Landrover curious...........

[WGD]

landrovers are like the farmers broom 25 years old and only had 5 replacement handles and 10 new heads

 

[Dunkield]

It's the premium you pay for not looking like a peg selling, drive mac'in, tree cutting gyppo.

Contender for the post of the month there, thank you

[bobt]

£5k would buy a nice late td5 disco, 03 or 04

 

waxoil it well and it will out live you, they dont rust like the series ones did,

btw I got 37mpg on a trip to scotland last week.

[Darren h]

It's the premium you pay for not looking like a peg selling, drive mac'in, tree cutting gyppo.

 

Class LOL

[njc110381]

I'd aim for a 200 or 300tdi Defender. Generally speaking if your driveway is nice it wont be for much longer - they leak from just about everywhere there is fluid to be lost. Avoid the pre tdi turbo diesel as it doesn't have the best reputation (Land Rovers don't have the best reputation but the non Tdi Turbo is nothing short of awful).

 

If you want a drive in one before you commit then give me a shout, you're welcome to take mine out for a spin any time. Unless you want to move big things though I'd steer clear of the 110s and get a 90 - much easier to park, slightly quicker and better off road generally.

[Gully]

I sold this one earlier this year for £5900. It had a sound chassis and was a brilliant car. Looking at the thread has given me pangs! I replaced it with a newer 110 and am happy though. There are good defenders around you just have to look hard.

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...amp;hl=defender

[ME]

Despite the Landy purist jibes, I am with Al4x on this one.

 

I was looking for a 4x4 recently, I didnt have a budget as such and was looking at Defenders. To get a decent one you are looking at big money, granted they hold their money but you have to spend more keeping them on the road.

 

I plumped for a 2006 Nissan Terrano commercial and had seats put in the back for the kids. It cruises at 80-100 mph, the seat position is comfortable, it has working air conditioning,(yes, I checked this time ) it previously had one owner, FSH and only 55k miles and it has reliable Jap engineering. The cost of this was £6500 which is a lot of reliable truck for not a lot of money.

 

Landrovers have nothing to offer but popularity. If you need a 4x4 to double as a decent comfortable family car then a Defender really wont cut the mustard. I have a 1973 Series 3 and I get worn out driving it round the block.

 

EDIT: I had an ES 2003 AUTO Disco once and I couldnt sell it quick enough. If you have to get a Landy get a Disco but get a manual. The auto box is terrible.

[DIVERD]

I have had many landrovers, and the one i miss most was my 1967 2a, same year as me, an 88, that was solid and i am sure it is still rattling round the countryside, kind of like me!

 

I have a H reg 200 tdi 110 at the moment, ageless it is straight, has a private plate and is quite shiny but never clean, it does not leak, or if it does the leaking oil it is simply part of the chassis anti corrosion system a vital component designed in by the brilliant landrover design team, it is solid and covered in chequer plate, because i like it and because it stops a bipod sliding on the bonnet. I have bolted all manner of things to it to make it more comfortable or user friendly, so it has plenty of light, central locking (for the guns) spare fuel, tools, winches and the like. It has a proper heater because it has the correct thermostat in it, but needs an additional electric fan for extreme off road stuff as the engine can get a little hot at times if thrashed off road.

 

It has done 175k and i drive it most days and every week. It is the best shooting / fishing car you can buy. Firstly it gets 25 - 35 mpg regardless of what it is doing / towing or loaded with. Empty it will do 80 ish but this is probably bad for it, loaded up 70 ish and with a caravan (mobile hunting lodge) it will do 60ish. It will happily have 7 on board with all the guns and kit, or 4 on board and all the **** for a week away. On a shoot or expensive river beat it has the same class as an jag or rangie because it is excentric and is just the right car. I have a jag to drive to work and have had a couple of rangies, but this is the ultimate outdoor car. Flashy cars get noted, but my old landy is a talking point in these situations, it makes it difficult to size me up, nice kit and rolex but old car, and people like to know who you are and with one of these you could be anyone. I have used it many times to winch out more "comfortable" cars from mud and the like. I would happily drive it to africa, safe in the knowledge that it would get there but may have the occasional glitch requiring attention on the way, as all motors would. But landys are very robust and parts are silly cheap, as an example an exhaust rear section is £45 and is held on by two bolts and 3 elastic rubber things, a 20 minute and two spanner job. It is a 2 ton mechano set and as long as you have spanners, hammers and a welder they will go on for ever. It is a hobby in its own right, and this i think is different from an L200 or the like. Mine is never actually perfect, it always needs just that little something done, like the garden, but if i dont do it it is ok, and if i get time i can always do it tomorrow or perhaps next year.

