Daily Driver

[Billy5]

Hey guys, been on and off here for a little while. Debating on getting my first rover. I am looking at 109. Just curious if these make good daily drivers. I am fairly inclined mechanically, once I get comfortable with it. Any thoughts greatly taken.

[RoverDover]

They make great Daily Drivers if you are a good daily repairer. Go diesel or V8 if you have any highway to do. Good tires can make up for the leaf springs (dont get 10 plies!).

[Billy5]

No, not a tremendous amount of highway at all. I live in a rural area. I work five minutes from home as well. I am looking for something different, that I can work on, and be fun ( as fun as vehicle can be). Right now I am looking at fj40s, and series rovers, either 109 or 88. I am leaning toward rovers, I like the alloy bodies and simplicity ( or are they not that simple ).

[bpj911]

If you like old slow noisy trucks it will work out fine if you can fix things yourself. Or have deep pockets. 5 miles is nothing. i drive mine all over when there isn't salt on the roads. They are actually pretty reliable with a little maintenance. I would guess that most people that have a lot of issues with them are one of two things:

-not that great at fixing anything
-not that great at leaving things alone and hence taking things apart for no reason.

I have been know to be both of those things at times.

Good luck.

[bpj911]

I have been a cruiser person in the past and my buddy who is still a cruiser person has been fiddling with my rover for awhile now. He isn't impressed yet but Toyota guys are sort of like that. I was like that too. They are about the same thing to me now.

[Billy5]

Thats funny you said that. I agree with leaving things alone when not broke. I am looking at cruisers as well. The issue I am having is pricing. I can get more rover for the same money or slightly more. Also, everyone I see that I like in the condition I am looking for, always has a small block chevy. Rover folks know that what they have is great and leave it alone. The reason I am looking at these, whether it be a 109 or 88, is 1) I can work on it ( or most of of it), 2) they are pretty damn cool 3) I live in a sea town, so the aluminum bodies will hold up ( just worry about the frame). From what I understand, these were designed to be simple to work on in the field, with minimum tools etc..which is right up my alley.