Where should I be looking for series trucks [Archive]

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NickDawson

04-21-2009, 06:30 PM

Hey guys... me again :)

Between my recent test drives and the warm weather, I've got the bug to really pursue my search in earnest.

First, let me say that I've had some wonderful support from this group which has lead to a few leads.

I'm also keeping tabs on the market place threads both here with our hosts as well as d-90.com. Landroverexchange.com and Ebay also seem to have some interesting options from time to time.

I know that the more trucks I look at - even just ads - the more educated I'll become. Just curious where folks on this board found their trucks and if there are other sites I should be keeping an eye on.

As an update, I'm considering the most recent truck I drove and what a fair offer would be considering the work it needs. I don't want to be insulting to the present owner, but if nothing else comes along, then I might as well take a shot and see if he is interested at a greatly reduced price.

Thanks again!
-N
p.s. I trust this group will tell me if I need to cool it on the multiple threads; just enjoying sharing the excitement of the search :D

jrd51ox

04-21-2009, 06:45 PM

NickDawson

04-21-2009, 06:50 PM

Nick,
I just saw this 1971 Series IIa on eBay. However, it's located in Williamsburg, VA. This rover looks awesome & the seller is a millitary guy.

Item number: 220400752820
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Land-Rover-Wagon-1971-Land-Rover-Series-IIa_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a570Q7c66Q3a2Q 7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a 4Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem2 20400752820QQitemZ220400752820QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTru cks

Good Luck.

Thanks for the great find and super fast reply! I have seen his ad elsewhere, but this is the first I've seen of it on Ebay.

He's out of my price range, but I might contact him and be honest and ask if he'd take 10 minutes to show me the car - would be a good education and well worth the 40 minute drive (plus there's the Orvis fly fishing outlet store in Williamsburg :D )

SeriesShorty

04-21-2009, 07:41 PM

I found my truck on Craigslist. It took some patience not to jump on every Rover I saw. But once I did my research and decided what I wanted it took me a little over a month and 500 miles to find "the one." Sir Alfred and I couldn't be happier together. :) Keep learning, keep looking, it'll happen...

LRX is a good place, too, but someone beat me to the truck I wanted on there.

rwollschlager

04-21-2009, 08:00 PM

Definatley look at the truck in williamsburg. Even if you do not purchase it, you can still become more familiar with all the different styles and conditions of rovers out there.

Believe me when i say they turn up in the weirdest places. The internet has facilitated the land rover search but at the same time the right truck will show up in its own time.
For example...
-My dad found his SIIA 109 in a hole covered in trees, just happened to be glancing on that side of the road when he was driving. This truck went under a 14 year restoration since then.
- He found his (former) SII 88 diesel in a farm field (that a power company abandoned there) when he was looking to buy some hay for my sisters birthday party. This truck just needed minor work.
Lastly
-My 88, I was in 8th grade when the phone rang after school. on the other line was an unknown voice that said he had a land rover that had been garaged since 1979 that he was looking to off load so he could sell his house. Thats how i came to own a 72 SIII 88 with original frame, electrics, and interior with a relativley straight body. It needed some work (hydraulic overhaul and new springs among other things) to become road worthy, and still breaks from time to time (read in another thread i just finished rebuliding its transmission) but its a great truck and I wasnt even looking for a truck when i recieved the call, it just happened!

Be patient! the right one will turn up!

Bertha

04-21-2009, 09:06 PM

Jeff Aronson

04-22-2009, 06:18 AM

There's the listing service provided here by Rovers North.

Why not formally contact the clubs in your region [see the links on this site] and ask their help in spreading the word of your interest?

Call Rovers North to get the phone numbers or websites of shops that specialize in Land Rovers. They might have leads on who is thinking of selling their Rover. These shops will be honest about the condition of the cars because most sell cars only as a service to their customers, not as an active part of their business.

Look up the British car specialists in your area. Shops that work on MG's, Triumphs and Jags sometimes get Series Rovers in for work, too. They might know of leads.

I found my current two Series Rovers as a result of networking and driving. One resided 50 miles away, and one resided 250 miles away.

Good liuck!

