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looking to buy a later 80 4.2

dellboykev

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Aug 23, 2015
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england
hi i am new on here and moving over from the dark side of land rover ownership, I am looking for a diesel 80 uk spec there are a couple on ebay but they are far away from me so viewing isnt really possible but the one i am really interested in is a grey Gx with 170000 miles P117 OSE could anyone give me some advice on the truck as what to look for i have spoke to the seller and there is no service history witch is quite worrying he says he has serviced it and rebuilt the front axle the rear diff dosnt work and he has had some rust on the tail gate repaired in the pictures on ebay it looks really clean but what i have read on here the gx shouldnt have leather seats so any info would really be appreciated thanks
 
Hi and welcome.

The age the vehicles are now at means that accurate service history's may be scarce and this should not put you off. I would approach it in the same way that you would approach the purchase of any vehicle. At 170,000 miles it is just getting run in, the 80 is a tough old beast but even the toughest will suffer from abuse. 'The rear differential does not work'? I would guess he meant the differential lock assuming this GX has lockers? Assuming there are no obvious clouds of smoke/knocking/changes gear (manual or auto?) OK, then I do not worry too much about mechanicals, they can be purchased and bolted on job done. Next to the interior, good interior parts are getting scarce or the price is becoming ridiculous, so that can be a deal breaker, I went and looked at an 80 years ago and there was a generator bolted to the floor, oil all over the place and was listed as 'immaculate'! Re the leather seats, the 80 had options and they are often swapped over, for me in Spain they are a no no, so cloth for me. You need to way up your budget, does the car need new tyres, a set of four is not going to be cheap, also a good indicator is if the tyres on the same axle are the same brand, four different tyres tells me the car is being run on a shoe string.

The real issue for me is RUST and general bodywork. Unless you are good with a welder (I am not) then to repair properly is going to be expensive, the 80 suffers in particular around the steering box, panhard rod, and rear arches/inner arches, the tailgate is also quite common but is a bolt on job so not a problem. Depending on your budget and if the condition is poor this could break the bank. There are some mint examples about but they are not cheap, what are your plans? Keep it mint and stock, modify for off roading, lots of decisions to be made before purchase.

Add in the usual HPI checks and other pertinent documents and make your decision, good luck.

regards

Dave
 
thanks for the reply Dave yea it is the rear locker that is not working he has had it undersealed but that could be to hide some rust so i think i am just going to go and look and if i do get it would you advise i change the timeing belt due to lack of history
 
If you don't know the history then yes I'd change the timing belt but it's not a big job on an 80.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
The 80 has a light that comes on the dashboard when the belt is due but yes, I would do it anyway, while in there check for weeping around the core plug near the water pump.

Once belt is changed remove the rubber plug in the dash and gently press in a cocktail stick with the point broke off, this will reset the counter for you.

regards

Dave
 
The lockers are in a cast aluminium body which often simply turns to dust.

Repairs can be effective if it's an electrical fault or minor mechanical.

My front locker disintegrated in my hand after removal, Karl Webster (run a search on here for him) posted me a good replacement.

I always think asking for service history on a 20 year old truck is like asking for maintenance details on an old house. You know it wont be mint, but you have to look and check the compromises between what you can see and what you can't.

Certainly not risk free, but they're built for the apocalypse these beasts.....

Love 'em :lol:
 
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Take someone with you that knows 80's from the forum. GX came with cloth with no leather option but they can easily be retro fitted as I have done in my GX. They have 2 advantages, they are deffo more comfortable and for me, they go up and down and the adjustment is electric and they are heated. the downside is they are 10 kg heavier each. I would check with the seller that they are VX seats and not just covers on the GX seats.
From the recent offerings I think it looks above average condition and if I was in the market for one at relatively sensible money I would travel to view. I've always been of the opinion £50-60 worth of fuel is a good investment when £6k is at stake (1%).
From what I said 1st off, ask for someone to view who knows these trucks, if it was nearer I'd view it myself for you. 230 miles from me though.
 
Don't think I've had a service history with any of the 80's I have bought. If it runs well NOW then I wouldn't give it a thought. There is a sticky thread about buying an 80. What's your budget? I would treat the rebuilt front axle with some suspicion. There's rebuilding it and then there bodging it. One of the first things I'd do would be go in there and look. You can tell immediately with only a couple of tools. As a guide, if the stub axle nuts have been done with a chisel then I'd be pulling the lot.
 
the one i am looking at is £6000 on ebay i tried to post a link but i cant yet it is a 1997 grey one and there is another 1995 red one from a dealer in bedford i am going to try and get down and look at both of them its a bit of a drive from liverpool to bedford to gosport so i wouldnt really want to come home empty handed but im not going let that make me rush in to buying one im just wondering if £6000 is too much
 
Cant comment without seeing the vehicle, but £6k seems to be starting point for a tidy 80 Series - scroll back through some of the ebay watching and for sales on this site and it'll give you a good idea.
 
Isnt that an import - single piece back windows, swing away carrier... ? <<Ignore me - 2 piece window - bad eye sight LOL!!!>>
 
Seen that one before. Taken at face value it looks OK and worth £6k. But the pictures are a bit limited. Of course it'll fail the MOT if you take it with the spare wheel on. Just why does it have a carrier anyway?
 
Isnt that an import - single piece back windows, swing away carrier... ?
The rear wheel carrier looks to have been added by a previous owner (probably the same one who added the snorkel) as its obscuring the number plate and drivers fog light. Imports with the swing away rear wheel carrier had a different lower tailgate to accommodate it.

This is a GX that originally had a cloth interior and left the factory with solid rear windows. Looks worth a view.
 
Dave the GX has solid back windows. Odd that this has leather and sliding windows. I'd say it was a UK car. Hence the fog light comment
 
i have spoke to the seller of the grey one and he has sent me some more pictures he says the seats are from factory as far as he knows but it looks a little odd with leather seats and cloth door liners and the interior isnt in quite as good condition as it looks on ebay but the bodywork does look very good and underneath is is just a mass of black underseal you make a good point andy about fuel being 1% of what i would be paying so i dont know until i actually get there an look
 
None of these things matter of course as long as it's straight. Can't help thinking it looks like a respray though. Might just be the light.
 
thats them scott thanks he says its a uk spec and it says registered now on the log book. yea im not sure if i like the wheel carrier that much not sure if the bodywork will hold a spare 35" and that will definitely obscure the lights and it still has the spare underneath
 
Carrier is fine if it has the additional plates fitting the rear quarter. It's how the factory ones are done. 35" won't go underslung. Well it sort of will but don't go over any speed bumps.
 
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