Hi all, not really a dilemma but any views of those who’ve bought a RR Classic in a similar position would be appreciated. I’m on the hunt for an early 4 door RR Classic and I can’t decide between:
A fully restored one that wants for nothing. Panel off respray, no rust, most mechanicals refurbed/new, replacement engine fully serviced.
Or
A totally original one. Low mileage minimal rust (by Classic standards), ok paint but probably usual corrosion/paint peeling areas, all original mechanicals so would need bits replacing as it’s used.

I’ve always wanted one and I enjoy working on my cars so now looking for one to drive for fun on the odd day around local village rather than use the daily (so needs to run/have MOT) and give me something to do with the odd bit of work now and then.

Budget is healthy and both would be same purchase price. I really don’t know which to go for. Am I mad by looking for a more original car over a really nice sorted example?

I have a couple of them, well used when they came to me. I could imagine that one in top notch condition would be a treat to drive. If you have the money and you love the car I’d go for the gem. Plus, you still get a chance to work on it. Guaranteed.

Get it bought and get it driven. Don't save it for a rainy day cos it will break its self whilst not being driven then you won't be able to drive it. From experience.

Interesting thread - I was actually supposed to be looking at a 1991 RRC today, and was VERY keen on purchasing it - and so was SWMBO - in fact probably more keen than I .. *

Your question is the same as mine really, and my answer was as both posts above - buy the absolute best you can afford. If the inevitable rust has been dealt with, then so much the better - providing it has been done properly .....

Tha mechanicals are easy to fix, but they do break, so if the tin worms have been banished, then IMHO, you're the right side of the battle, as it were

* = VERY late last night, the seller told me he had taken a deposit from someone else - so we didn't go ....

Well bought, the Classic is a joy with a V8 under the hood & (preferably) a slush-box. Their biggest enemy is of course corrosion, or worst still rot.
Some owners, of all LR products to be fair, spend a fortune on mods/bling instead of spending their money on rust protection & then slag the model off as being a rust bucket. Although never admitted by LR, Classics built from1989 have a tendency to rust worse than those prior to that era ... something to do with the quality of steel & this also effected the early Disco's being built at the same facility.
Unlike the later 3.9/4.2/4.0/4.6 engines the 3.5 is pretty much bullet-proof when it comes to the dreaded cylinder liner slippage, tends to be smoother running, marginally (by 2 tonne brick-on wheels with perm. 4x4 standards) more frugal than the larger capacity engines & to be fair, having owned both 3.5 & 3.9 models, everyday driving performance is little different.
If you can find a nice one that has been cared for all it's life you will never regret it, No they are not luxurious like today's models, but have character in spades & are basically reliable with good (cheap by today's standards) parts availability.

norseman said:

Classics built from1989 have a tendency to rust worse than those prior to that era ... something to do with the quality of steel & this also effected the early Disco's being built at the same facility.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info. I can attest to the proclivity of D1's to rust - We've two of them

The other day, I was told that pre D1, the chassis was dipped in electrophoretic paint and then baked.... and post D1, it was simply sprayed to save some beans, given the state of Rover group at the time.... I have no idea if this is true, but it certainly fits my experience...

I'd say others on here have given good advice. For my 2 penneth if I could afford it I would probably go for a fully restored one provided it really is that and done properly as mentioned above.

I loved the 3.5 V8 engine, it really was a joy and I never had any trouble with it, except the oil pressure was a bit low at idle when fully warmed up. It couldn't have been anything serious because the car concerned is still on the road today.

Really appreciate the input/advice. Thank you.

Unanimous so far to go for a fully restored one. I’m definitely leaning that way now so lining up a couple to look at that I’d discounted before.

I like the idea of one that looks smart but something still niggling me though about a classic with perfect, shiny paint. It’s not how I’ve ever seen them over the years. Maybe it’s just me and fond memories in my head. It’s not like they lack character when driving

In my experience, unless your very lucky the Full Restoration is probably not up to the standards that you might expect, the worst thing is to have something that you keep saying to yourself, "well. that's not perfect but it will do"
It really does depend on what you want of course, but I did it the other way, and bought a 1988 4 door that had an absoloutely perfect chassis, and for its age a very good body. It was of course the wrong colour, and there were loads of little niggles, but apart from being off the road for a few weeks while having a colour change, it has been a rolling resto. After 4 years of relaxed fettling every now and then she is starting to get somewhere handy, so overall I am happy with the project, and it is a keeper, unless prices continue to go up, in which case I may well just draw a line under it and get myself a bit of profit. (that's profit if I only charge my hours out at €1.00 per hour)
As far as engines are concerned, I really like the 3.5 V8's, and have had quite a few, not really as grunty as people might imagine them to be, but just nice. One I had was in a 110 and did well over 200k miles with only a head gasket change before I sold it on.
Buttercup has a 2.4 VM diesel, and there really isn't that much difference in performance, the big difference is that these days I suddenly think to check fuel level, before with the V8's it was a habit to check fuel every time I turned the key.

It used to be possible to stroke a 3.5 to 4.3 (thus avoiding the over-boring route that LR took) with a kit from Real Steel, but I don't know if they are still around. This mod. is something I considered as my '87 Vogue had only done 40k when I bought it 13 yrs. ago, but I faffed about making the decision for too long & now can't afford it Need to be careful though as you are then approaching the ZF's torque limit, as someone I knew found out the hard way.