A lot of you probably saw one of the YouTube video's I posted after driving down to Mexico two years ago, and that I had a 2000 Range Rover that in all fairness, did get me south of the border from Oregon (almost) without incident.
When I originally bought it for $2200.00 from some gold toothed gang banger in one of the worst parts of Sacramento, I expected a certain amount of mechanical issues, but I loved the body style, the interior was in good shape, so decided to roll the dice and invest some additional funds restoring it the best I could.
I guess I was drawn to it also by it's 'snob appeal', as well as the comfortable ride, leather seats, and a lot of additional options that came with the 2000 model. It seemed like a great value at the time.
But it's important to note that this particular year they made the Range Rover....it was plagued with electrical problems, and the security system was fully integrated into every facet of the vehicle.
Ironically enough, the security system was far more problematic for the owners, than potential thieves. If you Google 'Range Rover security system'...there are pages and pages of nightmarish stories from others who dealt with the same issues I endured with that pile of shit.
I also bought it without the keyfob remote control, and it was a nightmare getting a new one from Portland Land Rover (for another cool $400.00) I actually had to tow it all the way from the middle of nowhere in the Trinity mountain pass all the way to southern Oregon after accidentally arming the alarm....and then upon arriving, couldn't register it because I couldn't even drive it until I got the keyfob.
Oh, and I didn't mention that it blew a head gasket not even a week after I bought it, and I dropped another $1500.00 getting the work done. Basically it was a huge piece of shit that gave me nothing but problem after problem, and I regretted buying it almost immediately.
In 2000, this particular model sold new for $57,900....and 12 years later it was on KBB in good condition valued at less than $2,500. Land Rover has some of the most dramatically depreciating cars in the history of the auto industry, and basically the British are the most retarded car makers ever.
Anyway, I drove the first leg of the journey from southern Oregon...to Sacramento in one day...arriving early evening...with plans to make the second half all the way to Mexico beginning the next morning.
The plan was to stay with my friend Ron overnight (my mom was up in Seattle at the time), but when I got there, he was drunk as fuck on cheap red wine acting like a complete prick, so I opted to push on, and just left his house after an hour or so despite being pretty wiped from a 600 mile drive the same day.
Couldn't keep my eyes open after such a long day, and ended up crashing out at some random rest stop along I-5 around midnight after an additional 150 miles or so, and then pushed on when the sun came up.
I had serious doubts about making the 1100 mile trip successfully after my front end would start shuddering violently if I hit a bump going any faster than 70. It was obvious there were major suspension issues, and I even considered turning back to Sacramento.
It would shake and shudder so badly, I was certain the front axle would snap in half. The first time it happened it scared the shit out of me, and had to adjust by going no faster than 65 all the way from Stockton on.
Yes, a lot of drivers were passing doing 90 and flipping me off etc, but I was unphased. It got even worse going through L.A, and I decreased my top speed to 55....which naturally infuriated others on the freeways. It's a miracle I didn't get shot.
Anybody that has ever spent any significant time driving on the L.A. freeways will confirm that if you aren't doing at least 85....you'll get tailgated or worse. So you can imagine the collateral effect my 55 MPH pace had on drivers whizzing by me on both sides at warp speed.
Better bring your 'A game' if you expect to have a hope in hell of surviving on the freeways in SoCal.
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So naturally I was feeling elated (and relieved) to finally spot the famous 'Mexico' sign, and crossed the border in the late afternoon uneventfully.
Driving into Rosarito along the Pacific coast was a great feeling, and it was a beautiful evening with a spectacular sunset. The truth is that it could have been Pakistan for all I cared...I was just overjoyed to finally be out of Oregon. Got a hotel room with Winnie, and slept like a baby for almost 12 hours straight.
OK let's cut to the chase...
I stayed off the freeways and toll roads while in Mexico, and tried to keep driving to a minimum. The suspension problems would be a huge (and expensive) job to repair, and there is hardly a certified Land Rover dealership south of the border.
