Do I buy a Landy or not?!

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toby_2009

Member
Posts
54
Hi,

Unsurprisingly (since I'm on here) I love landrovers, defenders in particular. I am 18 and passed my driving test about 6 months ago, I was toying with the idea of buying a defender since it was the only thing i could afford to insure however my dad very very kindly offered to help me with the insurance on our renault clio which I took him up on and I now use.

I am on my gap year however will be off to uni in October, I cant take the clio to uni so this gave me an excuse to start considering a landy again. The idea would be to buy it, insure it and keep it largely at home but also take it to uni with me from time to time, I should point out that I will be home from uni for a minimum of 4 months a year so it would still get used.

The main advantages to me buying a landy are:

- cheap to insure
- means I can build a no-claims bonus (well if im carefull that is!)
- means I can have a car to use for general travel, camping, possibly off roading etc

What i'm asking about really is how much I can realistically expect to pay for a defender, I'm not bothered about how old it is, just that it is sound and runs ok, I am pretty practial (however currently no good with engines) and would love to be able to do light work on it (re-paint for instance.)

I have had a look on auto trader however they seem to start at about £2250 for anything that sounds half decent.

What I could really do with is knowing if there are any particular models etc that are particularly cheap to buy.

Also, series III seem cheaper but are they very unreliable?

Sorry this is so wordy, well done if youve read this far!

I should point out, although all of the money will be put up for this by me, I will have to get my parents on my side so any help with how I can make the whole thing cheaper would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Toby
 
If it were me buying one...i'd get a defender with a 200tdi or 300tdi installed, that way running on veg oil etc wont be much of an issue. Pretty much bullet proof too.
Whatever you buy...make sure it aint a nail.
My preference was the hardtop, although now have a pickup.
As for making it cheaper.... i'm guessing a van/pick up would be cheaper than the other models both in price and insurance. dont skimp on security, a diskloc is a must.
 
whiskeydog said:
If it were me buying one...i'd get a defender with a 200tdi or 300tdi installed, that way running on veg oil etc wont be much of an issue. Pretty much bullet proof too.
Whatever you buy...make sure it aint a nail.
My preference was the hardtop, although now have a pickup.
As for making it cheaper.... i'm guessing a van/pick up would be cheaper than the other models both in price and insurance. dont skimp on security, a diskloc is a must.
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the advice, what is a nail (sorry if thats a silly question)?:confused:

Also, what sort of price range do you recon I'm looking at and where is the best place to buy? auto trader, little dealers or what?

Cheers
 
A nail is a knackered car don't buy one 'cos it will cost a fortune to keep on the road or put it in the same condition as a nice one would cost.
Who told you defenders are cheap to insure? Group 12 is not cheap, if you want cheap insurance you need to be looking at series motors (group 1/2)
 
waldershelf said:
A nail is a knackered car don't buy one 'cos it will cost a fortune to keep on the road or put it in the same condition as a nice one would cost.
Who told you defenders are cheap to insure? Group 12 is not cheap, if you want cheap insurance you need to be looking at series motors (group 1/2)
Click to expand...

Hi, I have had very cheap quotes of 'footman James'
 
Get a 90 from 1984 or 85... then you can get it insured on a classic policy with footman james for 114 a year, fully comp with breakdown..

As you are 18 you will build a years no claims then upgrade to a defender from later years.
 
storm99 said:
Get a 90 from 1984 or 85... then you can get it insured on a classic policy with footman james for 114 a year, fully comp with breakdown..

As you are 18 you will build a years no claims then upgrade to a defender from later years.
Click to expand...

£114 a year fully comp?!??! - Is it really that cheap?! Thats incredibly cheap, can I ask how you got that figure?
 
I had a 306 for a year. Was ok, but now very pleased to own a 110 defender.
But I am having a brill time driving it.

One thing mind, kills me on fuel at the moment due to low gear ratios in original transfer box. And you can't be a boy racer, don't even try.
Think you got to ask yourself is, are you just doing short commutes or long motorway cruses
 
storm99 said:
My age hasn't got anything to do with it...if the landy is 25 years old or more...classic policy.
Click to expand...

My apologies, I wasn't aware that age wasn't a factor when it came to classic car insurance. I stand corrected.

Thank you very much for the information.
 
i was told by footman james that a classic policy does not use or produce no claims bonus therefore only haveing a series on thier classic policy i have lost my previousley earned 9 years no claims (i was NOT amused) i would look into this if i were you
 
malcs2a said:
i was told by footman james that a classic policy does not use or produce no claims bonus therefore only haveing a series on thier classic policy i have lost my previousley earned 9 years no claims (i was NOT amused) i would look into this if i were you
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for that, although that blows one of my main benefits to pieces, thats very very dissapointing:(
 
You still get a proof that you haven't claimed. Plus your evedence for no claims should be enough.

Also, pickups, footman won't insure young drivers on.
 
Would also recommend looking at a disco 1. Cheaper to acquire, almost as capable offroad, more fuel efficient, up to 7 seats, chick magnet, and a great all rounder ranging from long cruises, towing and off roading. Too bad you will need to become a fully skilled welder in order to maintain one.
 
Last edited:
RichM said:
Would also recommend looking at a disco 1. Cheaper to acquire, almost as capable off road and a great all rounder ranging from long cruises, towing and off roading. Too bad you will need to become a fully skilled welder in order to own one.
Click to expand...

insurance cost is the main problemo here:/
 
RichM said:
Would also recommend looking at a disco 1. Cheaper to acquire, almost as capable off road and a great all rounder ranging from long cruises, towing and off roading. Too bad you will need to become a fully skilled welder in order to own one.
Click to expand...

Snigger
 
toby_2009 said:
insurance cost is the main problemo here:/
Click to expand...

Try Adrian Flux. Don't see why it would be much different in terms of insurance. Plus, even if it is a bit more, the lower purchase cost will probs make up for it.

I could go out and buy a disco 1 tomorrow but if I wanted a half decent defender, I think I'd need to wait for a few more paychecks...
 
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