Series III petrol or deisel?

I am seriously considering buying a series landrover but am unsure as to what to buy. I will need to use it as my main car (dont do many miles) and cant decide if i want a 2.25 petrol or deisel. Will only be spending about £1000. Landrover owner international mag reckons the petrol will give 18mpg top speed of about 70, where as the deisel will do 27mpg and 60mph? How accurate do people think these figures are? I thought the top speed sounds a bit optomistic but i dont know about mpg?

Anyone have a view on maintenance costs etc? Help me people, what do I buy?

Get Petrol. Diesels are slower so you tend to push them harder and get about the same fuel consumption. Also petrol is quieter, more refined and a bit faster, cheaper to service and easier to work on.

Unless you find a 2.5D conversion or similar (Montego TD conversions drive well and are economical) in which case get that if it is a good conversion. (NOT the Perkins though, rattly, loud, rough and horrid).

F

Thanks for the advice! Any ideas what sort of MPG I should expect from the 2.25 petrol? Are we talking 17mpg?

Without overdrive , yes.

However, with my old Series I had an overdrive, and I used to get about 23 mpg, and it cruised at 65mph no problems (indicated 55mpg but I was running 750x16 tyres which meant it was about 10% out or thereabouts). Until I wanted to stop quickly! (but that was a non-servo'd SIIa 1967)

So, ideally you want a 1972 built (tax exempt) Series IIa or early S3 2.25 petrol with overdrive and servo, with an alternator (not Dynamo) and a Webber carb conversion for ease of maintenance and reliability.

Oil the springs and off-road it for axle articulation, which improves the ride quality no end as the leaves stick together otherwise.

Will be offroading it anyway but nothing too heavy (my driving limits are a long way below the cars limits i guess!).

Do you think i can expect to get one with overdrive and servo for my budget of around a grand? Thanks again for your help - its much appreciated!

hi mike i ve got an over drive you can buy and there simple to fit so dont worry about that.

Thats handy to know. Remember im trying to do this on a shoe string tho!

i dont want much for it and i will give you a lift fitting it too thats if you dont get a landy wiv one

Chris

Cheers! Have had a look at the clasifieds on here but none within a reasonable distance of home

22mpg@50mph on220bhp V8. Buy petrol and gas it. Diesel engines ok but petrol +lpgworkswell.

I think thats probably outside of my budget. V8 would be nice tho