series 3 as an every day car ?

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DRZ

Member
Posts
17
Location
st helens, uk
im curious as i did like the defender but due to my price range and i am gonna save up another month or so to stretch to a bit more, for a nice series 3 landy, i do less than 3k a year and im curious how well does a series 3 cope as an every day car ?

do any of you guys use it as an every day only car ?.

i live close to warrington and there is a guy who owns a gym and hes owned a landy for the best part of 25 years and thats all he ever drives
 
I use my series every day but it only takes me to work and back. I use it on days off to Potter about in but I don’t often take it on long journeys. I went to Leeds the other week from north Manchester avoiding the 62 ant to be honest it was a bit of a drag. Only as it was a chore rather than a pleasure trip.
I do around three thousand miles a year in it over all and enjoy it mostly. You’ve got to love it rather than just need it.

Oh and it helps if your a bit strange.
 
If you plan to use a landy as an everyday car you need to find a good one, and you should be prepared for the inevitable discomforts compared to a modern car. They are fine for regular short journeys where motorways are not involved. You will need to be able to do many of the different repairs and adjustments they need and you'll have to carry a few tools and a couple of spares parts. I only use mine for tip runs, the odd trip to the supermarket and for the fun of just taking her for a twenty odd mile run. Also, they ain't very economical.

Col
 
No problem for me, i'm in the Alps and i use mine daily for a half hour slog up n down the mountain to the station to then commute into Zürich, of course in heavy snow conditions i'm at an advantage, it's a bit cold though (i have no heater) so i use a blanket and have an electric blower to defrost the windscreen.
I like the lack of modern comforts after being surrounded daily by all the technology involved in modern media production and TV, it's just me and the machine.
I have also made many motorway journeys with no issues, as long as you are ok with driving in the same lane as the trucks and can wear earphones to listen to the radio it's fine.

Basic mechanical aptitude is a must or rather it's helpful and it takes a while to get used to and find all the quirks of your vehicle.

Enjoy

Simon
 
I’m using my ser 3 as my only car....it is a soft top and doesn’t have a heater....or door seals...drafts and cold but fine. Not a problem at all. To be fair, I am fitting a heated windscreen and some door seals in the new year. When I lived in the Canaries I used it full time. Drove it back to Scotland last year. Again, no problems. I’ve had 2 Series 3’s over the years and used both for work(forestry) and as my normal car...can’t see past them.
 
used my 3 as a daily, mainly for pottering locally, furthest it has gone is nearly 200 miles recently, mine has 90 seats which are a bit more comfortable than series seats. daughter has nicked it now though so it is her daily.

for long trips and motorways nowadays I prefer something with at least 5 litres under the bonnet and very comfy seats :D
 
Even with the doors off they are dryer than a motorbike. Just!

The best improvement for any longer journey has to be a pair of half decent seats. I liked the simplicity of my original series 2 seats but very hard to live with.
 
It is possible, I am using mine as a daily drive at the moment while I rebuild the top end of the 110 after the timing belt snapped. Although I love it, it is a long way from an ideal daily drive for me. My commute is about 45min each way, and I have been to south wales twice in it now which is about 3 hours each way along the motorway. However, I have probably nearly done your annual mileage in it in the last 4 weeks I have been using it as a temporary only car, so you should not have these problems.

For me, I do love it, but it is not a good daily drive in my circumstances. My commute it is a drag, and long motorway journeys which cannot be broken up are a huge chore. It is much better suited to pottering about locally on short journeys which is what it is usually used for. When it is only used for the odd commute to work with the canvas rolled up I am happy to take the longer country route and it is a joy, everyday it most definitely is not.
 
I'm doing 3000 jmiles a year in an S2A and its fine. You do have to like it and be prepared for quite a lot of serviicing, and not always when you want to so it pays to have use aof a back up once in a while. You have to do jobs well, no botched wiring for example or leaking gaskets that let the oil level get too low, as it has to work when ever you need it.
 
Hello. People slam the old 2.5 TD engines but they make a great conversion for the series Land Rover. Unlike the TDi which can eat gearboxes. You will need the overdrive box though or fit the LT77 5 speed. This conversion makes it sweet to drive everyday and hget 25 to the gallon.
Ta
 
might be ok for a swb, I had a 110 2.5 turbo it was gutless, hopeless on the hills.

still fancy sticking my spare 4.3 v6 chevy block in the s3 :D
 
DRZ said:
im curious as i did like the defender but due to my price range and i am gonna save up another month or so to stretch to a bit more, for a nice series 3 landy, i do less than 3k a year and im curious how well does a series 3 cope as an every day car ?

do any of you guys use it as an every day only car ?.

i live close to warrington and there is a guy who owns a gym and hes owned a landy for the best part of 25 years and thats all he ever drives
Click to expand...
I should think you need to be a gym buff to be able to steer one every day.
 
DRZ said:
im curious as i did like the defender but due to my price range and i am gonna save up another month or so to stretch to a bit more, for a nice series 3 landy, i do less than 3k a year and im curious how well does a series 3 cope as an every day car ?

do any of you guys use it as an every day only car ?.

i live close to warrington and there is a guy who owns a gym and hes owned a landy for the best part of 25 years and thats all he ever drives
Click to expand...
I use mine all the time they are great.
but you do have to get used to them.
 
I'm in the same place as posted. I use it everyday but maximum mileage is 30-35 miles a day. Previous to that I only used it at weekends for pootering around. I noticed when I used it more daily it ran better. Intermittent use and short journeys aren't good for an engine. A dam good thrashing as they say is better, gets the oil circulating properly. Also as posted good to stay off motorways n dual carriageway- your too slow and other drivers will grief you out, as for HGV's. So if you're nota huge commute and can avoid busy roads you'll be fine; apart from sleep deprivation caused by having to get up an hour early.
 
my daughter has driven our series since she was 18 as her daily, she has no trouble steering it and she hasn't developed shot putter arms
 
dag019 said:
She keeps breaking it though so is possibly not the best example of using on every day :p
Click to expand...

she hasn't snapped the steering wheel though

not sure where the quote went in my original post, I tried to quote that post about needing to be a gym buff to steer it everyday.
 
I think the steering is all about planning ahead (like the brakes!) and using the road rather then brute force. When I first got the series I think I tried to drive it like a power steered car and muscle it around, now I put some moderate pressure on the steering a let it come round (more like a boat!). OK every now and then that ends up a bit near the kirb.. I certainly use a lot less effort now than I did a couple of years ago. I actually brake more firmly but with the TLS "self servo" effect I find this is less effort than longer slower braking.
 
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