109" or 88" Preference and Why?

[sammyman]

I have owned about 5 rovers and currently have a 95 LWB RRC. I love it to death. I am working on buying a lot of land in a high desert area in Utah by Capitol Reef and want to use my 95 LWB to explore in. I also want to have one vehicle on the lot for when we visit, and am drawn to an older Series II-IIa 88" or 109". We have 2 kids and may have another in the next couple of years.

I saw a restored 109" and fell in love with it. But when I started reading about these old rovers I like the idea of taking the top off an 88" to explore. Plus the 88" has plenty of seats for just putting around town to get a burger or to go off and explore.

Which do you prefer and why? 88" or 109". I'd love to hear from people that have driven them both.

[leafsprung]

This is a grass is always greener question. I have both - I recommend this to others

[sammyman]

I like you. Good point. I'm thinking the best combo is a Defender 110 and 88 IIa with a canvas top.

This is a grass is always greener question. I have both - I recommend this to others

[SafeAirOne]

I've owned an 88, a 109 5-door and a 109 3 door (the 109 is the same truck reconfigured).

I drove the 88 in high school. Hands-down it was my preference over a 109. Nice little truck that's great to run around in. Fun off-road. Great for my lifestyle at the time.

20 years later, I've got a family, responsibilities and a 109. As a 5-door it was nice for hauling around my two sons, a German Shepherd and, when I could convince her, my wife. The 5-door logged a couple of thousand miles off-road in the desert during that period.

9 years and 100,000 miles later, sons are grown, Shepherd's "off running the fields on a farm in upstate New York" and now it's a 3-door 109. Great for hauling junk to the dump, camping, making the daily commute to work and is my current preference in old Rovers.

In fact, I dare say that the 3-door 109 is my favorite of all. It's sort of a jack-of-all-trades. It soothes my mid-life crisis whenever I ride around in the summer with the top off and the windshield folded. It'll carry 10 sheets of plywood home form Home Depot. It's my accommodations at Rover gatherings. It'll haul a snow blower from point A to point B.

So, I guess it all boils down to what you need to fit your current and future situations.

Some of my observations:

--A 12-seater 109 is suitable for center-row passengers under 5 feet tall only. Maybe less. The 'normal' ones look to be OK though.
--Both 88s and 109s are similarly easy to repair and source parts for.
--Both models are soft-top capable or topless-capable (even the 5-door 109, though 2-piece center doors are generally not available).
--Neither model is particularly safe for adults or children in comparison to modern vehicles.
--No matter which model, throughout the years, the same vehicle will be complete ecstasy to drive AND sheer misery to drive, depending on a myriad of variables, including weather, location, fate, physics and wallet status.

Probably not much help to you, but at least you have a bit of insight to the (Series) Land Rover Lifestyle.

[SafeAirOne]

This is a grass is always greener question. I have both - I recommend this to others

Well, Ike seems to have hit the nail on the head. Essentially the same thing I said in only 22 syllables.

[siii8873]

Ike is spot on, one of each is preffered setup. Next question is pick up top, safari top, soft top, diesel, petrol,,,,
Really depends on what you want to use it for as Mark said.

[antichrist]

If you're going to be doing work on the land I suggest a 109, it'll come in more handy for hauling stuff.
If you're just camping and exploring then an 88 may suit better, though it will be sort of cramped for 5 people.
I wouldn't use either with no top with little kids unless installing a roll bar, unless you're very careful.

[TeriAnn]

Which is best depends. No one vehicle is best at everything. So it depends upon what is important to you and your intended use.

Load space:

A 109 regular has a 6 foot long bed for carrying whatever you want to carry or to sleep inside.
An 88 and 109 station wagon has about 3 feet of rear cargo space.

Around town driveability:

With the same load an 88 weighs less than a 109 so accelerates faster and is faster on hills and into head winds. An 88 has a tighter turning radius. All this makes it the better vehicle for city driving.

Off road driveability:

The 88's tighter turning radius gives it an advantage in the woods weaving between trees, on sharp switchbacks and anyplace else that requires tight turns. Assuming the same configuration & load the 88's lighter weight gives it an advantage on powering up a hill or in deep sand. The 109's longer wheelbase makes the 109 more stable on hill climbs and descents. The 109 is less apt to dance around in the mud. Basically an 88 is nimbler but a 109 is more stable. So each is better than the other under different situations. Add a larger engine to both vehicles and the only advantage left to the 88 is being able to turn tighter.

The other stuff depends upon your situation. Do you need the people carrying capacity of a 109 station wagon? Do you need the volume carrying capacity of a 109 regular? Is the vehicle to be used mostly around town with an occasional weekend trip? Do you head out for long trips and need to carry a lot of gear with you?

Bottom line is that the 88 is inherently more nimble, the 109 inherently more stable in the rough stuff. Most everything else depends upon your individual needs.

[Cutter]

Another vote for a 109 regular if you need versatility. I put a fold up bench in the back for my small children which still gives me good load capacity. I still have the two back side benches for people hauling duty. Running in the summer with no roof is the best in the thing, would feel better with a roll cage but I don't off-road (lack of time vs desire). It is like cruising in a runabout but on land, great fun.

[Donnie]

I have had a couple of 88's, a pickup, a 5 door wagon & a 3 door 109 RHD.........they are all gone now & the one that I kept is the 109 3 door, 6 cyl, RHD..........it has been my swap meet truck for many years....They all have their up & downs, but for me living up on the mountain, homesteading, flea marketing collectable's, & all around general hauling...It is the best for what I do.....You can go to the sawmill & pick up a load of lumber, haul a large load of firewood...Empty out the back & sleep in it......On & on.........Donnie

[greenmeanie]

This is a grass is always greener question. I have MANY - I recommend this to others

Corrected for you. Payload, family car (Prior to rebuild) and zippy for me and the dog.

[cedryck]

A friend has a 109. I have an 88, and prefer the 88, a little bit more zippier around town, not that any of them are fast by any means, easier to park, easier to turn. But yes less load capacity, and if you like taking the trucks into the woods, the 88 is most definetly easier in New England decidious woods, usually crowded with lots of rocks and trees.

[Rat Patrol]

Get the 88 and a M416 trailer or Sankey.

[LR Max]

I've been driving around in a 109 for the past 10 years.

It really depends. Some days I love the 109, then I get stuck between two trees and I curse the extra 3 feet of vehicle.

I think the biggest advantage is the ability to comfortably carry extra stuff. Couple that with "slimming down" exercises in packing and all of a sudden I don't need a tent. For simple overnighters, this is great. Not having a tent to screw around with is fantastic.

One memorial time was when I went to tellico and I was meeting a guy and buying four 34x9.5 TSLs from him. It was super sketchy, but I met him at about 11pm at the intersection of trail 1 and 6 (I think that is what it was), loaded up, went back to camp, then slept next to them in the back. Had plenty of room in the back for all of that. Then went and wheeled two days with the extra load in the back. No extra issues with the 400 extra lbs in the back.

An 88 for around town would be awesome or a trailer queen. Actually a lightweight for that matter.

[UnfrozenCaveman]

This is a grass is always greener question. I have both - I recommend this to others

Amen!