VALUES

While you weren’t looking, prices of original two-door Range Rovers have shot up over the last few years, the passing of designer Spen King last year only fuelling the boom. As a result, Mark Griffiths at specialist the Land Rover Centre in Huddersfield (www.landrovercentre.com) reckons you can expect to pay £2-3000 for a rough but MoT’d two-door, rising to £7-8000 for a presentable example and a staggering £15-£20,000 for a pristine early ’70s car. As for the four-doors, as Mark points out they were made for longer and there are more of them around which means you can pick up an MoT’d example for as little as £2-£3000, with nice examples around the £4-5000 mark. For a nice usable late-model 300Tdi, expect to pay around £6-7000, rising to £10-£12,000 for a mint example. Mark also has one other crucial tip: if you’re looking at a project, these cars can be pricey to restore so cost it out carefully before you take the plunge.

ENGINE & GEARBOX

• The Rover V8 is a familiar beast, but does like regular oil changes
• A noisy top end can mean a worn camshaft
• EFi models drive better with improved economy but can suffer from corroded fuel lines
• The engine was uprated to 3.9   litres in 1989
• The Italian VM unit used from 1984 to 1992 is pretty unloved. The later Rover Tdi units are much better but check for head gasket issues and look for the the smoking which indicates a failing turbo
• There’s a fair bit of transmission noise in early Range Rovers, although post-1980 models got more sound deadening to improve things. Drive a few examples to get a feel for how noisy you can  expect it to be.
• Post-1982 cars got a five speed box, the LT77 shared with the Rover SD1. Earlier cars used a four-speeder with a rare optional overdrive which is really worth having, especially on the motorway where the Rangey is just as much in its element as on the moors. Together with the transfer box, the overdrive gives the car a theoretical 16 forward gears...
• In 1992 the R380 gearbox was fitted which uses a different shift pattern with reverse on the bottom right. It’s a more modern unit with less gear noise
• Automatics are a Chrysler three-speed from 1982 until 1987 and then a ZF four-speeder. They’re both reliable units but check that drive is taken up smartly and that they behave predictably
• Automatic diesels are very rare and limited to the 300Tdi engine

TRIM & ELECTRICS

• Early Range Rovers were really pretty basic so there’s not much more to troubleshooting than in a Mini. Dodgy earths and corroded connectors are the likely culprits
• The original ‘teddy bear’ gold velour trim for the ’80s examples is hard to find, with used parts being the best bet. Many up-spec late models had leather inside which can be costly to restore properly
• A revised ‘soft feel’ dashboard was introduced in 1989. It placed the radio in the centre of the car for the first time...

 To read the complete Buyer's Checklist feature buy the September 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart.