Buying a Series 2...

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fearthecat

New Member
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My friend and I have been 'offered' a Series 2 land rover for £800, but having only been in one a couple of times and not owned or driven one, I don't know much about them so I've no idea if this is a bargain or something we should pass on. So I thought i'd ask some experts ;)

It's a 1961 109 LWB version, with a Perkins 4203 Diesel engine (which I've not been able to find out much about!). It's got free wheeling hubs, high ratio diffs and overdrive... 11 months mot and a recent engine overhaul. No winch, that would have been great, but a height adjustable towbar.

We'd be using it primarily for transporting our cars, or collecting new ones or parts for them.

Does it sound like a great buy or is it average? Does anyone know what the Perkins engine is like?

Thanks for any response :)
 
Hi Fearthecat and welcome to the forum.

Sounds pretty good to me, i'm assuming you've checked the obvious things such as chassis, bulkhead, crossmembers and also that the engine is running correctly (I can't give any specific info about the perkins diesel but someone here will), with a full MOT £800 sounds like a bargain.

Especially as the Series 2 is considered by many to be the most desirable (as far as looks go) of the Series landy's plus with it's tax free status they are becoming a sought after classic.

Don't know whether you've driven old Landy's before for any length of time, but even if it's a minter it'll feel like a shed compared to anything you'll have driven before so just get a feel for it and if you like it and you've got the dosh, then go for it.

Bob.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome bob, and for places to check. I might be seeing it at the weekend, as for now have just seen it on paper. I'll be sure to have a good look inside and out as 800 is still quite a lot for me so i want a lot for it ;)

The engine seems to be quite popular for boats! ...but dont know how it fairs in a Land Rover.
 
I borrowed a SII with a Perkins once. It was bloody awful! The engine did not suit the Rover's gears, you had to rev the bollocks off the thing in every gear - top speed in 4th being about 30mph, although you couldn't keep that up for long due to the noise. I'm not saying this one will be as bad, but make sure you take it for a run to see if the engine suits the car. As for the rest, take the others' advice: get under it and bang the chassis with a screwdriver - you'll know if it's bad or not. It all depends on what you're looking for: if you want a nice restoration project then 800 quid will probably get you off to a good start. If you want something ready to drive on the road (regularly) you might need to think hard about it. Also tap the bulkhead around the doorhinges with a screwdriver: it might be made of filler.
Good luck!:)
 
nearly all the perkins engined ones are rubbish. the engine swap by itself is a poor choice of unit. changing the diff helps a lot. thinks its the RR one it needs?
great engines for marine and industrial use. where speed is not an essential. they go on foreever. slow reving you see.
 
Yeh I'm not enthusiastic about the engine. I've got 3 cars to try and work on too so I dont think buying it and swapping the engine is going to be feasable, it'd take up too much time and money.
 
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