Hey Matt,
A Series 3 is a great choice but personally I would recommend a Series 2a with the headlights still on the breakfast! The Series 3 is certainly a Series Land Rover but the classic Series Land Rover is the 2 or 2a before the lights went to the wings. I have a truck cab 2a shorty myself so can speak from personal experience, if that helps ... bias aside. A few things go into making the 2a a classic and the 3 moving away from the classic rustic qualities of a
proper Landy.
1. 2a has a steel bulkhead and internal dash area whereas the 3 moves towards a more plasticky interior dash ... a bit naff really.
2. 2a has a stronger ( bullet proof is a common term ) gearbox generally though no synchro on 1st and 2nd so you need to learn to double de clutch. To be frank, if you don't know how to double de clutch then your not really driving a
proper Landy.
3. The Series 3 has a slightly weaker gearbox with problems with the synchro cropping up with some regularity. While you have synchro on all gears as opposed to the 2's and 2a's.
4. A plus of the series 3 is the salisbury diff on the rear axle which the 2's and 2a's do not have - though many Series 2 owners simply convert a salisbury to the ir 2's. The Salisbury diff was a much stronger diff and is to diffs what the 2a gearbox is to gearboxes.
5. Series 2's have headlights on the breakfast and not the wings ... late Series 2a's and 3's do. Lights on the wings are not really classic Series Land Rover in my humble opinion and don't look as good ... this is aesthetics ofcourse.
6. Series 3's generally give you a dual servo brake line as opposed to the single line system of 2's. The difference isn't huge and both work fine when adjusted correctly. If you want a servo on a 2a you can easily convert it.
Major things to watch out for are chassis - check the rear cross members and outriggers for rust as well as the dumb irons or spring hangers. When driving go through all the gears and listen for any noises that shouldn't be there ... any clacking sounds means your missing a tooth in that gear. Pretty much everything else is standard for any vehicle including the engine. Just do a thorough check of the vehicle and make sure it drives well in both high and low range. Make sure especially most all to check for rust in the bulkhead and footwells ... you can check the footwells under the front wheel arches. Have a look at the draglink and observe any wander in the steering when driving.
There are so many things to check for but essentially a basic drive and an observance of the above will generally get you where you want to be. It also helps to have a Series owner come along with you.
Hope that helps, Simon.
