landrover
- Thread starter chris
- Start date
Rust! Be sure to thoroughly check for it here, there, and everywhere. They're not a particularly comfortable ride either. That said, personally I'd sooner have one than a BMW, and I don't think that you'll find another vehicle that is better served for parts.
I'm sure that wasn't particularly helpful at all.
[Thinks: I wonder how much I could buy a tax exempt LWB truck cab for......]
I'm sure that wasn't particularly helpful at all.
[Thinks: I wonder how much I could buy a tax exempt LWB truck cab for......]
arthuy
Well-Known Member
Having owned Land Rovers and travelled in the with the MOD and Work.
They are great cars but cold, noisey, cramped, heavy and pretty crap to drive at speed. I love them but they are not much more than a tractor with a roof.
You need to check the drive train, make sure the gears engage in lo-hi etc. engines can get smokey.
Rust and alloy corrosion is the biggest thing to watch out for, have a crawl under the chassis and look for repairs and holes.
Just about everything is available for Landrovers but they arent the cheapest to buy and heavy on the fuel. The Short wheel base 88" are bouncier than the 109" and the 109" station wagon does have the middle seats but not much use if you have legs.
Best thing to do is look and drive as many as you can and decide that you really want one.
Oh and if it doesnt have an oil leak it has ran out of oil
Colin
They are great cars but cold, noisey, cramped, heavy and pretty crap to drive at speed. I love them but they are not much more than a tractor with a roof.
You need to check the drive train, make sure the gears engage in lo-hi etc. engines can get smokey.
Rust and alloy corrosion is the biggest thing to watch out for, have a crawl under the chassis and look for repairs and holes.
Just about everything is available for Landrovers but they arent the cheapest to buy and heavy on the fuel. The Short wheel base 88" are bouncier than the 109" and the 109" station wagon does have the middle seats but not much use if you have legs.
Best thing to do is look and drive as many as you can and decide that you really want one.
Oh and if it doesnt have an oil leak it has ran out of oil
Colin
Willy Eckerslyke
Well-Known Member
I've got a few knocking about in various states of undress. I'm currently swapping the chassis of my Series 3 109" truck cab (pickup) for a galvanised one. Also have a SIIa 88" which is waiting for the same attention.
Values seem to be climbing steadily so I think they're one of the only classics that you can restore without exceeding the value of the finished vehicle.
As Harvey says, they rust very nicely. But you only need to worry about the chassis and bulkhead, in that order.
Buying one, I wouldn't pay more than 800 pounds for one with its original non-galvanised chassis no matter how good it claims to be. Better to pay less and replace the chassis yourself or pay over a couple of grand for one that's already been done.
An 88" galvo chassis costs £1200 or so.
A good bulkhead will be £300-£500, more for a SII or IIa.
Overdrive is a must. They currently sell for £300+ used.
Nothing else matters. It's just Meccano and most parts are very cheap, though rebuilding a front axle with new swivels can mount up to over £300 (but there's no shortage of S/H ones).
Engines - petrols are kinder on the eardrums but not the wallet. Decent used ones are barely scrap value.
Lots of folk are now fitting 200 or 300TDi diesels from Discoveries and the like. Good economy, but noisy.
But if you haven't driven one for 10 years, I'd suggest trying one again to remind yourself how horrid they are. If you're over 6ft they'll give you back-ache - I can't drive mine for more than 90mins at a time without suffering for weeks.
Steering is vague and very heavy.
Ride is appalling.
Noise is unbearable.
You get wet when it rains, even under a hard-top, and cold.
Zero security so you can't leave anything valuable in them.
Slow.
Think of them as tractors with extra seats and you won't go far wrong.
Values seem to be climbing steadily so I think they're one of the only classics that you can restore without exceeding the value of the finished vehicle.
As Harvey says, they rust very nicely. But you only need to worry about the chassis and bulkhead, in that order.
