Recommendations for an old 4x4

[RogerS]

By that I mean something around £3k or less. Heard a lot about early Discoveries and Defenders having reliability issues but no idea if these are limited to a few or endemic in earlier models. SWMBO fancies us getting an old Land Rover - but then she won't be the one driving it and being bounced all over the place!

Ideally I'm after something that is frugal, spares don't cost an arm and a leg and "low emission > lower road tax."

What do folks recommend/not recommend?

 

[Dibs-h]

something that is frugal, spares don't cost an arm and a leg and "low emission > lower road tax."

Can't see you getting all that for =< £3k. Good luck!

Dibs

 

[marcros]

depends how old. you could get a pre71 (i think) landrover. spares are cheap enough but there isnt a lot of refinement in it.

Something like a 200tdi defender might fit the bill, but wont be low on emissions. but then again it should hold its value pretty well. for that budget you are unlikely to be on emmissions based tax anyway, so that 200tdi is not as bad to tax as a newer car chugging out the same amount of co2.

My research has told me that for landrover 90's/defenders
the NA diesel is slow
the Turbo Diesel is problematic
200tdi good engine
300tdi more refined
td5 more refined still, but more expensive for parts.

I am therefore on the lookout for a 300tdi, but will consider a 200tdi too. There are no doubt exceptions to the above, and no doubt some people will prefer the 200's to the 300's.

hth.

 

[RogerS]

Interesting...just come off the phone to my mate who I knew used to run an old ex-RAF landy. Turns out he knows a hell of a lot more about Defenders and Disco's then I thought having run quite a few either as part of an African charity or travelling extensively in Bosnia (he's an ex-TA doctor). Now all I have to do is persuade him to come along to the weekly auctions at my local auction house!

He rates the 110 and also didn't seem to have negative comments about the Tdi engine...will probe more.

 

[marcros]

i would be interested in any comments he passes on- I am going to be purchasing a defender in the next few weeks.

there are some good forums online and it is worth looking for a (free) buyers guide online, which in the absence of your mate will tell you what to look out for.

 

[RogerS]

Do you have a link to the buyers guide please? or recommendations as to forums?

Thanks

 

[marcros]

this link is pretty useful http://www.repairmylandrover.co.uk/defe ... yers-guide there were some printable checklists somewhere too. If you are looking at a disco or defender with a couple of different engine options, it might be as easy to google "defender 200tdi buyers guide" etc. when you have one to look at. I have to confess I didnt look at discos because they werent quite what i want. Probably a lot more car for your money though.

Forums, i didnt register on any, but when i was looking at the differences between the various engines and which is "best", forums came up pretty high on the google search. lro.com and landyzone.co.uk were both popular, and had plenty of discussion. I dont like to register on these places and either not post, or ask questions that have already been asked a thousand times.

 

[Eric The Viking]

The TD (simple turbo diesel) was rubbish. Avoid like the plague as any still running WILL have problems. Mine started consuming its own oil and had to be crashed to stop it running! I now have a TDi (TD4) in the same vehicle and it's brilliant. The donor was a Discovery, and it's not a simple conversion, but the engine is faultless. It's not only got more power than the TD, but it starts really well and is considerably less thirsty.

My Defender is a 110 station wagon. It's noisy, rusty bumpy and prone to leaks and condensation, but this year is the second it's sailed through its MOT, and I love it to bits.

Really vintage Landys in good nick attract premium prices. Expect to pay around 5k for something worth having/doing up.

Rust: Take a ball pein hammer and overalls when you go looking and hit the chassis anywhere you are worried - back crossmembers and aft of the bulkhead generally are the problem areas. The front usually has too much oil spilled on it to rust badly. Bulkhead rust can be a pain - awkward to deal with. Doors: always rust out, but replacements are around £300 with the necessary fittings transferred from the old one. You can get almost all parts you need. Middle-row doors for station wagons are like hens teeth s/h, but there are rumours of pattern ones now becoming available. Front pair and back doors are pretty common.

Ex-military are a mixed blessing. They tend to be lower spec, and you really can't tell how they've been used.

Also watch for: gearbox output shaft issues (should be cross-drilled for reliability); middle crossmember on CSWs, Outriggers (chassis bits roughly level with the bulkhead), and power steering boxes.

