Choosing between a modded Series III or a standard Defender 90

Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
I have:

I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
rover passion.

With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series III

The Defender (1990):
Has been used as a private vehicle (albeit being commercial) and was
never used for off roading. Is still in a pervect condition from the
outside and has a relatively comfortable interior. This has never been
modified at all, but was always well kept, serviced etc.

The Series III (1980?):
Has been heavily modified to be upgraded to a Ninety in all but
appearance. The current owner has added/ changed:

- TDi300 Engine with Lt77 gearbox
- Coil Springs,
- Loads of internal "comforts" like electric windows, central locking,
Alarm (which is important since it is a rag-top)
- Mud Tires and more...
- Power Steering
- New battery, radiator, Intercooler
- Power brakes

This owner, though, was neurotic about the mechanical and functional
aspect of the car, but neglected the bodywork. Having said that there
is no apparent rust in the Steel parts. This car will also leave me
with an extra £2000 or $3000 to play with and fix about.

As a daily runaround & weekend offroader, which would you recommend?

On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series III

From the description the series 3 is a bastardised hybrid that's
neither here nor there, I'd either go for a 90 or a well sorted
original series 3. If you're very handy with the spanners then you
can fix the hybrid but if you're not, then you might have hassles
finding someone who'll work on it.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

In message <[email protected]>
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
> I have:
>
> I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
> new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
> rover passion.
>
> With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series III
>
> The Defender (1990):
> Has been used as a private vehicle (albeit being commercial) and was
> never used for off roading. Is still in a pervect condition from the
> outside and has a relatively comfortable interior. This has never been
> modified at all, but was always well kept, serviced etc.
>
> The Series III (1980?):
> Has been heavily modified to be upgraded to a Ninety in all but
> appearance. The current owner has added/ changed:
>
> - TDi300 Engine with Lt77 gearbox
> - Coil Springs,
> - Loads of internal "comforts" like electric windows, central locking,
> Alarm (which is important since it is a rag-top)
> - Mud Tires and more...
> - Power Steering
> - New battery, radiator, Intercooler
> - Power brakes
>
> This owner, though, was neurotic about the mechanical and functional
> aspect of the car, but neglected the bodywork. Having said that there
> is no apparent rust in the Steel parts. This car will also leave me
> with an extra £2000 or $3000 to play with and fix about.
>
> As a daily runaround & weekend offroader, which would you recommend?
>

Speaking personaly, as I assume it's going to be your only car, I'd
go for the standard 90. The Series III may look the part, but I
suspect that unless you are very careful you'd be buying a lot of
work. Unless the owner knows which bits came from where buying
spares is going to be a potential nightmare, plus of course it
is a modified vehicle and insurance may be diffcult. If the
neglected bodywork includes the bulkhead then you could be in
real trouble...... You could always fit a 200Tdi to the 90 at a
later date, but the 2.5D is pretty capable off road - though
on road some patience is required!

If you were just looking for a play thing, then the Series III
potentially has a lot going for it.

Just my 2p.

Richard
--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
www.radioparadise.com - Good Music, No Vine
Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

First of all thanks to Ian and Richard for their speedy replies,

Yes, It is going to be my only car, and I would like to have a reliable
car for everyday use. Finding someone to work on it should not be a
problem since we live in a country which is full of hybrid land rovers,
but if you think it would need someone to work on it regularly, then I
would not be too happy. I would not like a car which will spend more
time in the repair shop than bing driven around.

Assuming that mechanics are easy to come across and would cost the
same, do you think there is much more cause for trouble with the
modified Series III than there would be with the Defender?

As Richard said above, the Series III is more tempting as a plaything,
but I have to keep in mind that it will be an everyday runaround too,
and I do quite a lot of running around, mostly on road.

Please keep the opinions forthcoming because I am still very undecided!

Thanks,
Richard M.A.

