[is worth a look at?]

I bought my wife's Toyota from Braidwood, and I would say that everything was fine with them (as far as used car dealers go)

I only had 2 gripes - When I 1st wanted a test drive there was virtually no fuel in it - trip comp said zero miles to empty!! and they were not too happy when I mentioned it.

Secondly, they balls'd up the V5 - I was supposed to be in my wifes name, but they had taken all of my details when i 1st enquired and registed it in that - but i suppose that is as much my fault for not checking.

They have been around for a good few years and I have mentioned the name and people seem to know of them.

They have 2 locations - they one where the picture is taken is the showroom - when I was there about 15 months ago it was full of mercs, BMW and more prestige marques. The more run of the mill cars were in a yard a few miles away - still a decent enough place. They had a few older cars that were obviously trade-ins but nothing that was not very neat and tidy - no wrecks sitting in the corner.

Just tuppence worth from a satisfied customer - If they had what I was looking for I would have no problem using them again.

hi thanks for the honest reply. ive pm'd you.

calum

[is worth a look at?]

Red in particular is prone to fading but non metallic paint can be revived by a mild cut back with Farecla or similar. My advice would be to get hold of someone experienced in Defenders as they will know where to look and what to look for and will be able to quickly hone in on any potential problems. I'm not saying you won't be able to find them yourself but two heads are often better than one.

yeah, i defiantly think i will get my mate to come look with me. he's a landrover mechanic but trying to convinse him to come look at defenders in his time off might be like trying to get blood from a stone!

so as far as everyone in concerned, faded paint doesn't necessarily mean underlying problems?

calum

p.s. cheers guy for all the advice btw.

[is worth a look at?]

It hides paint blemishes and makes them look shiny...

oh i c. not good. i was planning to respray any defender i got. if the paint has faded, does that indicate anything? also, any holes made by the brackets on the car, can they be filled in without rust occurring? do you think just by looking at the photos, the car is worth a look? ( assuming the engine works ok)

calum

[is worth a look at?]

I'm always a bit suspicious of vehicles that are photographed having just been washed and still wet.

why, whats the suspicion?

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

Perhaps Calum will be along in a minute to confirm or deny that one , thankfully I don't have any tattoos or have any teeshirts with rude words on them (not that I can think of anyway).

I was a Civil Servant in the MoD for more years than I care to remember, is that close enough?

some do! and others just become security guards........

[Flashing lights on the roof]

I thought that video turned out to be a con and that it was actually Dorset response training that just happened to be caught on video.

at first it looked like it was a response training vehicle and was treated as such, but upon closer investigation, it doesn't have the police emblem on the side which is required by law. anyway, the driver approached the junction the wrong way. do you see that report on the bbc news a few years ago?

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

Blue and green definitely, but red I'm not sure about. HATOs (Highways Agency Traffic Officers) use them, and I don't think they are designated emergency services. Also, I believe the AA and RAC are using them now as well.

rear red flashing lights are ONLY for EMERGENCY VEHICLES or vehicles employed by the registered government recovery agencies. Highways Agency officers have them fitted on there vehicles for use when ONLY assisting the emergency services or the position of a broken down car poses potentially lethal consequences to passing motorists. a person with red flashing lights anywhere on there vehicle could be done for impersonating an officer of the law, regardless of there being no blue flashing lights on the car.

ironically, a collegue of mine pulled over a NED in his car today with a full blue light bar on his roof. (the type you see on the old astra panda cars) but because it wasn't attached to the cars electrics, he couldn't do anything about it. he couldn't even confiscate it. however, he put an intelligence report on the car so if anybody whilst on patrol see's it being activated, he will be arrested.

i find that people who attach unnecessary lights on there cars, wither they be blue or orange, have serious authority issues. if they want to ride around with lights on there cars legally, join a service.

take this fool for example:

the idiot posted it on youtube! and got caught!

PLEASE DONT EVER BE THIS STUPID!

[is worth a look at?]

Why does the ad state the colour is Silver ?

i was wondering that........ hopefully its just a typo. lol.

[is worth a look at?]

Barely run in for a 300TDi so mileage-wise you're good.

Couple of noticable dents to the bodywork (wings etc), only you can decide if this is a factor for you.

Main thing is to check the condition of the chassis and bulkhead, and see how it drives (smooth gearchanges, pulls easily and without huge clouds of smoke etc).

It certainly has potential

thanks for the replies, i forgot to mention, it will mainly be road miles i will be doing. whats the best engine to look out for? from an economic point of view and ease of day to day living?

calum

[is worth a look at?]

hi there,

i saw this on autotrader:

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/c...icleRegLetter=N

what do people think? is it good value for the age, milage, condition? is it a 200tdi or a 300tdi? is there anybody in scotland around the glasgow/edinburgh/livingston area who would be willing to come see it with me? give me a bit of there expert opinion?

regards

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

with regard to my lightbar, since it's been fitted my 110 has never caused any concern at MOT time, the lightbar is not a testable item & no comments have ever been raised by the tester.

