Soon to return to the UK after a year working abroad. Now i've worked for and on Land Rovers before (but A LOT newer than the models i'm looking at).
Originally i was looking for a defender but at a 3k car budget all i think i would end up with is trouble, I like the old series but impractical as a daily.

So the end result seems to be to split my budget and buy a sensible diesel daily and something to play with and use for camping and biking and occasional off roading.
Old disco's are cheap to buy and cheap to insure, i know they are rot boxes but having owned numerous classic VW's i'm more than an experienced welder. I like the idea of the V8 purely for the noise, is there much difference MPG wise between that and the 300 diesel? Being a toy i'm not to fussed but if its drastic might sway it.
Won't have a freelander i find them boring.
Ranges fall into the same category of cheap and plentiful, with a lot more things to break.
There are a few series in this class but they all need work at this price.

Really i'm just after some first hand experiences and recommendations (or to avoid)