On Nov 8, 9:41 am, beamendsltd <[email protected]> wrote:
> In message <[email protected]>
> "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
> > I have:
>
> > I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
> > new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
> > rover passion.
>
> > With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> > with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series III
>
> > The Defender (1990):
> > Has been used as a private vehicle (albeit being commercial) and was
> > never used for off roading. Is still in a pervect condition from the
> > outside and has a relatively comfortable interior. This has never been
> > modified at all, but was always well kept, serviced etc.
>
> > The Series III (1980?):
> > Has been heavily modified to be upgraded to a Ninety in all but
> > appearance. The current owner has added/ changed:
>
> > - TDi300 Engine with Lt77 gearbox
> > - Coil Springs,
> > - Loads of internal "comforts" like electric windows, central locking,
> > Alarm (which is important since it is a rag-top)
> > - Mud Tires and more...
> > - Power Steering
> > - New battery, radiator, Intercooler
> > - Power brakes
>
> > This owner, though, was neurotic about the mechanical and functional
> > aspect of the car, but neglected the bodywork. Having said that there
> > is no apparent rust in the Steel parts. This car will also leave me
> > with an extra £2000 or $3000 to play with and fix about.
>
> > As a daily runaround & weekend offroader, which would you recommend?Speaking personaly, as I assume it's going to be your only car, I'd
> go for the standard 90. The Series III may look the part, but I
> suspect that unless you are very careful you'd be buying a lot of
> work. Unless the owner knows which bits came from where buying
> spares is going to be a potential nightmare, plus of course it
> is a modified vehicle and insurance may be diffcult. If the
> neglected bodywork includes the bulkhead then you could be in
> real trouble...... You could always fit a 200Tdi to the 90 at a
> later date, but the 2.5D is pretty capable off road - though
> on road some patience is required!
>
> If you were just looking for a play thing, then the Series III
> potentially has a lot going for it.
>
> Just my 2p.
>
> Richard
> --www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected] Good Music, No Vine
> Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

once you get anything that is not standard that someone elese has done
then you open yourself up to a lot more work.

unless you had lots of LR mechanical experience already i'd probably
go for the 90 if i wanted to use it every day and as my only vehicle.

as a second car the series 3 might win if the conversion and work done
looked to be of a high standard.

While when they are both running perfectly the s3 might look more
appealing, but as soon as it goes wrong you will have a lot more work
to do than on the 90- the s3 will have lots of bespoke bits and pieces
and a mix of stuff off other models, and if it is like all the other
series landies i have seen the wiring loom may be like a rats nest.

On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> Yes, It is going to be my only car, and I would like to have a reliable
> car for everyday use.

Do you have more than one parking space? If so get the series and
spend the extra lolly on an old audi for everyday driving. I
personally would never recommend that you off-road your everyday car,
off-roading can damage the car or it can get stuck for a while,
leaving you car-less which can be a PITA. With two cars you can leave
the broken off-roader for a while until the time or the cash is
available to fix it.

> but if you think it would need someone to work on it regularly, then I
> would not be too happy. I would not like a car which will spend more
> time in the repair shop than bing driven around.

No-one here has any way of telling which would require more work, as
no-one's seen it, the 90 might be a crock for all we know, my concern
was that it'd usually easier to fix the 90 than the series as it's
stock and the parts and experience is readily available all over the
country.

> As Richard said above, the Series III is more tempting as a plaything,
> but I have to keep in mind that it will be an everyday runaround too,
> and I do quite a lot of running around, mostly on road.

Seriously, get two cars! If you can only get one car then get the 90,
but if you can park two then get the series 3 and a runabout car with
the extra cash. That's what I'd do anyhow ;-)

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

gaa.. you're making the choice much harder now. Remember I'm giving up
comfort to get a land rover that I can drive every day. If that does
not make sense I can just get a Series II or IIA landy for under £1500
and keep my present car, which is an ideal runabout. Alternatively, I
can get the Defender AND an older Series some time soon, so I keep to
Land Rovers all day round because I cannot stand driving around in a
small feeling-less car any longer.

Oh, choices are the biggest problems in life.

