| Author |
Message |
    
Brian (Rover_Wannabe)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 12:12 am: | 
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I live in Vancouver, WA, and have been researching Land Rovers for a little while now. Are there any clubs, or websites from people in Oregon or Washington? I have searched the web, but seem to find clubs and sites everywhere BUT this area. Thanx in advance.
I do not have a Land Rover yet, but I am interested in a Discovery (4 door, 5 seater with cargo room), and wish to spend under $15k. Are there any particular years, or models I should shy away from? I would be doing all the maintenance and mods myself (I have rebuilt engines, suspensions, manual transmissions, custom interiors, etc). I would prefer a manual transmission, unless an auto is significantly better to own. The few Rovers that I have driven were 1999 and newer autos. They seemed to lack on the take off end of things, would a manual make the vehicle a bit quicker? Are there any bolt on mods (supercharging included) that would help in this area?
Thank you in advance for your responses. I am very new to Rovers, and would like as much info as possible before purchasing a used one. I am looking at buying one in about 6 months or so, unless a great deal comes along. It will be used mostly onroad as a daily driver, but would also see some offroad use as well (living in the northwest begs to go offroad).
Brian |
Jeremy Katka (Jkatka)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 12:22 am: |
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Check out PCRC ( www.pcrc.net )we are in Portland and Seattle and now kinda growing in Spokane... You may want to talk w/ Doug Shipman in PDX if you are looking for a rover. Email me if you would like more info
JK |
Todd Sanders (Sanderskog)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 12:46 am: |
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As Jeremy states, check out the PCRC. I recently joined when I bought my '99 D1 about a month or so ago. Deals are to be had North of Seattle if you are willing to make the trip. Many '99 vehicles are coming off lease return in Canada and being brought into the States.
I've driven both the 5 speed and the auto, acceleration is lacking in both. If you are looking for a commuter that can accelerate look elsewhere, a Discovery won't do it. Not to say you can't make one do it. Time and money  is all you need. If you DIY with autos it seems you can do most anything with a Discovery.
Good luck with the search. When your ready to buy drop me a line and I'll let you know where I bought from.
Todd |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 01:05 am: |
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You must get in contact with Doug Shipman at Ship's mechanical, just off 122nd near the airport. It's in the phonebook. Shop rates are around $70.00 per hour and the expert advice goes a long way!
The PCRC is also great, Doug and Gor'n are well known in the N.W. and even in England.
http://landrover.mrbaileyshistory.net |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 01:09 am: |
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By the way, I got my '94 Disco with 86k on it for only $10,500.00 last year. Have had only $28.00 worth of problems with it. Just drive a lot of them and you will know when you have found a good one... Doug Shipman will do a check ride for you if you need a mechanic. Email me for places to look in Portland.
http://landrover.mrbaileyshistory.net |
Brian (Rover_Wannabe)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 09:06 am: |
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Thank you very much for your advice. I completely understand that making a vehicle do more than the engineers intended takes lots of time and lots of money. Are there any well known makers of parts for things such as headers, ECU's, etc? I'm not looking to drag race the thing, but a bit more pep would be nice (I never leave any of my vehicles alone engine, or styling wise). Being a machinist, I enjoy coming up with innovative items for my vehicles.
It sounds that since I have time to shop around, I should drive and look over alot of them to get a good feel for them. When I am ready to purchase, going north of Seattle is not out of the question for a good deal. Are the vehicles in that area listed in papers or online anywhere, just so I can get a feel of prices/options?
It also sounds to me that since I am looking at a used Land Rover, and am not interested in all the latest wizardry, I can comfortably look at a mid to earlyish 90's rig, with decent to low miles, and it will give me realtively trouble free driving for a while?
Thank you
Brian |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 12:15 pm: |
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From what I have seen, the "older" trucks with at least 30-40k miles on them are better than buying a new truck. By then most of the Land Rover quirks and annoying warrantee-covered problems are taken care of. The vehicle history (which can be obtained from your LR dealer) shows that my truck had all the stupid problems when new. But now, it's as reliable as I could ask for. I take it off-road at least 2 times a month, camp, tow a trailer, and I have put 15k on it in a year.
As far as sluggish off the start... I think they do it on purpose - it's just a Land Rover thing that you will need to get used to. They have plenty of towing torque though! I think auto transmision is better off road. Just a lot easier to drive, and you can use left foot braking and engine torque at the same time to your advantage. And I am talking from experience. |
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