Landowner Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Added up costs so far for repairing my 110 which I bought over 4 months ago and which lasted for 800 miles. It's been off the road over two months and it's not MOT ready yet but total spend so far including purchace has just passed the four thousand pound mark. After being assured by the seller that it was an excellent example I was dissapointed when things started to go wrong in the first few days. I persevered with it as you do, and tried to fix things as they went wrong but after using it only six times and having to be towed home twice I realised that I had been sold a load of junk. The chassis and body panels were packed with mud and there was damage to the rear prop and gearbox mount from offroading. The mud was damp and had rotted the bulkhead and one front outrigger. Both props were dry of grease and the rear gaiter full of water, the front gaiter was ripped off and the slider was red rusty. The seat boxes had rotted badly. After removing the sealant and ally patch panels from the bulkhead and pedal boxes I found that there was little metal left and lots of welding to be done. The front diff has a quarter or a turn in slack and the Transfer box failed after about five hundred miles. Transfer box failure was probably due to towing but I bought it for towing and I thought a Land Rover would be up to it. The engine overheated at first but that was due to thermostat fitted badly and wrong way round plus retarded timing. The gearbox is making a clacking noise in first, the brakes are rubbish, the LPG sometimes works and the carbs flood if left stood for more than a day. Oh and no LPG certificate. The rear step collapsed, the key stuck in the ignition, the battery cut off switch failed, the windscreen is marked badly I think by acid or something. The offside swivel bearings have collapsed and oil is pi555ing out of the swivel, all the door hinges are useless, the rev counter is faulty, the sunroof leaks badly as does the windscreen and the roof, the stainless exhaust has rotted and is due for replacement, and the rear wing stays were held in place with sealant. So if you are buying a Land Rover from an enthusiast then take someone with you who knows them inside out and don't believe a word the seller tells you especially if he has been off road with it. I know old Landys are not perfect but if you spend a lot of money buying it like I did you at least expect to be able to drive it for a while before trouble starts. So buyer beware as they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 But a lot of those faults you could have seen if you had looked at it properly..... i.e. oil leaks, packed in mud,ripped off gaiter, holes in the chassis/bulkhead,rotted seat box etc etc etc Did you just send a cheque in the post and then go collect the truck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 How come none of the above problems were discovered when you viewed the vehicle? You did view the vehicle, didn't you?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Caveat Emptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 But a lot of those faults you could have seen if you had looked at it properly..... i.e. oil leaks, packed in mud,ripped off gaiter, holes in the chassis/bulkhead,rotted seat box etc etc etcDid you just send a cheque in the post and then go collect the truck? Yup, I'm new to Land Rovers and disabled so cant go crawling about underneath too much (lungs knackered) the vehicle was local to me and the vendor a true enthusiast. There was a wad of service history and receipts for everything that had been bought for it. He assured me everything was OK with it. The outriggers were packed with mud and a thin skin of rust on top but I never looked anyway just took the man on trust as he assured me that him and his father serviced it regularly. I spoke to his father who had done a lot of work on it including a new engine and he also said that it was A Ok. The seller was also a friend of my sons who also assred me that it was Ok and he was thinking of buying it. He is very supprised that it's in such a state and can't believe how bad it is. He is helping me with advice on repairs but that dont help much after parting with so much money. no oil leaking when I bought it by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 You could have spent a fraction of that had you replaced with s/h bits. Now you have gone this far you can satisfy yourself that it was an investment - the 110 now has a much higher value with all those new bits. (by value I don't mean price, they are definitely not the same) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angusb Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 How much MOT was left on it when you bought it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 How much MOT was left on it when you bought it? 3 or 4 months but not a lot of the problems are mot fails except rust of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Caveat Emptor. As I said buyer beware and dont trust anybody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 You could have spent a fraction of that had you replaced with s/h bits. Now you have gone this far you can satisfy yourself that it was an investment - the 110 now has a much higher value with all those new bits. (by value I don't mean price, they are definitely not the same) I have used second hand bits where possible (t/box and diff) and I suppose I didn't really need to spend 200 quid on wheels and tyres but hey, it might as well be right now, there's no going back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Persevere and crack on, bit by bit Landowner, it'll be worth it in the end Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101sean Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Yup, been there, done that! Bought my first Land Rover nearly 30 years ago and was well and truly ripped off! No forums to seek advice on then but soon found local enthusiasts to take mick but offer good advice and help at the same time Certainly learnt fast. Even if you bought a good one, bet you'd still be spending money on it, dread to thing how much I've blown on goodies for my 110 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Keir Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Yep i made the same mistake when i bought my landrover didnt know much turned out mine was a shed but rolled it so had to replace the rotten parts anyway so i kinda hit two birds with one stone. Now i have a respectable land rover once it gets painted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Tonkin Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I think I did remarkably well reading your story! I bought from a dealer who knew nothing about defenders (the wheel boxes in the back of the 90 were described as an extra!) Apart from a few minor works (leaks) it's perfect. Looking at your sig Landowner I see your building a sprint? are you on the yahoo group? