Is it love or does it grow on you.

[landlocked]

Gday,

Total newbie round here so this is by way of an introduction.

My earliest memory is sitting on my fathers lap while he drove the farm Landy down a bumpy track. That was over 40 years ago. Maybe that explains my lifelong fascination with Land Rovers.

I drove one the other day for the first time in nearly 15 years as a mate of mine has decided to sell his 1999 110 TDI. I really didnt know what to expect so it lived up to my expectations. I have read enough on this forum to understand that its not like any other vehicle on the planet.

See the thing is, I didnt fall head over heels in love and I was disappointed by that. I really wanted it to be love at first sight but it was bloody noisy and it seemed to need to be revved more than felt comfortable. The clutch pedal must have been connected to a weights machine from the gym, the brakes were a bit wooden, the gears all felt like they were in the wrong place and the back of the seat felt too narrow for my not vey broad back.

So what, I hear you all shout, its a land rover, go back to your japanese ute. But my question is does it need to be love at first sight or do they grow on you like moss and lichen, work their way into your DNA and become an integral part of life?

Is putting a nice radio unit in one a bit of a contradiction? Will I ever be able to hear it on my weekly 3 hour commute to the big city? Will I suffer from industrial deafness within a few weeks. Will my life descend into an endless round of oil leaks, rattles, whines, and terrible ergonomics.

So I guess all this waffle leads to this. Will I grow to love this land rover and all its quirks? Or is it better to just admire them from afar. I really want to own one but I would hate to have it end in acrimonious divorce again.

Thanks fellahs

cheers
jonathan

[KarlB]

Maybe your mate's 110 was more like a fish-wife when really you were looking for a nubile wench. Visit your nearest dealer and drive a new one. Then you will be in-love!

Cheers
KarlB
:D

[wrinklearthur]

Hi Jonathan,

Without getting too deep about the definition of love.
My involvement with Land Rovers is that way now, if they were taken away from me, I would miss the fun that I have with them.
Guess that does make me a true Land Rover tragic.

I have been driving Land Rovers since learnig at the age of eight on our family farm, thats when we first brought an ex Tasmania Hydro Electric Commision 1954 86" softtop, in 1960 the year of the floods.
Apart from the dark ages when I drove a HJ Holden ute , I have always had a Land Rover of some type.

Cheers and welcome Arthur

[Chomby]

Welcome to the forum.

Comfort is not a word I'd like thrown around the design team for the defender neither has it ever been. My first car was/is a series Landrover so I didn't have trouble adapting to the "weird driving position" and my ears sort of syphon out all the usual noises (comparatively the noise from defenders that my mates drive are heavenly and soft). But after you get used to it you will come to love it. The seating position is really good for your back and you can drive for days without need to stretch. And the amount of times I'm asked to recover vehicles suprises me even today. One time recently I traversed 6 kms of serious muddy ruts to pull a patrol out of a real mess and I had no front tailshaft but still had no troubles getting to him and back. I read in 4wd action recently a quote similar to "defenders are totally practical to the point of stubbornness (as are most their drivers)" if this sounds like you then my answer in short is yes you will get used to it.

Sorry to bore you :P anyway welcome again and any more specific questions I'm more than happy to talk :)

Cheers,
Brendon.

P.S. A sound system can definitely be done, it'll have to be loud though ;) mine used to include a 1000watt subwoofer and 110watts each side


Gday, So I guess all this waffle leads to this. Will I grow to love this land rover and all its quirks? Or is it better to just admire them from afar. I really want to own one but I would hate to have it end in acrimonious divorce again.

[Blknight.aus]

its a bit of both.

Ive known people that have had a bad experience with a poorly maintained example that was just a dogs breath of a vehicle that have converted after getting a drive in a good one..

then theres theres those that realise that yes, it does exactly what it says on the box without exception and without needing to spend a fortune on it who love them from the get go.

[kenleyfred]

Same vehicle, two different views. I love my Defender and always feel uplifted when I drive it, no matter where I take it.
However it is my wifes daily drive and she gets increasingly frustrated with it and it's numerous little niggles, however every couple of months she and a girlfriend take a girls camping trip, normally to Moreton Island, and then she comes back with nothing but praise for 'my truck'.
So I think at worst for yourself, if you occasionally use it for what it's good at you can't help but love it.

[bcj]

Defender's do what they do and commuting 's not high on the list - it is designed as an offroad vehicle , maybe a disco would be better- work out what you want out of your vehicle and if a defender suit's be sure your happy to live with it's shortcomings - I wouldn't own anything else for what I need, except a series :D

Brett
110 300tdi

[austastar]

Hi,
I would commute in my D130 if I had to commute, but I would hate to be wearing it out with such mundaneness. I have always commuted 12km or so by bicycle or motorbike and have worn out a few of both with the daily drive.
Mind you, I prefer the D130 in town to SWMBO's little corolla; sure it is not as zippy and is much larger to park, but hey! Who is going to bump park a Landrover bull bar or the rear end of a cab chassis.
Where do you park a Landrover?
Anywhere you like!
But back to the OP, if I wasn't doing any off-road, I wouldn't buy a Landrover as an only vehicle for daily commute/town-car duties, despite their dreadnought ability in the car-parks.
cheers

[NOZ]

Gday,

Total newbie round here so this is by way of an introduction.

