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Need advice on finding the right vehicle


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Hi, I’m Wanting to get into the off-roading scene but don’t know what to do. I know that I want a defender but don’t know which model, I’d prefer it to be a Diesel engine and would be putting money into it to modify suspension and other things.(could do with help on that aswell😂) I want something that I can drive nice and smooth on the road as a daily but be able to go anywhere anytime I want all whilst still having enough space for one or more passengers(seats in the back) Any information/ help I get would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Edited by Jake98
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Forgive the opportunism Jake . but im selling mu 110 on ebay which has all the bits and more

Land Rover 110 TD5 'The Beast" . 35 inch &Huge Extras Eats shoots hunts anywhere

Loved masterpiece of Devon4x4 work, thats why i bought

 

Would suit daily use , since drives well, and off raoding pretty unstopaable but id want to protect her from damage having sida that..passengers . two seats . so youd have to put seats in rear

 

Otherwise .  id spend 5-7 on TD5 or 300 providing in good condition and add bits as you have funds

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Chrisp thanks for the reply, I’m sorry but your beast is out of my league hahaha, and thanks for the advise, I think I’ll have to look around for a decent td5 or 300 and add bits as I have funds.

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One very important thing to consider if you want to modify any road going vehicle by adding modifications is that it is a legal requirement to inform your insurance Company of the modifications carried out and also make sure that those mods are actually road legal.

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9 hours ago, Jake98 said:

I want something that I can drive nice and smooth on the road as a daily but be able to go anywhere anytime I want all whilst still having enough space for one or more passengers

This is completely impossible.

 

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Let’s give a little space to inexperience:

A standard Land Rover is amazingly capable off road - particularly with skilful driving. 

To use it as a daily driver you need to love it - they are noisey, usually leak water, really quite uncomfortable.

To carry passengers you really want a 110 - long wheel base. They’re big - harder to park and I think harder to fit in with modern traffic.

A lot of Land Rovers are in poor condition - many are like most tools, they’ve used and abused.

I love mine, use it daily, and think it’s a great place to be.

The main thing we need to know to help is to know your budget.

My suggestion would be, if your budget allows it, to buy the best condition standard Land Rover that you can afford - then use it.

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4 hours ago, Farmerfred said:

Forgive me if I am wrong but I believe that if you have a 110 with more than 7 seats you are required to have a PSV license to be able to drive it because it puts it in the class of a minibus. Something else to be considered.

No, but newer licence holders are limited to the number of seats. As an old git I can still drive a twelve seater, as long as it's not for hire or reward. My 110 is a daily driver, I find it perfectly adequate in modern driving conditions. comfortable enough with reasonable fuel consumption. My Disco 1 V8 on the other hand is running on heavy duty springs feels every bump and drinks like a fish.

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I now own a 110CSW and a 90 van with windows. 

As a family wagon the 110 is great; space, versatility and presence. It does around 30mpg but is noisy, slow(ish), cold, (it's a 110 200Tdi, they are all like that!), and needs 5 shunts for a 3 point turn.

The 90 is small, nimble, slow, less noisy, (it's a 2.5NA) and the heater is hot! It is also surprisingly small; 2 people and some luggage and it's full.

What's your budget? Any Land Rover will be OK off road, even a full, blingy RRS, but your budget will define what's possible.

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Any Defender  within your price range would suit most of your requirements and as before mentioned even in standard form they are very capable off road, I have had my lightweight ( obviously not a Defender ) since I first started off roading and back then it was better than my ability, as my skills improved my need to drive certain sections became greater than my vehicles ability so then I started modifying. I guess what I'm trying to say is you don't need all singing and dancing yet so I would advise buying the best condition standard vehicle you can afford and learn to live and grow with it modifying as your skills improve. If you want all the gear from scratch you will be less of a skillful driver in the long run as the machine will make up for lack of ability but if your patient and develop the driving skill once you start modifying you will go furthe.r I was once at an all makes promotion day on the North Yorkshire moors and Landrover had one of their drivers there in a bog standard 90 and he went everywhere the others could'nt plenty of capable vehicles there but not plenty of capable drivers and that made the difference.

Regards Stephen

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Something else that springs to mind concerning insurance is that if you have side windows and seats in the back, bench or folding, it can be and should be classed as a car, solid sides and no seats classes it as a 'commercial' vehicle which can quite dramatically increase your insurance premium.

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A Defender is not a cheap introduction to off-roading these days, the entry level is a cheap Disco 1 or Disco 2 or even P38 Range Rover or Freelander if you're feeling adventurous.

Any of those will be waaay cheaper to buy, give or take just as capable and more comfy & practical day to day.

D1 will have a rusty body

D2 will have a rusty chassis

P38 will have electrical gremlins

Freelander will need a new viscous coupling and doesn't have low-range gearing

Defender prices are insane at the moment, you're paying 50%-200% more for a Defender than any of the above in similar condition.

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