The appeal of landrovers

[Dan W]

Hi, I think I may have figured out why so many people in the UK have such an obsession with Landrovers.
I've recently helped a friend from my response group with picking up a new axle for a Discovery. We went to a local old style breakers yard with about 40 or so landrovers in a field.
So we got to choose the best axle from a selection of five and it came with some adaptors and different wheel studs and stuff to make it fit his current Discovery. The price for it was £30.
Now I've just had a quote for a second hand idler pulley from a breaker and they want £30, for a little wheel and a bearing.
Soo I think for some people although they may be less reliable and not as well made the cheapness of the parts and the massive availability is what swings it for them.

 

[Bob]

That and the bit of blind patriotism that exists in some British people. Speaking as an outsider, I would sometimes see the attitude that 'it's British, so it must be best'. I know a fella here who recently changed from a 4.2 100 series cruiser to a V8 Range Rover... He bought it for the prestige brand.. he regrets the move because he is now afraid of breaking the RR.

 

[Doodle]

If it breaks all the time, there will be a plentiful supply of scrap to rob for spare parts

I suspect price has a fair part to play. In 1997 a Colorado GXTD was £31k (I have the original invoice for mine), an equivalent Disco was a significant sum less and this translates to used prices. A rough Colorado is still worth a grand or so, a Discovery nets a couple of hundred quid in scrap iron.

 

[Philip A]

I operate both Land Cruisers and Land Rovers, where they are meant to be: on rutted trails and in the bush.

Land Cruisers are FAR more reliable, and unquestionably more comfy in town and highway (not talking about RR here).

Land Rovers are much better off-road and in the mud. They do break annoyingly often, but are very easy to fix and parts are dirt cheap.

That's why you still see them in the most remote places, over-aged rattling mousetraps that never give up - as long as one knows how to handle a spanner.

And, by the way, the saddest part of the story is that today, Land Rover does not produce one single model that is bush-worthy...

 

[Dan W]

I think I remember seeing somewhere that landrovers are now a luxury brand (I thought that was what the range rover for) so they wouldn't be making any more off road focused models which I think is a shame as they have competent 4wd systems that I suspect will never get used.
I don't really get the patriotic thing either as they're not a British company anymore. They may get made in the UK but then so so a lot of Toyotas.
I suppose if there's more broken ones the parts are cheaper, but then I also suspect there's a little price bump for anything landcruiser related. The Toyota surf also suffered from a lack of good breakers but the prices weren't like the landcruiser stuff.
That said the landcruiser is still the best vehicle I've owned.

 

[Paddler Ed]

The problem (if it is one?) with the Land Cruiser is that even as a scrapper it's worth a lot more than a LR, so that means that the parts have to be priced higher accordinly... and tis also why it's hard to find a sub £2k 'Cruiser/HiLux/Toyota/Nissan product... there's value in them in Africa, even if the body is shagged.

I was originally drawn to a LR, but now I'd have a 'Cruiser any day instead.

Land Rover/Range Rover's suffer from the following problems:
-Range Rover Evoque = Poor Man's RR Sport
-LR FreeLander = Poor Man's Disco

Toyota don't have that problem... does help that the current RAV4 is bigger than an original RR now...

 

[wobbly]

My wife has a company car, last time it was a Discovery 4 - lovely car, 100% reliable, fast as you need, but she doesnt need a 7 seater now (existing children now grown-ish, and no plans for more!), so she has renewed it this year with an Evoque - she loves it, and it is fun to drive on road, off-road would not be fun other than fields or flat tracks.

On a set of winter tyres it be be spot on for snowy roads.

Sport wasnt even considered.

I, on the other hand, have a p-reg Prado, which I would like to change for a d4D Prado, maybe even less than 10 years old......

But I wouldnt touch a 10 year old disco, I want to spend the time in my car, not under it!

So my feeling is Land Rover are awesome new, but at a certain age they become a liability.

Pete

 

[Euan McGilp]

Pete:

"I, on the other hand, have a p-reg Prado, which I would like to change for a d4D Prado, maybe even less than 10 years old......

But I wouldnt touch a 10 year old disco, I want to spend the time in my car, not under it!

So my feeling is Land Rover are awesome new, but at a certain age they become a liability."

Hmmm, got to think about this... Landrover's a liability?

Landrover # 1 - 1954 Series I 86" 2L side valve & 50 mph with 6" play each way in steering wheel (worn out steering box) but dead straight & cute

Landrover # 2 - 1956 Series I 3.5 litre V8 (P6) blew up 2 weeks after a mechanic had bought it - scruffy but mental acceleration, scary fast & useless brakes!

Landrover # 3 - 1966 Series IIa - used more oil than petrol - saw it again 18 years after I'd sold it plodding round the M25 - still smoking like a 60 a day habit!

