D_7 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Hey folks, I'm John, 18yrs old and just joined this forum looking for some information on Series Landys! Basically, I want to buy either a IIA/III to give me some off-road experience. Something cheap as possible ideally so that if I kill it, well, these things happen eh. Budget is £1000 absolute maximum, so was wondering whether it would be possible to pick a running Series, with MoT that I can use on the road every now and then (I won't be bumping my car off just yet as the Landy will mainly be for off-road - but I need it road legal to be able to drive to off-road places etc). I've trawled the net and the free ads etc and I can't seem to find anything within my budget. Condition not important really, as the newest Series are coming up for 25year old now so its inevitable they are probably going to be a bit battered up especially if subject to off road abuse. So is it possible? Also, what am I better going for - petrol or diesel? I'll hazard a guess that if I get a Diesel, then its a pretty easy job to upgrade it to, say, a 200TDi engine? Other option is buy an early Discovery and get rid of my Rover Diesel runabout and use the Discovery daily, but i'd be a bit stuck if I happened to trash it off road I suppose - plus a Series would have more character about it anyway... Anybody here able to advise? Cheers! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Hi John and welcome. A series is an excellent idea, and you should be able to pick one up for just a few hundred £. Expect it to be quite rough though! I've always found cheap ones by word of mouth rather than online - they always seem to be much more expensive for some reason. Your best bet is to ask around - get in touch with your local club, chances are someone has got one knocking around. Ex-MOD ones seem to last the longest - try a MOD surplus place maybe? Given a choice between the 2.25 petrol and 2.25 diesel, i'd take a petrol. A 200 TDi is a straight fit into a diesel chassis, pretty sure it is the same as a petrol chassis (anyone confirm this?). A V8 is another exciting option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 If you really want a Series, then great! There are a few kicking about for the money you're looking at, I would aim for a £500 one and then expect to spend the other £500 on tools & parts as they'll all need something doing at this age. Major areas of pain are the chassis & bulkhead - if either of those has a lot of rust in it, you're into big work and potentially big money. Poke everything with a stout screwdriver. The 2.25 diesel is possibly the slowest thing ever, go for the petrol. You can drop in a 2.5 petrol or diesel discarded from a Defender as everyone is going TDi these days, or with a bit more fettling drop a TDi or V8 in. Brakes are poor to shocking depending on the vintage, as long as it pulls up straight without having to sling an anchor out of the window you're probably OK. Electrics are minimal but usually in carp condition, look out for previous-owner bodges involving scotchloks and plan on doing some rewiring if you see any. Everything else is fixable, look at Paddocks website for prices on bits, most of it's nuts-and-bolts. However, if you are just looking for an off-road toy, you'll have better value from a £500 Range Rover or Disco V8. They're comfier, more powerful, have heaters that work, nicer gearboxes, suspension that won't shake your brain out of its socket (unless you find a Series with parabolics for £500 which seems unlikely), discs all round so you'll actually stop, and are similar in cost to run. If you decide you *must* have the Series look you can always rip the bodywork off and hybridise it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_7 Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 The main problem i'm having, essentially, is insurance. My (nearly 2 yrs) NCB is on my daily driver which is a Rover 420 Diesel - so the Land Rover would have to be on a second policy. I am hoping to have my 2 yrs mirrored onto a 2nd policy to make it work out a bit cheaper, but even then at 19year old with 2 years NCB insurance still aint cheap... Therefore if I did go for a Range Rover/Discovery, it would at the max, have to be a TDi - My budget includes £1000 for the vehicle and more or less the same for insurance (what i've been quoted) - a V8 is absolutly out of the question as prices are either extortionate, or they just point blank won't cover me. I've always liked the Series Landys so they are my main choice I think, although I would consider an early Defender, which are probably a bit less teeth shattering than the Series? As mentioned in my previous post, the other option is a Discovery and use it daily as well - however it would present me with difficulties if I trashed it off road. Unless I can find a ropey but completely roadworthy & unrotten Disco for 1k and still keep the Rover for running about in. Cheers for the replies folks John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Please try a series before you buy a series! I started with my brothers series,there horible! If you decide against a series then get a disco or a 90/110 they can be quiet cheap £1000 ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripTrick Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I started with my brothers series,there horible! Thankfully, that is your opinion... I love my Series and Would not part with her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mortus Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 i advise you to buy a insurance write off, something with panal damage, 200tdi discos are going cheap on ebay all the time. much more comfy and would be loads better offroad. 700 quid for a disco on ebay i just saw. go to the pub and ask some people theres probably a old disco in your village/town close by! