Any advice for a first landy?

Hello All...

I am looking at getting a landy of some form in the next few months.

A few people have suggested a discovery.

I would really appreciate any advice I can get on what to look out for when deciding what to buy ( I have had a quick look through the buying guide on here).

I am also hoping to use the landy for greenlaning, and maybe a few p+p days. Bearing this in mind, does anyone have any recommendations for which engine/spec/transmission to go for.

Hope I've posted this in the right place

Cheers
Harvey

How much do you want to spend? Discovery 1’s will be rusty so buy the best you can afford and learn to weld or find someone that can, mechanicals need regular maintenance but are mostly easy to work on and most parts are cheap. D2’s are nicer places to be, more electronics but a strong community to back you up here, rear chassis rot can be an issue. I’d love a D3 but I’m too scared of the complexity of them!

AdamD1 said:

Discovery 1’s will be rusty so buy the best you can afford and learn to weld

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Ditto, the cheapest landrover to but now is a disco 1 but rust really is the only major issue, if you're not afraid to have a go with a welder its the way to go. They will all be pretty high mileage now so ask about timing belts and if its sluggish the injection pump could be an issue.

Any discovery in fine fettle is a nice car, the newer the model the nicer they are to drive, the newer they are the more they cost to fix when they go wrong!

The list of what to look for is literally endless, well worth joining one of the disco owners clubs (if they still exist?) and try and buy a members car which will hopefully be sound and sorted.

Rodeo Joe said:

Ditto, the cheapest landrover to but now is a disco 1 but rust really is the only major issue, if you're not afraid to have a go with a welder its the way to go. They will all be pretty high mileage now so ask about timing belts and if its sluggish the injection pump could be an issue.

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So where did u get that information from?
Not all D1s have rust or a high mileage or have a timing belt and an injection pump.

Had a 300 Tdi with a disintegrating pump with only 120k on it, wouldn't you want to know when the timing belt was changed on a car you were about to buy?

Disco 2 TD5 manual would be my recomendation preferably with ACE (fans of the V8 will be along shortly )

If you are planning to buy a landy purely as a plaything/workhorse, then why not consider a 90 or early defender, a proper landy. However if you will be using it for taking the family out on long trips, commuting every day etc. Buy the disco. p+p days can be hard on vehicles so expect to spend money on mods or repairs or both.

Col

Harveyg582 said:

Hello All...

I am looking at getting a landy of some form in the next few months.

A few people have suggested a discovery.

I would really appreciate any advice I can get on what to look out for when deciding what to buy ( I have had a quick look through the buying guide on here).

I am also hoping to use the landy for greenlaning, and maybe a few p+p days. Bearing this in mind, does anyone have any recommendations for which engine/spec/transmission to go for.

Hope I've posted this in the right place

Cheers
Harvey

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My sole advice would be....take someone who knows land rovers...
There is always rust and weak spots.... which is fine.... then there are more serious issues... You wont be able to tell the difference.. someone with more experience probably will.

hi

plus what the other guys have said

inc

how much does a set of tyres cost
service items, inc brakes and suspension as ur going to use it off road
insurance and mot

also what tools etc u have to work on them

or dare i say it even consider a freelander TD4 , ( no ladder chassis ) as ur only 18 , can pick them up very cheaply then as u gain more experience and no claims bonus u can then move up the models

hope that helps a little

my advice? buy a pajero

again, get the nicest D2 you can afford, stick the suspension up at the back and crawl under with a screwdriver and give stuff a tap, check the engine bay on the back of the top of the arches,

check for low coolant before starting it up, (mine has a weeping rad, and loses about half the expansion bottle of coolant over 2 months), and it was stood for a while before i bought it so topped it up straight away and it's fine..

do you have a mate with nanocom? if so take it and look for codes..

aside from that history, vin checks, engine number correspondence etc

AdamD1 said:

How much do you want to spend? Discovery 1’s will be rusty so buy the best you can afford and learn to weld or find someone that can, mechanicals need regular maintenance but are mostly easy to work on and most parts are cheap. D2’s are nicer places to be, more electronics but a strong community to back you up here, rear chassis rot can be an issue. I’d love a D3 but I’m too scared of the complexity of them!

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Thanks for the advice!
Ideally if I could get something for about £1500-£2000 I would be able to spend more on mods and repairs, but if that's an unrealistic price I will save for longer and spend a bit more!

Rodeo Joe said:

Ditto, the cheapest landrover to but now is a disco 1 but rust really is the only major issue, if you're not afraid to have a go with a welder its the way to go. They will all be pretty high mileage now so ask about timing belts and if its sluggish the injection pump could be an issue.

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Okay. For someone who has never touched a welder, does it take a long time to pick up, or is welding something that you can learn the basics fairly quickly?

lynall said:

Any discovery in fine fettle is a nice car, the newer the model the nicer they are to drive, the newer they are the more they cost to fix when they go wrong!

The list of what to look for is literally endless, well worth joining one of the disco owners clubs (if they still exist?) and try and buy a members car which will hopefully be sound and sorted.

Click to expand...

Cheers for the advice! I'll have a look round and see if I can find an owners club

Moron said:

Disco 2 TD5 manual would be my recomendation preferably with ACE (fans of the V8 will be along shortly )

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I do like the idea of the TD5, seem like a good engine, although I'm only going by stuff I have read

My uncle has a d2 v8, and although they sound nice, the td5 appeals more to me....and the insurance on a v8 for my age is crazy high

Colthebrummie said:

If you are planning to buy a landy purely as a plaything/workhorse, then why not consider a 90 or early defender, a proper landy. However if you will be using it for taking the family out on long trips, commuting every day etc. Buy the disco. p+p days can be hard on vehicles so expect to spend money on mods or repairs or both.

Col

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I would love a 90 or a defender 90, but they seem to be a lot more expensive than an equivalent discovery.
P+p days are probably going to be quite rare for me, but as you said I will probably break stuff on those days....isn't that just a good excuse to upgrade parts

a disco 1 is more within your price range. 90s/Defenders and series vehicles will probably be over the 1500-2000 unless you're willing to buy something a little ****ed up

But disco 1s will also be the most used in mileage most likely

Harveyg582 said:

I would love a 90 or a defender 90, but they seem to be a lot more expensive than an equivalent discovery.
P+p days are probably going to be quite rare for me, but as you said I will probably break stuff on those days....isn't that just a good excuse to upgrade parts

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There is no particular reason that you should break anything driving off road. Landrovers are designed for dual purpose use.

Not all mods are upgrades, some will actually make the vehicle worse.

If in doubt about your off road driving ability, invest in driver training, or take someone who knows the ropes along to show you what to do.

Prob best you find the model you can afford to run the cheapest ie insurance/tax/fuel for your 1st one , any landy willdo to get you started then if you join some clubs you can see what everyone else is using , i have the td5 pre facelift . And am only have basic mechanic skills with basic tools and have found it very easy to work on and keep on the road for tge last 12years

Vanmancan said:

Prob best you find the model you can afford to run the cheapest ie insurance/tax/fuel for your 1st one , any landy willdo to get you started then if you join some clubs you can see what everyone else is using , i have the td5 pre facelift . And am only have basic mechanic skills with basic tools and have found it very easy to work on and keep on the road for tge last 12years

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Joining clubs is a good idea. He will get some advice from experienced people.