 

Off road the 90 is better, but this is only in extreme situations and my 110 can get basically anyplace i need to get, the difference is only noticable in real difficult off road situations, when i took it to off road days the extra length was an issue in tight competition turns but in real life it has never been an issue. I regularly take it to the top of a mountain stalking, and have been stuck, but always got out un aided. Though parking is an issue as they are properly large though it is no worse than a jag or for that matter any other large 4x4, it is not a city car, it was not designed for this and is not really happy in multi story car parks or the like, day by day use they are IMHO better than a 90. They pitch and bounce less and can take more than 2 in comfort.

 

I paid 2.5k for mine probably 5- 7 years ago and have probably spent £500 on it, perhaps a little more. I bought it from a pal and did get it cheap but not overly so at the time. It costs £98 a year to insure. It is going up in value which is quite mad, probably balancing the dropping value of the jag.

 

Get one with a good chassis, but dont worry about the rear 1/4 as they are almost disposable, every 10 years or so they will need attention. Waxoil and jet wash are the answer to long life and i dump the used enging oil in the chassis from time to time, so it seems to be quite sound. The bulkhead will need waxoiled internally as well, drill a hole in the inside to do this then forget it, but repairs to these are easy and cheap, £17 is a corner. A 200TDI and the matching gearbox will last for years, i am hoping for about another 75k out of mine (10 years) before it needs major work and then i will either find a transplant or more likely will get the engine rebuilt, there are literally dozens of specialist companies doing just landys and landy parts, they are made to last.

 

sorry for the long post. Landys are special!

 

Dave

 

 

 

www-wader-repair.co.uk

 

[Birdy]

Generally you'll find people that knock Land Rovers simply can't afford one. Envy is an ugly thing

[southdowns_stalking]

Generally you'll find people that knock Land Rovers simply can't afford one. Envy is an ugly thing

 

No need to say anything else..........

[goldypurple]

you could be lucky like me.

 

althou i have owned my landy 110 for over a year now i was lucky.

 

i had seen a 110 on ebay, 1989 110 on a galvanized chassis, disco engine and gearbox, loads of added extras like heated screen. mot'd and taxed for a year, he started it off at £3400, now i thought it was cheap, but no one had bid etc.

 

at the time i was waiting for an insurance claim money to be sent, anyway auction had ended without any bids, so i emailed the seller and offered him what i was prepaired to offer him which was £2900 without seeing it and could collect next day, couldnt afford anything else. Any way a couple of hours later had a reply, and he was happy to do a deal. next day a trip from norfolk to stafforshire, once there i checked it over and it was better than i thought.

 

new interior, swing away wheel carrier, new wheeels and tyres. epsom green paint job the list goes on, i was over the moon with, and it performed really well on the way back to norfolk.

 

 

So bargains can be had!! now i have been offered £5000 over for it, but i wont let it go, far to good and it wont rot out.

 

 

keep an eye out and you never know.

[al4x]

loads of added extras like heated screen.

 

 

thats a classic how many cars can you actually buy where a heated screen is classed as an extra

[garyb]

I guess he means the heated windscreen as found on Ford's and Land rovers... where they have heating elements inside of the glass ?

[Blunderbuss]

Guys thanks for all your input, this has been an informative and educational thread. PW at its very best! just gotta find one now :-)

[J@mes]

Just remember that a 110 is actually shorter and narrower than a mondeo saloon, so being a pain to park is a myth!!

[George1990]

Landrovers have nothing to offer but popularity. If you need a 4x4 to double as a decent comfortable family car then a Defender really wont cut the mustard. I have a 1973 Series 3 and I get worn out driving it round the block.

 

Can't agree with this. Landies are hard as nails, and offer invincibility off road and are made of big lumps of metal, and even the newish ones are well over engineered. Unlike Jap **** which is all plasticy and made of tin foil. Also, parts are readily available (in the odd event you should need them) and they are easy to replace yourself.

 

There's thousand of Series Land Rovers still on the road, from 30 - 60 years old, many of which have been exposed to the elements the duration of their life. Other 4x4 copies would have worn into the ground by then. And no, if maintained it won't have had hundreds of replacement parts! There's still some with original wheel bearings even. It's maintenance that's the key, and with a Land-Rover it's always a pleasure - knowing you are keeping a British icon on the road.

