First Land rover :)

[George93]

Hey guys and gals

been looking around for a first land rover, for around £2000
curently looking at series 2a's and 3's but also early defender 90's
any tips, pointers or links on entry level land rovers?

thanks

[varsas]

LRO has a price guide each month, unless you are quite lucky you won't find a 90 for £2k. Recently in LRO they said the entry point for 90's was £3k (a defender will be even more). I'd rather have a nice series3 then a rough 90.

Check the chassis and bulkhead for rust, and the transmission system (inc. low range/4WD) for faults. Everything else is fairly cheap/simple although for £2k you should get a nice one.

Think carefully about weather you want diesel/petrol/a 200TDi conversion. You don't say what you want it for but IMHO the diesel isn't suitable as an everyday car, it's just too slow.

Let us know how you get on!

Edited by varsas on Tuesday 13th April 08:48

[West4x4]

It Depends what you want a tax free series makes an excellent weekend toy not everyone would chose one for everyday. A defender looks the same but is totally different under the skin still basic and very agricultural compared to a car tho. I'd have a series I love them and use them everyday they are all about smiles per mile but everyday on the busy roads of britain I can see how they would drive you potty. £2k would get a decent non tax exempt series the older ones are pricier for one in real good condition. Defenders can be got cheap but they are often ex farm dogs up to 30k for a brand spanker

[300bhp/ton]

George93 said:

Hey guys and gals

been looking around for a first land rover, for around £2000
curently looking at series 2a's and 3's but also early defender 90's
any tips, pointers or links on entry level land rovers?

thanks

As others have said, £2k for a 90 will be a tough call and you'll likely get a very ropey example if at all.

On the flip side £2k should get you a fairly straight and tidy Series Landy.

Series Landy's are a lot of fun, but you need to remember the last Series III wasn't really all that different to the first 1948 Land Rover.

So no PAS (although it's not too bad), 4 gears, weak gearbox, weak axles, drum brakes, no interior, often no door locks, leaf suspension, flawed front suspension design, small fuel tank and low HP engines that are nosy and poor on fuel.

If none of this bothers you, then you can have a lot of fun in a Series Land Rover, haul stuff, tow and make good progress off road. They really are a lot of fun and have bags of charm.

Series II, IIa or early III will be tax exempt which is a bonus, but you'll pay more for these than for latter Series III's.

But what do you actually want to do with the vehicle??

£2k will get you a Disco or classic Range Rover, although you'll still have to look for rust and overall condition. But you should be able to get something fairly ok, tidy and solid.

In the case of the Disco you'll get a much more modern vehicle, coil suspension, TDI or V8 engine, 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto, nice interior.

The TDI engines are very good, even in stock trim, but with a few small tweaks and a bigger intercooler will make 150hp and challenge a stock V8 in terms of real world performance.

A Disco will be nicer on road and more comfy off road than a Series. They still have issues if you plan on more extreme off road action, but are a marked improvement over a Series Land Rover.

The only real downside of a Disco is it's size. It's a fair amount bigger than a 88 or a 90, and this will show up off road, being less nimble, longer and more prone to damage.

Towing will be better, but they usually don't have quite the same rugged hauling ability as a 90/Series.


If it's just off road fun you are after, then there are 2 other vehicles I'd say look at in this price range.

1. Suzuki Jimny. Now before you snuff your nose at it. Think of it like this, it's a proper little off roader, it uses a ladder frame chassis and live axles, just like a Land Rover. It also has an 80" wheelbase, just like an original Series 1 Land Rover, but it has coil suspension. This means it's small, light and nimble - all the key attributes you want off road.

So don't think of it as a cheap Jap alternative, but more of a modern Series 1 Land Rover with good suspension.




2. Jeep Wrangler. Now many on here don't like me suggesting these, not for any technical reasons, in fact not for any real reason. However, for £2k you'll buy slightly more Wrangler for your money than you will Land Rover 90.

Here, it's worth remembering that the Wrangler is a direct descendant of the World War II Willys Overland Jeep. Which is the same vehicle that inspired and helped conceive the original Land Rover. So this means the Jeep has an even longer heritage than the Landy.

In terms of off road ability and design, well a Wrangler is very, very similar to a 90. 93" wheelbase compared to the Landy's 92.9" wheelbase. Live axles, ladder chassis and so on.

Big difference is the engine department. 4.0 litre straight 6 (more economical than any stock Series engine) or a 2.5 litre petrol in-line 4. You can also get auto's and more options and a removable roof.

For your money you'd be looking at a YJ Wrangler. These were sold in the UK so are all RHD. They are leaf sprung vehicles, but a key difference is the leaf setup is superior to that of a Series Land Rover. Not as good as coils still, but the YJ is far closer to a 90 than a Series in terms of design and ability.

The 2.5 petrol engine seems underpowered compared to the 4.0 litre, but it's still more powerful than the 2 1/4 Series engines or early 90 2.5 TD's. And will return similar mpg to the diesel TD.

The 4.0 litre is superb, and out guns even the Rover V8 in some ways.





Obviously, if it's a Land Rover that you want, these two alternatives aren't for you. But if you want a fun and capable small off roader, then they make a lot of sense to look at and consider. The only things they don't do as well as a Landy is tow or haul stuff.