blackstrat
Well-Known Member
Spot on!Make sure it's a Series and the paperwork adds up rather than a 90/110/Defender with a dodgy v5 bought off fleabag because having an honestly bought vehicle seized would be sad.
Read up, this is a good place to start https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/what-series-yawl-got.56680/.
A recent MOT is a good sign for a rolling resto but take enough time prodding and poking to be convinced it's genuine and worth more than the paper it's written on.
Remember it won't tell you if the engine/boxes are about to implode or if the chassis/bulkhead is ever likely to pass another.
88's are small, great if that's what you want but a large dog and the...erm...unscheduled maintenance kit you'll want to carry will fill it up.
109's feel like they have something resembling actual suspension but with the turning circle of a medium sized continent.
Originalish makes buying spares a lot easier, many parts are interchangeable, some not and engine/transmission changes while practical will involve fettled parts that might not exist on a shelf anywhere. Fine if you know what was done, with what and how. Not so fine if you don't.
Their beauty is their simplicity, while I've had my toolbox out on the side of the road more times than I care to remember, even with my limited mech skills I've only had to hitch a ride with the AA once in 10 years with a Series as a daily driver.
They're cold, draughty, leaky, uncomfortable and take up far too much of my free time.
But they still make me grin
Series vehicles far better materials/build quality than later stuff too.
