Classic Opinion Questions

[Greg French]

I am thinking about adding another rover to my family, and really want to go with a Classic. I have driven a 93 LWB and really like all the room in the back seat.
What are your opinions on the LWB vs. SWB, and what years do you prefer?
How does the 4.2 hold up compared to the 4.0 in my Disco?
What is the wheel base of the LWB and SWB, and how does it affect the off road capabilities?
Anything else I should look for?
Thanks

 

[Roverlady]

Hi Greg
We just purchased a 1992 SWB last January and love it. My husband really wanted the SWB b/c of both looks and size, but also because we don't have kids! It is primarily our weekend car.

I have heard both good and bad about the wheelbase differences off-road. I think overall, our SWB is easier to maneuver. However, you can NOT fit three adults in the backseat very comfortably...maybe for a ride down the road, but that's about it! I fit fine (short legs) and my niece/nephews do too...but they are all under the age of 13!

Another reason we went with the 1992 is because it still has coil springs all around, stock. And the electrics in the car are still pretty basic; not too much to freak out on you. I have a D1, so the engines are the same and it's nice to know our way around them both. It's pretty underpowered, though it runs stronger in some ways than my Disco.

For the driving comfort, especially for a road car, I wish we had a 1995...the steering wheel is HUGE in our 92 and it's tough to make quick turns. Once you get used to it though, it's awesome.

Ours is a county with 160K miles and running strong. We got EVERY SINGLE maintenance record with it, which was a help...and we are really glad we bought it. In fact, it's getting a new set of Mud Terrain Tires on Friday!

Good luck and let us know if you find one!

 

[David Woo]

range rover love

Greg: 100" versus 108" for the LWB. Most lwb owners swear by them, the extra room in the back is great.

I have a 1991 Great Divide Edition #163, very nice, been doing all the typical repairs and some upgrades. One upgrade that is being considered is a swap to a larger engine, maybe a 4.6, for that extra umph.

A good resource is John's rangie site, www.rangerover.net (I think that's right).
DW

 

[jmonsrvr]

we have had our 93 lwb for several years now and its a great truck! the 4.2 engine is solid and provides ample power. quite a big difference in pick up from the 3.9 no cdl, but it does fine with just 4 wheel drive. its the offroad limo. lots of room in the back..i enjoy riding in the back seat more than the front.....as far as wheeling its a bit longer just use more skill in driving......cheers

 

[p m]

Greg,

the 4.2 in my '95 seems to have a lot more power and low-end torque than the 4.0 in the '96 D1. If you look around, you can find yourself a '95 - soft-dash. Arguably, the most-refined Rover (until the '03).

 

[Roverlady]

Greg,
this is pretty nice....although priced too high in my opinion. To give you an idea, we paid $4K for our 92, with 150K on it and it was just about perfect on the inside and out.

http://www.bvlr.com/browse.php?page=os&car=1357

 

[nosivad_bor]

damnit. I love me a 1995 RRC

It blows away the other years. Every beef I had with my classic was corrected with the disco style interior of the 95 Classic. I still lust for a low miles 95 classic.

rd

 

[Roverlady]

Rob,
http://www.bvlr.com/browse.php?page=os&car=1533

 

[sven]

The 95 is cool (Ok, Im biased) but there a lot of relays and auxiliary fuse boxes thrown in the mix which can be annoying. It is soo similar to the D1, that even some parts are cheaper than 94 and below.

The 4.2 motor does have its faults too. It has been said that it suffers from too much flex because of the longer stroke. This causes head gasket leaks and oil leaks. But mine is doing fine at just over 100k.

