What do I need to know when buying a Land Rover?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

T

Toedipper

Guest
I've suddenly become obsessed with the idea of buying a Land Rover. My budget is about £5k and I fancy something SWB, preferably soft top. What should I know, or be careful of? Should I avoid ex-military vehicles? What do I need to look out for when viewing cars? Is this a mid-life crisis?!
 

DirtyDisco

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Posts
149
Reaction score
0
Basically you need to know how to do everything yourself mechanically because mechanics will charge you an arm and a leg to do even simple stuff like changing the brakes. I've found working on my Disco to be fun and challenging and I've learned a lot in the process and saved a bundle. That's what I suggest... learn as much as you can and do as much on your own as possible. Besides that, just go with whatever you like and can afford. The older ones are probably a little harder to keep running and have fewer parts available, but do what you want. I personally like the Range Rover classics because they're kind of old, but still recent enough to have lots of parts available.
 

Moose

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Posts
1,082
Reaction score
2
Well, I assume you're talking about a "series" truck, since you mention a soft top and SWB. I'm in the US so I'm not sure what those cost over in the UK or what the availability is. If it leaks, you know it has fluid in it. Look for rust on the bulkhead and frame -- frames seem to rot on the Series rigs. Also, look where the aluminum and steel meet, since eletrolysis can cause rusting there.

Basically, you're looking at the 2.25L, which is a torquey little motor, but you're not going to be passing anyone on the highway. They won't do more than about 60 mph :biggrin:
 

Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
36,223
Posts
217,601
Members
30,474
Latest member
sawcut
Top