My wife and I are expecting our first child in Dec. I need (want) to upgrade from my '93 Chev P/U to a tow vehicle that can haul people comfortably as well. I have been going round and round in my mind looking at older Subs, Excursions, etc. I have always really liked the looks of the older RR LWB's, and it seems you can pick them up fairly reasonably. So here's the question: How do they do as tow rigs? Is the 4.2 adequate, or do I need more cubic inches to comfortably tow the teener or maybe a ski boat?

thanks
BH

don't know how they do as Tow vehicles, as I have yet had the need for a tow vehicle


But, I have seen them parked in the pits (where the tow vehicles are at)
at Porsche Owner Club events.
So they must be working for some.

Good luck.

I've got a 97 4.0. I wouldn't recomend it.
Especially if you are looking at a RR with airbags. The system sucks and its a money hog.

Get an american suv, you'll be much happier. Durango is a good size, and has good towing capacity.

The size of your trailer has something to do with it. I have a 20" enclosed trailer. I would not consider towing it with my Dakota PU. When I use a 1/2 ton pu it moves around a lot and feels like I'm being pushed on steep hills. When I use my friends 1 ton pu it's rock solid, even when passing semi's. I'm planning on getting a 3/4 ton pu in a couple of months and trading my Dakota. An extended cab pu with opening rear doors is nearly as useful as an suv.

I too thought about them for a driver for my wife, but after driving one and talking to a friend who worked at a rover dealer I ran away! Very underpowered, and unreal cost of parts and repairs. Ferg.

i buddy has a 92 ' bucket of bolts ' as his kids call it. maybe 10mpg not towing. ( i gave a tune up with new plug wires, so up from 8 ) he had the dealer replace the water pump, fuel pump and coil. the bill was 3g's on one sheet of paper. if i get a 3 grand bill , i would at least like a two page bill.

My last bill was over $1500 and the damn thing broke less than 300 miles later!!

Been sitting in my garage since January.

Another issue with Landrovers is the brakes. They don't last that long and the system should be rebuilt frequently to be safe. And it's not cheap.

My father-in-law runs a Goodyear shop and he has many unhappy Landrover owners.

I use a 93 short wheel base to pull an open trailer and race car.

It has the 3.9L engine and it is underpowered.

It's rated for 5500 lbs on a trailer with brakes.

I upgraded the rotors and pads recently to HD slotted and kevlar pads.

My trailer does not have brakes and I wouldn't want to drive across country with this rig but the track is only 30 minutes from my house.

Land Rovers have their share of problems but they seem to stay fixed when repaired.

I have had electrical and head gasket problems and ditched the air system for springs but I still love to drive it.

They are kind of like old Mercedes - not without problems but you can drive them forever.

Considering their cost new the used ones can be a real bargin.

Bill

What do you think of the coil springs vs air springs?

I've had two land rovers, they can be picky. be prepared for all the "little things" breaking, but everything else should last a very long time. I can't imagine towing anything with them though, they are so underpowered, just like a 914!

I LOVE Range Rovers. That being said....I also HATE Range Rovers. had two classic versions. fell in love with the car and the comments I got with it, but the bills were huge if you did not do the work yourself....even then, parts were $$$. I broke down many times even though I tried to maintain it well. Was good friends w/ a major distributor of parts and such, "British Bulldog"....I think he went insane dealing with these cars.....seriously. Like the 914, it takes a different sort of person to love and care for a rover in its latter years. If I ever get another rover it will be an early series...much more simple, or a leased Rover, and I'll ditch it when the lease is up. Someone shoot me if I try to get another RR....I'm looking in the classifides again right now!

you know what's sad? my ex-gf had a '88 range rover 3.9 and I drag raced her with my '73 2.0, it was neck and neck!

The coil springs are a reasonable option if your air system goes down.

Very expensive to fix.

The ride is not the same but not bad. DAP sells a kit I think around 300-350.

Rovers are definitely a love - hate relationship.


BL

yeah, i love it, it hates me

I was in the market for one a couple of years ago and started to do a little research. I have always loved the way they looked but didn't know too much about them. The WWW is FULL of tales of woe concerning them. And this is what I found most disturbing: Consumers Report magazine siad that ,"for the money, just about any other SUV is a better deal". Those are some pretty strong words coming from that magazine, whose reputation is based on how non-biased they are. After reading that, I knew that if I bought one anyway, and it broke down, or turned out to be a POS, that I'd be