Landrovers

[addjunkie]

no not the fancy Discovery etc, my Mrs has suggested we have a proper landrover, now I know absolutley nothing about them, apart from the bits Ive welded for a friend. Itll be a second vehicle, so really wont do many miles.

So having surfed, looked, though how bleep bleep much etc, which models are the way to go, newer than TD5, TD5 or older. I dont want a project, have enough already, but dont want bling, functional. My learnings so far say galvanized chasis. She mentioned this earlier again today when I got my pickup stuck in the field this morning, towing the digger on a plant trailer.

Asking here rather than landrover forums, for a sensible no argumentative view.

 

[Seadog]

Asking here rather than landrover forums, for a sensible no argumentative view.

Are you sure?

 

[steviec_lj]

Mitsubishi, you can sling it in 4wd without stopping at speeds up to 60mph!

 

[premmington]

I hate Land Rovers - if you want a 4x4 buy a Toyota...

I have owned one 2004 TD5 Disco 2 and one 2009 Disco 3 with a V6 diesel engine - both were in my workshop more than my customers cars.

I have had several Toyota Hilux pick ups - still got one old one! They are very good...

Problem is - a Landcruiser is out of my budget....

 

[Rannsachair]

As a Defender owner for the last 13 years -

Negatives: expensive to buy, rust, lack comfort, noisy, slow, uneconomical, later cars - too many electronics to go wrong.

pros: low depreciation, cheap and available parts, lots of upgrades, easy (relatively) to work on, great offroad

engines: 200 and 300tdi's are great engines, early TD5 some issues, later TD5 reliable, though electronics can be a concern. I have no experience of the later transit engined cars.

I think they are a marmite car, I love mine and like working on it, it has got me places I would not have thought possible. It is a 50's throwback nothing like a modern car, though I like 50's technology.

 

[premmington]

As a Defender owner for the last 13 years -

Negatives: expensive to buy, rust, lack comfort, noisy, slow, uneconomical, later cars - too many electronics to go wrong.

pros: low depreciation, cheap and available parts, lots of upgrades, easy (relatively) to work on, great offroad

engines: 200 and 300tdi's are great engines, early TD5 some issues, later TD5 reliable, though electronics can be a concern. I have no experience of the later transit engined cars.

I think they are a marmite car, I love mine and like working on it, it has got me places I would not have thought possible. It is a 50's throwback nothing like a modern car, though I like 50's technology.

Fair appraisal above...

We hate any Land Rover product in our repair workshops.

You really gotta be an enthusiast to wanna get involved...

Plus point with a Defender - they really do hold their money! I have just done - £850 of welding to a lads 110 - he paid £7500 for it it a few months ago.

 

[TechnicAl]

They get nicked regularly round here.....often not the whole car but wings / doors / bonnet......stripped outside their house in the night............a few months ago one got stripped of its front end during a football match......it was parked near mine and when we got back most of it had gone

 

[gaz1]

there a rust bucket waiting for you to spend a fortune on them often unless you strip and get everything done on them

i spend enough time under them cutting them out and replating them

 

[keithski122]

Don't they say that if you want to go into the desert buy a landrover, if you want to come back again buy a toyota.

 

[frank horton]

Toyota or Izusu for the lter models.....the best Nissans are now to old......
thats unless u get one from abroad........

 

[Seadog]

As I was saying...

 

[zzr1200]

I currently own a TD5 Disco and a P38 Diesel Range Rover, in the past I've owned a Series One 80" V8, Series One 86" 2.25 ltr, a Series 2/3 V8 Station Wagon and a 110 HT V8

I've driven on the road, raced and trailed them for pleasure and used them for work, the key to having a reliable Land Rover is maintenance. Series and 90/110's would be my preferred ride for a proper Land Rover, I know security can be a problem.

A Disco has probably the least electronics for the comfort available for the cost, but a diagnostic unit can purchased easily.

PS. The only foreign 4 x 4, I've owned was a Toyota FJ40 swb and the body rusted like a Fiat Mirafiori, for those old enough to remember them....

 

[addjunkie]

Are you sure?

Well, no, but one can ask.

I have owned a hillux, it rusted, my Mrs has an Izusu dmax, works fine as a pick up, but tinny as hell ( and I hate driving it) I have a navara, great in the snow, with weight in the back, but in the mud, ok but not brilliant. But as Ive retired, we dont "need" two motors, can always use quad, tractor, or motobike if I need to go out in an emergency. But a second, warm, dry vehicle that can drive the 21 miles to tesco will be useful now and again. Off road ability also useful, as we are often towing in fields.

