Newbie/wannabe LR caretaker with some ?

[Wander]

Hello Rover owners/fans, I have been hanging out here learning what I can while I build up a project truck account. I really love Land Rovers-especially series models and would love to get one when I finally have enough saved up and other things stop breaking at my house-but that's another story..

In shopping Land Rovers I am finding they can get pretty costly but I am not sure I'm looking in the right places. I want to find something that can be driven (if I could drive it home would be perfect) but needs some TLC so not a total ground up project. This will not be a DD(my 4R has this task) -rather a weekend/adventure vehicle (escape pod) and will see duty on the beach, pine forest trails, old logging roads ( can be pretty muddy) and the occasional moutain trip. I am in NC and am not interested in technical rock crawling, just getting off the beaten path to a good trout stream and getting out on the beach to surf fish.

I'd like to keep the inital purchase at or under 5K-is this unresonable for a series LR? I've seen plenty of Land Cruisers in that range that would fit the bill but I really like the series LR's more so if it's possible I'd rather start here.

So the wrap this long post up-where should I look and what should I expect to pay? If you could also give me an idea of yearly costs that would be great too.

I've enjoyed checking out your LR photo's and stories, hope to add my own soon!

 

[lindy]

Try here for starters

www.landroverexchange.com

 

[TeriAnn]

In shopping Land Rovers I am finding they can get pretty costly but I am not sure I'm looking in the right places.

If I were looking I would join the main US Land Rover email lists and get to know folks. A lot of trucks get offered there first before going into ads. And there are enthusiasts who like to keep track of what vehicles are for sale where. Or at least there seems to be.

lro, Mostly US wide list -
LRO mailing list
LRO@land-rover.team.net
http://oryooki.caloccia.net/mailman/listinfo/lro



mendo_recc, AKA the mendo list, which is primarily West coast based -

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mendo_recce" group.
To post to this group, send email to mendo_recce@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to mendo_recce+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mendo_recce?hl=en

 

[Wander]

Thanks Terri, I signed onto the LRO list, are these e-mail lists associated with forums such as this one that I should also look into?

 

[nwoods]

Search for Land Rover Clubs, and then search their classifieds. For example, here in Southern California, there is a gentleman selling a 1976 Series for $4500 or so. It runs, its drivable, but is fairly rough in appearance. He bought it to restore, much like you appear to want to, but he ran out of economy to do so.

 

[EuroJoe]

i know nothing about landrovers

but i saw this when reading the illinois auto trader

http://www.route31hotrods.com/73rover.html

 

[Wander]

I've seen that LR on ebay as well- not bad looking at all. I wonder if the price includes all the stickers :coffeedrink:

(to anyone) Are the lights on the wings factory-I've never seen a light set up like that before except maybe on an old Jeep CJ.

 

[evilfij]

IMHO what you want to do is buy a truck with a galvanized frame and a decent bulkhead. Everything else is relatively easy and cheap enough for used parts. You are looking at a minimum of 7k for a runner with a galvanized frame, but it is worth every extra penny.

 

[Wander]

Thanks for the tip. I have seen mention of galvanzied frames in restoration threads and articles but I rarely see any mention of that in ads (which I assume means they do not have this). I was looking around e-bay yesturday and saw a IIa with a Defender front end that has obvious rust damage on the frame in the photo to show off the new exhaust-of course they are expecting big $$-no bidders yet. If 7K is a more realistic starting place I guess I'll need to save up for a while longer but I guess that will give me time to learn.

 

[galen216]

Listen to evilfij. Everything on a Series is cheap and easy to fix. But the frame and bulkhead will give you the most frustration. Buy for those two items and everything else is secondary.

Clubs, Craigslist, Land Rover Exchange and forums are the best place to look it you aren't connected in.

I bought my truck from my club site for $3500. It has parabolics, tuffy box, OME shocks, SST exhaust and an excellent bulkhead. The frame isn't perfect but I was willing to overlook that for the price/condition and as it sits the frame has some time in it. But eventually the goal is replacement. Deals like this are out there but you have to look and keep in contact with as many people as possible.

Talk to your local club too. People in the clubs always know a guy that know a guy's brother who has a truck for sale that isn't advertised online.

 

[TeriAnn]

Thanks Terri, I signed onto the LRO list, are these e-mail lists associated with forums such as this one that I should also look into?

Both lists predate forums.

The LRO list came on line in early 1990. Here's some history:

In the beginning there was rec.autos which covered all cars & light trucks.Those of us who wanted to talk about British cars and specifically Land Rovers were a very tiny percentage of the overall traffic. I 1986 a guy by the name of Dale who owned an MGB and I believe worked at Apollo Computers created an email list called "the british car list" and sent emails out to everyone posting about British cars on rec.autos inviting them to join.

The british car list covers all marques of British cars. (The original list still exists as british-cars@autox.team.net ). apollo Computers got gobbled up and Dale took early retirement. The list passed through a few hosts and administrators but it was painfully apparent that the Land Rover folks had a different take on restorations & vehicle care than the Aston Martin or even the Triumph crowds. So in 1990 The Land Rover Owners (LRO) list was split off from the parent british car list. Taking with it those of us who owned Land Rovers. The british car list spawned a slew of individual car lists afterwards over the next few years and is the parent of all the @autox.team.net British car, bike & racing lists.

Early on Bill Caloccia took over hosting of the LRO list which grew to include all models of Land Rovers and attracted members world wide as this new thing called the world wide web became popular and everyone and their infant children got internet access. During the mid to late '90's the LRO list spawned lists for other models of Land Rover and became a Series centric list and it spawned the individual country and region email lists.

So LRO has been around since 1990 is the grandchild of rec.autos and the parent of all the Land Rover lists that can be traced beck to rec.autos.

The mendo_recce list recently celebrated its 10th birthday. It was created by a few people on the LRO list who were planning a trip into the Mendocino National Forest to allow for better communication without bothering everyone else on the LRO list. It was for a pre trip reconnoiter, hence mendo-recce. The list stayed active after the trip and grew into a major email list primarily focused on Land Rover owners in the Western US. Staying true to its roots there is an annual Mendocino National Forest weekend gathering every April.

So no, no forum. But there are folks who have known each other over the lists for 10 - 20 plus years as well as people new to land Rovers.

So now that you have joined lro, as if anyone knows of any trucks for sale in your area.

 

[Wander]

Thanks TerriAnn, I should have guesse the LR crowd was in this from the start- well actually from before the start.

I got my first e-mail today, a lot of good information. From looking about at what I can find it looks like I might need to save a bit longer to be able to get the right project so I might not bother anyone yet. I don't want to get anyone excited about selling their rig if I don't have the money to buy and thus be labled the dreaded "tire kicker"! I did spot a project on the LR exchange-a IIA in Ohio that needs brakes, the heater doesn't work (which may just be a fan motor or??) but the engine runs. I have no idea about the frame but I couldn't see any obvious bulk head rust from the picture-but that may be proved otherwise. It being in Ohio has me thinking there has to rust in several places but other than being covered in dust it looked pretty clean. Asking price is under 4K so in the right neighborhood.