 

Many Land Rover parts were designed by a bloke with a tash and a cup of tea in a shed in a day. Simplicity is the key. Also, I nearly break modern plasticy rubbish just byu getting in them these days now I am used to British engineering at it's best, a series 2 Landy. B) B) Best four by four by far.

 

[al4x]

I guess TVR's are the second best and most reliable car on the road as they also were built by men in sheds

[SA Shooter]

Generally you'll find people that knock Land Rovers simply can't afford one. Envy is an ugly thing

B)

[SA Shooter]

Can't agree with this. Landies are hard as nails, and offer invincibility off road and are made of big lumps of metal, and even the newish ones are well over engineered. Unlike Jap **** which is all plasticy and made of tin foil. Also, parts are readily available (in the odd event you should need them) and they are easy to replace yourself.

 

There's thousand of Series Land Rovers still on the road, from 30 - 60 years old, many of which have been exposed to the elements the duration of their life. Other 4x4 copies would have worn into the ground by then. And no, if maintained it won't have had hundreds of replacement parts! There's still some with original wheel bearings even. It's maintenance that's the key, and with a Land-Rover it's always a pleasure - knowing you are keeping a British icon on the road.

 

Many Land Rover parts were designed by a bloke with a tash and a cup of tea in a shed in a day. Simplicity is the key. Also, I nearly break modern plasticy rubbish just byu getting in them these days now I am used to British engineering at it's best, a series 2 Landy. B) B) Best four by four by far.

 

You can say that all over again. A landy is the only 4x4 that can cross Africa and you could find spare parts for it in almost every guys back yard.

LAND ROVER ALL THE WAY!!!!!

[ME]

Generally you'll find people that knock Land Rovers simply can't afford one. Envy is an ugly thing

 

I have a Land Rover so wasnt knocking them. As I put in my post I was looking for Defenders and didnt have a budget as such. If I thought that a Defender was going to do more than a cheaper Jap 4x4 then I would have happily paid the going rate.

 

I was more pointing to the fact that due to their popularity the prices are over-inflated and I dont see them as value for money.

 

You wont get as many bolt on toys and parts for a Jap 4x4 and you wont get envious "raaaaarrrr LETS OFF ROAD types" eyeing up your "beast" in Asdas car park.

 

>LET'S OFF ROAD<

 

[MITCHF]

Landrover virgin here, but I've been thinking of getting one for a while. I'm thinking of spending up to about 5K, but less if I can. I'd really like a Defender but I'm shocked at how much people ask for 15/20 year old rust buckets with 200K miles on the clock! I don't fancy a Freelander but would consider a Disco, though I don't know much about them.

 

To be used as a second vehicle mainly for local run around and shooting trips with occasional longer trips up the motorway B) So PW fountain of knowledge, what kind of Disco or Defender could I reasonably expect for up to 5K and what models should I seek out or avoid, and what pitfalls await me

 

 

In a Defender

Disco is your answer, find a low mile 300TDI pre TD5, rare to find but still out there.

Spend the balance on good tyres and a new gun :-)

 

The Landrover badge is green as it's the colour of envy B)

Edited October 19, 2010 by MITCHF

[Blunderbuss]

In a Defender

 

I did say OCCASIONAL!

[Dempy]

Landrover virgin here, but I've been thinking of getting one for a while. I'm thinking of spending up to about 5K, but less if I can. I'd really like a Defender but I'm shocked at how much people ask for 15/20 year old rust buckets with 200K miles on the clock! I don't fancy a Freelander but would consider a Disco, though I don't know much about them.

 

To be used as a second vehicle mainly for local run around and shooting trips with occasional longer trips up the motorway

 

So PW fountain of knowledge, what kind of Disco or Defender could I reasonably expect for up to 5K and what models should I seek out or avoid, and what pitfalls await me

 

 

For under 3k you can get an all singing all dancing Range Rover with leather, air con and pretty much everything else you can think of!

Why spend £5k on a Defender when you can spend nearly half of that and have a £50k truck?B)??

 

Oh by the way, I have one for sale!! look at my posts B)

Edited October 19, 2010 by Dempy

[Martinchef]

I got my 300tdi 1999, 5 years go its got 170000 on the clock now still going strong had to do abit of work on it nothing much.

At first i wanted a Defender but went for a Disco instead for the comfort have never got stuck (yet) even in that bad snow still went up Froster hill, got it from Tim Frys in Chelt alway good to have a look there

Good luck

[MITCHF]

Take a look at this on Ebay - 190458176173

Tidy and well loked after, the 300TDI is great motor.

Good luck