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 I think I did remarkably well reading your story! I bought from a dealer who knew nothing about defenders (the wheel boxes in the back of the 90 were described as an extra!) Apart from a few minor works (leaks) it's perfect.Looking at your sig Landowner I see your building a sprint? are you on the yahoo group? A friend of mine bought a 90 soon after I bought my 110 and he paid a lot less for a much better vehicle. He commutes in it and to date has only had to fix prop u/j s after over 5000 miles. He too knew nothing about Land Rovers when he bought it but trusted the seller that it was a good honest vehicle. Anyway, the sprint ? The Banham owners or sprint owners site asked me about Yahoo but I,m not that computer literate to sign up . The one I have has a rusty mini floorpan and a rusty space frame so I was toying with the idea of using the chassis off a 70's sports car and shoving a V8 in I have a chassis and it needs to be shortened by 10 inches but apart from that everything will fit very nicely including a V8. The thing will be much stronger with a roll bar etc and it will go like f"..lippin eck. Would be nice to talk to sprint owners but not the purists who would say mine isn't a true sprint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springertastic Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Sorry to hear about your problems with the landy you bought. Totally understandable that you could check it over maybe as much as most folk would and suppose you could sau its a shame the seller did not warn you a bit more?. Anyways i kinda was in the same boat with a 90 i bought. I mean in all fairness now i think i have actually done better out of the deal by initially dropping the guys asking price by £395 after i spotted problems but all the same he also kept quiet about other problems. Funny thing is he like most folk think because its second hand you ahve no come back but in my case i did as i had the advert and when they word it oneway and the vehicle is other or more to the point unroad worthy you can have em quiet easily in court. I was gona hit him for it but in the end after a good wkend of beer and thinking i worked out i actually got the better side of the deal and weather he was trying to pull a fast one or not on me i have came away with more vehicle than i gave him money. Im gona stick with her now after doing some simple tuning and adjustments she is a hell of alot better and so far i ahve not spent anyhting. So i feel for you understand your anger and also think sellers like that ought to get shot. Good luck with the landy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landowner Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 . So i feel for you understand your anger and also think sellers like that ought to get shot.Good luck with the landy though. Thanks for your support, the reason I'm angry is that I didn't want to spend any time or money fixing the vehicle as it was to be a replacement for my Isuzu pickup as an occaisional tow vehicle to be ready for use as and when required. For that reason I spent a LOT of cash on what I was told to be a good vehicle. I could have bought one for less than half the price and fixed it up but I'm no longer able to do the work due to ill health so I went for what I thought was a sound reliable Landy. More fool me as they say, I trust people too much and would never and indeed have never sold anything that is less than what it is supposed to be in fact I would service a car before I sold it so as it was as good as it could be, but that's me, the younger generation don't seem to care as long as they get yer money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Tonkin Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Anyway, the sprint ?The Banham owners or sprint owners site asked me about Yahoo but I,m not that computer literate to sign up . The one I have has a rusty mini floorpan and a rusty space frame so I was toying with the idea of using the chassis off a 70's sports car and shoving a V8 in I have a chassis and it needs to be shortened by 10 inches but apart from that everything will fit very nicely including a V8. The thing will be much stronger with a roll bar etc and it will go like f"..lippin eck. Would be nice to talk to sprint owners but not the purists who would say mine isn't a true sprint I have always fancied a sprint as I can't drive a Sprite (legs too long!) I think your idea is better. I was thinking about building a Spaceframe for the Mini front subframe and rear suspension and fitting a Frogeye body over the top. A little OT for this forum..Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Badger Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I too brought a 110 CSW the other day off a guy would was 'well into it'... I am only using this vehicle for the VIN no ( and it has now been stripped down to the chassie ) anyway, so I was not so fussed about it's state too much because its a 2.5 TD, and the rebuild will have 300tdi engine in it so there are allot of parts that are not so usable. This said as I have been stripping it apart there are lots of bit that I have noticed that have been compleatly bodged for the sale.... I.E instant gasket on various seals etc, quick fix wiring etc etc The moral here is that you can check for allot of damage, but unless you look deeper, you just can't tell how must is alright to use.... Im not really fussed, only that the guy seamed nice, but was lying, this is disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissDriver Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 I'm sorry to hear that you were ripped off Landowner, but it does comfort me somewhat to know that it doesn't only happen to girls like me. I wasn't ripped off buying a Landy, it was a wagon I'd been saving for to use in the snow (I was living in the USA at the time). I even took 2 guys with me to check out the car but after handing over the cash and taking the car to be certified I was told it would cost another $2000 just to get it through road-worthy... The car ended up breaking down a few days later and I was so angry I decided to have the thing squashed for scrap so that nobody else could be ripped off. I hope you get it sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissDriver Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 I'm sorry to hear that you were ripped off Landowner, but it does comfort me somewhat to know that it doesn't only happen to girls like me. I wasn't ripped off buying a Landy, it was a wagon I'd been saving for to use in the snow (I was living in the USA at the time). I even took 2 guys with me to check out the car but after handing over the cash and taking the car to be certified I was told it would cost another $2000 just to get it through road-worthy... The car ended up breaking down a few days later and I was so angry I decided to have the thing squashed for scrap so that nobody else could be ripped off. I hope you get it sorted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickliv Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 There do seem to be a few solihull built 'forth bridges' out there don't there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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