I was pulled in for a VOSA fuel check about 18 months ago & the only comment one of the traffic officers made was 'quote' that's a sweet sounding Tdi in there' no mention by VOSA or the traffic officers [& there were IIRC 4 of them] about my lightbar.

never said it was.

i doubt the traffic officer or vosa officer could be bothered with the 3 page report they would have to fill out. also, unless they inspected the vehicles electrics (which only certified trained officers can do) they would have no way of telling they were wired.

despite what people say, officers are not solely driven by the number of incidences they deal with. a M.I.T officer (murder investigation team) would not be fired for only dealing with one incident. and a beat officer would not get a promotion for giving out 100 fixed penalty notices. it is solely done on the officers merit and the way they dealt with the incident. if they are not doing there job, it makes sense to give them a talking to.

[Flashing lights on the roof]

I have one on my tractor, mind you it can't reach 30 mph!

John

the reason agricultural vehicles have flashing amber lights is to alert the public to there size but also that there speed is restricted. older classic cars which cannot go above 30 mph are supposed to have a amber flashing light on the rear of there vehicle of some description when they leave a 30 mph zone. if not, it poses a risk to public safety.

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

How do they differ from regular hazard warning lights? Legally that is?

Si

hazard warning lights should only be used in an emergency. ie im broken down.

a flashing amber revolving light means more things. it warns people but it also forces road users to change there driving style. hence they are restricted to certain professions because only authorized people have the right to change traffic flow or speed.

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

My 110 waers it's 4 rotator amber lightbar at all times, I do have the truck marked up as rally recovery [but not always] I've never been questioned as to why the 110 has a amber light bar ftted [it's part of the MSA requirement to be fitted to motorsport recivery units] & I've been at the scene of numerous RTA's as I just happened to be at the front of the traffic when it happened, no query was raised by any police officer[traffic or local] at those times.

also having a beacon [amber] even if it's a single one is a good idea if you ever have to tow another vehicle, as it lets others know you are travelling at reduced speed & there is a moving hazard ahead of the other drivers coming up from behind & from the other direction on 2 lane roads.

so as far as I can see provided your not misusing the amber beacon [for example- parking on double yellow lines with it switched on] most traffic/local police just aren't bothered if a beacon is fitted or even connected.

very true. we have better things to do than pull someone over for something as trivial as an amber light. we are overstretched as it is. . but technically its still illegal. you wont get points, but you will get a fixed penalty notice. remember, if a traffic officer or a community support officer reports there suspicions, we would have to follow it up. best thing is, if you don't need it, don't have it fitted. and if you do, by all means have it on.

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

With all due respect Callum, HA HA HA HA HA :rofl:

Chris

we are not all that bad. some of us do care about the publics questions.

calum

[Flashing lights on the roof]

As this could apply to any Land Rover I'm moving this to the International.

im a police officer and this has been covered by the traffic unit a few times before. there are exceptions to the list of people listed. they are as follows:

1. they are on private property.

2. they are towing a vehicle UNDER 30 mph.

3. they are alerting other members of the public to a hazard in the road (i.e. car crash, tree in road etc.)

4. they are working something like a festival and they are moving through a crowd of people.

HOWEVER, it is illegal to have your amber light attached to a power source, REGARDLESS if its on or not if you are not a professional listed already.

if in doubt, ask your local police force or the dvla.

calum

[can it be done?]

i am wanting to buy a defender 90 hardtop. however, i have found this one on autotrader:

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/c...icleRegLetter=Y

it is a pickup version.

is it possible to convert it to a hardtop? if so how easy is it? do i also have to report to anybody its now a hardtop and not a pickup and will it make any insurance difference?

thanks for any advice given

calum

[most economic defender?]

hi there,

i joined the forum just today. i have always had a passion for defenders, but wasn't to sure about the practically of it as a day to day vehicle. decided, forget that and i'm going to get one.

i have a few questions which i hope somebody will be able to help me with.

i want a defender (the one with only 3 doors) but what one should i get?

i want the most economic engine available but what one is that?

also, is it true that if you buy a defender registered before 2001, its only £185 road tax?

can i just put seats in the back of a county hardtop? do i have to notify anybody of the added seats?

im just really looking for some guidance here. hoping somebody with experience and knowledge will advise me. if anybody suggest a style could they if possible provide a picture of what they are talking about and what price it should be going for.

thanks for any advice given

calum