So after about 9 months of being without a Land Rover, the bug started to bite again. It had to be done. But which one? Frankly, finance was an issue. The spiralling costs of keeping two boring cars on the road is enough to deal with without a toy added to the equation. So it had to be cheap to buy with minimal overhead costs. Simple. A classic has cheaper insurance and if it's old enough, benefits from free road tax.
So the search began for a Series motor. Preferably tax free. The other advantage to a Series is that parts are pretty cheap, the engineering is relatively basic and there's still plenty of them about. Plus; I'd never had one before.
I have to admit it was a bit of a shock looking at the prices of Series LRs now to what they were a few years back. Then, a Series 3 could easily be had for £150 notes in project condition. Now, they start at £500 for a rust bucket. I guess it's down to the recycling value.
So which model to go for? I, II or III...
I love Series 1s. They are achingly beautiful to look at. They are the perfectionists Land Rover. But... They are increasingly expensive, some parts are hard to find and, they are fairly utilitarian to drive. Next...
Series 2s are beautiful machines too. Particularly with the headlights in the grill. There's plenty around. Almost all are tax exempt and they're pretty cheap(ish)
Series 3s are the archetypal Land Rover. The one your mind goes to when someone says 'Land Rover'. They are very common, reasonable to drive and parts are everywhere. But, they're a little too common and most are over £200 a year in road tax.
For me, the Series 2 wins here. It's beautiful, traditional, tax exempt and not too common. But which one?
The 88" always look best. They're just in proportion. 109s are ungainly and a bit ugly, especially with a hard top. However 109s are usually much cheaper as less people want them, despite their larger carrying capacity. My 90 was a great truck, but it was pants for load lugging as the door shape and general load area is relatively small. As my truck is for tip trips and load lugging, the 109 is more sensible.
So there we have it. A Series 2 109. The search begins...
So the search began for a Series motor. Preferably tax free. The other advantage to a Series is that parts are pretty cheap, the engineering is relatively basic and there's still plenty of them about. Plus; I'd never had one before.
I have to admit it was a bit of a shock looking at the prices of Series LRs now to what they were a few years back. Then, a Series 3 could easily be had for £150 notes in project condition. Now, they start at £500 for a rust bucket. I guess it's down to the recycling value.
So which model to go for? I, II or III...
I love Series 1s. They are achingly beautiful to look at. They are the perfectionists Land Rover. But... They are increasingly expensive, some parts are hard to find and, they are fairly utilitarian to drive. Next...
Series 2s are beautiful machines too. Particularly with the headlights in the grill. There's plenty around. Almost all are tax exempt and they're pretty cheap(ish)
Series 3s are the archetypal Land Rover. The one your mind goes to when someone says 'Land Rover'. They are very common, reasonable to drive and parts are everywhere. But, they're a little too common and most are over £200 a year in road tax.
For me, the Series 2 wins here. It's beautiful, traditional, tax exempt and not too common. But which one?
The 88" always look best. They're just in proportion. 109s are ungainly and a bit ugly, especially with a hard top. However 109s are usually much cheaper as less people want them, despite their larger carrying capacity. My 90 was a great truck, but it was pants for load lugging as the door shape and general load area is relatively small. As my truck is for tip trips and load lugging, the 109 is more sensible.
So there we have it. A Series 2 109. The search begins...
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