Man who bought a $90K Range Rover for $2K after it was listed as a non-runner gets a shock when he tries to start engine
- Car enthusiast bought $90,000 Range Rover for a$2,000
- The seller was transparent that it was a non-runner
- It also had several other issues – but went on to surprise everyone
Published on Dec 14, 2024 at 12:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Dec 09, 2024 at 5:33 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This car enthusiast and YouTuber thought he’d bagged a bargain when he bought a $90,000 Range Rover for a mere $2,000 as a non-runner.
The car had been sitting idle for years.
Its seller had been completely transparent about its condition – stating that it was a non-runner and had a worrying knocking noise when fired up.
However, the Range Rover ended up surprising everyone.
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The non-runner Range Rover
Waldo of Waldo’s World is famously a fan of ‘building and fixing stuff’.
So when he saw a $90,000 Range Rover selling for $2,000 at auction he leapt at the chance to own it.
As you might expect at that low price, it was listed as a non-runner.
Sitting idle for an unspecified number of years, any attempt to fire it up resulted in a mysterious knocking noise.
In fact, the seller was very honest about its pitfalls.
In a similar story, YouTubers went to Vegas and spontaneously bought the ‘world’s cheapest G-Wagen’ for $3,000, which had been sitting still for months.
Plus, this man revealed how he bought the cheapest Rolls-Royce Phantom in the UK.
Restoring the bargain
Upon initial inspection, it turned out that the vehicle had old fuel.
First things first, this was drained and replaced for a fresh start.
The oil appeared dark but usable and, while the battery had low voltage, it required troubleshooting.
However, with all that said, the 5.0L Jaguar V8 engine surprised everyone by miraculously starting up with only minor ticking.
It was something Waldo had never expected – much like this abandoned tank that started for the first time in 30 years.
“It starts right up with no drama,” he said before coming round to listen to it from under the hood. “We can actually hear the engine running and it does sound pretty good.”
He describes the ticking sound as ‘really light’.
Taking a deeper look, a bore camera inspection revealed piston damage and cylinder wall scoring, which seemed to suggest potential timing chain issues.
He hopes a compression test will reveal more.
What’s more, the air suspension that had been deflated from years of inactivity was re-inflated successfully.
We love it when a plan comes together.
London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