One reason to have one as a second car, is the price holding, low depreciation. What Im really looking for is one like @Rannsachair has, ie cared for and big bills for new chasis paid. But cheap! And no electronics really apeals.

We live a mile from tarmac, am currently looking at an additional property 3 miles from tarmac.
Theft is an issue I agree, but it will be garaged at home, and we dont get many passing sightseers, and have two german shepards, instead of a burglar alarm.

 

[maz0]

The current premium on the defenders just now is crazy, they were already over priced to begin with. I bought a Ranger instead and havent looked back, and I would class my self as a landy enthusiast. Currently renovating a series 2. But I doubt I’ll ever touch a defender again. Round here they are over priced status symbols.

Modern discos etc seem not too bad. Regularly go out with my mate to pick stuff up and it will pull 3 tons and drives with some luxury.

 

[MoreWellie]

Having owned various land rover products and a landcruiser Colorado I would say you have vehicles for different purposes

the landcruiser was great on the road but completely soulless. It did have a limited slip diff in the back and a central diff so it was reasonably capable off road especially considering the road tyres it had on it but it did corrode well and the inside was a bit nice to fill with mud or dirty equipment

the defender with the 300tdi engine was the one I considered to be best at towing heavy loads (3500kg v Toyota 2800kg) it was also the simplest to maintain and the one I enjoyed driving

if you want comfort and high road mileage then Toyota

if you do more short trips, want better towing and something you don't need to think about before chucking stuff in then get a defender

whichever you buy take someone who knows the style of vehicle to help you inspect it

 

[mr haynes]

I currently own a TD5 Disco and a P38 Diesel Range Rover, in the past I've owned a Series One 80" V8, Series One 86" 2.25 ltr, a Series 2/3 V8 Station Wagon and a 110 HT V8

I've driven on the road, raced and trailed them for pleasure and used them for work, the key to having a reliable Land Rover is maintenance. Series and 90/110's would be my preferred ride for a proper Land Rover, I know security can be a problem.

A Disco has probably the least electronics for the comfort available for the cost, but a diagnostic unit can purchased easily.

PS. The only foreign 4 x 4, I've owned was a Toyota FJ40 swb and the body rusted like a Fiat Mirafiori, for those old enough to remember them....

Good ol 131 or to the heathen the Lada prototype Twincam engines were actually not bad at all.

 

[8ob]

Asking here rather than landrover forums, for a sensible no argumentative view.

I would suggest you buy on condition rather than worry about year or model, any of the coil sprung landrovers will serve you well if you can find one that has been well maintained. As for buying a Landy if you dont know your way around one take someone with you that does,may save a lot of grief in the long run.

Bob

 

[addjunkie]

Good ol 131 or to the heathen the Lada prototype Twincam engines were actually not bad at all.

I had a Niva, in 84, was absolutley brilliant piece of junk, remember onday trying to pull a powerboat out of the water, down off the bottom of the slipway, water in the foot wells. Got the boat out and the water drained out, it had that many holes in it.

 

[Kayos]

Just buy one and ignore the haters

I’ve done 30k in mine in one year and was told several times don’t buy one for work, it’s never let me down

I’ve got around a ton in it tonight, wet and muddy back roads without issue and comfort on the main roads

It’s not a defender, they were out of budget but it’s still a Land Rover

 

[ibrooks]

I was in a similar position wanting to get a Land Rover for a toy (and to tow stuff and throw dirty/oily crap in the back). The price of a series or Defender just made it unworkable.

So I've got a V8 facelift Discovery 1 for buttons - More electronic stuff than I'd like on that age of vehicle but well enough known that I can find the info if something lets me down. It has stranded me twice in three years, once was a brand new ignition coil that went dud and the second time it was dry joints in the "spider" immobiliser.
It's a classic Range Rover under the skin so the chassis is heavy enough that it won't rust through quickly - the D2 onwards used thinner metal and laminated it where they needed the thickness which spells rust.
The V8 makes it perfectly capable of license loss on the motorway.
The body rusts - but I have a welder and just fix what needs it come MOT time. I've bad thoughts about replacing the body with something else in the future - I quite liked the look of the Sahara but I think they've gone the way of the dodo, Rotodama have a nice idea but are dreaming with their pricing so I might have to take it off the road for a year or so and make something (dumping about half it's weight in useless wiring whilst I'm at it).