Series 2a or 3?

Hi,

I want to buy my first Land Rover, and have a budget of up to £1000. The Landy will be bought because i've always wanted one, and to take the dog out.

The cab cannot be seperate from the cab (pick-up), as I want a dog guard seperating the dog and I.

I want tax exempt, so early 70's probably.

I naturally lean towards the S3, as being later, i'm guessing they are more reliable (?).

This sort of thing looks ideal, but apparently the thrust bearing is a bit 'iffy'!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&item=150045407888&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Can anybody advise this newbie?



Thanks,

Chris.

if yer thrust bearing is shot then you'll probelly end up changing the whole clutch while yer at it.. a good mechanic working flat out can do it in about 4 or 4 1/2 hours but it will more likely be a couple of days work. so unless you're gonna do it yer self you'd have to add a good few bob on to the price to cover it.

Will rule that one out, then. Thanks.

its not a hard job just time comsuming, maybe you could get the price dropped a bit to compensate because if that is the only fault then its a goodin,

Will consider that, thanks.

Anybody know a convincing reason why I should buy a 2a or 3?

Thanks,

Chris.

cos the doors don't fall off when they get wet! and they're cheap and easy to fix

Is that the 2a or 3?

Chris I am watching that 2a on eBay as my son wants a change from his Hillman Imp and he is now feeling left out with Dad and Sister already owning LR's. I am going to have a look at it over the weekend. Barry

Barry,

Thanks for your honesty. The seller (Keith) seems really cagey, I keep asking him questions and he's really evasive. I hope it works out well for you as it looks like somebody could get a bargain. He says the 2nd gear is crunching, and the thrust bearing is not happy. I asked him if I could book the Landy into a local garage for MOT, and he said that there wasn't anywhere around that could do that! Is Liverpool really that small?...I don't think so.

Let us know how you got on.

Cheers,

Chris.

Hi

Have a look on Ebay at item no 230037197748. It use to be mine until the summer when i sold her. The bloke who bought her from me is selling as he isn't well. If I hadn't of just bought another one myself then i probably would of bought it back. It's had loads of work and is rusted free.

Craig

Thanks for the heads-up. It looks like a great vehicle. Unfortunately, I am after a SWB.

Cheers,

Chris.

just try and get the latest model you can for the money. the series 3 will have the better engine. (5 bearing).
as for the rest, there wasnt that much difference in tween the two models.
think you may struggle to get a really nice one for your budget. you need to be ready to do some work on it.
if you can stretch to say 1500 then you can find some nice decent ones.
good luck.

or by a disco instead?

ormus,

Thanks for that. I think the decider will be what is available at the time. It's just that I hear so much about 2a's, and 3's seem to get little mention. I wondered whether SWB 3's are the Austin Allegro of the Landy world. No offence to Allegro owners .

Thanks for your help.

Chris.

there seems to be stories about the later gearboxes being weaker. i dunno about that. maybe thats where the allegro rumours started?

the later engines were certainly stronger/better.

Well. I like the Series 3 as it still looks 'old' and is better mechanically. But I like the 2a because of its 'vintageness'!! I like the mesh grill and metal badge. I like the lights in the middle. I like the dash in the middle. I just like 2's better. Yes I've ended up with my s3 but this is a 1974 version so not that long after the S2's production ended. We have a 1960 S2 in our shed belonging to a mate of ours, and when you compare that to my S3, the S3 feels like a Rolls Royce!!
Thanks,
Lewis.

Thanks, this is the sort of "feeling" that I appreciate hearing.

I think I share your thoughts, 2a's look great, but 3's may be more "usable".

Chris.

the wipers are better in a 111 aswell

the 2a has a stronger gearbox but the 5 bearing engine is stronger, it depends what you intend doing with it, just stick to your budget and keep looking

Thanks. Intended use: green laning at most, but mostly road work.

as a second car or as a main car