What do you think of these vehicles?

[tweetyduck]

130 Link one

130 Link two

What do you guys think?

Those that have been following my threads know what i'm planning to do short term (roof tent) and long term (Azalai body) plus all other prep works. Do you think one of these would sort me out for a few trips?

[Godlykepower]

I wouldnt even contemplate the TD5 for use as an RTW expedition vehicle.

[Happyoldgit]

Defender Centre

[specialbikejames]

300TDi seems an ok price. It's still alot of money for something that will have been worked hard.

Having said that, I just paid what I consider a good price for this: (with Wolfs/All terrains not the Mach 5's)

It's obviously older, with a worse engine, but even though it would have had a hard early life it seems fine.

I don't what to put the price up on an open forum, but if you want to know more PM me.

[tweetyduck]

I wouldnt even contemplate the TD5 for use as an RTW expedition vehicle.

Me either. I was thinking of the 300 really. He's not called me back so i might just go elsewhere.

Still can't decide if a 110 will do me long term...130's are hard to find.

[isbjorn]

Ive bought a 110 from gary (G & S drake) and his a nice guy. A bit strange but Im happy with my car. Even thou it might have been a bit overpriced.

[tweetyduck]

No pictures yet but what’s everyone think to the price?

Would (considering my novice status) you recommend an AA inspection?

OR

Anyone in Derby area want to do the dirty for me and give it the once over? I'm willing to pay for a legitimate offer of help from an "expert". You'll have to meet me there tomrrow of course between 5pm and 6 or earlier if you want. I can skive off for the right offer!

p.s. I've tried all the places people have mentioned and nowhere seems to have anything. (anything decent anyhow)

AND

If anyone sees a 110 300 5 door for sale i'm greatfull for pointers. I'd like low (ish) mileage.

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>

1997 R LAND ROVER DEFENDER SW TDI 5 Door

Well i am so pleased to offer this real beauty of a defender 110 station wagon direct from the main dealer and owned by a personal friend of the director this really is a fantastic find. the car is in excellent condtion throughout with history only covering 74000 miles from new the bodywork in great as is the the inside seat covers all round to protect it from the elements i.e kids dogs etc!!! the car drives great seats eleven full roof rack a real lara croft machine these are really becoming rare so please be quick at this price it wont be repated and as an added bonus NO VAT!!!!!

[white90]

History/Condition will decide

no service history with reciepts

I'd pass as it is Pricey

[wozza35]

I would be inclined to agree with Tony

[tweetyduck]

Seemed to have been main LR dealer owned and driven by their director. Evidentially its clean and should have lots of evidence its been looked after.

Off to see it later. Problem is it was already sold once and the guy changed his mind for a 90 so i need to move quick.

Do i put a deposit on it pending a good inspection. Lot of money.....hmmm.

"Buy in haste, repent at leasure"

[BogMonster]

IMHO vehicles "owned by a friend of the director" is BS and no guarantee of anything except that it was being probably paid for by somebody else and consequently may have been driven by somebody with their foot welded to the floor and not a care in the world!!

[tweetyduck]

IMHO vehicles "owned by a friend of the director" is BS and no guarantee of anything except that it was being probably paid for by somebody else and consequently may have been driven by somebody with their foot welded to the floor and not a care in the world!!

Agree completly.

Really need some nice person to come with me to the garage to see it with me.....don't really want to waste £300 on the AA or RAC...make that £400 for the RAC. Golly!

[Holyzeus]

Too expensive imo

[rusty_wingnut]

i'd say that is an ok price, but for that i'd expect;

-full service

-mint chassis and bulkhead

-minimal dents and scratches

-mint interior

-original spec with no modifications

[Ridgeback]

That is a lot of money for an R plate defender.

You could get a td5 for that money. Personally I don’t think Low Mileage is as important when your looking at older cars.

I have been to see low mileage cars that have not been looked after or driven very hard. An engine/gearbox with 150,000 motorway miles and proper servicing that’s never been driven hard will be much better then one that’s done 75,000 miles driving round fields and getting serviced if they remember to.

I have found that once a vehicle gets over 10 years old, things will start to need replacing because of age and not because of mileage.

If I was local I would be happy to come have a look. Be prepared to travel to find the right Land Rover. I have driven hundreds of miles and wasted countless trips but it was worth it in the end.

If you end up looking at one near Northampton then let me know.

Matt

[tweetyduck]

Thanks guys. I'm taking this all onboard.

I've got the number of a local VW guy that will come along probably. I'm also waiting to hear from a LR series guy....I really hope he can come!

Still looking for offers if anyones local. Willing to pay of course.

So far if i can't get anyone.

I'm looking in footwells under carpets

Bulk head which presume i can see (top and bottom) at the back of the engine bay

crawl round under it and look at the chassis.

Check oil.

Lots of smoke on revs.

Should i jack and check wheel barings? i.e wheels have play.

Any other novice tips that i can perform without much knowledge?

[Ridgeback]

Make sure you get an HPI report.

