I've got a 1993 RRC with a 200Tdi. It had a replacement (Discovery) engine last February and that's fine but it's showing its age (approaching 150,000 miles) in lots of other places. Steering, suspension and brakes could do with attention (I think, based on little more than instinct since I'm no mechanic); the bodywork is getting quite rough and rusty including the vertical panels either side of the tailgate (goalposts?) and the panels inside the rear door beside the seats; the interior is showing its age with various bits not working, the usual headlining issues, etc. etc. (which I can live with but my other half gets exercised about!)
I'm my own worst enemy because the car gets used as a mobile kennel around the smallholding as well as carting materials around the place so no wonder the carpets are getting nasty and the seats grubby. This is my only car and a daily driver, and it's the best thing I've every owned: I love it! My preference would be to keep it and get is sorted out, but I'm looking for some dispassionate advice.
So, do I spend big money in getting it sorted out or would I be better off cutting my losses? I know that this is a really tricky question and all I'm looking for are estimates based on experience but what do you reckon I'm into if I pay someone to sort the bodywork: let's say for sake of argument replacement boot floor, rear pillars, top and bottom tail-gate, bits of patching elsewhere, deal with some scratches and dents and respray? (One related thought: if I can see these sort of problems with an untutored eye, what else is probably lurking beneath the surface?) How much would a major running gear overhaul set me back?
If I'm looking at spending 3,000 gbp on an overhaul what might that buy me and what sort of alternative would I be looking at if I spent the money on a replacement instead? I'm not in the slightest bit bothered about what the vehicle would be worth after the work, incidentally: if I can keep it going for another 40 years until I'm too old to drive, I happily will!
Any advice very gratefully received and any personal recommendations based on experience for firms in East Anglia who do this sort of work would be useful too. Anyone with direct experience of TJC near King's Lynn, for example?