Overweight for its power, unreliable, and expensive to repair is not the way I would like to go.
Wrong on all counts.
1: The engine has more than enough power for the vehicle to get out of it's own way, tow heavy loads, haul an unbelievable amount of gear, crawl up steep trails, exit on-ramps at sufficient speed, and pass on the highway. A Land Rover will blow the doors off many vehicles people live and work with daily.
You won't beat fast cars off the line, but you might be surprised at what happens once you get the hang of the tachometer. These aren't fast, but they aren't nearly as slow as people would have you believe. If that's not enough, it's very easy to pump these engines up; you just can't do it at Autozone, that's all.
2: Aside from a few bad apples, the engines are perfectly reliable when maintained properly. You'll pile hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of miles on a happy RV8. Change your fluids when you are supposed to do so (not when your "pa" says he used to do it), keep it clean, and you won't have any trouble beyond stupidity it may have endured when used by the previous owner.
3: They aren't expensive to repair. Parts are all over the damned place. They can be had new at various price points; from Genuine Land Rover to Asian imports, as well as used from reliable members of the community who take these things apart for a living. Some more popular parts even come rebuilt and ready to go.
It is the reason why these otherwise neat trucks lose so much value.
Wrong again. They lose value for the same reasons as any depreciating asset of high initial value. The first guy had money, and wanted to go new or go bust.
The second guy will always have money, because he wanted to save some, but he wouldn't be seen in a used car unless it was a damned good deal about which he could brag.
The third guy bought it below mid value, because that's how far it had to fall to hit his wallet.
The fourth guy is either the savior or the demon.
After that, you are left with people like yourself; shopping junk cars and complaining about reliability, that could be brought right back onto the table with a thorough service and proper maintenance after the fact.
There aren't enough buyers between these stages to affect the end result. That's where the main numbers come from. Profit in the used car industry comes largely from buying below a stage and selling as far into the dark wonderland above it as you can.
That's why my personal DII isn't worth more than any other on paper, even though it damned well should be, and would probably pull a
bit of a premium if I sold it.
When I look at Craigslist, I see nothing but a bunch of trucks where the engine is on its second headgasket and the owner has just given up because they are now chasing a no-spark symtpom for weeks. That's not for me. I would rather have something simple, predicable and run by a commonly understood engine management system.
Then buy another vehicle, because what you see on Craigslist is yourself. You see people who thought they could steal a dream, and then found they weren't dressed for the occasion.
There's nothing wrong with wanting a Vortec... There's nothing wrong with wanting a fish in your nose, either. You need to realize what you're doing, though. You want one car, but you contend that the very heart of the beast is rubbish.
Damn. Fucking bolt a Rover body onto a Chevy frame and call it a day. For every part you replace, ten more are waiting in line with Land Rover stamped all over them.
Cheers,
Kennith
