Why did you buy your landy?
Discussion
I bought one (300tdi) after all of the heartache and Breakdowns, I sold it.
I then went through a series of so called reliable Jap stuff...
New L200 followed by an Izuzu trooper
I now have a Puma 110XS Stationwagon
No other car gives you the happy at ease with the world feeling that a Landy gives you, No other car gives you the feeling of invincibility that a landy gives you. In a defender you are not seen as the scurge of the roads, motorists give way to you, kids wave and point (usually when you are stuck in a layby with the bonnet up)
If you have never driven a defender then you need to spend a day with one and make up your own mind.
They are expensive to buy for what they are, They break down a fair bit, They are unreliable, they clonk and rattle
The difference with a landy is that when it breaks down it doesn't break the bank and can generally still be fixed with the tap of a hammer.
What sets a landy apart is that No matter how many faults you know the vehicle has you always love it just for what it is... Something that has never changed in all the years that you can remember, something they probably forgot to stop making 20 plus years ago and something that despite all of the hype and bulls
t spouted by other manufacturers has never really been bettered for what it is.
N
I then went through a series of so called reliable Jap stuff...
New L200 followed by an Izuzu trooper
I now have a Puma 110XS Stationwagon
No other car gives you the happy at ease with the world feeling that a Landy gives you, No other car gives you the feeling of invincibility that a landy gives you. In a defender you are not seen as the scurge of the roads, motorists give way to you, kids wave and point (usually when you are stuck in a layby with the bonnet up)
If you have never driven a defender then you need to spend a day with one and make up your own mind.
They are expensive to buy for what they are, They break down a fair bit, They are unreliable, they clonk and rattle
The difference with a landy is that when it breaks down it doesn't break the bank and can generally still be fixed with the tap of a hammer.
What sets a landy apart is that No matter how many faults you know the vehicle has you always love it just for what it is... Something that has never changed in all the years that you can remember, something they probably forgot to stop making 20 plus years ago and something that despite all of the hype and bulls
t spouted by other manufacturers has never really been bettered for what it is.N
Edited by heightswitch on Tuesday 18th January 22:16
Lots of reasons.
I have lots of fond memorieis of being in Land Rovers at a young age on my uncles farm,. The first car I drove, sitting on my uncles lap was a series 2. The first car I drove myself (aged about 11) was an early 90.
I spent summers working on that farm when I was a kid and always drove the Land Rovers around on my own. When I was 16 I bought a series 3 and gradually made it roadworthy in time for my 17th birthday and the hallowed driving licence
Since then I've owned quite a few and generally regret selling them. They're great fun to drive in a really st sort of way, they're generally easy to work on, they do have the elusive "character" in the same way that an original Mini.
They're utterly classless (by that I mean that you cannot guess the "social status" of the driver. Some of the most wealthy people I know own Land Rovers of various ages and values, from a brand-spanking tdci to shonky series sheds.)
I'll be first to admit that they're noisy, slow, uneconomical, not that spacious, uncomfortable, draughty bds but I still love them. They're expesnive to buy but price is governed by condition and not age or mileage. Look after them and they don't depreciate much. Yes, bits break and fall off but parts are cheap.
Did you know that you can virtually build anything back to a series 3 (maybe even a 2?) with brand new parts?
I've got an '86 110 v8 which is gradually undergoing some mechanical refurbishment and modernisation. I'm not going to repaint it or sort out any of the scrapes, dings and dents because I think it looks great in a scruffy sort of way. It has a galv chassis, modern gearboxes and will soon have a 4.6 v8. I'm currently working o nthe interior to cut down on the draughts and to make it a little bit more comfortable for longer runs.
I've had a few other 4x4's but have always gone back to Land Rovers!
This one is a keeper.
I have lots of fond memorieis of being in Land Rovers at a young age on my uncles farm,. The first car I drove, sitting on my uncles lap was a series 2. The first car I drove myself (aged about 11) was an early 90.
I spent summers working on that farm when I was a kid and always drove the Land Rovers around on my own. When I was 16 I bought a series 3 and gradually made it roadworthy in time for my 17th birthday and the hallowed driving licence
Since then I've owned quite a few and generally regret selling them. They're great fun to drive in a really s
t sort of way, they're generally easy to work on, they do have the elusive "character" in the same way that an original Mini.They're utterly classless (by that I mean that you cannot guess the "social status" of the driver. Some of the most wealthy people I know own Land Rovers of various ages and values, from a brand-spanking tdci to shonky series sheds.)