The defender seems to be a much wiser choice, but I guess I'll just
have to soft-road in it if I want it to stay whole... Is it very common
to break down your car when off roading? We don't have fords or rivers
to cross, but we do have a very rocky country (I'm from the Island of
Malta, by the way) so I'll be offroading on soil and rocks mostly, +
the day to day driving on our roads which are completely horrible.

I'm very confused. I appreciate your help greatly because I would like
to avoid spending loads of money on a car which would not be reliable.

Just this one question. Assuming I find a Defender or Ninetey (say post
'87) in a good condition and stay on the road, are they practical to
drive around in day in, day out?

Thanks loads from very confused
Richard

On Nov 8, 10:45 am, Ian Rawlings <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Yes, It is going to be my only car, and I would like to have a reliable
> > car for everyday use.Do you have more than one parking space? If so get the series and
> spend the extra lolly on an old audi for everyday driving. I
> personally would never recommend that you off-road your everyday car,
> off-roading can damage the car or it can get stuck for a while,
> leaving you car-less which can be a PITA. With two cars you can leave
> the broken off-roader for a while until the time or the cash is
> available to fix it.
>
> > but if you think it would need someone to work on it regularly, then I
> > would not be too happy. I would not like a car which will spend more
> > time in the repair shop than bing driven around.No-one here has any wayof telling which would require more work, as
> no-one's seen it, the 90 might be a crock for all we know, my concern
> was that it'd usually easier to fix the 90 than the series as it's
> stock and the parts and experience is readily available all over the
> country.
>
> > As Richard said above, the Series III is more tempting as a plaything,
> > but I have to keep in mind that it will be an everyday runaround too,
> > and I do quite a lot of running around, mostly on road.Seriously, get two cars! If you can only get one car then get the 90,
> but if you can park two then get the series 3 and a runabout car with
> the extra cash. That's what I'd do anyhow ;-)
>
> --
> Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> Alternatively, I can get the Defender AND an older Series some time
> soon, so I keep to Land Rovers all day round because I cannot stand
> driving around in a small feeling-less car any longer.

OK, in that case personally I'd recommend getting a 90, or if you can
stretch to it, a 110 as it's more practical, then you can get a short
wheelbase series later for a real off-road toy.

> The defender seems to be a much wiser choice, but I guess I'll just
> have to soft-road in it if I want it to stay whole... Is it very
> common to break down your car when off roading?

It depends on the terrain but most importantly on how you drive it.
When I first got mine I bent quite a lot of the drivetrain because I
drove it too hard off-road and ended up with a repair bill that was
half the cost of the vehicle. If you're driving it across rocks big
enough to bash the underside then that's probably too much on a
regular basis but they're pretty tough, I do green laning in mine and
the occasional off-road course and have never seriously damaged it
off-roading in the last 5 years.

Just drive it carefully, always assume that the accelerator pedal is
your worst enemy and try to avoid spinning the wheels, the faster they
spin the more damage you do to your differential, and if the wheel
suddenly grips then bits of metal can fly out from underneath the truck!

> Just this one question. Assuming I find a Defender or Ninetey (say post
> '87) in a good condition and stay on the road, are they practical to
> drive around in day in, day out?

Yep, as long as you can afford the fuel costs, servicing costs and the
noise. One of the reasons I don't tend to post much mechanical
know-how in this group is because the Defender has been the most
reliable car I've ever owned despite me off-roading it fairly
regularly.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

In message <[email protected]>
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

> gaa.. you're making the choice much harder now. Remember I'm giving up
> comfort to get a land rover that I can drive every day. If that does
> not make sense I can just get a Series II or IIA landy for under £1500
> and keep my present car, which is an ideal runabout. Alternatively, I
> can get the Defender AND an older Series some time soon, so I keep to
> Land Rovers all day round because I cannot stand driving around in a
> small feeling-less car any longer.
>
> Oh, choices are the biggest problems in life.
>
> The defender seems to be a much wiser choice, but I guess I'll just
> have to soft-road in it if I want it to stay whole... Is it very common
> to break down your car when off roading? We don't have fords or rivers
> to cross, but we do have a very rocky country (I'm from the Island of
> Malta, by the way) so I'll be offroading on soil and rocks mostly, +
> the day to day driving on our roads which are completely horrible.
>

