.