Decisions, decisions
Trevor is hoping to get his garage sorted soon, but which car will be lucky enough to be housed in it?
Did I tell you about my classic Range Rover? No, I don’t think I did, because although I have technically owned it for a year or so, this fine truck has only recently come into my possession.
This time last year I was replacing the chassis in my good friend’s Discovery 2, and carrying out some other work at the same time – welding up rusted wheel arches and fitting centre differential lock, among other jobs. Matthew had purchased the D2 from LRM Editor, Patrick Cruywagen and was very pleased to be getting a family car on the road, so that he could take his growing boys off-road in safety.
The Range Rover had been dry-stored in Matthew’s barn for three years, and he viewed it now as a true classic car, so using it as an everyday family car just didn’t seem right. As a result, the Range Rover covered less than 200 miles between each of the MOT tests, which Matt religiously took it out for. He also had it serviced, fitted a new timing belt, sorted the viscous coupling issues and renewed the exhaust system and brakes.
So, the classic was not being driven and was really just in the barn to be polished and admired. It had to go, to pay for the D2 rebuild. There were two standing offers on the Range Rover ever since Matt bought it. However, I took a fancy to the classic and agreed to buy it, so that I could own a fair-weather car that would only increase in value. Let’s face it – rust-free pristine classic Range Rovers are very difficult to find now, and even harder to pay for!
We agreed that the Range Rover would stay in Matthew’s barn for the short term, until I sorted out suitable dry storage for it of my own. The plan was to clear out the old garage (which had become a dumping ground for household junk) and fit new doors, replacing the old sliding door which was on its last legs. The space would then become a proper garage to house a classic car in safe and dry conditions.
The garage is still not sorted yet (where the heck is time going these days?) but, at the beginning of the year, the Range Rover finally emerged from Matt’s barn and onto my driveway. I took out a limited-mileage insurance policy on it and purchased road tax and have been getting to know it by taking it for the occasional drive. And what a lovely drive it is!
Although the Range Rover has covered 150,000 miles and is almost 25-years old, it drives like a young fresh thing and is perfectly capable of performing in 21st century traffic. Cruising at 70 mph is its natural habitat, where the ride is smooth, comfortable and very quiet. I love it!
The truck also has a purposeful stance due to new suspension. Matt did not like how classic Range Rovers tend to sit down a little at the back and he replaced the springs and dampers to make it look right. This really works and the iconic form of the Range Rover is wonderful.
But now something else has come to fruition, which part of me never believed would be real. This involves another very fine Land Rover that also deserves to be housed in my proposed classic car garage! So I have a decision to make. Do I sell the classic Range Rover to make way for it? Do I take it off the road and dry store it somewhere? Or do I sell the other new arrival? The latter seems highly unlikely so perhaps the Range Rover already has to go.