Landrover product # 4 - 1989 ex-military Range Rover Classic 3.9 EFI - DRANK fuel & needed CONSTANT work/expense to keep running - I think I put garage owner's daughter through Uni with this one!

Nissan Patrol Y61 - big, smooth; would pull anything - BUT GUTLESS - needed the 4.2 not 2.8!

2001 KZJ95 - owned since 2003. 1 x starter recon; 1 x water pump & now clutch, springs & shocks (not knackered, but tired) in over 120,000 miles.

I rest my case your honour... my 95 just keeps on doing everything I ask of it without a fuss BUT I could still be tempted by a Chevy Suburban / Silverado 2500/3500 4 door pickup as I'll need a serious towing machine sometime soon with even more capacity than an 80.

 

[Paddler Ed]

At least your Pootrol wasn't fitted with the ZD30 Euan...

 

[Euan McGilp]

Yup, that would have scared me! Daft thing was, it was perfectly geared for towing if nothing else - Peterborough to Hereford with a Chevy G20 on top of a Brian James tilt/slide & it didn't even notice! But 128 bhp in such a big truck was useless.

 

[OG.]

I run 2 Land Rovers and a Colorado 95.

I've also had 2 other Land Rovers int eh past.

In summary:
Land rover #1 - 3.9EFi Range Rover Classic - Bought it sight unseen for £600 complete with LPG installation. Ran it two years and replaced camshaft, followers, exhaust, herad gaskets and steering box. Total cost of parts under £300. After the engine work it went like a scorched cat and was totally reliable up until I sold it for £600 minus the LPG kit which was kept for LR number 4.
Land Rover #2 - Defender 110 300TDi - Bought off eBay for £2200 - dirt cheap for what it is. Its had 2 x alternators, 2 x water pumps, cylinder head, propshafts, rear halfshafts (keep twisting them - it has a big turbo and higher boost) and a new chassis (the old one started to dissolve so was replaced with a galvanised one). Total parts bill must be nudging £5k over 4 years but it should now last another 30 years at least. The big thing about the Defender being that everything is replaceable with a few spanners - roof, doors, all panels etc.
Land Rover #3. - Ex RAF Forward Control 101 Ambulance. This is my show vehicle and is in fully original condition (aside from the paintwork being redone as it was very tired). Paid £4k for it and spent £2k on paint, Parts wise has had a master cylinder, distributor, and carburettor rebuild. Parts cost about £350. Probably now worth near enough £8k.
Land Rover #4 - Forward Control 101 GS (canvas topped one). Bought as a non-runner for £1200. Spent about £1200 getting new canvas, door tops, and misc parts like wiring, relays and so on. Sold for £3500 after 18 months. That vehicle was an abolute hoot. Quick off the line, sounded glorious and went everywhere it was asked to. Simply awesome and the biggest grin factor ever!

So far the Toyota by comparison has had an alternator and a rebuilt auto gearbox, exhaust centre and rear sections, sway bar bushes and two swaybar drop links. Total price £1350 over 7 months. Its not such a clearcut win to the Land Cruiser so far.....(and the RRC was actually better to drive on the road as well).

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Euan, you won't better a Suburban for a tow car, especially if it's the 6.5 turbo diesel 2500 version. I've had one for a few years and there is nothing to touch it for stability, it is extremely comfortable and very cheap to buy for what you get. Expect 16 mpg towing a big caravan.

Andy

 

[Neil Stone]

I have always wanted a Land Rover.
They are iconic vehicles that have been around so long they could be part of the British DNA like black cabs and red phone boxes.
If it wasn't for my local mechanic scaring me with horror stories and "get one of those we'll be seeing a lot of each other", I would have bought one.
My mates just bought a Range Rover 2.5 litre BMW diesel engined. The plan was to have a 'match off', but it isn't running.
I love Range Rovers, the sports are awesome bits of kit, but I'll probably never have one as I would have to buy second hand.

My cruiser at 128,000miles, so far has had: replacement alternator, springs and shocks (at 115,000 miles), and we have redone the aircon (general service items not included).

I want hassel free motoring and I can't think of any 16 year old vehicle that is as reliable as this.
I've had it for 7 years now and although I did consider selling it at one point a couple of years ago, I love it.
The previous cruiser was a 60 series which we sold on at 23 years of age. Loved that one too, until it kept cooking heater plugs and fuel hoses started failing etc....still goy almost what I paid for it after 3 years or more.

Still fancy a Land Rover / Range Rover, but happy to continue with Landcruisers. :-D

 

[Chris Green90]

I have always wanted a Land Rover.
They are iconic vehicles that have been around so long they could be part of the British DNA like black cabs and red phone boxes.

What are these Red Phone boxes you speak of??? All of ours are White!!!