Is a Series Rover a good choice for a newbie?

[Leslie]

Mmmmm....such good advice from so many knowledgeable folks. I thank you all for your input. It would definitely not be my first project vehicle, or British vehicle for that matter. Dad has a 1978 MGB, the Wife has a 1975 MGB, I stupidly sold my 1972 MG Midget instead of the 1977 TR-7. Time and finances will determine when I manage to join the Land Rover Family. As for tinkering and tools, I have an addiction to both which is probably why I am a helicopter mechanic.

Thanks again!
pst

Oh, you'll fit right in.... plenty of room in the padded cell next to me!

[cgalpin]

heck you should have said this first. You'll love a series!

Mmmmm....such good advice from so many knowledgeable folks. I thank you all for your input. It would definitely not be my first project vehicle, or British vehicle for that matter. Dad has a 1978 MGB, the Wife has a 1975 MGB, I stupidly sold my 1972 MG Midget instead of the 1977 TR-7. Time and finances will determine when I manage to join the Land Rover Family. As for tinkering and tools, I have an addiction to both which is probably why I am a helicopter mechanic.

Thanks again!
pst

[Momo]

Sounds like you are tailor made for a Series.

After 15 years of ownership I have to say I've never cursed or regretted the decision to get into these vehicles. I've only been stranded two or three times, and those were my fault, not the truck's.

They do tend to multiply (I have three) and have been very reliable overall. There's only been a few jobs to be done that were really unpleasant, like replacing leaf spring bushings or pulling a head with a stuck valve, but that comes with any car. At least on a Series you can get your hands in most places and you can crawl under one without lifting it first. They are so simple that as long as you start with a decent one you shouldn't regret it.

Creature comforts are nice, but boring in the long run. And no one ever asks me about my Toyota, but every time I drive one of the Land Rovers I get thumbs up, long looks, and at least two people ask me about them or share a story about owning or riding in one. So if you are not social they may not be for you, but they engender a lot of good will from all sorts of people.

[bpj911]

perspective

I have owned quite a few unique vehicles from Unimogs, pinzgauers, cruisers, M37, Jeeps, Scouts,etc, etc. A rover does really nothing that well and is really not that well made. What they are good for is as an aggregate of all the fun/unique vehicles. Ie; they are practical enough to use. They drive easy enough, don't require any gymnastics to get in, have windows you can generally see out of due to the miracle of defrost, easy to work on and get much better fuel mileage than most of the above. (mine is a diesel) they also have turn signals and a freaking dome light, at least when the top is on. After having all the trucks that I have had I am somewhat surprised that I am satisfied with the rover. (usually anyway) It's very modular and you can unbolt the top and doors and then all of a sudden it's fun again. It has also been pretty well behaved and isn't really the nuisance to work on that I expected early on. I have to say that I find most vehicles less of a nuisance as i get older. I am sure some can be attributed to perhaps a better understanding of how things work. i do believe the majority of the improvement in the reliability of my vehicles is due to less tinkering. What is the saying? "the first thing to break is generally the last thing you fixed" I think that is true, at least at my house. I also find that i can ignore little problems that would have required a complete rebuild 10 years ago. I can drive around without brakes, without lights, without whatever until it's nice out or a friend wants to drink beer.

[Dashface]

I say go for it They are a wonderful thing to own, and I can't imagine life without it. I mean, I have gone through hell and high water with my Series, and many times I absolutely hate its guts - but I am still desperately in love with it.

Beware what owning a British car might do to your mind, though... Within a year of getting my Series I also got an MGB and a Discovery I. Much to my eternal frustration

[czenkov]

Full Disclosure

And a sensible craaaaaazy person has the Series for every reason mentioned previously, and Tacoma for those days when it absolutely has to start. I have a 2004 Tacoma for those days.

Since this post I have decided to sell the Tacoma, daily drive the Defender, (still have the Series - what fun!) and use the cash from the Tacoma sale to fund an ex-MoD 110 purchase. Forget predicatbility! Into the unknown I go!

You should too!

[amcordo]

I say go for it They are a wonderful thing to own, and I can't imagine life without it. I mean, I have gone through hell and high water with my Series, and many times I absolutely hate its guts - but I am still desperately in love with it.

That about covers it.

[cscutt]

Ask these questions...be honest.
1. can I afford it?
2. Does the wife support this venture?
3. Does my personality support this drastic change in speed...or lack there of?
4. Am I willing to toil endlessly on so many bits and parts and remain sane?
5. Will it become a daily driver or remain a toy?
6. will I be able to keep an open mind and not shun the wisdom and knowledge when things go wrong and i ask for help.
7. will I be able to do a proper repair instead of a half-assed repair and hope it works...ALL bets are off when stuck on the side of the road...then do what ever it takes.
8. will I remember that a landy is a state of mind and can force you to do considerably more thinking about many things since there are no radios, A/C, blah..blah..blah.

Either way, you will not regret it if you make the proper choice.