Reply With QuoteWhat about the Land Rover club.
Rgds
Paul
Guys, I'm on the hunt for a tidy Defender, preferably diesel, 90" or 110", not that fussed. It's only intended as a plaything so I'm very flexible. From reading around and speaking to some people I understand that the 200tdi may be the one to go for. I don't want to spend huge money, £4-5k max and less if possible.
All advice most welcome.
What about the Land Rover club.
Rgds
Paul
Originally Posted by cpys11688
Had a look at some of the forums Paul, certainly some helpful advice to be found.
Landyzone, Land Rover Owner, or LRUK all have plenty of classifieds and great forums! As a Range Rover owner, I spend quite a bit of time on there..
Go for 90 unless you definately need the extra space of the 110. The LWB tends to be a little underpowered and are not as good off road as the 90s.
Compared to Japcrap they are not comfy, hard ride, very few gizzmos and the lights are still from the Series2! But i would not drive off road in anything else. As they say the best 4x4 so far!
If its a play thing only the V8 has superpower but you will be watching the petrol gauge just going down as you drive so the Tdi is a realistic option.
Tough as boots cost a fortune to run and service and repair but great fun!
Enjoy and be a proud Landie owner. Once driven never forgotten.
Consider an ex military as they have better spec but they do have a hard life. Best bet is an ex RAF one used round airfield and not seeing life on operations.
Good luck
Peter (Nimrod)
And remember:
Over 80% of all Land Rover built are still on the road.
The remaining made it home :D :blackeye: :blackeye: :blackeye: :bounce:
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Very funny :lol:
I dare you to post that on one of the aforementioned forums, but not before you put on your tin hat and kevlar vest :lol:
have you had a look here, http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/ loads of nice toys on there
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I've had v8 petrol, 200tdi and 300tdi, swb and lwb and now I'm driving a Pajero :shock:
The Landrover does not represent as good value for money as some of the Japanese ones if you like your gadgets and leather etc as you get virtually nil even in the county versions compared to equivalent priced Japanese vehicles.
However, if I could afford one I'd buy one in a heart beat as I absolutely love them, they are stuffed with character and can literally go anywhere. Spares are relatively cheap including body panels if you intend to abuse it and a lot of the work can be done yourself if you are handy with spanners.
Be careful for the dreaded rust on the chassis and also for the bodge overs that cover rust up with underseal and filler. Take a good big screwdriver and have a good poke about especially on the out riggers and the rear under the back door.
The engines are pretty bulletproof as long as they have been well looked after, so a service history is a must and stay away from the black or blue smokers.
The gearbox can be a bit soft so look out for trouble getting down from 5th to 4th and crunchy second gear as it will need a re-build.
Drivetrain is solid as a rock but watch out for wear in the UJ's and Swivel joints which you will hear on full lock driving in a circle.
Heater is pisher than a pish thing so expect to freeze your nuts off and get used to steamed up windows (the main reason I sold my 300TD LWB County was misting windows but no obvious leaks !!!) You can fit an Eberspacher heater that should sort the heating and can be used to pre-heat the engine remotely so no cold starting needed.
Finally you can pimp it to death with all the extras that are available for all areas of it from looking good to being flexible off road.
Ex-Mod are actually quite well looked after, they are used hard but they are also maintained very well so they are reliable in the field.
There's tonnes more but I've bored myself now :lol:
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Yikes! Now I'm wanting a Bedford AWD 4 ton truck
Thanks Simon. :)
I went through the very same hunt a few years ago and looked at loads of Landy's. 90's, 110's ex mod and civvie. I bought a G-wagon :D
Oooooooh, meant to say as well, check the bulkhead for rust, mainly in the floorwells under the carpets and where the join of the floor to door pillar is located. Check the door frames as they look good on the outside but they can rot like buggery on the weld lines of the door frame. (more later)
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Was it rust free ????? or did you have to pay for it ? :twisted:
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Oooooooh, meant to say as well, check the bulkhead for rust, mainly in the floorwells under the carpets and where the join of the floor to door pillar is located. Check the door frames as they look good on the outside but they can rot like buggery on the weld lines of the door frame. (more later
You are an Oracle sir!
I had a look at ex-mod ones from PA Blanchard. They can completely refurb a 90 hardtop for £7500 plus vat but I was put off by some people who told me the normally aspirated engine is gutless.
