Help with Purchase 1993 Classic LWB

[Need For Speed]

Looking at this 1993 classic lwb with 50k on rebuilt engine. It appears to be in excellent condition and well maintained for 3K
I do not know anything about these.... what are the major things to look for and what kind of issues are there/will there be going forward?

this will be a 3rd vehcile for winter/hunting/camping trips. I love the looks of the classic but have never owned one, and not sure if over the long haul a
4runner,jeep,landcruiser is a better way to go....

Pros/Cons ?

thanks!

Mike

 

[Colin Hughes]

Classics are an awesome vehicle to drive. We've had two. I almost bought another last year to do a 300TDi conversion. That said, the odd electrical gremlins pop up from time to time. Rust and rot, floors, rear cargo area and inner rear door arches are the prime locations. Ohio means its' seen salt and snow. Can't tell from the photo if it still has air suspension or its' been converted to coils. Air suspension does act up but if it holds air, you can purchase a manual bypass system to get you through and keep you from riding on bump stops. If you purchase this, watch and buy a used ABS pump if one comes available. These fail and when they do, you have about three pumps on the brake pedal before you lose all braking power. New ones are over $1300. Add a set of snow chains and nothing will stop you winter camping.

 

[proper4wd]

I owned the twin to that truck about 8 years ago!

Looks straight, check for rust in the floors and rockers. Anything else can be fixed fairly easily.

That looks like a very nice original truck I would hate to see it cut up and beat on off road

 

[Howski]

Looks like a very nice Classic. Hard to tell that shape the frame/body is in without more pictures but the common areas were mentioned by Colin. I hope to pick up a Classic to DD when I have a job that doesn't require me to drive so much.

 

[Need For Speed]

I've yet to see it personally but here is a undershot...
looks like a coil spring there on the left

 

[stonepa]

Looks like a clean Colorado truck. I love these old Range Rovers as they actually look like something other than a mall cruiser. My experience in Range Rovers is confined to a RR Hunter that I bought new in 1991. Watch for leaking oil seals and electrical gremlins. If it has already been converted to coil springs then your are good from a suspension standpoint. The V8 should be solid if it was taken care of. Can you get the service receipts? That will help you understand what is going on with the truck. Are you just going to drive it or trail it? Cosmetically it looks almost too nice to beat on.

All that being said, for the long haul a similiar era 4Runner or Land Cruiser might be a better bet. Better reliability (especially electrically), easier to find parts for (especially if you break down in the back of beyond), etc. 4Runners and Land Cruisers can go a lot of miles before anything is required of them. Land Rovers last forever but only if you keep up with the maintenance and rebuild schedule.

Just my opinions. Take them for what their worth.

 

[Need For Speed]

Has a CO plate on the front

I'm not going to beat on it.
put a few miles on it during the work week, back and forth hauling the kids/running errands on the weekends. trips to the farm, hunting, and the occasional camping trip with the RTT. Nothing major- just need something fairly reliable and not a money pit

 

[Ronct110]

Excellent choice.

Looks like you are just going to use this for hunting/cammping, hope you keep it stock/original; far and few of these classics left.

I call mine (91 RRC) poorman's Defender (smile). Love it.

Check-out Ranger Rover Dot Net; lots of good details in the Ownerships section e.g. maintenance (left side of the screen) http://www.rangerovers.net/

Enjoy the ownership!

 

[Colin Hughes]

Door jambs look good! Oil changes every 5000 kms religiously. Otherwise you'll have a gunked up engine. People often do not realize just how important this is with an old rover.

 

[Mack73]

Regarding the ABS pump - is it possible to swap the complex pump/accumulator with a standard vacuum booster from like a DI?

 

[DividingCreek]

My black 93 lwb is still one of my favorites of all the Rovers I have owned. I have never been a fan of the original color coded wheels and swapped them out. Looks like a very nice truck for 3k. If it has service records see if the viscouse coupling has been replaced. The transfer case in these is chain driven and when they get tired most swap them out for a gear driven lt230 out of a disco for cheap rather than attempt rebuild of the Borg Warner. Cheers on your purchase.

