I know it's wrong...

[Joshy]

I know that they are awful on Fuel.

I know that the performance on road is hideous.

I know that they aren't the best built cars in the world.

I know that I only want one because of the tiny bit of snow we get each year.

I know that living with one day to day would be hell, especially in London.

But...

I've been having a rather large "Do Want" moment with old Land Rovers at the moment, most notably very early defenders (Series Landys might be a step too far )

The thought of owning a rough and tumble car that will go anywhere whilst hauling anything really appeals to me for some reason, despite me not having anywhere to go or anything to haul .

This is probably just another passing phase, but in anyone has any info on them I'd be happy to hear it.

 

[Joshy]

Bit of a crap idea if you have no intention of going off road?

You're probably right, although if I ever ended up with one (or any other 'proper' off roader) it would no doubt end up with lifted suspension and knobbly tyres, Despite the fact that the closest decent Green Laning site is over 20 miles away .

I suspect this is just the insecurity of driving a small car kicking in again

 

[Joshy]

Have you ever driven one? My Mum has one as a work car (A 110 pickup) and whilst its off-road capabilities are astounding my god its hard work on the road. You want to jump out the window after 15 minutes at 70mph.

Get a Discovery or something.

Really that bad huh? I have heard that they are god awful to drive, but in a good way (that doesn't make much sense to be either).

Old Discoverys are supposedly unreliable, poorly built junk at this sort of money.

What do you want to know??

I can probably assume the guru position on landrovers around these parts having owned several, repaired, destroyed, built from scratch and competed in them

Brilliant! I really do need to ask one question before I proceed giving this idea any thought - An old Landy on London Streets, is it ever going remotely work? It wouldn't be my daily (Go-Go Gadget Bus Pass), but it would be my only car.

 

[Joshy]

London & landrovers dont mix - they have heavy steering, brakes and clutch. You will get shafted on the road tax, and the congestion charge and watch out for environmental taxes too!!!

Old landrovers arent known for their reliability, but it does depend how old, ive never had any problems with any of mine but they were mostly the TD5 defenders which are excellent. My old 200tdi was run on veg oil all the time, but the price of that negates its use now unless you have a source of it for 50p a litre.

Landrovers arent bad to drive, but you do have to love them because they are not comparable to a normal car, the seats generally arent overly comfortable, they arent fast, they arent cheap to buy or run, they leak (oil out and water in) and creature comforts are lacking - you either love em or hate them

Hmm, is it bad that your words still haven't put me off?

I currently drive a 205 with a aftermarket sunroof, so "heavy" steering and the occasional leak isn't anything that I haven't experienced already .

The way I see it, Road tax is exactly the same as any other car, as is any other taxing costs (unless a Defender is seen as a Van, then the Low emission zone rule may come into play?).

Reliability - I certainly don't mind getting my hands dirty, it's all a part of the fun.

Running costs - Without daily use, I wouldn't use a car very often. To be honest, they can't be much more expensive than the old BMW barges I'm also considering .

When I got the 4x4 bug previously I decided that the realistic option was a Shogun (I never nearly bough a SWB 2.5 TD, but at the last minute I decided it was LWB or bust), but they seem to lack the 'charisma' & 'X Factor' an old series or Defender seems to be dripping in.

For a passing interest, I'm certainly trying very hard to justify one to myself

 

[Joshy]

Road tax is a min of £210 for the cheapest ones, and its rising fast!

This is something that I can't get my head around. Are Defenders taxed as some kind of commercial vehicle, or just normal cars? I have heard on some being classified as Vans for insurance purposes, but never once has the subject of taxing been brought up.

Remember I'm a poor sod and will be looking at pre 2001 models no matter what, so the emission based tax brackets aren't going to affect me.

 

[Joshy]

Most commercial ones i've seen are 110s, the OP would be better off with a 90 in london.

Would a 110 be significantly more difficult to drive around town? To be honest, I'm not overly keen on 90s...