It really depends what you want to do with it. The 2.5 n/a would take a year and a half to get to 60 and if you are trying to overtake, just forget it. However if you just fancy a bit of offroading or poodling about town they are fine and they will tow anything anywhere. Uber reliable and a lot less to go wrong than a TDi. I have driven 2 1/4 n/a for years and its brilliant for towing and offroading but I would not take it withing 5 miles of a motorway unless it was downhill and had a 2 mile long slip road :lol:
If you want more of a "car" performance you will need to get a TDi.
Also remember what you could get for £7500 + vat thats not ex mod refurb you could pick up a perfect 90/110 with FSH
Beware of the home modders as well, the lure of a Galvy chassis can be huge, but some people can put things on back to front that would amaze you an forget to put other things on or forget to tighten everything up.
For any Landy I would recommend an AA or RAC check and a Warranty Insurance, for the sake of a couple of hundred quid you get peace of mind.
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Not a patch of rust on it. That's the beauty of having a chassis and all panels fully galvanised at the factory. Every Landy i looked at had rust, mostly where the bulkhead meets the floor, rear crossmember and outriggers. The other great thing about G-wagons if you're looking to take them off road, is that they have fully locking axel diffs as well as a locking centre diff. It's almost impossible to get the things stuck ! The only downside is that they stopped making them in RHD a long time ago so they only really ever turn up in petrol or 5 pot normally aspirated diesel versions (although they did do a Turbodiesel for a short while but it doesn't have a good reputation). You can fit and intercool the 5 pot turbodiesels from the W124 / 5 mercs without fiddling too much but then you lose the specially designed sump (stops it draining of oil on steep inclines). Here's a pic of it, it was a great drive both on and off road but i had to get rid of it in the end as it was costing me £120 to fill up every 400 miles or so and that was when diesel was about 70p a gallon :lol:Was it rust free ????? or did you have to pay for it ? :twisted:
I had no idea they were galvanised !!! I assume all the rusty ones I've seen have had panel damage at some point.
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
That's certainly possible, the only other point you might see rust is if you add the indicator guards, chrome and galv don't seem to mix. They're actually not built by Mercedes but are hand built by Magna-Steyr-Puch in Austria, and as they were designed specifically for the military every thing about them is geared to deal with the most difficult terrain. I've even seen one roll side over side down a hill without a roll cage fitted and still drive away with minimal roof damage 8)I had no idea they were galvanised !!! I assume all the rusty ones I've seen have had panel damage at some point.
Not a patch of rust on it. That's the beauty of having a chassis and all panels fully galvanised at the factory. Every Landy i looked at had rust, mostly where the bulkhead meets the floor, rear crossmember and outriggers. The other great thing about G-wagons if you're looking to take them off road, is that they have fully locking axel diffs as well as a locking centre diff. It's almost impossible to get the things stuck ! The only downside is that they stopped making them in RHD a long time ago so they only really ever turn up in petrol or 5 pot normally aspirated diesel versions (although they did do a Turbodiesel for a short while but it doesn't have a good reputation). You can fit and intercool the 5 pot turbodiesels from the W124 / 5 mercs without fiddling too much but then you lose the specially designed sump (stops it draining of oil on steep inclines). Here's a pic of it, it was a great drive both on and off road but i had to get rid of it in the end as it was costing me £120 to fill up every 400 miles or so and that was when diesel was about 70p a gallon :lol:Was it rust free ????? or did you have to pay for it ? :twisted:
PURE CLASS !
Please don't get me started on G-Wagens, i already spend enough hours in the week lusting over them !! :P
I was camping at Goodwood FOS some years ago, when Jay Kay from Jamiroquai turned up in his Rolls Royce Phantom in black but also with his security/mates/pa/food/beer in a Merc G Wagen AMG55 again in black with tints. It looked very cool.
Turned out he was a decent chap and a complete and utter car nut!
I drove a 90 Td5 on my stag do for a day in the lakes (Kankku) and it was amazing where it went. However, the SWB Pajero that was with us, stayed with us and was about £5k less. It also had adjustable suspension on board, just one touch of a button and it turned to jelly, great fun!!
No Landy advice would be complete without reference to:
SANTANA
Current model is the Iveco Massif
Spanish-built (STOP laughing at the back :lol: ), but some say it's more sorted than Solihull's "Deafener".
Mike.
Edited to add: Santana 1300 for camper conversion, anyone?
Santanas are excellent and i used one in North Africa some years ago. Use to be ultra rare to see one on a public road.
They're now available in the UK in RHD through the Iveco commercial dealer network.
see: http://www.santanauk.com/default.asp
Hopefully see more now, but it depends on price.
Mike.
Defenders and G Wagons are great but personally I'd have a LandCruiser, tougher and just as capable.
