Perfect Rover Fleet

98 HOO

98 HOO

Well-known member
Jun 8, 2004
270
0
47
Richmond, VA
Well, I thought I had it just right. I have a very nice series 3 109" diesel and an '04 Disco II built just the way I want it. So.....why am I looking for my next truck every day. The 109 is just too slow for every day use, but I love look/feel of the series and the efficiency of it. My '04 is my DD and does everything I want it too - it is just about perfect for everything I want, but I feel bad about how horrible the gas mileage is. Not a cost concern, just feel bad about driving something so inefficient.

So, what to do?? In the end, I want a Rover daily driver that is efficient.

I am debating between importing a Defender TDI with AC, or getting a RRC and swapping in an isuzu diesel.

Defender would be a lot of fun, and I love them. Just don't know if it would work as a DD.
RRC (I would get a LWB) would have a ton of room, plenty of power and economy if swap in an Isuzu diesel . Not as much fun...

Any thoughts/experience?
 
Last edited:
Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,765
564
Seattle
How much time have you spent driving a Defender? I think a lot of Rover fans fall in love with them and then are disappointed when they actually get behind the wheel. For the amount of volume there is inside a Defender the driver's compartment is pretty cramped. I'm a tall guy and I don't fit very well into a Defender. Spending a lot of time driving one has been uncomfortable for me. My RRC, on the other hand, was quite comfortable and I always looked forward to driving it. If your goal is an efficient vehicle for daily use, you might find the Rangie fits the bill better. If you have the opportunity to spend a bit of time in each, that will help make your decision. I agree that a LWB will offer more practicality if you intend to have more than one passenger often.
 
JackW

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
As the owner of many different Land Rovers and one who currently drives a Tdi Defender 90 as a daily driver (I love it) my ultimate choice of a daily driver would be a diesel powered 2-door Range Rover. That would just about perfectly round out my Rover fleet of a 109 SIIA wagon, a 88 SIIA pickup and the D-90 SW. If I had lots of bucks I'd add a 2-door 110 to the fleet.
 
rover4x4

rover4x4

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
5,231
49
41
North Carolina, Raleigh
Ive spent a lot of time in my Defender, it fits me like a glove and I love driving it. I really like my Classic a lot, even though its a basket case. The 95 dash isnt such a big deal to me, only thing I can tell is the AC works. Id go for a 94 LWB if I had to do all this over again.
 
chris snell

chris snell

Administrator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2005
3,020
152
The D90 is fine for around town or weekend trips but it just sucks for 1000+ mile drives.
 
Ho

Ho

1
Staff member
Mar 26, 2004
1,495
0
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
www.thehochung.com
98 HOO said:
Well, I thought I had it just right. I have a very nice series 3 109" diesel and an '04 Disco II built just the way I want it. So.....why am I looking for my next truck every day. The 109 is just too slow for every day use, but I love look/feel of the series and the efficiency of it. My '04 is my DD and does everything I want it too - it is just about perfect for everything I want, but I feel bad about how horrible the gas mileage is. Not a cost concern, just feel bad about driving something so inefficient.

So, what to do?? In the end, I want a Rover daily driver that is efficient.

I am debating between importing a Defender TDI with AC, or getting a RRC and swapping in an isuzu diesel.

Defender would be a lot of fun, and I love them. Just don't know if it would work as a DD.
RRC (I would get a LWB) would have a ton of room, plenty of power and economy if swap in an Isuzu diesel . Not as much fun...

Any thoughts/experience?
Click to expand...

So you have a nice 04 disco and a 109.
And yet, you feel an emptiness inside. Like others have suggested, try the Defender and the RRC.

If these don't do it for you, I'd start looking at Jeeps.
 
98 HOO

98 HOO

Well-known member
Jun 8, 2004
270
0
47
Richmond, VA
There isn't any other option than a Rover if I am driving an SUV. Focusing on the RRC option for now. Had a D90 in the family for a while that we drove a lot on trips/weekends. Lots of fun, but certainly leaky/noisy if I were trying to use it as a DD. I can always repower the 109" later to make it a bit better on the road. Never planning to get rid of the '04 either, just may use something else as a dd.

Thanks for the advice.
 
mgreenspan

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
130
Briggs's Back Yard
I'm 6'2". I fit perfectly in a 90 with a bulkhead behind the front seats. I don't even sit with the seat all the way back or reclined ridiculously. It's a 200tdi and I DD it get about 28mpg (imperial gallon conversion) so probably 25 US gallons for a mostly rural/city driving to and from work. I previously drove it about 25 miles highway on the way to work as a DD. It's fine if you want something loud. You seem to already have best/worst of both worlds, a refined quiet vehicle and a loud slow moving vehicle. I don't much see the point of you moving to another vehicle. Put a diesel into one of your current vehicles. Otherwise get an old rangie because it'll be much more pleasing on the DD side and just as efficient if you plop a diesel into it.
 
bmohan55

bmohan55

Well-known member
Apr 7, 2008
324
0
Chester, VA
did you see the 91 Classic with a 300 TDI on Landrover exchange, might talk hem down to something resonable.

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']1991 300 Tdi Range Rover Classic[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']
Somebody Buy This Thing! This RR has been a daily driver for a while now but has to go due to my need for a large truck to pull equipment with..change of roles in my business. I did the conversion a couple years ago, or well started the conversion then anyway and by the time I had everything done, it was time to get a different vehicle. I have been reluctant to sell it, so it has continued to be driven by my wife or myself for the last 12 months, but is time to let it go. I have well over 20k into it but would like to get the above mentioned 20k for it. I am told the motor and tranny (auto) have 60k miles on it, but have documentation to prove that. It would appear by the looks of the motor and tranny that it is all it has. Stuff I've done: New all of the following: waterpump, fuel pump, turbo, radiator, 2'' RoverTym lift and suspension, BFG Tires, sunroof rails, radio, steering gear, mantec snorkel, heater core, flow master exhaust, headliner & some other stuff I can't remember right now. All fuel lines are immaculate as is the tank. I have driven both petro and b99 bio in it; runs great either way. Transmission is tight! Runs 80+ mph no problem. Paint and body are excellent and there is NO rust anywhere. There is a small dent in the rear quarter panel. Anyway, I had a 91 just like this in college and regretted selling it to start my business at the time, and now here I am selling my dream truck so I can drive a truck (F 350 Service Truck, diesel of course) that's more conducive to my business. How ironic. Maybe round 3 will work better for me. Email me w/questions or for photos.
[/font][FONT='Times New Roman','serif']
Ryan Oakes <ryanaoakes@gmail.com>
Burlington, North Carolina, United States of America - 16 March 2011 ffice:eek:ffice" /><O:p></O:p>[/font]
 
Blue

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,070
881
AZ
There's a '94 D90 here in town that has about 35,000 miles on it. It's spent the vast majority of the past 17 years in a garage. Looks brand new, still has the original BFG MT's. It's not for sale (yet) but I might have to jump on it when it is...
 
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