Jeff

Clembs

04-22-2009, 09:39 AM

hey i found mine on craig's list and it had been sitting in a field for the past 8 months near wilmington. Thankfully it was rebuilt in 2002 with a RN galv frame. It looked pretty rough but the only rust was on the leafs and shocks. I planned on installing paras and OME shock so it was great for me. Asking price was $3500 (great for a driver like mine), i was going to offer 3,200 but a guy was first in line. I contacted the owner and said i'd do 4,000 if he just tells the other guy sorry. He did and i got it the next day. I have never regreted it. Did a tone of work last summer and fall and have over 1,500 on it.

I say look for Low rust, Galv frame, Semi-smooth idle, inspect bulk head, and brakes. I have found that the only way to own a series is to do 100% of the work your self. It is very cheep that way and a great hoddy.
I can't imagine how much it would be to have a mechanic to keep doing things and it is as easy as a lawnboy

NickDawson

04-22-2009, 11:50 AM

Thanks gang, huge help all around!

I've got a list of links that I've found. I'll update this thread when I have more time, it might be helpful to others on a quest.

I've reached out to the ROVA group - excited to reconnect with them. Although the last time I went to a ROVA rally in my Disco things got rather costly and there was a Unimog involved :D

I'm enjoying the networking as much as the learning - Its great to see how excited folks get when discussing Rovers.

I'll continue to keep everyone posted on my search.

I'm reminded of how this started over 10 years ago. When I first started getting the Rovers North catalog I became obsessed with the Discos - it was about their abilities and the fact that they had leather seats always puzzled me. My dad and I (I was still under their roof at the time) went to drive one 2 hours away - he thought it would get it out of my system we'd be done with that phase. After leaving the dealer where he was recovering from sticker shock on well used Discos, someone plowed into his car at an intersection. The only rental place that was open that late only had 1 SUV and VA law says that if someone hits you then insurance must provide a similar car for a rental. ... that SUV was a '95 Disco which my dad drove for 2 months. That was all it took :D

TY
-N

Clembs

04-22-2009, 02:26 PM

Hey are you in Va? i know several of the guys from ROVA. i mean to go to the ralley last week but didn't make it. I will be there in june

NickDawson

04-22-2009, 02:31 PM

Hey are you in Va? i know several of the guys from ROVA. i mean to go to the ralley last week but didn't make it. I will be there in june

Grew up in Bedford Co and live in Richmond currently

I'd love to connect with some of those guys - I've been posting on the ROVA forum as well, but its not nearly as active as the group here.

galen216

04-23-2009, 08:45 AM

Hey are you in Va? i know several of the guys from ROVA. i mean to go to the ralley last week but didn't make it. I will be there in june

ROAV's spring rally hasn't happened yet. It is May 2 and 3 in Crozet, Va.

I'll be there with my Series.

NickDawson

04-23-2009, 12:34 PM

ROAV's spring rally hasn't happened yet. It is May 2 and 3 in Crozet, Va.

I'll be there with my Series.

Now I have the added pressure of a time schedule to find a truck :D

Kidding, but it would be great to attend this year's rally in a new (to me) Series

galen216

04-23-2009, 01:37 PM

Come on out on saturday and I'll give you a tour of the finner points of looking over a Series. I don't plan to offroad mine, but I will be doing registration.

You can't miss my truck, the doors are painted with, "Solomon's Island Yacht Sales."

Daurie

04-23-2009, 04:30 PM

Thanks for the great find and super fast reply! I have seen his ad elsewhere, but this is the first I've seen of it on Ebay.

He's out of my price range, but I might contact him and be honest and ask if he'd take 10 minutes to show me the car - would be a good education and well worth the 40 minute drive (plus there's the Orvis fly fishing outlet store in Williamsburg :D )

Forgive me if you posted already but what is your price range? The eBay truck previously posted would be a good catch (in my opinion) if you can get it at or under 11K. That particular truck looks to be in generally the same condition as mine and I got mine for 11.5K and thats before the economy took a dump.

I found my truck on Ebay. I talked to the PO many times on the phone and had him send me alot of pictures. Finally I decided to take a chance. I sent him a deposit and drove the 700 miles to pick it up.
Good Luck!