I'll be first to admit that they're noisy, slow, uneconomical, not that spacious, uncomfortable, draughty b
ds but I still love them. They're expesnive to buy but price is governed by condition and not age or mileage. Look after them and they don't depreciate much. Yes, bits break and fall off but parts are cheap.Did you know that you can virtually build anything back to a series 3 (maybe even a 2?) with brand new parts?
I've got an '86 110 v8 which is gradually undergoing some mechanical refurbishment and modernisation. I'm not going to repaint it or sort out any of the scrapes, dings and dents because I think it looks great in a scruffy sort of way. It has a galv chassis, modern gearboxes and will soon have a 4.6 v8. I'm currently working o nthe interior to cut down on the draughts and to make it a little bit more comfortable for longer runs.
I've had a few other 4x4's but have always gone back to Land Rovers!
This one is a keeper.
Edited by Lefty on Wednesday 19th January 10:47
I initially bought 88" S3 last winter as a cheap, throw-away piece of kit to allow us to get out of the village in the snow, as we were going nowhere in our cars. When I bought it, it had 3 weeks MOT, no seats (front or rear), a top speed of 35 and just about ran if you kept blipping the throttle on tickover.
I paid £1,000 for it as a complete punt, thinking worst case I'll run it through the snow to it's MOT & then scrap it. However, I drove it the 7 miles or so back to my house & over the course of the 30 minute journey, absolutely fell in love it. It is real, proper, honest motoring.
Since I bought it, I have:
The real pleasure of owning such a vehicle comes from being able to understand exactly what's going on beneath you when you drive it. In road driving, if I get a line wrong round a corner in my Merc, it's not an issue as a bit of a squirt & you're back up to speed. In the Landy , however, a wrong line could see you going slower & slower & slower round the next few corners until you've built the momentum back up. Off road, it is great to see the look on people's faces who have spent many £'000's on lifting & kitting out their Disco's, when you follow them up or down or through the same tricky terrain in a 26 year old tractor. In the summer time, with the roof off & windscreen folded flat, there are few cars that give you such an open air experience.
They are very divisive. For people who "get" them, they are wonderful, honest vehicles to own & you put up with the draughts and leaks and squeaks and poor fuel economy just for the sheet pleasure of knowing that you have someething that has bags of character & will out last many other vehicles. For those who don't "get" them, they are uncomfortable, draughty, noisy, slow, ugly things.
Here is a a gratuitous shot of mine from last weekend......
I paid £1,000 for it as a complete punt, thinking worst case I'll run it through the snow to it's MOT & then scrap it. However, I drove it the 7 miles or so back to my house & over the course of the 30 minute journey, absolutely fell in love it. It is real, proper, honest motoring.
Since I bought it, I have:
- Had a complete engine tune up (it now hits the dizzying heights of 62 downhill)
- Put in new front seats & seat belts
- Put in new rear bench seats
- Changed the shot tyres it came with to Insa Turbo Sahara's
- Completely replaced the brakes
- Completely replaced the steering
- Upgraded the lights & fitted roof spots
- Changed pretty much every seal in the vehicle
- had a bunch of welding done on the chassis to patch up the few soft bits
- Got the heater working properly!
- Upgrade the suspension to parabolics (February)
- Sort out the rust on the bulkhead, fit new front doors as the current doors are very perished (April)
- Sort the little bit of rust on the drivers footwell - will probably replace the footwell (April)
- Possibly give the body a re-spray, although I quite like the battered, lived in look it has at the moment
- Possibly upgrade the engine (either to V8 or 200Tdi) - end 2011 / early 2012
The real pleasure of owning such a vehicle comes from being able to understand exactly what's going on beneath you when you drive it. In road driving, if I get a line wrong round a corner in my Merc, it's not an issue as a bit of a squirt & you're back up to speed. In the Landy , however, a wrong line could see you going slower & slower & slower round the next few corners until you've built the momentum back up. Off road, it is great to see the look on people's faces who have spent many £'000's on lifting & kitting out their Disco's, when you follow them up or down or through the same tricky terrain in a 26 year old tractor. In the summer time, with the roof off & windscreen folded flat, there are few cars that give you such an open air experience.
They are very divisive. For people who "get" them, they are wonderful, honest vehicles to own & you put up with the draughts and leaks and squeaks and poor fuel economy just for the sheet pleasure of knowing that you have someething that has bags of character & will out last many other vehicles. For those who don't "get" them, they are uncomfortable, draughty, noisy, slow, ugly things.
Here is a a gratuitous shot of mine from last weekend......