Unless you intend going mad with it, the only bit that can be
considered a weakness is the track rod - it wouldn't cost too
much to have a spare in the back in case you do bend it (I carry
old one in the back, but then I have a 110 which is much more
likely to get bent - adding the protection bracket off a 110 will
help a lot too). Doing damage that will completely halt
your vehicle is rare when a bit of caution is applied, unless you
are unlucky! Just remember, a rock will go through the diff case
(on any vehicle) relatively easily.

> I'm very confused. I appreciate your help greatly because I would like
> to avoid spending loads of money on a car which would not be reliable.
>
> Just this one question. Assuming I find a Defender or Ninetey (say post
> '87) in a good condition and stay on the road, are they practical to
> drive around in day in, day out?

Yes - if you like the driving position - I haven't driven anything
else, where I've had a choice, for over 10 years and well over 300,000
miles. I personaly like sitting "upright" and find it very comfortable,
others don't. The seeming lack of elbow room takes a bit of getting
used to, but then in your climate I expect you'd have the window
wound down anyway!

>
> Thanks loads from very confused

No problem - the fact that you are asking the right questions
indicates that whichever vehicle you choose is going to a
good home.

Richard

>
> On Nov 8, 10:45 am, Ian Rawlings <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > Yes, It is going to be my only car, and I would like to have a reliable
> > > car for everyday use.Do you have more than one parking space? If so get the series and
> > spend the extra lolly on an old audi for everyday driving. I
> > personally would never recommend that you off-road your everyday car,
> > off-roading can damage the car or it can get stuck for a while,
> > leaving you car-less which can be a PITA. With two cars you can leave
> > the broken off-roader for a while until the time or the cash is
> > available to fix it.
> >
> > > but if you think it would need someone to work on it regularly, then I
> > > would not be too happy. I would not like a car which will spend more
> > > time in the repair shop than bing driven around.No-one here has any way of telling which would require more work, as
> > no-one's seen it, the 90 might be a crock for all we know, my concern
> > was that it'd usually easier to fix the 90 than the series as it's
> > stock and the parts and experience is readily available all over the
> > country.
> >
> > > As Richard said above, the Series III is more tempting as a plaything,
> > > but I have to keep in mind that it will be an everyday runaround too,
> > > and I do quite a lot of running around, mostly on road.Seriously, get two cars! If you can only get one car then get the 90,
> > but if you can park two then get the series 3 and a runabout car with
> > the extra cash. That's what I'd do anyhow ;-)
> >
> > --
> > Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
>

--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
www.radioparadise.com - Good Music, No Vine
Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
>I have:

>I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
>new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
>rover passion.

>With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
>with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series III

Although I'm a fairly new owner myself I might be able to add a little to
what's already been said, I have a mate who uses his 90 as his only car,
well unless you consider his Morris Minor which is rarely mobile , and he
and his partner are happy with the 90 for that task. I have an original SIII
and most definitely would not consider it usable as a first car, it's a
goods carrier/tow vehicle and general play thing. Another mate has an SII
which he would never consider his first car either.

One point I don't think anyone's made, why limit yourself to just two cars?,
there are thousands of Land Rovers around to choose from!, yeah I know you
wanted less choice .

Greg

beamendsltd wrote:
<snip>
>
> Yes - if you like the driving position - I haven't driven anything
> else, where I've had a choice, for over 10 years and well over 300,000
> miles. I personaly like sitting "upright" and find it very comfortable,
> others don't. The seeming lack of elbow room takes a bit of getting
> used to, but then in your climate I expect you'd have the window
> wound down anyway!
>
>
I've just had to suffer a Ford Ka for three days, due to the water pump
bearings giving out on the 110 at the weekend (the Ka was the cheapest
hire car available). One word: horrible. Crap driving position (my
head was in the roof, and i'm only just shy of six feet tall), I
couldn't see the speedo (no excuse Sir), no luggage space etc. etc. I
know it is "just a mini car", but the real Mini is a delight by
comparison.

