Since theres a place near me called devils pit I want to start off roading for fun, first of all i gotta get started and actually get a vehicle, im not very mechanically minded, ive managed to rip parts of my vectra on and off with success , and do a general service but thats about it, but id love to learn.......

When ive watched these programs on discovery real time, n extra etc "off the road" a 4x4 is born" they say perhaps for a beginner like me (being 18) to get a lil suzuki or something, someone even told me to get a Frontera, im like no....... I want a V8, and in that I want a range rover.

Personally ive got £5-600 to spend and I am looking but i dont know whether to get a manual or automatic, firstly because i dont want to burn my clutch out on all those hills if I get a manual, although i dunno if to get an autosma**** because on those hills I will want to select those appropriate gears myself, i dont know
Also, do I have to cut the back off like most other people have done ???

Regards, Myron

auto's are VERY good off road. Linear power delivery comes in very handy, and there's still the option to select 1 and 2 in the classics if i remember correctly, by which i mean if you select "1" it will only stay in 1st gear, and 2 it will only use 1st and 2nd.
you're going to have your work cut out on any range rover classic for that price to be honest mate, i've looked at a lot of classics and basically given up in favour of buying another newer discovery and using my R plate V8 as a demonstrator car for my new business venture and getting it sorted for off roading properly.
Also if it's going to be used on the road, which i imagine it will be at some point, you should probably look at insurance costs before you decide what you want, they can be very pricey to insure for young uns, speaking from experience.
As for cutting the back off, i presume you mean a bobtail conversion which takes normally around 19" off the back end. It's not mandatory, but if you want a great off roader thats the way to go with the classics. The back of them overhangs the wheelbase by quite a lot, and can get to be a pain in the arse (no pun intended) when you're doing steep descents and climbs onto or from a flatter area.
Personally as a 1st off roader i'd get a zuk or a fourtrak. Rangie's in that price are quite often troublesome. but if you find a good one for that price and its viable for you to buy and run, get it, bobtail it, and go play in the mud!
hope this helps.
Stu.

Thanks, mate, and yea i meant bob tail it,lol
Whats happening is that its either gonna go in my dads insurance or im going to tow it, havnt made up my mind yet.
Ive seen quite a few on ebay and autotrader for around that price, and im not too bothered if its that troublesome, i know you can get parts cheap, and I really really want to learn.
Im going to the off road track on sunday to speak to some of the chaps and chapesses there to get a bit more of a view on it also.

Thanks for your input

Before you do anything - get some insurance quotes! I wouldn't mind betting that you are looking at £1500+ for insurance on such a vehicle at 18.

Matt.

I just did a quick quote on Tesco insurance for my own vehicle. For me (30 with 6yrs NCD, no accidents, no claims, no points) it worked out at £380. If I change myself to 18, and put in 1 year NCD it comes out at £2145 - with 0 years NCD it jumps to an amazing £3055. GULP! There are some benefits to being older!!!

If you intend to tow it, note that there are specific requirements for towing 4-wheel drive vehicles (on their wheels). Also, unless you tow it on a trailer, the vehicle will require an MOT to be towed on the road (I think insurance too, but can't remember now)

As long as the engine and chassis are ok then the ancilliary parts are relatively cheap, but if the engine or chassis are knackered you are looking at big money to get it sorted. Do plenty of research first, there are loads of places on the Internet where you can find buyers guides to various Land Rovers.

Matt.

yea Ill get one of those buyers guides, i mean im sure id love off roading in any vehicle, but for like 6 months now ive been going on about one, and now i think i can actually get one, seen one on ebay at the moment so im gonna have a poke around that.
Im not too fussed aslong as the overall bodywork is ok, its MOT a ble and the engine starts, then i can make a few mods.

Sod the bodywork - it is going to get damaged when you off-road anyway! check the important bits like the chassis etc.

mmaddock said:

Sod the bodywork - it is going to get damaged when you off-road anyway! check the important bits like the chassis etc.

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agree entirely

i've got an R plate discovery V8, and it costs me £900 or thereabouts to insure. I'm 22 with 5 years protected NCD and a previous ban under the totting up system.
Remember if its not going to be insured it cant be taxed. so you're going to have to sorn it every year. Also, if you dont want to isnure it you're going to have to use a trailer for transporting it, as its not allowed to touch a public highway with no tax or test or insurance. so you need it off the road literally. i..e trailer.

Yea i havent been able to make my mind up, i am thinking.....

....putting it on mums insurance and getting it taxed, coz i bet it willf only cost her like £300 and when i get insured again on my vectra ill get fully comp on that so i can drive the v8.Although being 18, you have to be 21 to legally drive anything else, although ive found an insurance company that will let you do that at 18.

.....Or i might just get a trailer, although ive got no where to put hardly any of this, ive got a 3 car driveway, and I got a Vectra, mums got corsa and Range rover, and where am i gonna store an expensive trailer,lol

.......Im also thinking of a garage nearby where Im going to off road it.

.......I was also going to let my dad use it and tax n insure it and then he can me can go to devils pit in barton or wherever together n well both drive it.

To be honest im not quite sure what im going to do, my vectras currently got no insurance or tax so its been sitting on my driveway for about a month now.So whenever i get the range rover it will sit next to the vectra looking sorry for itself until i get another fully time job and ill insure the vectra again.

O yea by the way i forgot to say IVE FOUND ONE, I got a 3.5 v8 EFI with leather somewhere around birmingham.
So im going monday or tuesday to go and get it, got it for £600, although its gonna cost me £35 to get there on train from luton, plus all the food n drink ill eat to get there, and i reacon around £50 in petrol to get back so like £700 to go get it,lol

By the way, how many litres of petrol can you get in a full tank of a v8 range rover?

Don't know about the classic, but the P38 takes 20 gallons. My diesel can cost me just over £80 to fill up if I let it run really low. That's about 450 miles of driving! Not good as I often do 1000 miles a week! (Hence the diesel!)

i believe its a 90 litre tank in the classic

Not Enough!! You Will For Ever Be In The Perol Stations Mate!!!!:d