Sven

 

[p m]

damnit. I love me a 1995 RRC

It blows away the other years. Every beef I had with my classic was corrected with the disco style interior of the 95 Classic. I still lust for a low miles 95 classic.

rd

Disco-style interior in a '95? C'mon Rob - the 95 is much more elegant. No stupid buttons lining up the instrument cluster, no squeaks and rattles from the dash, nothing peels off like on my '96.
No need to lust for a low-miles truck; as long as the body and interior are in a good shape, the rest is easy to bring up to shape.
FWIW - I ditched the set of Tornado (?) wheels that only 95 LWBs came with, for a set of flatter five-spokes from '92-94 RRC, and painted them Alpine White, like the truck.

 

[Kyle]

Peter , I wasnt aware that you got a LWB ?? WHy wasnt I informed ? God damn..


Kyle

 

[nosivad_bor]

Sus,

Had i not found my white disco i would have probably purchased something like that. except LWB version. they had a nice green one for sale 6 months ago that i almost went for.

My one big issue with RRC is BW Transfercase. I would have to change it out at sometime.

That and i think the electronics in my 1999 Disco1 are bestest.

I hate Tornadoes, that truck chould have the non chrome cyclones...

 

[p m]

Peter , I wasnt aware that you got a LWB ?? WHy wasnt I informed ? God damn..

[insert an S-word here]

my bad. I've got it a bit more than a year ago.
On-pavement, this is the best vehicle I've ever driven, by far and large. I've also got lucky not to have tinted windows on it.
So far, in about 15kmi, the only bitch I came across was the ignition lock - fixed it finally last Monday, and the expense of lost steering lock function (which I hate in general, anyway).

 

[Kyle]

Thats ok , just cut me out of the loop..... I am thinking about converting to coils on the LWB and rerouting the air system to Firestone airbags that are radius/trailing arm mounted that way if it fails the worst thing that will happen is maybe a saggy ass.... I have noticed that the LWB has more power and drives much better in general.. Of course I havnt gone up in tire yet so that is soon to end I guess..

Kyle

 

[p m]

Well, I have a few trucks to pick from to drive off road - the '95 is so clean that I'd keep it unmolested, as long as I can. FWIW, OME 751/762 springs seem to be softer than the fully-extended airbags - the '89 has the best ride quality, but '95 - best handling by far.
The Disco, however, remains my only "do-it-all" vehicle.

 

[Roverlady]

We prefer the older wheels as well....another small reason why my husband bought the 92.

Peter, we said the same thing about ours. "It's so clean and nice, we will keep it completely stock." BUT-She's getting fitted for 245/75-16 Mud Rovers on Friday....am hoping they fit under stock suspension for now!

One more aside, can you tell me how you fixed the ignition lock? Our is a BITCH!

Rob, why LWB? Anyone have a solid reasoning for preferring it over SWB?

 

[nosivad_bor]

smoother ride, more room, more power...



long wheel base isnt an issue offroad as far as i am concerened. no one says the Defender 110 sucks offroad.

 

[Kyle]

If you are jsut going to the MAR you probably wont know the difference. If you are not just going to MAR then the LWB is worlds better. More rack room , more room inside,,,ohhhhh thats nice... Its a damn shame that most of them are old beaters now..


Kyle

 

[p m]

Susannah,

fixing the lock was a painful experience. If your lock is flaky, one day it'll leave you stranded - not _completely_ stranded, but...
If anyone takes a few photos of the lock from all sides, I will make a short write-up on a 30-minute surgery to get it working again. I could use words, but it'll take longer to associate the parts of the lock with my blabbering.

Why LWB? My daughter is about 5'7", and she's the shortest in the family. On top of that, we have a 75-lb airedale - so he either has to live on the shelf in the Disco, or on the floor of the LWB between the seats. If you've ever sat in the jump seat in a Disco, you'll vote for the LWB's floor with both hands.

 

[p m]

BTW Kyle, there's a white '95 LWB being parted out less than a mile from my office. All drivetrain parts are gone, body mostly intact. One door replaced with some scrap, rest is good. fenders etc. are good, no rust. Interior is trashed but seats are there (fronts - not LWB fronts).