A side note: I'm after a LHD diesel anything Series or 110/90. It's for
commuting, so an 88" would be fine, truck cab even. Anyone got one?

Stuart

Thanks to Ian, Beamends & Greg for their answers

They helped a lot.

It makes sense to look for a 110 because It will increase space
greatly, and I need to lunge things around quite frequently for my
business. The problem would be parking and increased fuel costs
though.. so I might get a 90 and a trailer...

Greg, I limited the choice down to two cars from the Land Rovers I saw
till now. LRs in Malta are relatively expensive and I shall be selling
my car to buy one, so the budget is relatively limited.

>From what I have heard from you all, I guess the modded vehicle is out
of the question a a runabout, but I might consider getting one when I
have the cash and use it exclusively for off roading. I already know
that if you do not speed, you can offroad in anything, I did it (mildly
but) successfully in my previous 2 cars - an old Peugeot 505 and my
current C2 without ever suffering the consequences. I've also offroaded
slightly in a LWB pajero and a pajero mini (the precursor to the Shogun
Pinin)

As for fuel and servicing costs... on a new car servicing costs are
phenomenally expensive, I paid 3 times the price of the services I used
to give to my 505 for one service on the C2. Fuel should work out to be
nearly the same as the C2 because I can reclaim the VAT and file it as
an expense for my company, saving on income tax too in the long run.
Since the C2 was not commercial, I could not do that.

Oh, and beamends, the seating position is just perfect, I leave my seat
in an upright position, and the LRs I tried were just lovely.

Thanks again from a slightly less confused
Richard

On Nov 8, 1:11 pm, "Greg" <[email protected]> wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in messagenews:[email protected]...
>
> >Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
> >I have:
> >I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
> >new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
> >rover passion.
> >With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> >with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series IIIAlthough I'm a fairly new owner myself I might be able to add a little to
> what's already been said, I have a mate who uses his 90 as his only car,
> well unless you consider his Morris Minor which is rarely mobile , and he
> and his partner are happy with the 90 for that task. I have an original SIII
> and most definitely would not consider it usable as a first car, it's a
> goods carrier/tow vehicle and general play thing. Another mate has an SII
> which he would never consider his first car either.
>
> One point I don't think anyone's made, why limit yourself to just two cars?,
> there are thousands of Land Rovers around to choose from!, yeah I know you
> wanted less choice .
>
> Greg

On 2006-11-08, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> It makes sense to look for a 110 because It will increase space
> greatly, and I need to lunge things around quite frequently for my
> business. The problem would be parking and increased fuel costs
> though.. so I might get a 90 and a trailer...

The 110's not *that* much longer than a 90, it doesn't pitch around as
much as a 90, and the extra space is sooooo useful! The 110 is about
the same length as my Audi A4 in fact.

As for fuel costs, no idea on the difference but again I doubt there's
a huge amount in it.

Whatever you decide to get, good luck with it.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

