Goodbye or Live on?

[xychix]

I've got a series III 109 2.25di

removed the back half and patched the chassis where needed, rewired the back half and put new lighting in.
replaced master brake cylinder.
replaced the front brakes with discs.
replaces rear chassis spring hangers and redid all bushes.

Still have 'the dead wobble' parts are in stock for replacing the balljoint bearing top.
Now have heating rear drums (since placing my zeus disc kit in front)

And then.... my neighbour decided to put my dreamcar, his defender 130 300 tdi from 1997 with 300.000 km's on the clock for sale for approx 7500 euro's.

Now my series:
+ I get to know the thing by now
+ I did quite a few seals, bearrings and bushes that I'd likely had to redo on another ar
+ is a 5 year MOT classic on french plate
+ is a 9 seater on paper

But the 130:
+ will drive ~120kp/h against ~65kp/h for the series
+ will likely have a slightly better turning circle despite the longer wheelbase
+ have doors that close properly (no rain falling in)
+ has a cool whinch already mounted.
 

My daily driver is a Toyota Hilux.... if there was an event now on 75+ km distance I'd not take the dreadfull SIII out as the brakes whould catch fire and itwould take me hours to get there. But the i'd be carefull and to scared to do proper offroading.

My thoughts.... if I'd get my Series III up to ~100 km/h driving speed without death fears id rather finish what I started..... but this likely takes a new engine and a new gearbox (read $$$) and that might make it more viable to take up this def 130, import it to french license (from holland), do all the bushings, weld it up and start having fun.....

doubts.... any thoughts/screams/side notes are more than welcome in the mix to feed my already messed up thought process in the right direction.

[jordan_meakin]

Purely comes down to preference.  The fact you're questioning it probably suggests that you're not happy with your series.

[Bigj66]

Sounds like the Series just needs some basic maintenance judging by some of the issues you’ve described but as above, its just about which one you prefer. 

[missingsid]

Time for a truthful approach,  sounds like your not fussed about a Series LR. It has brake issues that may be more fundimentall than just adjusting?

I'd try using pros and cons lists, if that does not work my final decider is to flip a coin, if you are disappointed at the result then do the opposite.

Hope you get the right choice for you.

[Snagger]

The hot rear brakes issue must be an adjustment problem; there is no reason that fitting discs on the front should affect the rear brakes.  You do have the rear brakes plumbed into the end of the master nearest the bumper, furthest from the bulkhead, don't you?

The 130 turning circle may be better, but parking in town is going to be worse trying to find a space long enough.  Leaky doors can be fixed with new seals, adjustment and making sure the door tops lean inwards correctly (ie. not cheap pattern part door tops).

There is a lot you can do to a SIII to make it as easy to drive or as comfortable as a Defender.  It all depends on budget and what you like.  But have a very close look at the 130 before deciding as it's likely to need a fair amount spending on it too.

[xychix]

10 hours ago, Bigj66 said:

Sounds like the Series just needs some basic maintenance judging by some of the issues you’ve described but as above, its just about which one you prefer. 

maybe it does

I really hope that replacing the upper bearing in the left front ball joint removes the death wobble (which I at first thought where bad balanced wheels) and that there is a trick left to give the engine just that 5% more grunt (as I already removed the choking break pressuriser and placed a hella up28 electrical vacuum pump).

It might work to just release the rear breaks a tad and maybe replace the springs that pull the blocks back out of the drums, especially now all seals have been done and it can't be old oil clugging in there.

if so and I could run ~55/60ish Mp/h reasonably ok. I'd stick as a 5 year MOT classic with allowance to carry 9 people is a treat!

The biggest reason I'm so chatty about it is that I had the 130 on my list and this offer is from someone I know, the price seems ok and I decided to either go for a fair negotiation and go defender or let it slip and never go back to making that decision and do whatever it takes to get my 109 into a wagon I would be able to get my family in for a weekend trip in surrounding nature.

The fair work I've don on the series: welding chassis, replacing clutch slave (master on the shelve), zeus disc kit, new bushes on the rear, new wheels and tires, redoing all wiring to the back (and about to do the dash) and loads of seals I already forgot about... all this work does call for some perseverance as I'll likely having to go trough all that stuff again within a few years on the 130.

Will keep u posted Thanks for all the replies to feed this dreadful thought process! (time for a beer) 

[FridgeFreezer]

23 hours ago, Snagger said:

The 130 turning circle may be better,

Oh no it won't be! I'm constantly surprised by just how much worse the 127 is than, well, anything else I've driven.

As someone else said, sounds like the Series just needs basic maintenance.

If you're not wedded to owning a Series, and the Defender represents all the mods you'd want to do to the Series rolled into one vehicle, then maybe the 130 is the right answer.