The wiring is crap, but easy to fix. The heater doesn't (usually). The headlamps wouldn't frighten a gloworm.

Insurance from NFU mutual, usually, or a few other specialists. If you're not planning to off-road it, and it's normal spec. and you don't have a queue of teenagers wanting to learn in it, it shouldn't be expensive, but sadly is no longer dirt cheap either.

The as-fitted tyres (175x14? ) are getting hard to find, but there are slightly wider equivalents around. No longer £25 each, as they were five or so years ago.

Most should have a Dixon-Bate adjustable tow hitch. The ex-mil ones sometimes have a hook, but this is easily swapped. The main DB hitch is expensive as an add-on, but really useful - worth looking for. Also a proper full length roof rack - again pricey to fit, but not too much extra cost on a s/h vehicle. I can put 8x4 sheets of ply into mine BUT you have to fix stuff down at the front really well, as the slab windscreen causes a huge updraft (DAMHIK!).

Most problems you can fix yourself.

They are the greatest vehicle design, probably ever.*

Go for it.

E.

*apart from, er, lots of things, all of which I can't afford, and really only want to look at, not own.

PS: 300TDi engines have quite a few generic issues (top end?), that 200 TDi ones don't.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Forgot to say: if you get one find a nice friendly Farmers' garage, preferably one who does MOTs, and always take it there!

And they're great in the country - you can see over the hedges, and wildlife generally ignores you.

 

[Rob Platt]

Toyota Hi Lux
Had a few Landrovers that would n`t pull your granny out of bed.
Spent a lot of the last four years working in Africa where everyone has one because they`re reliable.
all the best
rob

 

[RogerS]

Toyota Hi Lux
.....
rob

But don't you need to tow a petrol tanker behind it? :wink:

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Toyota Hi Lux
.....
rob

But don't you need to tow a petrol tanker behind it? :wink:

... as opposed to a nice frugal Land rover?

 

[Rob Platt]

15mpg from my landrovers on petrol. they would at least pull but at a price.
I wouldn`t buy 4x4 for their economy. everything has a price and my current thinking is that hilux offers the best option. hence my suggestion to you.
all the best
rob

 

[RogerS]

Are you talking the car version or pickup, Rob?

Re fuel consumption spoke to a guy selling an LPG Discovery...reckons it costs him £30 to do 100 miles. :shock: :shock: That's about twice the cost on my Santa Fe (RIP)

 

[Rob Platt]

Are you talking the car version or pickup, Rob?

Which ever suits your purpose best
Personally I like the twin cab pickup.
I`m told the most economical engine is the 2.4 diesel
We had about 14 on one of these going over rough ground in Tanzania a couple of months back i don`t think it was at any time bothered by either the load or the terrain. But i wasn`t putting fuel in it so i don't know how much it was using.
All the best
rob

 

[Harbo]

I drove Land Rovers on construction sites for years until Toyota Hiluxs came on the scene when they became the sort after vehicle.
I cannot understand the desire to ride about in LR's unless you are going off road - noisy, uncomfortable, uneconomical, lousy turning circle etc etc.

Rod

 

[cutting42]

Because they are cool in a way that a Toyota never will be

 

[dickm]

Been wondering about something 4x4 in case we get any more 2009-10-11 winters, as we live at the top of a hill. Would have similar requirements to the OP, and the only things that seem to come near at a reasonable price seem to be Honda CRVs or some Octavia 4x4s. Anyone got comments on them - there are occasional turbo diesels that nearly come into the price range.

 

[RogerS]

Because they are cool in a way that a Toyota never will be

Yes, the squaddies and Medics in Bosnia referred to them as the PimpMobile.

 

[promhandicam]

I don't know if the crewcab hilix has improved but all the ones I drove in Africa had head shaped dents in the roof - from the inside. You really needed to carry a few sacks of sand or something else weighty in the back to keep the back on the road. Also the only vehicle I ever been in that has managed to do an end over end roll and still be more or less driveable afterwards although sadly not by the chauffeur who wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The other problem with toyotas, at least in africa, was that getting parts was dificult and expensive as they seemed to change part numbers on an almost annual basis. At the time LR parts were fairly standard and compared to toyota relatively cheap - which was good because we seemed to get through a lot! I'd still go for a LandRover probably a 90 (if I had the money to maintain it and put fuel in it) as I've got fond memories of driving round Zaire in one.