new to all this · Feb 26, 2023

Hi

Hope all having good weekends. I have spent a few hours until my fingers went numb from cold sorting out rear lights on my 1987 90.

decided to do a bit of window shopping at local landrover dealership as my contract on my Audi is due to end soon.

my mileage has dropped quite a lot recently due to moving and now only run to station a few days a week (10 miles) and go into village/town at weekends with dogs in the back for walks. I live quite rurally where winter weather can be a problem getting around.

So it got me to thinking, do I actually need to spend a small fortune monthly for a new car or is there an older landrover (2000 on) which I could use as a daily runner and station car for around 6k miles a year? I don’t mind some moderate repair bills given potential saving on a newer car but I don’t want it off the road frequently.

would love a newer defender (not the newest) but I would worry too much about leaving it in a station car park for any period! They are also crazy prices now for a good one.

A few neighbours have discovery 3s and although they are capable and very reasonably priced the tales of electrical nightmares scare me off!

interested to hear from anyone with any experience or recommendations.

Thanks

MJI · Feb 27, 2023

D2 worth looking at

MJI · Feb 27, 2023

Or a FL2

new to all this · Feb 27, 2023

MJI said:
Or a FL2

FL2 looks a good bet especially at the price.

have been looking at D2s as I always wanted one when I was a kid but chassis problems are a concern. I guess you just have to get a good one and look after it.

MJI · Feb 27, 2023

new to all this said:
FL2 looks a good bet especially at the price.

have been looking at D2s as I always wanted one when I was a kid but chassis problems are a concern. I guess you just have to get a good one and look after it.

Or get a rechassised one

v8250 · Feb 27, 2023

@new to all this , a gentle note here...do not leave your Land Rover at any train station car park. The past 3+ years has seen an explosion of LR thefts from station car parks. see FB Landywatch for the many, many LR thefts from station car parks.

If you're wanting a rugged bus to do the station commute I'd recommend a Subaru Forester XT...they're as tough as old nails, low cost to buy, easy to fix with excellent spare parts supply, and near unstoppable with winter tyres in snowy rural conditions.

Then buy the Land Rover of your preferred type/age as the fun weekend toy, trips to the pub, holiday adventures et al.

new to all this · Feb 27, 2023

v8250 said:
@new to all this , a gentle note here...do not leave your Land Rover at any train station car park. The past 3+ years has seen an explosion of LR thefts from station car parks. see FB Landywatch for the many, many LR thefts from station car parks.

If you're wanting a rugged bus to do the station commute I'd recommend a Subaru Forester XT...they're as tough as old nails, low cost to buy, easy to fix with excellent spare parts supply, and near unstoppable with winter tyres in snowy rural conditions.

Then buy the Land Rover of your preferred type/age as the fun weekend toy, trips to the pub, holiday adventures et al.

Thanks for the tip. That’s the reason I don’t drive my old 90 to the station. Wouldn’t take anyone long. I just thought a newer disco or fl might be better.

just seen a d2 metropolis 122k miles in the next village which looks very nice. Up for 5995 which seems high on comparison. I will resist popping over!

v8250 · Feb 27, 2023

new to all this said:
Thanks for the tip. That’s the reason I don’t drive my old 90 to the station. Wouldn’t take anyone long. I just thought a newer disco or fl might be better. just seen a d2 metropolis 122k miles in the next village which looks very nice. Up for 5995 which seems high on comparison. I will resist popping over!

Train stations, they're a nightmare for LR thefts. It looks like teams of pikey types have near relay team like efficiency when spotting at stations. We've had three LR's stolen from local station car parks in the past two months. £5k would buy a really good manual FXT and they're bundle of fun in all weather conditions. Even a non-turbo 2.0/2.5ltr XEn/XSn is a great daily driver and will arrive with full leather interior, panoramic sunroof, unbustable mechanicals and the renowned Subaru AWD handling/ability. The other great option is an Outback...they're hugely underrated.

new to all this · Feb 27, 2023

I will take a look.

it does worry me. Saw a lovely looking 110 in the car park the other day and thought he is brave. It was still there the following day!

Knappster · Feb 28, 2023

FL2 sounds like the best bet if you want to stick with LR.

As for train station car parks, they’re definitely a no-no for leaving a defender of any age in. We’ve had some go in this area but there’s a noticeable pattern in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire for these thefts…

new to all this · Feb 28, 2023

Knappster said:
FL2 sounds like the best bet if you want to stick with LR.

As for train station car parks, they’re definitely a no-no for leaving a defender of any age in. We’ve had some go in this area but there’s a noticeable pattern in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire for these thefts…

thanks. Agreed! I will definitely leave my 90 at home!

new to all this · Feb 28, 2023

Knappster said:
FL2 sounds like the best bet if you want to stick with LR.

As for train station car parks, they’re definitely a no-no for leaving a defender of any age in. We’ve had some go in this area but there’s a noticeable pattern in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire for these thefts…

Although that being said. I am going to see the discovery 2 tomorrow just to satisfy my curiosity! Asking price though is far too high imho.

new to all this · Mar 1, 2023

new to all this said:
thanks. Agreed! I will definitely leave my 90 at home!

well I test drove it. Very good driving position and very comfortable but it’s clearly been used as a family slip for a while.

Needs new headlining as sunroof has leaked. Currently sealed shut and unused. I know this is a common fault.

head gasket replaced and reconditioned head. Seems to run smoothly and gear box was good. I felt like things have been fixed when they go bang which gives me concerns about the rest of the maintenance or lack of. It did feel quite underpowered. I wasn’t expecting fast 0-60 times but was expecting a little bit more.

bad bits seem to be a. It had an oil leak from somewhere and I don’t expect it is far off from a new rear chassis.

for the money I am going with my gut and will walk away. Especially as a much newer fl2 is about the same price.

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