I have sent you a PM

[FridgeFreezer]

TBH I'm not sure of the value of an AA/RAC inspection with stuff like this, LR's are completely different to normal cars and if you're not familiar with them minor faults can seem major and vise-versa, especially if they go by the prices of genuine parts and times taken to do jobs on normal cars.

Try joining a local LR club and asking round, you should find someone willing to come out and have a look for a few beer tokens. They may even know the seller/vehicle/previous owners and be able to shed some light on things.

Also, don't jump on a "bargain", there will be another one along soon enough and it's not exactly a seller's market at the moment.

Look for rust (chassis, bulkhead) and corrosion (bubbles in the paint on the doors / panels). The bulkhead is the bit the steering wheel is attached to, it includes the popular rust locations of vent flaps, door hinges, footwells. Repair pieces are available but difficulty & hence cost varies - footwells are easy, top corners are a pain.

I could go on but frankly the "What to look for when buying" question has been asked & answered time & again on this forum so hit the search button or just read back through the forum.

[Happyoldgit]

Can you keep all your what do you think about this vehicle queries in one thread please. That way you'll have all your info in one thread and we won't end up with a forum with umpteen what do you think of this type queries.

I've just merged your latest request for opinions with your last and amended the title.

[NickHodgson]

If you dont have much experience of Defenders then you'd be well advised to have someone who does know to look over the vehicle. If you have no choice then at a minimum you need to check the following:

Obviously for top price the interior and exterior should be in good shape. I would expect very small areas of bubbling of the paint possible on the doors. All the doors should open and close nicely and not need slamming or pulling. Once closed the doors should be tight. The rear door should not be cracked on the inside where the wiper motor goes through the door. The bulkhead should not be rusty - difficult to check but have a good look along the seal between it and the windscreen espcially at the edges.

Be suspicious of a car the appears to have just had the chassis waxoiled or covered with something black.

Check that the diffs and transfer box are not leaking. Check after driving.

There should be very little oil on the outside of the engine. It will probably be cleaned so check after the test drive. The test drive should be about half an hour of varied driving. Dont be worried to give is some welly as 300tdi in good shape do pull quite well. If the car seems sluggish then find another one. Really if this is the first one you will look at you will have nothing to compare to so try to look at some older cheaper cars as well.

During the test drive make sure that you get up to 70mph relatively easily on the flat and that there are no difficulties changing gear up or down (esp 1st to 2nd and 5th to 4th) and that there are no loud wining noises. The car should also feel relatively tight and no clunks should be heard if you hit a bump in the roads - try to find some bumps in the road. There will be some slack in the drive train of you let out the clutch fast but it should not feel like you are waiting for the drivetrain to catch up. I would not expect a well cared for vehicle to have squeaky pullys or drive belts.

At 75k miles/R plate the timing belt should have been changed so there should be an invoice.

With the car stationary move the steering wheel from side to side (5 degrees each side of vertical) relatively quickly and the wheels should respond with very little play and there should be no clunking noises - you could do it with the engine off but the ignition on.

Post some engine bay/underneath/dash close up and general photos and we can comment.

Even if this turns out to be a good car there are a few things that you should do before going to Africa so make sure that you have some money in the kitty.

[q-rover]

No reason not to go for a Td5 really. Has proven to be an effective and reliable engine.

Even the 300Tdi had faults when it was first launched.

[NickHodgson]

With respect to the 130s you posted the links to....I suggest you need to start driving some of these vehicles to determine if you want a 110/130. The 130s with the box bodies are heavy and I guess the caravan body you suggest will also be heavy. A 300tdi is easier to fix in Africa then a TD5 in my opinion.

[tweetyduck]

Can you keep all your what do you think about this vehicle queries in one thread please. That way you'll have all your info in one thread and we won't end up with a forum with umpteen what do you think of this type queries.

I've just merged your latest request for opinions with your last and amended the title.

Thanks. Did consider one post. Convinced myself to do two. Sorry.

I've found a expert to go with me and with all the instruction i've just had off Ridgeback i should, sort of, do OK. Ridgeback spent an hour on the phone. Thanks to him.

I'll let you know if i buy or not. Indications are (as you've all said) expensive. Let see if its as good as the dealer says!

[FridgeFreezer]

It's worth bearing in mind what you want from the vehicle - a spotless paintjob and immaculate interior are not so important for an expedition truck as it's going to get hacked about to prep it and come back quite second hand. If you get an "ugly but solid" vehicle you're not throwing money away and not worrying about the odd scratch or dent.

Ex-utility vehicles could be a reasonable shout, many come with roof racks & winches & extra storage, and despite being painted lurid colours and probably thrashed about all their lives, they will have been maintained regularly and be relatively cheap as very few people want to buy a big ugly 110 with an unfashionable winch and scaffolding on the roof.

Ex-BT ones are a reasonable bet as they are mostly used for towing cable drums, so live a relatively easy life - they certainly always look less abused than the ex-BT transits.

[Happyoldgit]

Thanks. Did consider one post. Convinced myself to do two. Sorry.

<snip>

That's ok, it's just that it's easier for you and everyone to keep track of what you are after, may have seen and what you know about them if it's restricted to one thread.