Series Land Rover - The Perfect Daily Driver Classic???

What do we think? Is the Series Land Rover the perfect daily driving classic car?

No.

definitely not..

****es in water.

Loud

dangerously slow.

Etc etc

Hobby vehicle? Defo.

Would love one..

But certainly wouldn't daily one.

Depends. I do around 4500 miles a year in mine and like it. Its a mix of short journeys to pick stuff up and longer trips as its a camper. We tend to do 1 or 2 nights away and around 200 miles round trip. 100 miles is a sensible limit for a single trip, the gearbox seems to go on getting hotter so I give it a break at 100 miles. Its a very different driving style but I've always driven old vehicles so I'm used to it. I live in a city centre and the standard of driving is best described as somewhere between "car-jacking" and "no licence", the Series with a few dents and big steel bumpers is ideal and no rear visiblity is a bonus.. My biggest complaint is the brakes, I think investment it upgrading those is worth it, its not just the huge pedal pressure and fade, but the random pull one way or the other without warning, no relaxing! The exception is cross country journeys on busy hilly A-roads, its really hard work; gear changes (no synchro on 1,2), brake fade and body roll.

I have done the daily driver bit in the past, remember that there is always something wrong with a series Land Rover.
Your lifestyle changes and time with the spanners is relaxation......or a challenge ?

rob1miles said:

My biggest complaint is the brakes,

Click to expand...

Agreed - but if they were upgraded to discs, and the springs worked ( I.E. not rusted up ), then not bad at all - specially if has a petrol injun in

No, based on using it for a 30 mile round trip commute for about 2 years. Dark start, 4 miles for the heater to get hot enough to demise. I found it devalued the enjoyment I got from driving it . I eventually broke a rear half shaft at the P&R after an hour on a bus.

I have a 36 year old vehicle. It’s at its best pootering around doing 30-50 miles per day doing towing, general scooting about etc. A Series landy was never designed for modern commuting.

I use mine every day. It’s fine. If I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t have one.
I think it’s all about driving well within it’s limits. I don’t want or need to keep up with the euro boxes with their angry little call centre nobs pretending they are Lewis Hamilton. When you drive a large vehicle for a living you soon learn to ignore the 14 year old mentality of most drivers while they use you as a slalom cone.
If I need to do some motorway munching I use an appropriate car but only for distance trips. Henry is quite happy at 52 mph with the speed governed trucks. I just don’t like flogging him too often.

I love driving my lwb but the steering is hard work, it's heavy and not much of it, a 3 point turn in a normal car is a 30 point turn in a 109. Whenever I take it for a drive, I will do 20-30 miles, even if just popping to the supermarket I drive the long way home along narrow bendy country roads. By the time I've got it home, I feel like I've spent an hour in the gym and it takes about an hour for my hearing to return to normal. So, no, it's not suitable as a daily driver.

Col

My 2a was my only wheels for several years when i was younger. Biggest gripes, lack of top speed meant no motorways, too noisy at 40+mph, too cold in winter and the standard seats are simply useless for driving more than a few miles

That said, i love driving it

I love driving mine and use it nearly every day, but I don't commute and I think that's a big differnence as I work from home or travel to work by train. That gives me the flexibility for a day or two off the road while I wait for a part which takes a lot of pressure of me and the Series. The other think no one's mentioned is a garage / workshop, I don't have anywhere to get my Series undercover to work on it and that makes a big difference, i have to wait until a dry day although I have become very good at repairing things from inside! Pretty much did the whole rewire from inside with a fan heater and work light as it was Nov, never again!

rob1miles said:

never again!

Click to expand...

Lol.... till next time anyway

kermit_rr said:

My 2a was my only wheels for several years when i was younger. Biggest gripes, lack of top speed meant no motorways, too noisy at 40+mph, too cold in winter and the standard seats are simply useless for driving more than a few miles

That said, i love driving it

Click to expand...

One of the reasons I have better seats, sound proofing and a diesel heater
As for speed. I’ve never been that late for it to be an issue.

Bobsticle said:

One of the reasons I have better seats, sound proofing and a diesel heater
As for speed. I’ve never been that late for it to be an issue.

Click to expand...

Yes i put better seats in too, was a better compromise.
Speed, is not a problem, you plan accordingly, but i would never go on the motorway at 45 or even 50!!

I had to drive from Slough to Knightsbridge (next door to Harrods, about 50ft from the start of the ULEZ!!* ) this morning to collect some stuff. Decided to try the Series as sitting higher is a big advantage in London. It was great and I'm sure I got home less frazzled than had I taken the car. The number of suicidal pedestrians was definately reduced (even the Chinese tourists outside the Natural History Museum who cross as a group regardless of traffic stayed on the pavement), white vans stayed further way (3" instead of 2") and when I needed to U-turn across the Brompton Road the traffic parted to let me (thank goodness its about 50ft wide). Speed not an issue as the whole 22 mile journey is either in a roadworks (the whole M4), average speed cameras or a traffic jam. The best bit is sitting level with the bus drivers, eye contact seems bring out their human side and they barge the car behind out the way instead. * I hope its outside the ULEZ, double checked and watched the sat nav but I'm still nervous.