What got you started in Land Rovers?

[Billy5]

well, for the record I am going to be 40 this Feb and this is my first one, I got it in July

[Jeff Aronson]

@ Achtung, with the amount of salt on the roads in northern New England, a galvanized frame replacement is the best choice when possible. I have one Rover with lots of patches - but they don't do much good when the area around the patch is rusting out, too .

My purchase of a Series Land Rover stemmed from an upbringing filled with British publications sent to my ex-pat mother from her family in the UK. Life took me to Vermont where I drove only British sports cars year-round, while cold and often snowbound because of that choice.

When British Leyland fled the US market in 1980, I found it more and more difficult to find parts for my '72 MG Midget. I tried a soft top CJ-5 and a CJ-7 during the 80's and found them entertaining, just as cold as my MG's and Triumphs, but really poorly put together. Friends had Land Rovers and swore by them, but I wasn't ready to re-enter the British car parts world yet.

When I moved to Maine in 1987 a '79 Spitfire became my daily driver. By 1990 I decided to step out on my own for work and knew that the Spitfire would not be the "you must get there no matter what" car. I bought my current '66 Land Rover in late 1991 with 111,000 miles and 400,000 miles later, it's still my daily driver for work and play.

Jeff

[tmckeon88]

When I was growing up in a small Maine town in the 60s and 70s there was a small car dealership that sold Land Rovers- I would see it on my way to school. It must have left an impression on me because I always had it in the back of my mind to get one. My first one was a 1973 series III 88" which I did a lot of learning on; I had that from 1985-1990, then I got my current 1969 IIA 88" in 1994. (It's getting ready to turn over 100,000 miles on the new speedometer I put in in 1996.) I think I had that sort of wilderness/self sufficiency fantasy that you used to see in old Camel cigarette ads. The reality is a bit more like "can I make it home before I need to gas up," but still it's good to have a machine whose workings I understand (sort of). That's getting to be less and less the case with the devices we use.

[TedW]

When I was growing up in a small Maine town in the 60s and 70s there was a small car dealership that sold Land Rovers- I would see it on my way to school. It must have left an impression on me because I always had it in the back of my mind to get one. My first one was a 1973 series III 88" which I did a lot of learning on; I had that from 1985-1990, then I got my current 1969 IIA 88" in 1994. (It's getting ready to turn over 100,000 miles on the new speedometer I put in in 1996.) I think I had that sort of wilderness/self sufficiency fantasy that you used to see in old Camel cigarette ads. The reality is a bit more like "can I make it home before I need to gas up," but still it's good to have a machine whose workings I understand (sort of). That's getting to be less and less the case with the devices we use.

You wouldn't be talking about Tibbetts Auto in Hampden, would you?

[tmckeon88]

Ted,

It was Hampden, ME and I recognize the name Tibbets but I have it in mind that it was a place run by Roger Ellingwood, but maybe I'm mixing that name up with someone else somehow. It was in town near the intersection of Rt. 1A and Rt. 9, not far from the high school. There was a pastel green 109 there, I recall. I think the Rovers must have disappeared right around the 1974 ending of importing.

BTW, are you at that garage in Warren, ME? I had my Fairey overdrive rebuilt there. Sadly, it has disintegrated again and I'm using a Roverdrive now.

Tom

[TedW]

Ted,

It was Hampden, ME and I recognize the name Tibbets but I have it in mind that it was a place run by Roger Ellingwood, but maybe I'm mixing that name up with someone else somehow. It was in town near the intersection of Rt. 1A and Rt. 9, not far from the high school. There was a pastel green 109 there, I recall. I think the Rovers must have disappeared right around the 1974 ending of importing.

BTW, are you at that garage in Warren, ME? I had my Fairey overdrive rebuilt there. Sadly, it has disintegrated again and I'm using a Roverdrive now.

Tom

Hi Tom:

Yes, you are referring to Tibbetts Auto. My truck was sold there new to its original owner in 1970.

I live in Falmouth; we met back around 1990, when I test drove a series truck you were selling. It might be the truck you referred to above.

[Jeff Aronson]

Tom,

Should you ever want to return to the Fairey overdrives, Rovers Down South in New Orleans bought the line and carries all the parts for them.

Jeff

[knac1234]

Jeff and all,

I THINK that George has discontinued making Fairey OD parts and units. I spoke with him last month about another part and asked him about it. IIRC, he has adequate stock on most things, but when it's gone it's gone.

In case anyone is on the fence about buying something, might be worth confirming that with him.

FYI
Julian

[albersj51]

Yup! Says it right on his site. Discontinued as of 12/11.

http://www.faireyoverdrive.com/

[Ncrover725]

As a child I have always seen rovers on TV show and either associated them with the adventurous or the rich. Being I didn't grow up rich I figured I would grow up to be adventurous and joined the Army. For seventeen years I deployed around the world and always checked out the series trucks and defenders every where I went. Last year I got a pretty decent injury that would not allow me to deploy on my next trip and gave me a week in bed once I got out of surgery. My wife decided I needed an IPad to occupy my time. Was that a mistake...... I read everything I could find on rovers and decided I would have one within a month or two (caught the bug). I sold my jeep, duck hunting boat, and a gun in order to buy my current 11a 109. My wife said she regrets buying that IPad every day now because all she hears is rover stuff and all she smells is 90 wt!!!!