Well, long story short...after 6 months in Ensenada, I headed back up to Rosarito and while looking for a new place, was just staying at this little weekly hotel.
Then suddenly my electric windows stopped working (with the windows open) just prior to a forecasted storm heading straight towards northern Baja
This was shortly after my rear window was either shot out or a meteorite hit it in Ensenada (still a mystery to this day) and was covered only by a clear plastic film to keep the rain out.
After battling this hunk of crap for almost 2 years, I was on the verge of finally surrendering, and giving up on trying to restore it.
But stubbornly take it to this shitty little tiny mechanics shop in the barrio near Puerto Nuevo, and explained to the greaseballs working there that the windows were stuck, and that's all I wanted repaired....nothing else
Knowing what a huge pain in the ass the security system was to disable, I gave them all explicit instructions NOT to arm the alarm. I even repeated this no less than 3 times to make sure these dumb ass beaners let it sink in.
Sure enough, I go back the next day to check on their progress and boom....they had used the keyfob to arm the alarm, and now couldn't disable it.
I'm just shaking my head in amazement that these nimrods did exactly what I asked them not to do. The security system disables the ignition...basically I was fucked...but decided to give them a few more days to see if they could figure it out.
After 3 days, I come back to discover all my interior door panels ripped off...the central control panel and motherboard laying on the floor, and random wiring spread out everywhere. It didn't even look like the same car anymore.
Also, the two home stereo speakers I had stupidly left unattended in the back hatchback area were history, my jumper cables gone, and a big gaping hole in the console where my stereo used to be.
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Ok now it gets really good...
It goes without saying that I was fucking furious, and caused a pretty big scene. Although I didn't ever consider calling the policia because....well....I'm a gringo, and Mexico is not my hood....on top of the fact I was getting ready to dump it for pennies on the dollar for what I paid for it.
But aside from that , I was absolutely livid, and towed it in protest to a nearby shop which came recommended by a few local expats I knew from a nearby bar/restaurant.
It sat at the new shop for almost 5 days, and those fools couldn't fix it either. This was a nightmare
So I tow it (again) to a gringo mechanic near my place, and he just parks it for literally 3 weeks
This was about the time I went on my Stars heater, (perfect timing) and quickly bought my Jeep in San Diego ...happy to be rid of the Range Rover once and for all. But it did have some value left, even if it was just for the tires, seats and other parts. So I sell it to my gringo mechanic for 300 bucks, hand him the title, and that was that.
Well not exactly...
About a week later...I'm having lunch at this small restaurant directly across from the original shop that fucked it up, and see it parked right in front. WTF ?
Turns out that it was sold to this local Mexican guy who runs a small towing service, and he had dropped it back right where it all started. I couldn't fucking believe the irony of this vehicle ending up back at the same mechanic who had ruined it in the first place coming full circle
It sat there for at least two weeks, and every time I drove past...the more pissed off I got thinking about it.
A few weeks go by and one afternoon I head back to the same restaurant and start pounding margaritas. Out of the corner of my eye I can't help but notice my old Range Rover sitting there collecting dust
Well my adrenaline got the best of me (combined with the tequila I'm sure), and I promptly strolled across the dirt road, walked up to my former vehicle while these knuckleheads are staring at me...and slam my fist right through the rear window on the passenger side punching a huge hole in the tempered glass.
The shattering glass cut my hand up pretty bad, but I walked back to finish my drink before taking off. It dawned on me there was a good chance that these gimps would possibly call the policia, so I got the fuck out of dodge
it sure did feel good though. No way I am going to let those retards extract any more value from a vehicle they had already ruined, and looted from. It was a matter of principle, and I would do the exact same thing again under the circumstances.
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The best part of this long story is that not even 6 weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice a big ass plume of black smoke in the sky right about where the shop was located, and only a few minutes later my friend Joe calls me up and says..
'Yo Marty...you know your favorite mechanic's shop just burned to the ground right ?'
I just wish it was me who did it
karma's a bitch ain't it ?
/rant
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Originally Posted by WillieMcFML