Edited by schmalex on Wednesday 19th January 11:21
Mine was originally bought as a mobile skip. I was doing a lot of work on the house at the time and, rather than hire lots of skips, I bought a landy with the intention of filling it up with crap, driving to the dump and so on. So it's been full of bricks, wood, plasterboard and all sorts of other stuff.
What I didn't expect was for it to be so relaxing and enjoyable to drive. As has been said, they do get under your skin.
Now that the DIY pace has slowed, I've fitted a 200tdi engine, better seats, seatbelts, a heater and a few other bits and pieces.
I use the Landy whenever I'm off work for pottering around town, taking the kids to school and also carting crap to the dump and it's great.
What I didn't expect was for it to be so relaxing and enjoyable to drive. As has been said, they do get under your skin.
Now that the DIY pace has slowed, I've fitted a 200tdi engine, better seats, seatbelts, a heater and a few other bits and pieces.
I use the Landy whenever I'm off work for pottering around town, taking the kids to school and also carting crap to the dump and it's great.
Like most others, I got mine for a variety of reasons.
Underlying thing is they are iconic. Tell someone you drive a Land Rover and they know exactly what you're referring to.
Despite those who make it their mission in life to knock them, they're very enduring cars on every level. They do go wrong, but won't actually let you down, and because they're assembled instead of manufactured, they can be taken apart and rebuilt ad infinitum, which in itself can be very satisfying.
On the back of that, they're unstoppable in trying conditions. What did you see most of in the background of TV news reports in all that snow?
I can add a roof tent, fridge and water heater to mine and I've got a basic campvervan alternative, drag the Seven behind it on a trailer, take it green laning, rip out tree stumps with the winch (and then lug the debris down the dump)...it's like the Swiss Army knife of cars.
Mine is ten years old now, and not without its dents and scratches, yet there are still those who, on seeing me climbing in to it, say "Oooooh, that's a bit, yer know, cool" and in a car park full of dull grey German bland it never, ever gets lost.
ETA: Gratuitous green laning shot......
Underlying thing is they are iconic. Tell someone you drive a Land Rover and they know exactly what you're referring to.
Despite those who make it their mission in life to knock them, they're very enduring cars on every level. They do go wrong, but won't actually let you down, and because they're assembled instead of manufactured, they can be taken apart and rebuilt ad infinitum, which in itself can be very satisfying.
On the back of that, they're unstoppable in trying conditions. What did you see most of in the background of TV news reports in all that snow?
I can add a roof tent, fridge and water heater to mine and I've got a basic campvervan alternative, drag the Seven behind it on a trailer, take it green laning, rip out tree stumps with the winch (and then lug the debris down the dump)...it's like the Swiss Army knife of cars.
Mine is ten years old now, and not without its dents and scratches, yet there are still those who, on seeing me climbing in to it, say "Oooooh, that's a bit, yer know, cool" and in a car park full of dull grey German bland it never, ever gets lost.
ETA: Gratuitous green laning shot......
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 19th January 13:45
I bought a 1994 300 TDi 110 High capacity pickup a couple of months ago, I also own a 1997 Jaguar XK8, they're at opposite ends of the spectrum but both put a smile on my face as i'm walking up to them and both have the capacity for terminal failure at the turn of a key
So far I haven't had to spend a penny on the jag in 18 months of ownership since putting a new engine and box in
The defender has had a new(secondhand) rear axle and needs a gearbox and the erratic wipers fixing, the axle was £100 which given the weight of it wasn't far off the scrap price, a new gearbox fitted is under a grand
They're slow, noisy, uncomfortable and rattle but if you "get" the Defender you won't regret buying one, pretty much the only car in the world you can change from one model to another with the correct parts and a spanner, it's just a big mecanno set
So far I haven't had to spend a penny on the jag in 18 months of ownership since putting a new engine and box in
The defender has had a new(secondhand) rear axle and needs a gearbox and the erratic wipers fixing, the axle was £100 which given the weight of it wasn't far off the scrap price, a new gearbox fitted is under a grand
They're slow, noisy, uncomfortable and rattle but if you "get" the Defender you won't regret buying one, pretty much the only car in the world you can change from one model to another with the correct parts and a spanner, it's just a big mecanno set
That's absolutely superb - thanks for the replies! I dodn't realise that landy's were unreliable for one, but I do like the sound of the ability to tinker with them. Cooky - I am thinking of very similar things re dogs and fishing rods!
