Series II buying advice please
Discussion
Hi all,
i was hoping for some advice. i've seen a series II defender that i like the look of and am thinking of purchasing but i don't know much about landies and would like some advice on what to look out for please?
my last purchase was an old hackney carriage that i bought and converted into a camper last year. we drove it to turkey and back but it failed it's mot by three pages! in all fairness it was a bit of a dog though.
i don't want to make the same mistake this time as i want to keep this one for at least 3 years with a view to a significant overland adventure at some point.
so what i like is a list of things to check/look out for please.
thanks for your help chaps, much appreciated
i was hoping for some advice. i've seen a series II defender that i like the look of and am thinking of purchasing but i don't know much about landies and would like some advice on what to look out for please?
my last purchase was an old hackney carriage that i bought and converted into a camper last year. we drove it to turkey and back but it failed it's mot by three pages! in all fairness it was a bit of a dog though.
i don't want to make the same mistake this time as i want to keep this one for at least 3 years with a view to a significant overland adventure at some point.
so what i like is a list of things to check/look out for please.
thanks for your help chaps, much appreciated
First of all, be sure you want one. Don't get me wrong, I love mine but they are terrible to drive. Very agricultural, sort of half way between a tractor and a car. Be sure it's what you want. A defender (the name was only used much later after the discovery came out) is much more civalised, don't make the mistake of thinking a Series 2 is like a defender, it's not.
Personally, for me, a petrol engine and over drive are must haves.
What to look for? Depends really. What are you happy doing yourself? The difficult part is the chassis, major rot will be difficult/expensive to fix. A galvanised chassis is a very good thing. The body is alloy, but pretty much bolts on/off. Some mechanical parts are expensive; transfer boxes, diesel high pressure fuel pumps, gearboxes (to some extent) for example.
Brakes/electrics/engines/exhaust and most other stuff is easy and cheap so if the price is right you don't need to worry too much about those.
I've always tried to find a car with the right things wrong with it...if what's wrong with it is cheap and easy to fix it doesn't matter. If it's difficult to fix, or something I can't do myself (paint, for example) then it's a problem.
If you just want to buy one and have it work well for 3 years then you need to check..well, everything really. It can be tricky if you don't know what they are supposed to be like. The brakes, for example, can be quite reasonable, but if you haven't drive a few you won't know what the suspension and steering are supposed to be like so won't know if they are good or not.
Gearboxes shouldn't jump out of gear, and engines shouldn't smoke when warm. The oil pressure light shouldn't flicker at idle.
Personally, for me, a petrol engine and over drive are must haves.
What to look for? Depends really. What are you happy doing yourself? The difficult part is the chassis, major rot will be difficult/expensive to fix. A galvanised chassis is a very good thing. The body is alloy, but pretty much bolts on/off. Some mechanical parts are expensive; transfer boxes, diesel high pressure fuel pumps, gearboxes (to some extent) for example.
Brakes/electrics/engines/exhaust and most other stuff is easy and cheap so if the price is right you don't need to worry too much about those.
I've always tried to find a car with the right things wrong with it...if what's wrong with it is cheap and easy to fix it doesn't matter. If it's difficult to fix, or something I can't do myself (paint, for example) then it's a problem.
If you just want to buy one and have it work well for 3 years then you need to check..well, everything really. It can be tricky if you don't know what they are supposed to be like. The brakes, for example, can be quite reasonable, but if you haven't drive a few you won't know what the suspension and steering are supposed to be like so won't know if they are good or not.
Gearboxes shouldn't jump out of gear, and engines shouldn't smoke when warm. The oil pressure light shouldn't flicker at idle.
Edited by varsas on Saturday 10th December 23:07
Living where you do there will be plenty of people that could show you round one. Join the club www.thelandroverclub.co.uk and meet up with someone in the day and spend some time on your back with a torch and a screwdriver and you will learn how they go together and what to look for.
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