buying my first landy

I have recently decided its time to stop just leafing through the ebay pages and actually do some research and invest in my first landy.
I am looking at getting a defender 90 SWB but i cant decide on what type of engine to get.
I am looking to get something that would be reliable and not be breaking down every couple of hundred miles.
Does anyone have any advice as to which engine I should go for?

thanks

No looked after Land Rover will break down every few hundred miles. My 20 year old 200 tdi is faultless between services. By the way it is customary to introduce yourself on here before throwing yourself at the mercy of the members

My apologies, My name is Jack.
I grew up in the peak district and am hoping to move back there fairly soon. I do a lot of work for private medical companies and want a vehicle that i know will get me into the most remote places (and get me back out again)

I have looked at a few other posts and it seems the general consensus is for a 200tdi engine

I would say it's far more important to focus upon the condition and service history than engine type. If your trips to remote areas will involve you wading through water up to your forehead, then perhaps it is a consideration. Otherwise, a well cared for and maintained machine should perform well.

Yeh most people i have spoken to say its more important to have a solid chassis/bulkhead than anything else.
I have been reading up a lot about this and will hopefully be going to see a few 90s soon. just need to find the funds.........im looking to spend about 2500.......what are my chances of getting a good solid runner?

Slim to none

really?
i dont mind getting the bog standard vehicle and doing things like suspension/snorkel etc myself

Afraid for that sort of money you will be looking at a tatty tdi or an early na.
Have a look at the buying guide on here

For £2500 you might be better off getting a discovery. More comfy too!!

afraid so, I spent ages looking at pricing etc before buying, 2500 will get you a N/A or possibly a 200tdi needing tlc.
saying that, at that price point you can either find somthing thats a heap'o'****e underneath but looks all nice and shiny, or find something solid underneath, but looks a bit of a dog.
a Van back would also be cheaper than a station wagon.

sorry to butt into your post, but im in the buying stage also, a few landy owners ive spoke to have said that the NAs tend to be horrificly sluggish? and that the 200tdi tend to push out more torques?

Got my n/a for 1650. Whole lot is solid except top corners of bulkhead. Chassis is better than brand new fenders coming off factory line. Yes the n/a's are sluggish up hills but will do 55/60 on flat. I can't complain for what I paid and I felt was a good investment. Use it every day doing about 200 miles each week. They are however ****e on fuel. Get a 200tdi mate the best engine made by land rover. 300 are bit more torque but don't rev as hard as the 200. You can give the 200 hell of abuse and it will keep going where the 300 wouldnt i.e my mate who is an arse drove his without water pump for day boiled the engine completely. Just put coolent back in it day later and was perfectly ok and does a good 400 miles a week. Long storry short, save up, spend time looking, 200tdi or 300. If your doing low miles without hills get a cheap n/a

Picked my 22 year old Defender 90 200tdi for £1700, I found it in the back of the farmers Guardian.
The engine is in great condition as is the chassis and bulkhead.
Only thing wrong with it really is the paintwork which is crap but I dont care about paintwork.
In the 3 years Ive had her had a few issues but nothing major and very simple to fix.
So yeah, you can get a good Defender for less than £2500 but you have to be patient.

If you are patient you can find yourself a bargain. Sometimes it's just down to luck, but always assume you are going to have to spend a bit. Even just giving it a good service and filter change adds up and then the hoses need sorted etc and then the brakes.

It's all part n parcel. I say give it a go.

you might find a bargain but its highly unlikely that you will get a good looked after one for less than about 3.5-4k minimum. Most people have used them what they were made for! And my engine reccomendation would be a 200tdi.

Brilliant, thanks for all your advice guys (and girls)
I have a mate who has a 2.5td for sale, he has recently done all the body work and repainted it. I am gonna go have a look later this week and have a good bang and poke around underneath and see what i can find.
I really dont mind getting an old banged up truck as long as the underneath is nice and sound.
If I remember I will try to take some pics and put them up on here.
Still no joy on selling my car, so I am gonna have to wait a little longer

I bought my Defender 90 200tdi last year for £6300, spent another £2000 on a nice half leather Exmoor interior and acoustic matting. It has covered 90K, been on an airfield it's life. The last owner spent £12,000 re-building it, full nut and bolt restoration, changed pretty much everything- gearbox, clutch, bulk head, all panels, alloys, etc. the list goes on....

Once you start restoring a car, it can become an obsession and cost a fortune, depends how handy you are I suppose.

rasclatMC , 3 months ago i was in your postion mate but i had a budget of 4 grand. I searched hi and low and spent most weekends poking around 90s all over yorkshire. I eventually tracked down a 96 plate 300tdi van back for 4 grand.

It had recently had a rear cross member change (not the prettiest) and the engine head skimmed and engine rebuilt.

Now shes not the prettiest bodywork wise, been resparyed , but the running gear is all sound and drives well, it did need some welding on the battery box and new ball joints fitted.

So what i,m saying is , if you,ve the time and patience one will come in your bracket but be prepeared for graft on it. As soon as one job is done you,ll find something else your not happy with.....and so it it goes on.

good luck with your hunt and hopefully see some pictures soon!

so since the last post (a couple of years ago), things have changed slightly

i have moved back to the peal district and after messing around with an L200 for a couple of months i have gone for it
i got myself a 1988 200tdi, solid bulk head/chassis

a few minor jobs that need doing but nothing to major (i hope)

We need piccys!