Buying one, I wouldn't pay more than 800 pounds for one with its original non-galvanised chassis no matter how good it claims to be. Better to pay less and replace the chassis yourself or pay over a couple of grand for one that's already been done.
An 88" galvo chassis costs £1200 or so.
A good bulkhead will be £300-£500, more for a SII or IIa.
Overdrive is a must. They currently sell for £300+ used.
Nothing else matters. It's just Meccano and most parts are very cheap, though rebuilding a front axle with new swivels can mount up to over £300 (but there's no shortage of S/H ones).
Engines - petrols are kinder on the eardrums but not the wallet. Decent used ones are barely scrap value.
Lots of folk are now fitting 200 or 300TDi diesels from Discoveries and the like. Good economy, but noisy.
But if you haven't driven one for 10 years, I'd suggest trying one again to remind yourself how horrid they are. If you're over 6ft they'll give you back-ache - I can't drive mine for more than 90mins at a time without suffering for weeks.
Steering is vague and very heavy.
Ride is appalling.
Noise is unbearable.
You get wet when it rains, even under a hard-top, and cold.
Zero security so you can't leave anything valuable in them.
Slow.
Think of them as tractors with extra seats and you won't go far wrong.
1396midget
Well-Known Member
RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT
is the only thing that kills them.
I've got one - a 1968 ex mil 88 truck cab, and the chassis is patched together in a most hilarious way, still strong at the moment but on it's last legs. Everything else is so strong that a standard 2.25 petrol like mine won't ever break anything.
It's slow and uncomfy (though mine is better with the addition of metro seats) - 60mph on the sat nav (70 on the speedo) is pretty much it. Long hills require 3rd sitting at 30. Mine's on larger 7.5 tyres with an SU cab on it, and will do 25 ish mpg.
It's fantastic and I wouldn't get rid of it ever, it's called Stanley and it's blue. It cost me 500 pounds in the 'low price' era before the bad winter, though you'll be looking at proper rustbuckets for that price now.
trying to find a picture but I've lost it in the depths of my computer.
is the only thing that kills them.
I've got one - a 1968 ex mil 88 truck cab, and the chassis is patched together in a most hilarious way, still strong at the moment but on it's last legs. Everything else is so strong that a standard 2.25 petrol like mine won't ever break anything.
It's slow and uncomfy (though mine is better with the addition of metro seats) - 60mph on the sat nav (70 on the speedo) is pretty much it. Long hills require 3rd sitting at 30. Mine's on larger 7.5 tyres with an SU cab on it, and will do 25 ish mpg.
It's fantastic and I wouldn't get rid of it ever, it's called Stanley and it's blue. It cost me 500 pounds in the 'low price' era before the bad winter, though you'll be looking at proper rustbuckets for that price now.
trying to find a picture but I've lost it in the depths of my computer.
1396midget
Well-Known Member
heh, as I was looking for my picture, everyone else has posted the same as me Quality.
If you get one you'll never get rid of it....
Quality. If you get one you'll never get rid of it....
Sounds like herpes.1396midget said:
I had a 2a swb with a Perkins 4203 in it. the rear cross member was made of a boxed in RSJ, it would pull a house down, had Rover P5 diffs fitted and corbeau seats. On tickover it shook like a wet dog, the chassis rusted like fun, the ride was like being in a wheelie bin full of concrete, it was noisier than having your head in spin drier full of bolts, it was draughtier than parachuting naked in in January, it was slower than mountain biking up a cliff, it was engineered in the stone age BUT it would pull a house down and could be worked on with a club hammer and pipe grips. Would I have another, not a hope in hell.
John.
1396midget
Well-Known Member
Willy Eckerslyke
Well-Known Member
That's what I have in my 109". As you say, enough torque to move houses, but anything over 45mph makes my ears bleed.John said:
Trouble is, a friend has offered me a 300TDi so I'm debating whether to sell out and replace the Perkins when fitting the new chassis. It's a difficult choice as the Perkins just chugs on regardless while the turbo engine has modern things to go wrong like a cam belt and electrical gubbins.
stevevanderveer
Member
why does everybody always complain about the Land Rover's heater? Mine (ser III) pumps out the heat like nobody's business.....