70 series closest equivalent to defender, 80 series is just epic, 60 series is seriously cool.
Before I started spending so much time on watch sites I had an unhealthy interest in this place http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... l=ja&tl=en
I hope so too, i'd love to see more Santana's on the 2nd hand market. Previously they've only been available through a couple of farm vehicle dealerships which obviously limited sales.They're now available in the UK in RHD through the Iveco commercial dealer network.
see: http://www.santanauk.com/default.asp
Hopefully see more now, but it depends on price.
Mike.
Santana used to build gearboxes for Landrover and even some whole vehicles. When the relationship ended they just continued on their own but with a few improvements like a beefed up military spec prop and axles, a reconfigured interior to give more space in the front and a well proven 2.8 Iveco engine (without an electronic management system that can make TD5's die at the slightest hint of water).
As a slight aside i remember the 4x4 magazine world's best off roader test quoted on their website. The Santana had a slight advantage in as much as it was the only vehicle that was supplied with off road tyres so it completely walked away with it :lol:
You don't speak Spanish then Simona? :?: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
:D me too ;)
although I must admit I love landrovers ... 1st car I ever drove was a series 3 :drunken:
Plenty of very helpful advice chaps, thanks, keep it coming!
Land rovers - :?
Great if you only drive in the shires or surrey, and call driving around in a muddy field or lane for a couple of hours on a weekend "off road" driving :roll: ..
I've driven the bloody things in africa, constantly breaking down with all sorts of problems. And not an african maintained vehicle, but UK vehicles.
Now use nissan patrols or landcruisers and know i'm going to get me and the punters back home, and in comfort. :D
You don't speak Spanish then Simona? :?: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
My best mate had a Pajero and started going out with a lovely Spanish speaking lady who almost wet herself when she first got in the car and read the name emblazoned across the dash board :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ideal car for me really :wink: :D
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
I went to a Christmas party last night at a country estate (Clandeboye Estate in Bangor NI) and they had an off road demo going with the new Defender. I had two runs in it (I wasn't driving) and I have to say I'm left in awe of it. It's ability with standard tyres is amazing. The anti-stall feature is a revelation, we were able to descend a steep incline, put it into reverse at the bottom and without any driver input, it reversed itself back up to the top again in what was a sodden and waterlogged course. I also noticed that the Ford engine is really refined.
A great experience. What a machine!
Japanese every time for me. I need it to work 99% of the time. Landies need a fleet of mechanics
I started looking for a Defender 110' a few years back. Wehn I told my wife that I was looking for a LandRover, she told me only to return with a car with 'LandCruiser' on the bonnet. I must admit, she knows a thing or two about 4x4s. 'Heavy user' is the correct term here. She used to work for a NGO back in the early 90s. Her employer sent here to the Afghan/Pakistan border. The NGO banned all LRs and replaced them for Toyotas. The LRs broke down any time. The Toyotas however never gave up. There was a 3-car-cyclus: 1 LR driving, 1 in the shop and 1 being raided for spares... The Landcruiser kept on going and going! A few years back, she wasn't surprised when she watched the famous Top Gear episode in which the TG crew tried to 'kill' a Toyota Pick Up.
There's one relatively weak point to be addressed when you start looking for a Landcruiser. The radiator is not as good as the rest of the car. If you're not sure about the quality of coolant being used in it's previous life, it's best to have the radiator recored. This will give you a 100% fail proof car.
Menno
Pictures of the bloody thing.
I was going to say pictures of the LR in it's natural habitat, but it's natural habitat was in a workshop :D the company has now replaced it with an LC .
I'm learning that the Toyota seems to be the tool of choice if the workshop is to be avoided.
Can anyone say anything positive about LR mechanicals? :(
Re-conditioned engines are reasonably cheap :DCan anyone say anything positive about LR mechanicals?
:cry:
Seriously the older TDI's 200/300TDI are not too bad as engines. They tend to be pretty reliable although a bit industrial. They also don't have many electrics which is a good thing IMO. Gearboxes will nearly always need reconditioning so buying one with it already done will save in the long run. Parts like discs and pads etc are cheap enough and they really are so simple to work on you could easily do it yourself with a Haynes manual. The downside to landy's as expalined by others previously is corrosion, in large part cause by having aluminium panels on steel chassis and running gear and factory paint that so thin it's almost translucent.
If you really like the Landrover image and must have one my advice would be look for a really tidy 300TDI with a recent recon gearbox that's been driven to the local shop and back by a country squire's gran for all its life and learn to live with the cramped front and boat like ride.
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