NickDawson

04-23-2009, 05:41 PM

Forgive me if you posted already but what is your price range? The eBay truck previously posted would be a good catch (in my opinion) if you can get it at or under 11K. That particular truck looks to be in generally the same condition as mine and I got mine for 11.5K and thats before the economy took a dump.

Glad you asked
I had hoped to find something around $6K plus or minus $2K...
For instance, a $5,000 truck that runs but needs $2K worth of refurb (plus my time) would be a great project. Conversely, an $8K truck that is already in good shape would be a nice catch but a real stretch for me.

Others have suggested that the ebay model in question is worth b/t $7-$8K ... you said $11, do you think thats more realistic?

I have some "comps" in the works, including an interesting prospect in Ashville, NC. I spoke with Sean at Blueridge Rover Works - a shop that a good friend trusts his classic RR to. They have a truck that looks ugly as hell, but has a solid frame with no rust and runs well for $5,500. For $2K and my own time and effort, I'd think it might end up looking pretty nice. I've also watched two seemingly good condition 1978ish 109s go for $9K on ebay. Granted I didn't examine either one, but as a comparison...

I'd love feedback on my price range and what is realistic. I want to make sure I am offering folks a fair value (when I do find "the one") but my budget is tight. Its a lot better for me to spend $5.5K now and slowly put in $2K more... My $8K limit is firm (and not too high on the spousal acceptance factor)

bmohan55

04-24-2009, 09:32 AM

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6241

As far as the spouse factor, see above thread...
sounds like you are going down the same road as me..I found a good solid truck, in your price range, then put a few more $$$ into it to make it "right" but do not, repeat do not share EVERTHING with the S.O.

Again, I'm not far from you so if you would like to check out and drive mine around pm me, also I could help with transportation if you find one out of town.

Eric W S

04-24-2009, 10:33 AM

I'd love feedback on my price range and what is realistic. I want to make sure I am offering folks a fair value (when I do find "the one") but my budget is tight. Its a lot better for me to spend $5.5K now and slowly put in $2K more... My $8K limit is firm (and not too high on the spousal acceptance factor)

Why do you want to offer fair value? The seller is going to try to get the best price and you should try to get the lowest price.

You can easily spend 2k just replacing a major system, like the brakes.

Try this. Find a random ebay ad for a rover similar to the "one". Try to find and price the issues the truck has.

NickDawson

04-24-2009, 11:30 AM

Why do you want to offer fair value? The seller is going to try to get the best price and you should try to get the lowest price.

You can easily spend 2k just replacing a major system, like the brakes.

Try this. Find a random ebay ad for a rover similar to the "one". Try to find and price the issues the truck has.

Thanks Eric!
I think we are on the same page. When I said "fair" I also meant "fair to me" :D ... don't get me wrong, I'm more concerned with my own wallet than anyone elses

I like your ebay comp idea - its what I was using in my own mind, but I might even print out some past sales to take with.

NickDawson

04-25-2009, 01:17 PM

xsbowes

04-25-2009, 01:47 PM

Well the trip to Williamsburg wasn't a total bust...we had a nice lunch.
The truck was in near mint condition - really nice shape.

I made an offer but he wants $15K and is firm.

So, the search continues.

Search on www.landroverexchange.com (http://www.landroverexchange.com), there is a fairly nice lightweight in Raleigh NC. I found my lightweight on here. I've also sold a hardtop thru this site and it went pretty fast.

NickDawson

04-25-2009, 02:53 PM

Search on www.landroverexchange.com (http://www.landroverexchange.com), there is a fairly nice lightweight in Raleigh NC. I found my lightweight on here. I've also sold a hardtop thru this site and it went pretty fast.

Thanks Xsbowes!
I'm not too crazy about the lightweights but I have seen that one on ebay and its not too far from me... might be worth a look.

I'm also eying this 109 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Land-Rover-Series-III_W0QQitemZ280335078260QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Car s_Trucks?hash=item280335078260&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A317|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318) - anyone in the Ashville NC area want to take a look for me?

This guy also looks promising (http://asheville.craigslist.org/cto/1108563568.html) - Asheville NC seems to be a mecca for these things...there's a ton of listings and shops down that way.