Advice required
- Thread starter gansbaai
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badadj
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- Burton upon Trent
Welcome gansbaai, my advice is , yes goo get one. But you might want to think about possibly spending a wee bit more. After all with a bit extra cash on hand you can afford to be a little more picky.
Also don't go for the first one you see no matter how tempted you may be, doesn't matter what the sales pitch is you can always walk away and nine times out of ten it'll still be there tomorrow.
Chassis condition is always important, get underneath and have a good poke around , preferably with a screwdriver.
Also don't go for the first one you see no matter how tempted you may be, doesn't matter what the sales pitch is you can always walk away and nine times out of ten it'll still be there tomorrow.
Chassis condition is always important, get underneath and have a good poke around , preferably with a screwdriver.
Thanks for that. I am happy to spend up to £3500 or even £4000 at a stretch, so your advice is well heeded.
I am not sure what I am to look for - have seen a few in good condition on autotrader (particularly one for £2600 which is white but with high mileage). Some pointers would be helpful - I do about 10000 miles per year, so it would be getting a fair amount of use.
I am not sure what I am to look for - have seen a few in good condition on autotrader (particularly one for £2600 which is white but with high mileage). Some pointers would be helpful - I do about 10000 miles per year, so it would be getting a fair amount of use.
disco_steve
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That's NOT a fair amount, my Disco TD5 is currently on 98k at 42 months old, and is running at approx 3,500 miles a month
That's NOT a fair amount, my Disco TD5 is currently on 98k at 42 months old, and is running at approx 3,500 miles a month
That is a fair comment - what is a lot for one person I guess is not an awful lot for others. I would use it as my daily run around, as well as for a bit of offroad of course.
badadj
Well-Known Member
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- Burton upon Trent
Expect ;the clutch pedal to be very firm, to be relatively noisy in the cab, not to be that responsive when attempting to pull away quickly,there shouldn't be a lot of smoke on startup and once it settles hardly any smoke until you blip the throttle.
There may be a few panel dents but don't woory about the gaps between the panels not being too straight( normal)
If you're tall it may be a bit tight in the drivers seat, due to the fact that you can't move the seat back that far.
Turning circle isn't brilliant and if it's damp outside when you go to have a look at it , it'll pretty much be damp inside the car aswell, and it will take a fair amount of time to de-mist.( door seals aren't brill )
Try driving in low range and locking the diffs ( a light should come on on the dash )
Expect a bit of bubbling in the paintwork especially around the door bottoms but if you see any around the bottom corners of the windscreen this will probably indicate that your bulkhead is rotting which can be expensive. ( check for overspray that points to recent touch ups, alarm bells )
The suspension should be relatively firm and shouldn't roll too much round corners, although compared to a standard car with a lower centre of gravity, it will feel like its rolling.
Steering shouldn't be too loose, but there are a lot of rods and ball joint thingy's to move so it there may be a little play.
when you put the handbrake on expect the car to roll slightly forwards or backwards before stopping, due to the fact that the hanbrake is on the transmission.
Check the oil, lift the oil filler cap, if there's mayonaise on it walk away
Hope I haven't put you off, you'll love it I'm sure.
There may be a few panel dents but don't woory about the gaps between the panels not being too straight( normal)
If you're tall it may be a bit tight in the drivers seat, due to the fact that you can't move the seat back that far.
Turning circle isn't brilliant and if it's damp outside when you go to have a look at it , it'll pretty much be damp inside the car aswell, and it will take a fair amount of time to de-mist.( door seals aren't brill )
Try driving in low range and locking the diffs ( a light should come on on the dash )
Expect a bit of bubbling in the paintwork especially around the door bottoms but if you see any around the bottom corners of the windscreen this will probably indicate that your bulkhead is rotting which can be expensive. ( check for overspray that points to recent touch ups, alarm bells )
The suspension should be relatively firm and shouldn't roll too much round corners, although compared to a standard car with a lower centre of gravity, it will feel like its rolling.
Steering shouldn't be too loose, but there are a lot of rods and ball joint thingy's to move so it there may be a little play.
when you put the handbrake on expect the car to roll slightly forwards or backwards before stopping, due to the fact that the hanbrake is on the transmission.
Check the oil, lift the oil filler cap, if there's mayonaise on it walk away
Hope I haven't put you off, you'll love it I'm sure.
Eben
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- Cape Town, South Africa
Howzit Gansie...
Where to start?
Most of the important things have been covered. One thing I'd suggest is keeping around £1K in reserve for those unexpected things that crop up. Like the seller packing the bearings or the diff with sawdust, or the chassis that looks perfect, but has in fact been stuffed with house bricks, then fibreglass and finally body putty and a lovely coat of paint to make it look new. Or the bulkhead that's held together with plastic steel.
All experiences that I had buying Land Rovers in the UK...
Where to start?
Most of the important things have been covered. One thing I'd suggest is keeping around £1K in reserve for those unexpected things that crop up. Like the seller packing the bearings or the diff with sawdust, or the chassis that looks perfect, but has in fact been stuffed with house bricks, then fibreglass and finally body putty and a lovely coat of paint to make it look new. Or the bulkhead that's held together with plastic steel.
All experiences that I had buying Land Rovers in the UK...
Thanks very much to you both for your advice. I think I have a very good basis for looking at second hand Landies. I appreciate the fact you have taken the time to give me such valuable advice I suspect has come from your own experiences. What do you think about going for series one or twos instead of defenders?
badadj
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- Burton upon Trent
You can expect to get a lot more seriesII or III for your money than you would a defender, if you get what I mean.
I'm not saying that a series is better or worse than a defender, just generally cheaper.
A series vehicle is likely to be a lot less refined than a defender, but certainly relatively easier to work on by comparison and cheaper.
Then you've got to look at whether to go petrol or diesel, V8, normally aspirated, ones fitted with upgraded engines ( tdi's etc )
Basically its a whole new minefield and one where I'm sure there are other people on here better qualified to advise.
But you find a good one and you'll have no problems, apart from the usual, which I'm sure if you spend any time on here visiting the relevant sections you'll soon become more familiar with.
Personally I'd love a series lightweight or a pickup to go to work in, but at the minute the 110 is just more practical.
I'd probably steer clear of the series I for now, can be quite pricey for a good one, and you really need to know what to look for on those.
I'm not saying that a series is better or worse than a defender, just generally cheaper.
A series vehicle is likely to be a lot less refined than a defender, but certainly relatively easier to work on by comparison and cheaper.
Then you've got to look at whether to go petrol or diesel, V8, normally aspirated, ones fitted with upgraded engines ( tdi's etc )
Basically its a whole new minefield and one where I'm sure there are other people on here better qualified to advise.
But you find a good one and you'll have no problems, apart from the usual, which I'm sure if you spend any time on here visiting the relevant sections you'll soon become more familiar with.
Personally I'd love a series lightweight or a pickup to go to work in, but at the minute the 110 is just more practical.
I'd probably steer clear of the series I for now, can be quite pricey for a good one, and you really need to know what to look for on those.
GRUNT
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Do a search summat like "buying a used 90". I got mine fer 1800quid an thought I'd got a bargain but after three anna half years it has cost me best part of five grand, now whether I'd have ended up with one in as good a condition if I'd spent five grand initially is another thing.