[email protected] wrote:
> Thanks to Ian, Beamends & Greg for their answers
>
> They helped a lot.
>
> It makes sense to look for a 110 because It will increase space
> greatly, and I need to lunge things around quite frequently for my
> business. The problem would be parking and increased fuel costs
> though.. so I might get a 90 and a trailer...
>
> Greg, I limited the choice down to two cars from the Land Rovers I saw
> till now. LRs in Malta are relatively expensive and I shall be selling
> my car to buy one, so the budget is relatively limited.
>
>>From what I have heard from you all, I guess the modded vehicle is out
> of the question a a runabout, but I might consider getting one when I
> have the cash and use it exclusively for off roading. I already know
> that if you do not speed, you can offroad in anything, I did it (mildly
> but) successfully in my previous 2 cars - an old Peugeot 505 and my
> current C2 without ever suffering the consequences. I've also offroaded
> slightly in a LWB pajero and a pajero mini (the precursor to the Shogun
> Pinin)
>
> As for fuel and servicing costs... on a new car servicing costs are
> phenomenally expensive, I paid 3 times the price of the services I used
> to give to my 505 for one service on the C2. Fuel should work out to be
> nearly the same as the C2 because I can reclaim the VAT and file it as
> an expense for my company, saving on income tax too in the long run.
> Since the C2 was not commercial, I could not do that.
>
> Oh, and beamends, the seating position is just perfect, I leave my seat
> in an upright position, and the LRs I tried were just lovely.
>
> Thanks again from a slightly less confused
> Richard
>
> On Nov 8, 1:11 pm, "Greg" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> <[email protected]> wrote in messagenews:[email protected]...
>>
>>> Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
>>> I have:
>>> I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
>>> new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
>>> rover passion.
>>> With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
>>> with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series IIIAlthough I'm a fairly new owner myself I might be able to add a little to
>> what's already been said, I have a mate who uses his 90 as his only car,
>> well unless you consider his Morris Minor which is rarely mobile , and he
>> and his partner are happy with the 90 for that task. I have an original SIII
>> and most definitely would not consider it usable as a first car, it's a
>> goods carrier/tow vehicle and general play thing. Another mate has an SII
>> which he would never consider his first car either.
>>
>> One point I don't think anyone's made, why limit yourself to just two cars?,
>> there are thousands of Land Rovers around to choose from!, yeah I know you
>> wanted less choice .
>>
>> Greg
>
If I was making the choice, having driven on what you call roads out
there!! I would choose the 110 for the better ride. My 110 had heavy
duty suspension and was one of the smoothest things I have ever driven!!

John

Having made the choice to go Defender, is there anything in particular
you would recomend loking out for. From what I've gathered the weakest
links are:

- Rusty Chassis or Bulkhead (check Cross member and the place where the
coils rest on the Chassis)
- Oil-leaking engine

anything else in particular?

Thanks,

Richard

On Nov 8, 6:00 pm, John Moppett <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
> > Thanks to Ian, Beamends & Greg for their answers
>
> > They helped a lot.
>
> > It makes sense to look for a 110 because It will increase space
> > greatly, and I need to lunge things around quite frequently for my
> > business. The problem would be parking and increased fuel costs
> > though.. so I might get a 90 and a trailer...
>
> > Greg, I limited the choice down to two cars from the Land Rovers I saw
> > till now. LRs in Malta are relatively expensive and I shall be selling
> > my car to buy one, so the budget is relatively limited.
>
> >>From what I have heard from you all, I guess the modded vehicle is out
> > of the question a a runabout, but I might consider getting one when I
> > have the cash and use it exclusively for off roading. I already know
> > that if you do not speed, you can offroad in anything, I did it (mildly
> > but) successfully in my previous 2 cars - an old Peugeot 505 and my
> > current C2 without ever suffering the consequences. I've also offroaded
> > slightly in a LWB pajero and a pajero mini (the precursor to the Shogun
> > Pinin)
>
> > As for fuel and servicing costs... on a new car servicing costs are
> > phenomenally expensive, I paid 3 times the price of the services I used
> > to give to my 505 for one service on the C2. Fuel should work out to be
> > nearly the same as the C2 because I can reclaim the VAT and file it as
> > an expense for my company, saving on income tax too in the long run.
> > Since the C2 was not commercial, I could not do that.
>
> > Oh, and beamends, the seating position is just perfect, I leave my seat
> > in an upright position, and the LRs I tried were just lovely.
>
> > Thanks again from a slightly less confused
> > Richard
>
> > On Nov 8, 1:11 pm, "Greg" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> <[email protected]> wrote in messagenews:[email protected]...
>
> >>> Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
> >>> I have:
> >>> I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
> >>> new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
> >>> rover passion.
> >>> With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> >>> with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series IIIAlthough I'm a fairly new owner myself I might be able to add a little to
> >> what's already been said, I have a mate who uses his 90 as his only car,
> >> well unless you consider his Morris Minor which is rarely mobile , and he
> >> and his partner are happy with the 90 for that task. I have an original SIII
> >> and most definitely would not consider it usable as a first car, it's a
> >> goods carrier/tow vehicle and general play thing. Another mate has an SII
> >> which he would never consider his first car either.
>
> >> One point I don't think anyone's made, why limit yourself to just two cars?,
> >> there are thousands of Land Rovers around to choose from!, yeah I know you
> >> wanted less choice .
>
> >> GregIf I was making the choice, having driven on what you call roads out
> there!! I would choose the 110 for the better ride. My 110 had heavy
> duty suspension and was one of the smoothest things I have ever driven!!
>
> John

