Buying advice for (relatively) cheap Range Rover

Hi - I'd like some advice on buying a second hand cheap Range Rover. I've seen advice - such as watching out for rusty rear cross members etc. - but mine is a bit more high level.

My wife and I have a horse and need to cross two fields to get to it which can get pretty muddy/flooded in winter months. We do little mileage apart from that as both of us cycle to work and avoid visiting inlaws at every opportunity.

We need some space, kiddies and three dogs and room to put hay etc.

We don't mind lack of creature comforts, lack of aircon etc.

We don't have a lot of money.

I'm reasonbly handy with the spanners - used to be a mechanic a wee while ago.

With the current looming green stealth taxes situation - I'm wondering if there's any mileage in going for a really early range rover - classic car tax exempt? - if there was a range rover produced early enough.

It seems from comments that it's cheaper to run a petrol with LPG than diesel with the current fuel costs - is this on the money?

If you're not bothered about creature comforts and working on a shoe string, but want some space, can anyone suggest an age/type of older Range Rover that was reasnobly rust free and mechanically reliable?

I've considered 4wd estates (In hope that the green tax doesn't hit them as hard) but all the cheaper second hand ones I've found don't sufficent ground clearance.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Paul

Hi Paul,

The suggestion of getting a early Rangie 1973/1974 (tax except) is there are two types out there. The first is fully restored which are expensive and the secound type are the ones which need a full restoration.

You will find that if you look hard enougth you can pick up a 3.9 V8, Auto with leather and a few toys on a G or H plate for around £800 - £1000 But these are all getting old and Welding will be part of the MOT. Look for rear cross member, inner arches, Seatbelt mounts, etc. Best bet is to get one with a years ticket.

Bryan

Thanks Bryan. I did wonder if anything old enough would be an expensive restoration job, thanks for making the path a bit clearer. It looks like the Range Rover side is going to be too expensive to get tax exempt (I'm rather concerned at what's going to happen either with this government or the next on car tax).
So - started having a look further at alternatives. It seems the only 4wds that were around in the tax exempt era where either the Range Rovers, or Land Rovers.

I've found a long wheel base Safari style - ex raf - 1964/1965 4.1 litre perkins diesel for sale. It only has lap belts on the front, and no seat belts on the rear bench (Rear bench runs across the width of the vehicle).
It has the original wooden rear flooring, and I'd have to get through to the chassis to fit the seat belts, on top of replacing the front lap belts for three point ones - need to tread carefully but as were not too bothered about creature comforts...

Thanks for your help - if you know anything about early land rovers, then again advice appreciated. I'm going to post in the early land rovers forum to get some background.

Personally, you can't justify it until you do it, I have driven a lot of vehicles over the last 20 years and have always been a little scared of Land Rovers for one reason or another.Thanks to this Forum I Bought a Discovery,If you want one & and then get one,I would like to think that you will find more reasons like me to justify keeping it than initial reasons of not getting one!
Personally it's been one of the next best things I have ever bought after a cement mixer!!!!!!

The forums are so invaluable.
I did a wee bit of background hunting about the land rover I was interested in through them and came to the conclusion that unless you had the time and probably money for it, it wouldn't be a good choice (My wife would have gone nuts trying to shut off the engine by fiddling around on the injection pump for the off lever - right next to the exhaust manifold, she has enough problems firing up our boiler).
I think I'm going to hang out either for a 73 land rover that's had an engine conversion, or wait some more - save some money up and try to get a reasnoble 73/74 range rover but it will take a while to get the money together.

Today we had to get some hay to our horse, we had to drive the car as far as we could on higher ground to avoid getting bogged down, then cart the hay over several trips in a wheel barrow across a field to one wall, chuck the hay over the wall before again carting it further into the stable.
Jason - I can well undertand your sentiments as one of the next best things you've ever bought after a cement mixer (Guess what I might be getting for christmas though - need to pebble dash the outside walls and garage).

evey
Problem with forums is that you get all the grumbles when things are going wrong which can potentially put a new buyer off,but all vehicles are the same,I've just had an A6 tdi take me on a 3 year journey to HELL and back!!!
Happy Mixing
Jason