1988 Range Rover Classic, Collector Quality, New 4.2L Engine, Well Sorted

Price: Ask a price!
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
Condition: Used
Make: Land Rover
Model: Range Rover
Year: 1988
Mileage: 169,791
VIN: SALHV1147JA331495
Engine size: 4.2L V8
Number of cylinders: 8
Transmission: Automatic
Drive type: 4WD
Options: 4-Wheel Drive, Leather Seats, Sunroof
Vehicle Title: Clear

1988 Land Rover Range Rover Description

You are viewing my incredibly clean, unmolested 1988 Range Rover Classic with 169,791 miles. I purchased my RRC in March 2014 from another enthusiast living in the neighborhood that I grew up in. This Range Rover was purchased new from the dealership in Portland, Oregon and has never been registered outside of Oregon. I moved it with me to Phoenix last year and it has been kept safe from the scorching sun in my warehouse.
I purchased my RRC with the original 3.5L V8 on its last leg. I had a good serpentine 4.2L V8 from a 1995 LWB that I had been saving for just such a truck. The engine was stripped down and rebuilt using all new seals, bearings, gaskets, freshly machined heads, new camshaft, Edelbrock double roller timing chain, powder coated oil pain, powder coated front cover bracketry/mounts, ceramic coated manifolds, reconditioned fuel injectors, new engine mounts, new plugs/wires, and more.
I have owned 3 Land Rover service shops and now restore Defenders for a living. I had planned to keep this Classic forever but a Defender 130 had other plans for the landscape of my garage. Unfortunately, I need to make some room.
If you don’t know much about the 1988 Range Rover Classic allow me to get you up to speed. The first Range Rover was introduced to the US market in 1987. The 1987 and 1988 RRC’s are the only US years with exposed door hinges, setting them apart visually from the subsequent iterations. They also came from the factory with gear-to-gear driven LT230 transfer cases with a center locking differential (same as in the lauded Defenders). Later models came with the inferior Borg Warner chain driven transfer case. The 1987 and 1988 also lack the expensive to service/failure prone ABS system found on 1989+ Range Rovers. Aside from the 1995 soft-dash Range Rover Classics, the 87-88’s are the rarest and most collectible. Their weakest link was their anemic 3.5L engine, but said malady has been eschewed in this example.
Recent Work:

Freshly rebuilt 4.2L serpentine drive engine (under 2000 miles on rebuild)
Transmission flush
New fuel filter
Brake flush
Prop shafts serviced
Differentials serviced
Transfer case serviced
Front swivel housings serviced with LR one-shot grease
New Timken front wheel bearings
New rear hatch lift struts
Re-skinned headliner
New windshield with new seals
New fan clutch
New SS Y-Pipe (with new catalytic convertors)

Upgrades:

14CUX engine management ECU
LWB front brake upgrade (larger calipers and vented rotors)
Discovery 1 radiator with integrated oil cooler (88’s did not come with oil coolers)
Updated R134A AC system with fresh charge
OME 2” lift coil springs paired with matching OME shocks
OME steering damper
Black steel wheels with 255/75 R16 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R’s
IPF H4 headlights
Full Magnaflow high flow SS exhaust (manifolds to tailpipe) with welded joints (no clamps at slip joints)
Front Euro signal light assemblies with clear lenses

Other Points of Interest:

Clean Oregon title in my name in hand
Previous owner had truck since 67k miles
2 original keys
No accidents and NO paint work
No corrosion/significant rust
Non-smoker, non-pet owner owned.
Solid center console, no cracks
Rear hatch is rust and warp free
Original spare, jack, and tool kit in cargo area
Sunroof, power windows, power door lock actuators, seats/seat switches all functional
Service records going all the way back to the dealership in 1988
Original manual in original sleeve (unfortunately pages have some water damage)
Driver’s side seat switch was missing a switch handle when I took the interior pictures but has since been replaced

The Bad:

The stereo sucks unless you are a college professor listening to AM talk radio
There is a small tear in the right rear D-pillar vinyl. Look closely at the picture and you can see I placed a small piece of black tape over it to prevent it from exacerbating.
There are a couple of dents and scratches. I have included detailed pictures so please view all carefully.
Slight clunk present when shifting from reverse to drive and vice versa. This is a common issue associated with spline wear on the transmission output shaft and is no immediate threat to drivability.
A couple burns in the tailgate carpet (as seen in pics)