Nevets22002
Active Member
- Posts
- 183
- Location
- Swindon
Hi Im Steve; I live in Swindon in Wiltshire. I have wanted a landy for years but was told by so many how they cost a fortune to buy and nearly as much to run.
I crashed my L200 a couple of years ago and nearly bought a defender then but was talked out of it and bought a Mazda b2500 instead. I have to say I thought I would miss the comforts of the Mazda, car like drive, sound system, leather seats, sat nave etc. But I was only getting 18mpg out of it.
I had to close my company a year ago last January; my father passed away very suddenly from cancer and my wife was diagnosed with a tumour on the lung ten days after. Being made redundant, I took my ill wife and two teenage daughters and left for a driving holiday around Europe, seeing the countries that my wife and I had only dreamt off.
The girls loved the driving holiday and being out of school. Coming back to no work made the running cost of the Mazda stupid.
Over a year later I found a part time job as a caretaker for a local school and things were going ok. I started up in business again the end of last year only to trust the wrong man and get ripped off for almost 20K in January by a customer who refused to pay his bill after I did so much work. I paid the sub-contractors, re-mortgaged to pay the suppliers and returned to a part time job paying peanuts.
So Im guessing your wondering where this is going.
Well I had no choice by this time but to sell my loved Mazda.
It was loved but what I have now almost makes up for all the rest. I searched for what seemed like for ever only to find and buy a defender 110 CSW from a local bloke for just 4K, a little more than I sold my Mazda for.
I purchased it from a fella called Jim, who I have to say started to return my faith in human kinship. The landy needs some work but are perfect for me and my family. Since then I have saved like mad to buy some bits, roof rack for example so this year a camping holiday in Devon is on the cards and ten nights on a camp site for four adults (kids are of the age they get classed as adult) and the rescue dog we now have, all for just £155 is bloody good in my book.
So what else has lifted my spirits, well driving her is the biggest thing, I smile so much it makes my face hurt. My wife loves her and has even suggested saving up for mod parts so we can try some off road driving. The girls arent as keen as she is twenty plus years old and looks it, nothing some advice on painting might help with.
But when driving its the large amount of flashes and waves from other landy drivers, the community spirit that seems to be contagious, I never realised how many of these are on the roads, how wonderful they all look and not yet seen two the same yet.
So has this been the best purchase I have ever made? I think so, In so many ways, not just because of money for me and my family (cheaper insurance with breakdown cover, but 25mpg locally around town too) but the pick me up and boost it has given me and that leads back to my wife and girls.
So if I won the lottery this week, what would I buy? Not a new car, just loads of nice new bits for the landy I have.
I crashed my L200 a couple of years ago and nearly bought a defender then but was talked out of it and bought a Mazda b2500 instead. I have to say I thought I would miss the comforts of the Mazda, car like drive, sound system, leather seats, sat nave etc. But I was only getting 18mpg out of it.
I had to close my company a year ago last January; my father passed away very suddenly from cancer and my wife was diagnosed with a tumour on the lung ten days after. Being made redundant, I took my ill wife and two teenage daughters and left for a driving holiday around Europe, seeing the countries that my wife and I had only dreamt off.
The girls loved the driving holiday and being out of school. Coming back to no work made the running cost of the Mazda stupid.
Over a year later I found a part time job as a caretaker for a local school and things were going ok. I started up in business again the end of last year only to trust the wrong man and get ripped off for almost 20K in January by a customer who refused to pay his bill after I did so much work. I paid the sub-contractors, re-mortgaged to pay the suppliers and returned to a part time job paying peanuts.
So Im guessing your wondering where this is going.
Well I had no choice by this time but to sell my loved Mazda.
It was loved but what I have now almost makes up for all the rest. I searched for what seemed like for ever only to find and buy a defender 110 CSW from a local bloke for just 4K, a little more than I sold my Mazda for.
I purchased it from a fella called Jim, who I have to say started to return my faith in human kinship. The landy needs some work but are perfect for me and my family. Since then I have saved like mad to buy some bits, roof rack for example so this year a camping holiday in Devon is on the cards and ten nights on a camp site for four adults (kids are of the age they get classed as adult) and the rescue dog we now have, all for just £155 is bloody good in my book.
So what else has lifted my spirits, well driving her is the biggest thing, I smile so much it makes my face hurt. My wife loves her and has even suggested saving up for mod parts so we can try some off road driving. The girls arent as keen as she is twenty plus years old and looks it, nothing some advice on painting might help with.
But when driving its the large amount of flashes and waves from other landy drivers, the community spirit that seems to be contagious, I never realised how many of these are on the roads, how wonderful they all look and not yet seen two the same yet.
So has this been the best purchase I have ever made? I think so, In so many ways, not just because of money for me and my family (cheaper insurance with breakdown cover, but 25mpg locally around town too) but the pick me up and boost it has given me and that leads back to my wife and girls.
So if I won the lottery this week, what would I buy? Not a new car, just loads of nice new bits for the landy I have.