Tom W
Active Member
I have a series 2a 88 diesel. It's was my daily driver for most of last year, doing 50 miles per day :shock:
I think most points have been covered above, but have a couple to add. If you're buying it to use regularly then getting one with a few mods is a good thing. Things like better seats, parabolic springs, engine swaps etc. If you want a restoration project that will be worth the most when finished, compared to the cost of doing it, then find the most original untouched vehicle you can. Land Rovers are easy to work on and tend to get cobbled back together so originality is rare. Dealers are now asking big money for original condition restored Land Rovers.
They're largely indestructible, petrols more than diesels. Thing keep on working long after they're worn out, so cheap runners would probably need a lot replacing really. Are you looking for a runner or a project? What sort of use is it going to get? Post up some links to what you've been looking at on eBay.
I think most points have been covered above, but have a couple to add. If you're buying it to use regularly then getting one with a few mods is a good thing. Things like better seats, parabolic springs, engine swaps etc. If you want a restoration project that will be worth the most when finished, compared to the cost of doing it, then find the most original untouched vehicle you can. Land Rovers are easy to work on and tend to get cobbled back together so originality is rare. Dealers are now asking big money for original condition restored Land Rovers.
They're largely indestructible, petrols more than diesels. Thing keep on working long after they're worn out, so cheap runners would probably need a lot replacing really. Are you looking for a runner or a project? What sort of use is it going to get? Post up some links to what you've been looking at on eBay.
Willy Eckerslyke
Well-Known Member
No the TDi engines have belts, as did the 2.5NA before them. I haven't heard of a gear driven mod, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
The 2.5NA engine usually just bent its pushrods if the belt snapped. I'm not sure if the TDi engines suffer more serious damage.
Anyway, to get back on topic, if the OP's looking at a Landy with a later diesel engine he should budget for a belt replacement unless there's proof that it was done recently.
The 2.5NA engine usually just bent its pushrods if the belt snapped. I'm not sure if the TDi engines suffer more serious damage.
Anyway, to get back on topic, if the OP's looking at a Landy with a later diesel engine he should budget for a belt replacement unless there's proof that it was done recently.
Tom W
Active Member
Even with the standard cam belt, 200 & 300tdi engines are very reliable, and free from electronics, except maybe late 300tdis (though I stand to be corrected on that). They're a worthwhile upgrade over the standard engines, except the 6 cyl. Those should be kept original IMHO as they're getting rare now! I have a 200tdi sat I'm my garage to fit in my Landy. The standard series drive train isn't the toughest in the world though, so if you go for one with an upgraded engine be prepared for blown gearboxes, whining overdrives and snapped half shafts if you like to drive with a lead foot.
Tom
Tom
Willy Eckerslyke
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the Zeus tip Colnerov, I've just been reading up on their kit and it only looks justifiable if doing very high mileages. I.e. it's very pricey. Interesting though.
Tom, the Perkins 4.203 is also supposed to wear out the drive train as you've described, but I haven't had any trouble. The stronger Salisbury axle in the 109 probably helped.
Regarding reliability, I seem to have read a lot of threads on Landy forums about problems with 200 and 300 TDis which can give a false impression. I also remember a colleague blowing up a 300TDi in a Defender despite it supposedly being well maintained - but the garage he used later turned out to be run by a right crook, so probably not the engine's fault at all.
Tom, the Perkins 4.203 is also supposed to wear out the drive train as you've described, but I haven't had any trouble. The stronger Salisbury axle in the 109 probably helped.
Regarding reliability, I seem to have read a lot of threads on Landy forums about problems with 200 and 300 TDis which can give a false impression. I also remember a colleague blowing up a 300TDi in a Defender despite it supposedly being well maintained - but the garage he used later turned out to be run by a right crook, so probably not the engine's fault at all.