With such a variety of types/specs and engines, what do you like? Seems 200tdi and v8 seem to crop up here
Love the photo's BTW
With such a variety of types/specs and engines, what do you like? Seems 200tdi and v8 seem to crop up here
Love the photo's BTW
I didn't intend to buy any landrover. I was brought up with them from a very early age. My father bought a lot of ex-mod equipment during the 70,s and early 80,s for export to the Carribiean and Africa.
As a small child many a time was spent tramping up to the sales at Ruddington in the search for decent landrovers. We bought many series 3 109,s 88,s and as the catalogues described them 88 cutwing Airportable(lightweights) to you and me. THats where i got the bug and it stayed ever since.
When i passed my test this was my first Landrover....
Ive owned and driven every model by the company.Not really a fan of the current range apart from the Defender. But do wish them a continued success. Just a shame that eventually they will no longer have a role with the military.
As a small child many a time was spent tramping up to the sales at Ruddington in the search for decent landrovers. We bought many series 3 109,s 88,s and as the catalogues described them 88 cutwing Airportable(lightweights) to you and me. THats where i got the bug and it stayed ever since.
When i passed my test this was my first Landrover....
Ive owned and driven every model by the company.Not really a fan of the current range apart from the Defender. But do wish them a continued success. Just a shame that eventually they will no longer have a role with the military.
I learnt to drive one around the field when I was 11. Couldn't wait to get home from school and turn the grass into a mud bath!
Dad sold it two of years later (recession meant reducing the number of cars in the household, which unfortunately meant selling his Rangie and the SIIa), but I persuaded him to buy one as a project two years after that for us to rebuild together for when I turned seventeen.
Sixteen years later I still have it and have no intention of ever letting it go. A few other Landies have been and gone since, each with their own character.
I did add a second one to the fold (39,000 mile SIII station wagon) just before christmas though and think that I might have another keeper on my hands...
Dad sold it two of years later (recession meant reducing the number of cars in the household, which unfortunately meant selling his Rangie and the SIIa), but I persuaded him to buy one as a project two years after that for us to rebuild together for when I turned seventeen.
Sixteen years later I still have it and have no intention of ever letting it go. A few other Landies have been and gone since, each with their own character.
I did add a second one to the fold (39,000 mile SIII station wagon) just before christmas though and think that I might have another keeper on my hands...
Edited by JimexPL on Saturday 22 January 18:43
All my Landrovers have been keepers untill a better one turns up or we build a nicer one.
I wonder what happened to my first one, a 1956 series 1, reg number MSC 9, one thing for sure that number won't be on it any more.
My love of Landrovers turned into a business, and after 35 years I am still playing and earning from them.
Andy.
I wonder what happened to my first one, a 1956 series 1, reg number MSC 9, one thing for sure that number won't be on it any more.
My love of Landrovers turned into a business, and after 35 years I am still playing and earning from them.
Andy.
Difficult to say really.
I liked the idea of going off-roading, but didn't really fancy an 'SUV' type vehicle. I started reading about old land rovers and got more and more interested, I've always liked classics anyway and there's something about old landies that appeals. They seemed cheap so I went to have a proper look at one and was hooked.
Difficult to say what I like about it. I do take it off road, and that's fun but there's more to it. I like the honesty of the design and the driving experience. I feel quite calm and relaxed driving it, perhaps because you have to drive it at it's own pace, instead of rushing around. It feels special to drive in a way only a classic can.
I also like maintaining it. I've so far replaced the engine, door seals, starter motor, fixed the electrics and am currently renovating the brakes.
The land rover gave me of the best moments of my motoring life a few months ago when the new engine a mate of mine and I put in it started for the first time. I had never attempted anything this big before and was thrilled when it worked. I still smile every time it starts!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2hdtGeK59A
I liked the idea of going off-roading, but didn't really fancy an 'SUV' type vehicle. I started reading about old land rovers and got more and more interested, I've always liked classics anyway and there's something about old landies that appeals. They seemed cheap so I went to have a proper look at one and was hooked.
Difficult to say what I like about it. I do take it off road, and that's fun but there's more to it. I like the honesty of the design and the driving experience. I feel quite calm and relaxed driving it, perhaps because you have to drive it at it's own pace, instead of rushing around. It feels special to drive in a way only a classic can.
I also like maintaining it. I've so far replaced the engine, door seals, starter motor, fixed the electrics and am currently renovating the brakes.
The land rover gave me of the best moments of my motoring life a few months ago when the new engine a mate of mine and I put in it started for the first time. I had never attempted anything this big before and was thrilled when it worked. I still smile every time it starts!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2hdtGeK59A
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