What gave you the bug?

melon said:

What gave you the love of the green oval?

With me I am now on my sixth discovery. I've had TD5's and 200tdi's but found the 300tdi to be the best. I started using a standard Discovery for a bit of laning as well as using it as my daily driver and now have a pure toy. I got the bug from watching my Dad compete in various off road forms including him being AWDC champion in the 90s. He still has many Landrovers but now suffers from Parkinson's Disease so does not get to use them how he wants to. He has always offered me advice and used to fix mine when I'd broken them but now his health prevents this although he wouldn't admit it. So thanks to the advice I find on here I am learning by getting my hands dirty.

So where did you start?

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Well, for a start, I have never had a Landy new enough to have a green oval, that is a fairly new invention, something to do with branding,I should think.

Was your dad comp safari champ, or trials? Either would be pretty awesome, I used to know some that did comp safari, but it was even before that time.

And to answer your question, I always liked them since a kid, just the boxy shape, and that they had alloy bodies when all the other cars rusted to ****.
And when I wanted something to combine farm and forestry work with a lot of road mileage, it seemed like a natural choice.

Thinking about it, there weren't many options then, either!

Seeing masses of S3 landys in Shetland in the late 70's when Sullom Voe oil terminal was being built. My first landy was a LWB hard top bought from crofter in North Shetland. Total wreck. 1971 with big Michelin tyres. Paid £400 for it n sold it 12 months later for same. Being so remote the landy taught you self reliance and also how crap Britparts were even then!.Hadn't a clue what I was doing most of the time. Nearly killed myself when the jack collapsed when I was underneath the vehicle. Despite being a rust bucket it was a very endeavouring vehicle and that gave me the bug.��

drove one when I was in the reme ta, couldn't believe how tough they were and could basically unbolt everything

just loved the concept of them , my wife was a country lass and bought up on them , we bought one between us just after we got married and the kids loved them ,

was great going off road and having picnics where other car users couldn't get to and also having free access to watch the biggin hill air show by going off road to some fields

owned one since 1986 and wouldn't have anything else

Dream landy would be a disco 3 or 4

I always wanted a 4x4 in general for its usefulness and what it stands for, used rangers at work for a few years with pleasure but didn't actually get a landy of my own until last year, a 1972 series 3. Driving it 80 miles home is a highlight of the last few years to me (yes, yes a sad life i live). Although it has had and has a few issues but it is pleasing to drive and to put to use.

Always loved cars and engineering. Cut my teeth on a Mini 1275GT when I was a kid. Got distracted by work, getting married and having a family. Ten years ago, when the kids were getting up a bit my mind started to turn towards another hobby vehicle. I'd always liked defenders and took the plunge. Hooked immediately and had the same Defender since, currently rebuilding it so that I can keep it for a lot longer

My dad had a S2 when i was born, till I was about 10, when he bought a S3, he only kept it 4 years and went onto cars, but I always wanted one.
When I was younger, my cars were whatever I could get for £300 or less with an MOT, I'd run em for 12-18 months and scrap em. then came kids, so needed a reliable vehicle, so ended up with a Multipla (loved that motor ) but then the wife wanted a caravan, and the multipla couldnt pull its way out of a paper bag, so got a 406, had that rear ended and got a Kia Sadowner.
Whislt feeling like life had left me driving down the road, I was thinking, landy, same mpg (actually better) than the kia, insurance cheaper, tax cheaper, nothing left stopping me, so hunted for the landy, took me nearly a year to find the right one, but shes mine

Reading First Overland in school - still have a Series One as well as a 300TDi.

Saw my first one as a 4-year-old in 1954 and said that one day I will have one of those!
It took me over 20 years, but I finally got one, and have had Series I 80", Series I 86" Safari Station Wagon, Series II, Series IIA, Series III, 90 and I currently have a 110 2.5 NAD Fender!

I was looking for something that I could use to learn to drive, it had to be cheap to buy and cheap to insure. A 1956 Series 1 86" came along at the right price so I bought it, I've had landys ever since.

I have no real idea. Just one day decided I wanted a Defender, so I bought one.

I remember being into 4x4s as a kid, dad had a Jeep Cherokee V8 and i liked that.

Never looked back, love the car love the community.

It must have been when I was very young - before I started school. Land Rovers were easy to draw, along with Volkswagen Beetles. I always imagined that's what I'd have, but one thing and another got in the way for many years. Other projects, other demands on time and money etc. It's on the last three years or so that I've had one all to myself.

When I was little my parents had a 1969 2a that was our everyday car then they sold that and got a 1984 90 by then that was me hooked. Sadly it's taken me 20 years to finally get my own Landy.

Had a poorly car, and happened to be at a mates who had a freelander on the drive.. "know anyone who wants it?".. right place right time, right money
got the bug within a few minutes of driving it.. took it offroading with EMORC and loved every scary second of it.
Cambelt went and although it was repaired it was "never right" after.. eventually the engine gave up the ghost, so I made do with a VW polo.. great car but not a Landy.
Again... chatting to a mate late one night saying I was still kinda looking for another Landy when he said.. "I know where there's a disco that you would love"... damnit he was right !!!
1998 300tdi owned for a few months now and can't wait to get in and drive her at every opportunity

My parents MADE me, no FORCED me go to billing in the 90's, since then I have been hooked, but never really had the money or space to own 1. I watched my dad and brother strip and rebuild 2 v8 RRC's, a S3 LWB, an SIIA 88, and many many (many!) more.

I finally managed to buy myself a freelander as a family car, then got a decent job and kitted it out for greenlaning. I'm now after a D2 as my family car (and i'm sure it will turn into my next project after a year or so )

My dads v8 RRC was used in the reconstruction of the iranian embassy seige

I'd been trying to decide on a 4WD for a few years, looked at Jeep CJ's (I was aware of Rovers and admired/lusted after them but there was no dealer anywhere close), then Jeep J20's, then finally decided on an International 200 1 ton 4WD pickup, but decided I couldn't afford the $4500 price of a new one. Meanwhile my dad and I were looking for a tractor and found someone local who had a Farmall Super C, so we went to look at it. He also had a '62 88 regular. My dad bought the tractor and I bought the Rover for $250 and we drove them both home.
That was in 1975 and I haven't looked back. Have always had them (and pretty much nothing else) since.

Antichrist, which Alnwick is that. There must be a few in the world, but there's one not far from me.

Went to view this Landrover with a mate! It looked so uncherished and sorry for itself that I was immediately hooked! Just had to buy her and make her well again! Best 400 pounds ive ever spent!

Grew up on a farm so my dad always had land rovers, but wasn't really that into them then. All I wanted to do was buy a car for £200 and drive it till it broke.

After I left uni I read 'First Overland' and thought it would be cool to buy an old defender and drive it around India and Nepal, which I did.

Been literally obsessed ever since.

Al2O3 said:

Antichrist, which Alnwick is that. There must be a few in the world, but there's one not far from me.

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Probably the one near you, it's "up north" About 6 miles from Boulmer.
Or to keep the Rover content, the one where Mastora is.

Hi all - from the Pilbara in Western Australia. Our fourth Discovery (2004 TD5) arrives in two days time. Have had two Series I V8s and a 2000 Series II V8. Just love the Pom stuff - and I love the heritage, and that most parts are still available! I have had Jeeps too - magazines are full or 10" lifts and 25" wheels - well, not quite but you get the picture, OTT stuff - whereas the Land Rover mob seems well to cater for normalcy.

I also recall my uncle, in the late 1950s,worked as a shepherd on a remote sheepstation in New Zealand - and he had, must have been, a mid Land Rover 1950s model. That always had left an impression with me.