 

[matt parkes]

I own both a 93 RR Classic LWB and a 93 Land Cruiser FJZ80.
They are completely different vehicles. For short trips and for the shear enjoyment of the drive, nothing beats the RR. If you are planning on driving it quite a bit though, the 80 is absolutely bulletproof.
There isn't a single component on my 80 that doesn't work properly, while on the RR, the sunroof and windows are intermittent, seats don't move, and I constantly have the three amigos lit up on my dash. Adds to the experience though!

 

[Snagger]

Regarding the ABS pump - is it possible to swap the complex pump/accumulator with a standard vacuum booster from like a DI?

My RRC has the ABS and also rear ETC. It uses the same Wabco pump as yours, and clocked up over 190,000 miles before the pump was replaced, mostly withing urban areas, so the brakes and thus pump were well used. The pump was still working, just a bit to slowly though - it wasn't pressurising the accumulator within the 45 seconds required to pass the ABS system's self-test on start up, so the three brake warning lights ("!", "ABS" and "ETC"), aka the Three Amigos, would stay on; momentarily shutting the ignition off and restarting would clear it and the system would work normally, but the time limit is there to make sure the pump output is good enough to deal with repeated brake applications at speed, so replacement was prudent, if not absolutely necessary. You could replace the system with a standard servo-assisted unit, but you'd have to replace the whole pedal, box master cylinder and servo, and do a lot of work on the brake lines to make it all meet up. Far easier to just service the brakes every 2 years with fresh fluid and correct bleeding (a bit of a faff) to keep the existing system in good order.

You're more likely to suffer corroded caliper pistons than pump failure, and if this happens, I'd recommend rebuilding them with stainless pistons - new callipers are easier, but will suffer the same fate a few years down the line. Zeus Engineering make great stainless pistons - I use them in my 109 and RRC.

 

[SGStriglos]

Your original question of what to look for has been answered by previous posters quite well. I will address the long haul part of your question......
I own 3 LR products and have driven a RRC as a DD for 18 years. I obviously have a problem with loving something that doesn't love me back. Given the choice to do is all over again...Wouldn't change a thing....but that is said using my heart and not my brain, I love projects, and can afford them and their mistakes,. Strictly using my intellect the smart choice is to go Toyota. You name it and I have fixed or replaced it. $3K is the tip of the iceberg and as long as you understand that then go forward and enjoy. They don't have a lot of resale value at this age for a reason and most folks don't see that on the front side. Compare this truck to a Toyota of similar condition and it will be priced at least twice as much. To own a LR you have to look at maintenance in the long view because nothing is ever as easy as it appears. You do the work yourself and it can be very rewarding and worth it, or find a honest non-dealer shop and never look back. Another huge consideration is gas mileage....11-15mpg at the best and with a 3.9 or 4.2L these are under powered for hauling much beyond the tailgate.
I realize I sound like I am bashing Land Rover....but looking at this as a small business person I would never buy a LR for the company because I need to earn money and support my family. I own 15 cars and trucks to rum my biz...and I look at total cost of ownership.
On a personal level…I have already made my money and don't mind spending it to enjoy the pride of owning a Land Rover and the feeling I get when I drive them….not to mention the fact that it will get me there and back no matter what the destination.

 

[REDrum]

Regarding the ABS pump - is it possible to swap the complex pump/accumulator with a standard vacuum booster from like a DI?

My ABS pump pooped the bed and just looked into this option. My calculations to have a shop do it, were about the same labor + parts cost as a new pump. I chose to stay OEM, and found a NIB pump for 800 bux.

I own both a 93 RR Classic LWB and a 93 Land Cruiser FJZ80.
They are completely different vehicles.....the 80 is absolutely bulletproof.
There isn't a single component on my 80 that doesn't work properly, while on the RR, the sunroof and windows are intermittent, seats don't move, and I constantly have the three amigos lit up on my dash. Adds to the experience though!

Right there with ya, just slightly newer vehicles. There is a cache with the RRC that wins out over the FZJ80, seem to get more thumbs up from people with in RRC, and I've only had it a short while.