In message <[email protected]>
"[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Having made the choice to go Defender, is there anything in particular
> you would recomend loking out for. From what I've gathered the weakest
> links are:
>
> - Rusty Chassis or Bulkhead (check Cross member and the place where the
> coils rest on the Chassis)
> - Oil-leaking engine
>
> anything else in particular?
>

Bulkhead outriggers (easy enough to fix, but a good bargining point).
Gearbox clunk, i.e. mainshaft/fransfer box input gear has worn splines.
The brackets where the rear radius arm attaches to the axle - these
are not available as a spare part and would need to be fabricated, or
the axle tube changed - not usually a problem on Defenders, more of
a Discovery thing, but worth checking.

Run the engine with the rocker cover filler/breather off and look
for "chuffing" (more of a poping sound), and look to see if oil
is being blown out of the dipstick tube while running too. If
either are happening then the dreaded porus block on numder 4
cylinder has likely happened. The engine will go for years like that,
but will use quite a lot of oil.

Check the windscreen wipers are working - siezed wiper boxes are
cheap, but fitting is a complete pain.

> Thanks,
>
> Richard
>

Richard

> On Nov 8, 6:00 pm, John Moppett <[email protected]> wrote:
> > [email protected] wrote:
> > > Thanks to Ian, Beamends & Greg for their answers
> >
> > > They helped a lot.
> >
> > > It makes sense to look for a 110 because It will increase space
> > > greatly, and I need to lunge things around quite frequently for my
> > > business. The problem would be parking and increased fuel costs
> > > though.. so I might get a 90 and a trailer...
> >
> > > Greg, I limited the choice down to two cars from the Land Rovers I saw
> > > till now. LRs in Malta are relatively expensive and I shall be selling
> > > my car to buy one, so the budget is relatively limited.
> >
> > >>From what I have heard from you all, I guess the modded vehicle is out
> > > of the question a a runabout, but I might consider getting one when I
> > > have the cash and use it exclusively for off roading. I already know
> > > that if you do not speed, you can offroad in anything, I did it (mildly
> > > but) successfully in my previous 2 cars - an old Peugeot 505 and my
> > > current C2 without ever suffering the consequences. I've also offroaded
> > > slightly in a LWB pajero and a pajero mini (the precursor to the Shogun
> > > Pinin)
> >
> > > As for fuel and servicing costs... on a new car servicing costs are
> > > phenomenally expensive, I paid 3 times the price of the services I used
> > > to give to my 505 for one service on the C2. Fuel should work out to be
> > > nearly the same as the C2 because I can reclaim the VAT and file it as
> > > an expense for my company, saving on income tax too in the long run.
> > > Since the C2 was not commercial, I could not do that.
> >
> > > Oh, and beamends, the seating position is just perfect, I leave my seat
> > > in an upright position, and the LRs I tried were just lovely.
> >
> > > Thanks again from a slightly less confused
> > > Richard
> >
> > > On Nov 8, 1:11 pm, "Greg" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >> <[email protected]> wrote in messagenews:[email protected]...
> >
> > >>> Can Land rover lovers/ owners etc help me out with this little dilemma
> > >>> I have:
> > >>> I am just about to buy my first Land Rover, moving to it after a small,
> > >>> new, comfortable city car (hic), which I'm selling off to fuel my land
> > >>> rover passion.
> > >>> With the money I have the choice of either getting an early Defender 90
> > >>> with a N/A Diesel or else a heavily modded Series IIIAlthough I'm a fairly new owner myself I might be able to add a little to
> > >> what's already been said, I have a mate who uses his 90 as his only car,
> > >> well unless you consider his Morris Minor which is rarely mobile , and he
> > >> and his partner are happy with the 90 for that task. I have an original SIII
> > >> and most definitely would not consider it usable as a first car, it's a
> > >> goods carrier/tow vehicle and general play thing. Another mate has an SII
> > >> which he would never consider his first car either.
> >
> > >> One point I don't think anyone's made, why limit yourself to just two cars?,
> > >> there are thousands of Land Rovers around to choose from!, yeah I know you
> > >> wanted less choice .
> >
> > >> GregIf I was making the choice, having driven on what you call roads out
> > there!! I would choose the 110 for the better ride. My 110 had heavy
> > duty suspension and was one of the smoothest things I have ever driven!!
> >
> > John
>

