a big thanks

Gotta be a defender - 200 or 300 Tdi.

think i'm swaying 2wards a defender..just seen 1 advertised...swb truck cab 1985 with76,000 on the clock 2.25 petrolwith t&t for£2250 would prefer deisel but any idea how good the 2 1/4 petrol engine is?

The 2 1/4 petrol was a fine injun for its time - it powered many thousands of series landys! However, it is rather old technology and not very economical (16 to 20 mpg). Its also relatively rare in a Deepender.
How much do you want to spend? If you can stretch to £4 to £5k, you should be able to get a good 200 or 300 Tdi, which has much better power and economy (and power steering). The 2 1/4 diesel and the early turbo diesel are best avoided.
Try doing a search on here - there's loads of threads with informed info from people who are much more knowledgable than me.
Good luck and welcome.

cheers mate as i said would prefer deisel as first choice so i guess i'll shop around a bit will prob have about 4k to spend and hopefully get something decent for that sort of money!