I would like a Landy!

[pibbleb]

Have you considered that the dealer who suggested an old discovery, might just have a couple of old lags waiting to be got rid of? ( I know-I'm a cynical little xxxxxxx! )
R.B.

Yeah I had, he's a dealer isn't he! But that's why I was asking for advice.

I'm not looking for a Chelsea wagon, whilst I don't go off roading it is something I'm looking to get involved with along with some green laning. But the points you have made are not lost on me.

Cheers as always.

P

 

[bushyboo]

quote from jonny P
Next I spend a lot of money on a mk 3 mitsubishi shogun gls which came with a full mitsubishi service history that its one owner had always kept up. It was mint and I felt very confident in buying it....That car cost me more money than proberbly all my 4x4s put together, the heads (two of them, it was a v6) had to be replaced twice, it got through tyres like you wouldn't believe, it spent so much time in the garage having bits replaced like radiator, water pump, alternator, steering box etc etc. It was a beautiful car and I always kept her polished up, but wow, what a money pit...

IM not saying get a shogun (2.8 td) but ive not had any major problems with mine its just passed its mot with only a couple of advisorys for brake pipes (not a big or expensive job)
everybody will have different opinions and different experiances maybe i was lucky and bought a car that was first bought by a nursery and probably school runs picking up kids and never been off road. but if your not going to go off road maybe you should take rancid badgers advice and go for an astra estate

just my opinion and experiance

Gordon

 

[In Wood]

You pays your money you takes your chance.

I have been in the motor trade for over 20 years, Qualified technician, L/Rover main agents etc etc, I used to swear by Fords, now wont touch em. No matter what you by some will swear by them some swear at them.

My advice for what it is worth, for the money you have got don’t buy a L/R. you will take on too much, unless you pick an absolute peach of a deal, but they are very few and far between.
Land Rovers are a great machine, if…IF.. you get a good one, not too new as they are getting worse, not too old as they will need more work, A diesel, yes you want the TDi, but they are more money, petrol, BIG fuel bills, Gas conversion, great if you find a good one.

I have to recommend the Jap motors, I know some on here have dissed them, but I drive a Mitsubishi Delica, Jap import, I have had it 4 years and other than but service parts, filters ect I have not spent a penny on it. For the last 2 years I have been running it on veg oil and it runs a treat. Car befor that was a Nissan Sunny, never missed a beat in 5 years, father has had Japs for years and he has had no problems.

For 2K you may be able to pick up a tidy Mitsi Delica, if they take your fancy they are a great bus, 5 – 7 seats, cheaper tax than a L/R and from my experience and that of others I know they are great. Check out http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/ for more info.
No link to Delica owners club other than being a member there too.

I wish you luck in what ever you buy.

 

[Martyn]

Martyn, the old n/a are no more thirsty than the newer td5's which I think your is isn't it..?

Yes, mines a TD5 and if I drive it hard it returns about 23 to the gallon, the differnce is, driving a TD5 hard, means 100mph. I dont mind too much the fuel consumption when I'm overtaking Shoguns - it's worth it for the astonished look on the drivers face as a 2-ton mud-truck blasts past.

If I'm sensible though, and keep it at 56, then I can get 32mpg on a run.

...but ya aint gonna blast past anything in a n/a. Not that that's a bad thing, pondering is pretty enjoyable I find and Landy's aint meant to be racing cars ...not really, but fuel consumption is relative. Having a thirsty engine because it's powerful is one thing, having a thirsty engine because it's old and smoky is another.


But me point was, I love my Landy and am happy to live with the idiosyncrasies. I didn't want an old, unreliable one, so I spent £16,000 on a good one and have spent about £2000 on it since buying it (bolt-ons & customizations). It's been incredibly reliable in the 2 years I've owned it, with absolutely no mechanical or electrical faults whatsoever - but it's still only got 16,000 miles on the clock, so I would expect nothing less. I've spent (what is to me) stacks of cash on it, but I dont care because I love it and it's absolutely reliable as a daily user. But I have to be honest, if my budget was limited to £2000, knowing what kind of Landy that will buy, I would be looking at something else - to get a tidy, reliable one, you have to at least double or even triple that budget, unless you are very, very lucky - even then, you'll still be looking at a 20 year old vehicle with 100,000 miles on it.

Disco's are a great choice. You get tons more car for your money ...but ...they are not really Landy's ...not really, well they are, but they're not if you see what I mean ...if your heart is pining for a 110, 90 etc, it will still be pining for one if you buy a Disco. If what you want is a series IIa, a 90, Defender or whatever, then nothing else would do. In my case, I always wanted a 90 hardtop, so that's what it had to be.

 

[Martyn]

HI I always wanted a landy too but decided to go for a shogun for reliability/comfort my brother folllowed his heart and got a 110 he has had nothing but trouble with it and at the moment has bought another one for spare parts as his chassis has gone and none are are the road ,he has to borrow a motor to get to work
but if you were to ask him he would still say hes glad he got it
what im saying is just be carefull

Gordon

The key is to buy a good one, they are very, very, very expensive second hand - I cant think of any other vehicle on the market that hold money like a 90 tdi. For what it will cost you for a 25 year old Landy that has been battered and abused, you will get a much younger, cleaner ...well take your pick.

If you want a good, reliable Landy, you have to have a fairly big budget to start with, or be prepared to hunt high and low, for a long time until you get lucky. In Landy terms, £2000 quid gets you very little.

 

[Martyn]

Having said that, this one went on BB a few months back...
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39702

I know the seller and the vehicle was a good daily runner, it was a genuine truck, fairly low mileage with a good chassis, so it is possible to get a fairly good one for that money.

[Edit - in fact I know the buyer (beachlover) just uses it as an occasional fun truck - you never know it might be woirth dropping him a PM and asking him if he's willing to part with it.]

 

[pibbleb]

Well I've spent a lot of the day researching, considering and generally pondering.

Having now been for a swim with the kids and a dose of 'cold light of day' having just seen a Landy Ambulance in the petrol station near us with it's lid up and a medic standing over it clearly wondering whether he should have a go with his de-fib, I've decided to reconsider my options.

If I'm honest I was starting to take it a little personally, however, that's probably because I was hearing what I needed to and in reality what I already knew, I just needed to hear it from those around me who know better.

At the end of the day we are talking £2000 not £16000, may be one day but not today! It is clear that there are good'n's and bad'n's but there are more of the latter and with my lack of experience and mechanical know how I could be seriously taken advantage of. That's not to say I couldn't be buying a diesel Astra. An Astra really, what were you thinking?

I need a car ASAP as I'm living off the good will of my car sharing buddy at the mo, and I hate this, however, this doesn't afford me the time I would need to look for a prize find so maybe I need to go back to my few hundred quid bangers for a while longer and do the garden up like I'd originally planned.

As I close with the Honda advert playing through my mind, the one with the fella singing 'an impossible dream'!, I have to admit this is something that I'll revisit again, after all I have been since I was 17.

As always I have been impressed by the assistance, guidence and honesty demonstrated by all those here whether on the thread or via PM.

Cheers:You_Rock_

Paul

Paul

 

[EdS]

really want a Solihul product consider a Discovery. Much cheaper and more refined that Defender.

I've just sold my 90 and got rid of the car - now just run a Disco. Does every thing (more or less) the 90 would but comfy and there is boot space