Any series owners on here ? Advice please :)
Discussion
garethj said:
cpas said:
whereas in the S3 you couldn't speak to the front seat passenger at 30mph!!
It's a strange experience isn't it? Mine wasn't much noisier at 70mph than at 40mph, a bit like a Rolls Royce, only the inverse version...
garethj said:
It's a strange experience isn't it? Mine wasn't much noisier at 70mph than at 40mph, a bit like a Rolls Royce, only the inverse version...
I used to wear ear defenders in my 109 on the motorway.Edited to add it was a 5 bearing 2.25 diesel with Fairey overdrive.
Edited by lost in espace on Sunday 7th October 17:10
I've had 3 series 3's. My experience...
The diesel is too slow. It's actually not outright power that is the issue, it's the low rev limit and the racket they make. Mine was a 2.25 N/A diesel without overdrive and realistic top cruising speed was 52mph. At that speed the noise was enough to have to wear ear plugs. Motorways where...unpleasant.
Tyres make a big difference; off-road tyres on road means worse ride and poor grip in the wet. If your car is for mainly on road and occasional 'muddy fields n greenlanes' off-road I'd stick with on-road tyres, perhaps get some lighter alloy wheels and 205/80/16 van tyres or similar.
Many series landies have seized leaf springs which makes the ride pretty unbearable. It's not an MOT fail so many get left.
The diesel is too slow. It's actually not outright power that is the issue, it's the low rev limit and the racket they make. Mine was a 2.25 N/A diesel without overdrive and realistic top cruising speed was 52mph. At that speed the noise was enough to have to wear ear plugs. Motorways where...unpleasant.
Tyres make a big difference; off-road tyres on road means worse ride and poor grip in the wet. If your car is for mainly on road and occasional 'muddy fields n greenlanes' off-road I'd stick with on-road tyres, perhaps get some lighter alloy wheels and 205/80/16 van tyres or similar.
Many series landies have seized leaf springs which makes the ride pretty unbearable. It's not an MOT fail so many get left.
cpas said:
I've owned a couple of tax exempt Series 3s but found them extremely hard work and not too enjoyable to drive any distance in, and with the fuel economy I worked out that a 200TDi would pay for its road tax in about 1000 miles or so a year, so decided to buy a Defender 200 TDi.
You can get a decent Series motor a lot cheaper than a Defender (or earlier 90 with TDi conversion) but the cost difference seems to be coming down.
I am happy to drive a fair distance in the 90 at motorway speeds, and you can have a decent conversation with the passengers, whereas in the S3 you couldn't speak to the front seat passenger at 30mph!!
What I should have added there also was that, with the latest S3 we had, we rarely took it out anywhere as it was far easier to jump into one of the other cars. Our nearest off-road site is 30 miles away and we could never build up the courage to take it there!! Also, the wife didn't enjoy driving it at all, especially with its heavy and vague steering. Perhaps we could have made it a bit more enjoyable to drive and perhaps made it more economical, possibly with some sound proofing and later TDi engine, but PAS was never going to be an option. However, my main reason for buying this vehicle was cheapness of running, so spending a few hundred pounds on such things would have been a false economy. With the Defender we are both happy to get in and drive anywhere in it.You can get a decent Series motor a lot cheaper than a Defender (or earlier 90 with TDi conversion) but the cost difference seems to be coming down.
I am happy to drive a fair distance in the 90 at motorway speeds, and you can have a decent conversation with the passengers, whereas in the S3 you couldn't speak to the front seat passenger at 30mph!!
I have a Series 2a to which I fitted a 200TDI when the original petrol engine expired a few years back.
I use it for dump runs, collecting logs, transporting the dog and generally pottering around town at weekends. I've had it about six years now and wouldn't be without it. It is noisy - the 200TDI isn't the smoothest of engines and does tend to vibrate a bit at idle on the series mounts - and not the fastest thing on the road. I find the drum brakes fine, although they need a bit of a shove.
Someone mentioned springs and I really need to change mine as it is uncomfortable to drive over about 20 miles or so. Draughty too in winter. The steering works well and is not overly heavy when set up properly.
It's all fixable though and they do tend to get under your skin - you'll need to buy one already sorted (not easy to find) or be prepared to do a fair bit of work yourself if you want one capable of stress free 100 mile round trips!
I use it for dump runs, collecting logs, transporting the dog and generally pottering around town at weekends. I've had it about six years now and wouldn't be without it. It is noisy - the 200TDI isn't the smoothest of engines and does tend to vibrate a bit at idle on the series mounts - and not the fastest thing on the road. I find the drum brakes fine, although they need a bit of a shove.
Someone mentioned springs and I really need to change mine as it is uncomfortable to drive over about 20 miles or so. Draughty too in winter. The steering works well and is not overly heavy when set up properly.
It's all fixable though and they do tend to get under your skin - you'll need to buy one already sorted (not easy to find) or be prepared to do a fair bit of work yourself if you want one capable of stress free 100 mile round trips!
I learned to drive in a 109" series 2a with the 2.6 straight six inlet overhead exhaust side valve petrol engine. Silky smooth and easily good for 55mph in good fettle, with that lovely aspirating burble at tick-over.
Neither economical nor powerful but a wonderful old hector nonetheless.
Neither economical nor powerful but a wonderful old hector nonetheless.
it has a later 2.25 5 bearing petrol + an O/D & FW hubs
It was restored around 7 years ago complete with new non galv chassis. It has been the previous owners daily covering around 4K miles per year. The only thing I might tidy up is the paint as it was hand painted + I'm not that keen on the silver pin stripe. Apart from that just want to keep it reliable
It was restored around 7 years ago complete with new non galv chassis. It has been the previous owners daily covering around 4K miles per year. The only thing I might tidy up is the paint as it was hand painted + I'm not that keen on the silver pin stripe. Apart from that just want to keep it reliable
smn159 said:
I really like that!
I just bought some 7.50 tyres for mine as well - they do sit well on them, don't they.
I just bought some 7.50 tyres for mine as well - they do sit well on them, don't they.
7.50's work a lot better. I run Avon Rangemasters on mine. A good alrounder which didn't let me down even during some horrendous ground conditions during some events I attended this year.
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