Plus, decent Series seem to be fetching strong money now, might be better to sell it while it's fairly straight rather than hack it about.

[dag019]

Something no-one else has suggested yet is swap the hilux for the 130, and use that as a daily drive. Nothing wrong with a tdi as a daily drive, has been mine for the last 10 years. That way you can continue to work on the series until that is fully up and together but still get the ideal vehicle you have coveted in the past. plus as stated previously it does not sound like it should take much to get the series fully operational.

[xychix]

Hi dag, the Hilux (2015) has a roof height of 198 cm's and is able to go in parking garages. The 130 wouldn't fit and is a pre 2000 diesel which isn't allowed in quite a few places I drive for my day job. 

Even considered getting a new 130 then the last batch was there, also to much issues back then (2015) the last being that it was slightly more expensive to buy.

Just reviewed the chasiss number of the 130 and it appears to have been build with a  3.5v8 in it. Meaning exporting it to France with a 300tdi under the bonnet is more than my french language and french writing can handle

 

Focus back on the series starting with the left front knuckle and maybe the front bushings while it's apart anyhow.

 

[skirky dave]

Many years ago, i once read something on deciding which Land Rover model to choose.

Defender ...with the head

Series ...... with the heart.

From an entirely personal point of view, i've had many many people come over to me and passed some lovely comments on my series 2A. Ok, it's got a 2.5 n/a diesel in it. It's not fast, or very comfortable and sometimes leaks here and there but...it was never designed to be spot on in every way,.. and maybe that's why i love it.

The defenders have much more power, faster diffs, get jacked up and with  more lights than a xmas tree, but mine has it's own place in history and i also love the fact that i was only 1 year old when it came off the production line......and i'm still driving it.

A few years ago, i saw a series Landy in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. It had a 200 TDI under the bonnet, LT77 gearbox ( i think ) with a conversion done to it to allow non permanent 4x4, parrabolic springs, and different diffs. What it cost to transform the vehicle, i have no idea, but...the owner loved it. It went faster than a standard series, more comfy, but....it still looked like a series.

I guess it all comes down to personal choice and how you want it and how much you want to spend.

All i can say is this,..when the snow came down, i was driving alot faster than the BMW'S, JAGS, MERC'S etc, i got home in my old 2A, they didn't they were stuck.

All the best in deciding,

Dave.

 

[xychix]

Arjan (forum member) will likely stop by next Sunday. I'll have a go in his orange hybrid series3 and He'll give the 109 a try. 
This atleast should give me an indication whether it is a case of:

"Yes this is a Series" 
versus
"Man, you need some maintenance" (which I hope for! thay means there is room for improvement)

Concerning looks and technique I love the series. Never intended it to look new, never intended to widen tyres of give it crazy lifts / lights. I even are reluctant to fit an electric winch  and have bought a dreadfully slow and heavy 'tirfor' hand winch to help me out if needed.
 

And the decision was made for me on the current vehicle... the chassis number shows it had a 3.5 V8 in it. It's now running a 200 tdi with a non diff-locked transfercase (is that even possible?? discovery transfercase??)  which make it virtually impossible to import it from Netherlands to France.

Edited April 29, 2018 by xychix

[skirky dave]

xychix

Eh up again,

Errm, i don't know any of the european export legalities, there maybe someone on here who does !!.

As for the difference in transfer gears being attatched / changed / as to what fits what, i'm afraid that too, is above my head.

There are are quite a few members on here that can give very good advice regarding your Landy problems. 

I've found a few that have helped me enormously,..Snagger Nick/, Bowie69,/. Les/..,Fridgefreezer/ David Sparks/,... just to name a few.Years of experience and knowledge.

Glad to hear you like to keep the motor simple, as is. Like you, i also carry a hand Tirfor..just in case.

I really hope you can get this sorted, and then enjoy it.

All the best mate

Dave.

[FridgeFreezer]

On 29/04/2018 at 9:28 AM, xychix said:

And the decision was made for me on the current vehicle... the chassis number shows it had a 3.5 V8 in it. It's now running a 200 tdi with a non diff-locked transfercase (is that even possible?? discovery transfercase??)  which make it virtually impossible to import it from Netherlands to France.

And people over here bitch about the MOT/IVA/SVA regs, we've got it pretty lax by comparison with most places.

[Snagger]

On 30/04/2018 at 8:34 PM, FridgeFreezer said:

And people over here bitch about the MOT/IVA/SVA regs, we've got it pretty lax by comparison with most places.

Down here in the UAE, they keep failing expats for faded paint or blistered clear coats on the roof, or for having tyres in great condition but four years old, all the while passing cars with yellowed and opaqued head lamps and busses or trucks with twisted chassis and broken suspension.  The amount of HGVs we see crabbing by 5 degrees or more is horrifying.