I do not fully agree with that, I have not rebuilt my engine, gearbox, or axles, but I would "happily" (read uncomfortably and slowly) drive my series 3 to Scotland and back and plan on doing the NC500 with a friend next year in his series 1 which is similar. We have done the Picos de Europa in them and they get used regularly during the year for other things. The difference is that they get used and regularly maintained to keep them in good running order and I know the vehicle and its capabilities. Even if a vehicle had been fully restored, which for that price I would want it to be, I still would not trust it to drive that sort of distance until I had used it for a while, checked it over thoroughly and knew its particular quirks. I do not think the vehicels being sold for such values (if they are sold at that price) are actually used. they are kept in garages and pulled out for shows on summers days. Because of this they are being aimed at the collectors vintage car market, rather than the traditional use it as a land rover market. As soon as move into that market you are competing with all the other classic cars that are not used and wheeled out in nice weather. If you want a land rover because you want a land rover you are much better buying an honest example form an enthusiast at a sensible price. If you want a classic becasue you want a classic car to sit in the garage or to add to a collection you going to be looking at dealers and restored models. They are not the same markets and although the lines are blurring they are not equivalents and are not pretending to be. people selling land rovers at 20-60k are not aiming to sell them to people on this forum who plan to maintain them themselves and have had old land rovers all their life, they are aiming to sell them to people who will treat them as a commodity.
My series has a galv chassis and galv bulkhead, but because everything else is honest and land rover worked it is along way from concourse and is no where near the prices mentioned above. However, if you want to use it as a land rover I would argue it would do a far better job because it will rust more slowly and already has the dents and dings you pic up along the way rather than cursing yourself for having just scuffed a straight panel on a concourse rebuild. if you want it to be a pristine show piece (not what lad rovers should be used for imo) then it would need an awful lot of body work and most of the mechanical seals replacing to stem obligatory old British the oil leaks.