--
www.beamends-lrspares.co.uk [email protected]
www.radioparadise.com - Good Music, No Vine
Lib Dems - Townies keeping comedy alive

On or around 8 Nov 2006 23:34:09 -0800, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>Having made the choice to go Defender, is there anything in particular
>you would recomend loking out for. From what I've gathered the weakest
>links are:
>
>- Rusty Chassis or Bulkhead (check Cross member and the place where the
>coils rest on the Chassis)
>- Oil-leaking engine

normal for a land rover... besides, a bit of an oil leak protects the
chassis

>anything else in particular?

Bulkheads can go in the top corners below the windscreen.

Transmission wear on LT77/LT230 combination, detected by clanky-clunky gear
changes, and a noticeable metallic clank on taking up drive, especially if
going from forward to reverse.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, The swallow twittering
from the strawbuilt shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing
horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed."
Thomas Gray, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

Tom Woods wrote:

|| once you get anything that is not standard that someone elese has
|| done then you open yourself up to a lot more work.
||
|| unless you had lots of LR mechanical experience already i'd probably
|| go for the 90 if i wanted to use it every day and as my only vehicle.
||
|| as a second car the series 3 might win if the conversion and work
|| done looked to be of a high standard.
||
|| While when they are both running perfectly the s3 might look more
|| appealing, but as soon as it goes wrong you will have a lot more work
|| to do than on the 90- the s3 will have lots of bespoke bits and
|| pieces and a mix of stuff off other models, and if it is like all
|| the other series landies i have seen the wiring loom may be like a
|| rats nest.

I'd go for the 90 every time. A standard (ex-farmer's) 2.5 n/a 90 was my
first Land Rover and it was perfectly useable as an everyday driver, from
the work commute to several long motorway trips. I had a lot of fun
gradually modifying and improving it as time and funds allowed. The S3
might look funkier, but someone else has had all the fun and, as other
posters have said, finding sources for parts and getting insurance might be
a headache. If you've done the mods yourself, you know how to fix it, and
it will be *yours*.

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
1991 Transit Camper

Take out the obvious to email me.

[email protected] wrote:

| I'm very confused. I appreciate your help greatly because I would like
| to avoid spending loads of money on a car which would not be reliable.

The British army loved the n/a 90 - slow as hell, but rarely break down and
tough as an old boot.

--
Rich
==============================

2001 Disco II ES auto
1971 S2a 88" petrol
1991 Transit Camper

Take out the obvious to email me.

On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 19:50:45 -0000, "Richard Brookman"
<[email protected]> scribbled the following
nonsense:

>[email protected] wrote:
>
>| I'm very confused. I appreciate your help greatly because I would like
>| to avoid spending loads of money on a car which would not be reliable.
>
>The British army loved the n/a 90 - slow as hell, but rarely break down and
>tough as an old boot.

dunno, wound up properl yin a fomer life I managed to get 85 of the
damn things, plod all day at 50
--

Simon Isaacs

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote"
George Jean Nathan (1882-1955)

ROT13 me....