The best landrover Expedition EVER

[laurie-the-lorry]

As the title of this post will tell you I really believe this to be the best built Expedition Landrover I have ever seen.

The list of extras is just far too long, all I can say is it has a 138 inch wheel base, Handles flawlessly. The 2.9 Diesel pulls like a train. The comfort level is beyond belief from the bus A/C unit down.

So here is the thing (I want it!!!!) I posted recently my new 110 called Hope. It may be time to sell her already.

But I may need your help; my wife is not so keen on the Idea! She would prefer to spend the next 4 years in Kenya saving a bit of money towards a house.

My feeling is that the chassis is 20 years old. I really want to drive back from Kenya to the UK. Where I originate from.

And then drive over to Atlanta GA my wife’s home. Ice breaking barge across the bearing straights (But that’s a whole different thread for much later)

So here is the deal, if we bought this truck this next year, enjoyed it whilst in Kenya, and then spent a year doing our big voyage the truck would be legally importable to the USA. I wonder what she would sell for there.

ARB lockers, Engle fridge, the list is simply endless. Any hows pictures speak a thousand words

Drool on:sunflower

 

[locrwln]

:bowdown:

:drool:

Thats all I have say about that.

Jack

 

[SinCityFJC]

I'm speechless :Wow1: :bowdown: :drool: :drool: :drool:

 

[laurie-the-lorry]

Yep she is SOOOOO buitiful it hurts,

The question is what do you think this will be worth in USD. We just spent the 18 months in the USA and I am glad to be gone as the pound has really taken a tumble..

In Pounds the vehicle sits turn-key with everything at around 62k...

I would estimate that I would put on around 100,000 miles with the trip and usage here.

But for sake of argument if I did a little re-build and sold it in the USA what do you think it might go for?

My feeling is this is not the time to buy property, But this as a mobile home! All I need to do is convince 'her indoors' That we could sell this for the right money when the 5 years is over.

Who knows what prices are going to do over the next 5 years. But if the vehicle was in the USA now with 100k on her and she had just turned 25 years old. What do you think I might realize?

Not that I would ever want to sell her, But my 9 month old boy will eventually need a yard as the misses says...

 

[Z O O R O P A]

not much would be my answer

as every year goes by more Defenders open up to import in the USA. It remains to be seen if the handful of people who have taken on the burden of importing old Defenders and selling them will actually survive the next 12-18months.

That being said, there are plenty of dealers in the UK ready to ship old Rovers. You would have to find the right buyer to really make it pay off. Someone who is looking for a vehicle like that and has the means. Not very common

The USA financial system is in a flux and no one can say how long it will last. Credit to buy vehicles is at a minimum. I would not expect vast changes to occur for at least 12-18 months.

Hedging your future financial situation on a potential vehicle sale that has a small niche community of interest doesn't seem like sound wisdom. Land Rovers come and go and are easy to modify.

I'd listen to your lady, a husband's and father's responsibility is to family first and Defenders will be available for the rest of your life. Put your money into something that will return it, land or housing in most cases lol, not automobiles. You can get back to the UK in a Defender for a lot less money and still have the adventure and a happy wife

By the way, this is just the time to buy property if you have the means

Good luck and let us know what you plan to do! Sure is a sweet ride, but there are many out there

Here are some ideas of what people have done - so don't think you couldn't duplicate that vehicle or do better!

http://www.frogsisland4x4.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=51

click on the Open menu link on the picture and a long slide of vehicles will open - your choice of vehicle and manufacture

 

[1leglance]

Huge drool factor but I agree that by the time you get that over here there will be a flood of Defenders aval.
And while that one is nicely mod'd by the time you get it over here it will be well used from your trips.
I agree that you should buy it cuz you want it now to do your trips or buy land if you are investing but not buy this as an investment.

 

[laurie-the-lorry]

OK,

So maybe I can not fool my wife into thinking it is a good investment :-(

I have been in the landrover world for 24 years now, I have built 3 rovers from the ground up. This new truck will be my 12th landy.

What the photos cannot show is the attention to detail and the quality of work. The german builer has been making this stuff for this enviroment for 20 lus years. It is pure quality.

I spent most of my life in the UK and have full exeriance of Frogs island and many other firms who produce stunning work for expedition use.

Finding this quality in Kenya, and knowing it is built here to last here is heartwarming.

I will go to plan B, and talk about how little it will fall in value, and how we can still enjoy the ride in 20years

Cheers

 

[michaelgroves]

It will not be a good financial investment, almost certainly. But despite the negative posts here, I suspect you would lose much less money on a vehicle like that, than you would on most other expedition vehicles requiring similar outlay.

Having said that, £62K seems too expensive. You don't say what engine it has, what mileage, what year-model the base vehicle is, and when the conversion was done, but in this economic climate, for £62K you won't be in a queue of buyers!

I'm sure it cost more than that to build and equip, but of course that isn't the issue.

To give you an idea, I sold our 2000 model 6x6 Defender expedition conversion with under 100,000 miles on the clock, for just under £30K in 2006. Not as nicely finished as the one you're looking at, but also more extras and equipment than you can shake a stick at. (150" chassis, ARB air-lockers on all three axles, Ashcroft underdrive, the 6x6 drive unit, hydraulic winch with synthetic rope, on-board air, body and chassis protection, leather seats, Eberspacher diesel-powered heating system, 460-litre diesel capacity, onboard computer, hot and cold running water etc etc.) http://www.expeditionoverland.com

The trip you're thinking of is a life experience - quite possibly only once in a lifetime, so keep the costs in perspective - if you could buy it for around $60-70K, and sell it for $40-50K, the $20K loss is money well spent, IMO!

 

[mountainpete]

Amazing truck! One of the nicest non-live-in Defenders I've seen (I have a thing for pop-ups).

I don't believe I've ever seen an Eezi-Awn with a hard case like that. Any more details? Very, very nice.

Pete

 

[michaelgroves]

Amazing truck! One of the nicest non-live-in Defenders I've seen (I have a thing for pop-ups).

I don't believe I've ever seen an Eezi-Awn with a hard case like that. Any more details? Very, very nice.

Pete

I thought all Eezi-Awn's were like that? We tried one on our truck too, but for a variety of reasons decided to go with the Hannibal one instead, but I didn't know there was an alternative to the Eezi-Awn's hard case.

 

[Connie]

Oh la la! That is beauuuuuutiful! I have heard of these hard case Eezi Awns, but never actually seen one.

 

[mountainpete]

I thought all Eezi-Awn's were like that? We tried one on our truck too, but for a variety of reasons decided to go with the Hannibal one instead, but I didn't know there was an alternative to the Eezi-Awn's hard case.

Soft cases in North America like this:

 

[DiscoveryXD]

Oh la la! That is beauuuuuutiful! I have heard of these hard case Eezi Awns, but never actually seen one.

X2, never seen a hard case either.

That's a beautiful Rover right there! I was drooling over a NAS D110 my buddy was working on a few days ago. Someday I'll have a Defender....

 

[gjackson]

Very nice truck! But I have to say I'm not one for wood finish on the dash.

Eezi Awn made the Alu Case tents for a few years and then stopped. Only saw one in person, and it seemed very nice. I think the weight / cost of production killed them.

See pics of the alu case being opened at the very bottom of the Eezi Awn page on the Pangaea site:

http://www.pangaea-expeditions.com/eeziawn/index.html

cheers

 

[michaelgroves]

Oops.. I thought you were talking about the awning, not the rtt!