My earliest memory is sitting on my fathers lap while he drove the farm Landy down a bumpy track. That was over 40 years ago. Maybe that explains my lifelong fascination with Land Rovers.

I drove one the other day for the first time in nearly 15 years as a mate of mine has decided to sell his 1999 110 TDI. I really didnt know what to expect so it lived up to my expectations. I have read enough on this forum to understand that its not like any other vehicle on the planet.

See the thing is, I didnt fall head over heels in love and I was disappointed by that. I really wanted it to be love at first sight but it was bloody noisy and it seemed to need to be revved more than felt comfortable. The clutch pedal must have been connected to a weights machine from the gym, the brakes were a bit wooden, the gears all felt like they were in the wrong place and the back of the seat felt too narrow for my not vey broad back.

So what, I hear you all shout, its a land rover, go back to your japanese ute. But my question is does it need to be love at first sight or do they grow on you like moss and lichen, work their way into your DNA and become an integral part of life?

Is putting a nice radio unit in one a bit of a contradiction? Will I ever be able to hear it on my weekly 3 hour commute to the big city? Will I suffer from industrial deafness within a few weeks. Will my life descend into an endless round of oil leaks, rattles, whines, and terrible ergonomics.

So I guess all this waffle leads to this. Will I grow to love this land rover and all its quirks? Or is it better to just admire them from afar. I really want to own one but I would hate to have it end in acrimonious divorce again.

Thanks fellahs

cheers
jonathan


Defenders are like a RASH they grow on you. You will love it :)

[aew849]

Landlocked,

I grew up with Series 2A SWB ute and LWB trayback on the family sheep station and before I could ride a bike, I was steering it down the tracks with dad doing the pedal work! They were replaced by early landcruisers, but would be resurrected doing school holidays.....

Ten years later and I'm in the UK, and having driven Vauxhauls', Beemers and Mazda etc etc, military life throws me at a task to drive a 110 wagon towing a 6 man pilot gig (think of old fashioned surf boat) Cornwall to Richmond in west London, then through to Greenwich Naval College in east London. The Landy love was rekindled as the I had neven seen so many commuters get out of the way...Moses would have been proud! I bought a Series 3 and restored the grubby bits before importing it home in late 90's....now that was the ultimate city car.....no one messes with a bashed up Landy!!

Since being home I have had 98 Tdi 110, 02 Td5 110 xtreme and recently a new Puma 90, although only for 7 months as I couldn't fit the new family in it!! But I still have a 04 130 dualcab ute and since last week an 07 Disco3 2.7 SE.

The Series/Defender always catches the eye and a recollections of a great childhood on the station flood back. Being fair there are also memories of smashed knuckles, eyes full of dirt, dust and sand, leaking panels, leaking roofs, failed brake pads, bits falling off (last three items on the new 110 wagons!!) and ill trained, over franchised car yards...

I view the clutch pedal as a free gym membership, same thing with the doors and getting into the thing, every other glitch and gripe are character, and every item that pokes into the driver such as the hand brake, door handle, window handle are merely telling you to keep the correct posture...you there, don't slouch!! Sometime it is a good thing to not hear the radio given the drivel and tripe that is often broadcast......imagination needs to have a run as well.

Every drive is not a commute, but an adventure in the 130. What will it do to me next, in order to exercise the inate Macgyver qualities? My last obstruction to a simple drive Perth to Albany, was the ignition key that would not stay at ignition..ie start and then die when it flicked back to ACC...the days of a pocket knife and a piece of string are not dead...it should be in the standard tool kit.

You may be grumpy with the 110 now, as some of your expectations with the beastie haven't been met.

But wait...very soon, when you least expect....it will wink at you...and you will change your point of view!!:D


aew849
landy tragic

[clubagreenie]

'my truck'.

Thats divorce speak right there

[VladTepes]

My answer is "both".

[Nera Donna]

My experience, I think the more you ‘personalize’ your truck the more you become attached.
Still waiting for mine to ‘wink’ at me. :Rolling:

[The ho har's]

we started with the Disco, then the 130 then the series 3....look where we are now:eek: guess it is love:eek::D;)

Mrs hh:angel:

[roverrescue]

Love can be fickle,
If you buy it and it then craps itself and cooks the head and you have to pay a greaser 5 or 6 gorillas you're gonna wish you kept the japper ;)
In my opinion you gotta love them before you put your hard earned down. At least you have the early memories, they are strong within!
BUT once its yours - there will be no going back. Its called character - no other fourby but maybe an FJ40/45 really has it.

S

[Josh_WA]

When I was a patrol driver I used to bag out the landy drivers. Then I got a D3 and realized why people love land rovers in general. Then after a while with it I knew I wanted a defender as the D3 was great but just didn't give me the childish grin I get every time I jump in the defender.

I guess it is love.