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Given your insurance problem, and insurance co's fear of the word "modified" when used near young peoples, I'd go for a Defender with a 2.5 petrol or diesel, or RR/Disco TDi. A VM TD Range Rover could prove cheap if very dull. Out of the box these will all be a nicer driving experience (albeit with less "character") than a Series. I love my 109 too - it has quite a bit of character and I would happily drive thousands of miles in it, however if I don't have to take it with me I'll prefer to take the freebie with softer suspension, a quieter cab, a heater that works and a stereo full of MP3's. I think you have to want a Series, otherwise you'll buy one and spend the rest of time trying to get rid of all the things that make it a Series, at which point you end up with a Range Rover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Given your insurance problem, and insurance co's fear of the word "modified" when used near young peoples, I'd go for a Defender with a 2.5 petrol or diesel, or RR/Disco TDi. A VM TD Range Rover could prove cheap if very dull. Out of the box these will all be a nicer driving experience (albeit with less "character") than a Series.I love my 109 too - it has quite a bit of character and I would happily drive thousands of miles in it, however if I don't have to take it with me I'll prefer to take the freebie with softer suspension, a quieter cab, a heater that works and a stereo full of MP3's. I think you have to want a Series, otherwise you'll buy one and spend the rest of time trying to get rid of all the things that make it a Series, at which point you end up with a Range Rover. And that is as good a way to put it as I`ve heard. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERY OLD DISCO Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Hello Jon, all good advice but I thought I would add my penn'orth. Any Series Land Rover can be slow, hard ride, cold, damp, noisy, and an altogether unpleasant experience. So why do so many of us drive them? Because they don't have to be anything like that. They can be fast, nice ride, warm, quiet etc. trouble is, to find one with all the bits on to make it so nice would probably put it outside your budget. My advice is to wait, there is no rush, something will pop up and then you can go for a ride and see what you think. Sodbury sortout is on in I think, in April, you can have a look round at virtually every sort of Land Rover ever made in the car park. You will see a fair few for sale as well. Whatever you buy you will have to be prepared to mend it on a regular basis, so get a good toolkit. It's a good way to learn about vehicles, and you have to start somewhere, best have someone you can ask for advice and, hopefully, a hand when things get difficult. You rarely lose money on an old Land Rover, I sold my first one for twice what I paid for it! I had done a lot to it but it was worth it. If you want a ride to see whats it's like find a local Land Rover owner and knock the door, I wouldn't mind if it was me and most Land Rover Series owners would be only to pleased to discuss the vehicle and go for a ride. They might even know where a suitable vehicle was lurking and a recommend is worth a lot in the world of Land Rovers. There are some wrecks out there, and there are some nice well cared for vehicles as well, suprisingly, the price difference isn't that great, and you would be far better buying off an enthusiast like us lot. I know that I have spent 100 s of hours and lots of money on Series Land Rovers and then sold them on a couple of years later in very good order. I bet most of us have done something like it as well. Crickey thats a long post, good luck with your search, patience, my man, is a very great virtue. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_7 Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 Thanks for the replies everybody, all input is very much appreciated. After some thinking (head hurts now the cogs have been turning) i've narrowed down to either a Series, or an early 90 if I can find one within budget. If I was to get a Land Rover, it would be one of them (to start with anyway) and i'll just go from there. I think it mainly stems back to memories of when I was small and my dad and his mate built a Series 3 each up from absolute wrecks and had so much fun in them. Going to start the hunt properly in the New Year...I know a lot of farmers have old trucks kicking around that never get used and, being right on the foot of the North Yorkshire Moors, I bet theres plenty of old trucks that are kicking about, as theres loads of farms locally. I'm not shy of doing any work should it need bits and bobs to get it through an MoT etc as i'm quite competent with a spanner (I do all my own repairs as it is anyway). So, heres hoping I find something worthwhile! Regards John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_7 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Carrying on from what Geoff said above, I arranged to meet a girl yesterday and on the way up to her house (in thick snow!) as I entered her housing estate there was a bloke dusting a Series III off ready to take it out in the snow. I stopped and got talking to the fella and he was only too happy to let me have a look around and have a sit in it etc. He took me for a quick run up some of the back lanes and OK, it was LOUD, but I liked it. I had a drive back and I liked it, was a world apart from my Rover! So, Steve Wilton of Lingdale, if you're on here, thanks a lot for the experience... ...It's definatly a Series now B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 ...It's definatly a Series now B) Oh dear, the boy's got it bad welcome to the fold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_7 Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Oh dear, the boy's got it bad welcome to the fold Just need to find a truck now. I've got insurance quotes of ~700 quid for a Series, doesn't seem to be any variation between Petrol/Diesel, thats mirroring my current 1yrs NCB that I have with the same company on a limited mileage policy (well, upto 5k which I probably won't go anywhere near!) and the insurance are fully aware I intend to use it Off Road. That leaves me with upto ~1300 really to find a Series, which still leaves cash to get it exactly how I want it when I do get one. I'm sure theres something worth buying within my price range Cheers for the help folks John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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