Our current cars -

Disco 300tdi (daily drive - about 15k per year)
Landrover 101 with hs2.8 (300tdi clone) currently SORNed


I keep thinking about another vehicle as its not clever to just have one old landrover and live in the middle of nowhere (relatively speaking - nearest supermarket / bank etc. is 20 mins drive)
Getting the 101 back on the road may calm me, but i still keep eyeing up S2a and Defenders.



Background -

I work from home. My partner takes the disco to work. We often have to pick up 'rough' stuff, so the disco is very much a works vehical too (partner comes home with stacks of pallets in the back, we carry building materials in it, i pick up waste veg oil in it - and it spills all over the back, etc.etc.)

Basically, its pretty ropey inside - not damaged, just grubby / oily.



I wont want to use the 101 for this kind of stuff (ever) as its set up for a camper inside... And ive learnt just how well veg oil flows when its spilt.


Its frustrating (for me) that i have zero transport in the day. If i need the car for 3 mins during the day, it means i have to take her to work in the morning (25mins each way) and then collect in the evening. So, for the 3 mins (exaggeration, but you get the idea) i loose 2 hours of the day.

Im not 100% convinced that she will want to drive the LHD 101 to work down the devon lanes, on the days that id like the disco either... : /




So...


I thought id look out for a suitable lwb 2a truck cab. Id want to fit a 300tdi to it, but other than that, id need to keep it fairly stock, so as to keep enough points for tax exemption (and cheap insurance)

But then ive been looking at 110s too. Again it would be a truck cab, 300tdi. The purchase cost would be about double, the tax 250 /yr (or at least it will be soon), the insurance more... Is it really worth it for a 2nd car?

2a isn't really going to loose money and as you say they're cheap to insure and free to tax, depends on your budget and how much work you want to be doing on it

Two old Landrovers might mean you have two broke Landrovers when you need it. That's probably true for a new one too.

The disco seems to break more often than any car ive ever owned (and my first car was a '54 morris minor)

We do cover some miles in it, and its generally cheap enough to fix, but fixing it is a monthly job - be it somthing small like an electric window, or somthing larger, like the clutch / starter motor / break pump / pas pump / fuel pump (the list goes on..)

I guess there is less to break on the s2a, and the idea would be that at least one would work all of the time - and, if that plan failed, there would always be the 101, awkward that it is to drive.


I have no doubt that a 110 is an easier drive than the s2a, but im wondering how much that matters to me. I know noone can tell me, so im just fishing for opinions really.

I suspect that neither would devalue that much if cared for, but evreything seems about double on the defender (purchase, insurance, tax) and i really dont know if that is worth it.


My vague plan is that id scrape out all the junk from the back of the disco, and smarten it up for my partner, then use the truck cab (be it a 2a or 110) for collecting oil / building materials etc. - so the miles would still get done in the disco, but the work in the other vehicle.

Cost wise, i reckon about 1.5k for a 2a, but probably closer to 3 for a 110 - this is just from ebay though - im sure a non-ebay purchase could be better value if im in no hurry.