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[scanfor]

When you've made the trip into the big smoke and had to park it on the street or in an outdoor parking area because it won't fit underneath, then you catch a glimpse of it surrounded by "city" cars and "city "folk", you realise how different it looks. You realise that your truck has character. You realise that it may leak and growl and sometimes give you the ****s, and you realise that you love it anyway.

[clubagreenie]

Once again the "T" word...

[Phoenix12]

I Just bought a new 110, pick it up on Friday afternoon and am looking forward to getting to know its quirks...... They will b different than my current drive, (85 County 110), but then they will b the same as well !!

So, do you buy relatively new and then wait for it to develop the quirks or have you bought one with them !:p

You are definately going to find quirks its just that you need to be happy to love them. Thats the mantra a Defender owner has to go by dont they ?..........

[Lyle]

I don't drive my defender every day, I have a work car and or push bike depending on which job I'm heading to. My big green fender still makes me smile every time I drive it, my daughter loves bouncing around in it, and my wife loves the fact its taken us to some of the nicest places in Australia. I think you know it's love when some philistine calls it a jeep and you get upset.

[Tikirocker]

I started off with a Series IIA and loved it to bits ... I now have a County; for me it is the rugged agricultural/military utilitarianism of the Land Rover that appeals most, it is what a Landy is known and loved for.

If you're looking for comfort, smooth ride, low noise and all the mod cons - perhaps a Range Rover is more to your taste; Land Rovers are for people who like an adventure every time they drive down the street, who don't mind a bit of a wrestle with their mechanical missus - cause with a Landy, you've got a vehicle with their own personality and that is what is so endearing to those of us who love the things. This is another reason that Land Rover is one of the few makes of vehicle that shares a driver understanding/empathy that produces the "wave". ;)

Tiki.

[Leyland1980]

Defenders are like a RASH they grow on you. You will love it :)

More like a raging infection, it will take over and either kill you or become a defining part of you like a major scar or a massive Tattoo on you face!:D

[VK3UTE]

I commute about 10 hours a week into the city in my Puma, they are fantastic in the traffic as you are up high and I never get a sore back thanks to the seating position. They are surprisingly easy to reverse park, however you do need to be careful with underground car parks! The way I look at it is if I have to drive 10 hours a week I might as well be in a car I enjoy driving. After 18 months owning one I still get excited every morning when I climb aboard:)

Saying that it took 3 months for my leg muscles to get used to the clutch!

Defenders are a car you have to want to own, once you've had one you will love it.

Just do it!!!

Cheers Simon

[rick130]

[snip]

Defenders are a car you have to want to own, once you've had one you will love it.

[snip]

Yep, you have to go in with your eyes wide open and acknowledge and be prepared for their idiosyncrasies.

If you bought one expecting a modern conveyance you are just setting yourself up for disappointment and suffering.

[wagoo]

Gday,

So I guess all this waffle leads to this. Will I grow to love this land rover and all its quirks? Or is it better to just admire them from afar. I really want to own one but I would hate to have it end in acrimonious divorce again.

Thanks fellahs

cheers
jonathan

Maybe it's the vehicles quirks and design deficiencies, requiring an inordinate amount of regular maintenace.Maybe it's the type of lifestyle they encourage that is un appealing to many women. Or maybe it's the character flaws in the blokes that have been my closest friends during my over 4 decades of LandRover ownership.;) But the marriages of virtually all those LandRover owning friends have indeed ended in acrimonious divorce. Conversely many of my aquainteces who own other brands of 4wds have solid relationships.
I managed to preserve my own marriage by purchasing a reliable non Rover built vehicle for family use and just use my Landy for personal enjoyment and work around my bush block.
Bill.

[bezclez]

My first experience with Land Rovers was my Dad's Series 3 ute at the local tip as a very young child riding on the tray. Upon leaving, in 2WD we became bogged. Dad jumped out of the cab, went around to the front wheels and adjusted something, jumped back in, pushed down a yellow lever and we drove straight out of the boggy mess. I had to have one from that day on.
I bought my first Landy, a Series 3 SWB as my first car when I was 15.
Now at a ripe old 29 and on my 4th Landy (2011 110 Puma) I've been the butt of years of p**s taking from "mates" with the usual Lancruiser, Hilux, Pootrol.
The jibes used to sting back when I was an unstable teen, but now they only serve to make one corner of my mouth curl up, followed by a slight chuckle.
All this time I've struggled to articulate why I have such a soft spot for Land Rovers.

The best explanation I've heard so far is that they are pure function.

Absolutely nothing on a Defender is designed for form. Nothing. Not even on my late model example.
Vertical, flat surfaces, plain circular headlights, tail lights, indicators, exposed rivits, hinges, square, flat window glass.

They don't try to be anything they aren't.

That's why I love them.

[VK3UTE]

[QUOTE=bezclez;1648173]
Absolutely nothing on a Defender is designed for form. Nothing. Not even on my late model example.
Vertical, flat surfaces, plain circular headlights, tail lights, indicators, exposed rivits, hinges, square, flat window glass.

They don't try to be anything they aren't.

QUOTE]

Put beautifully bezclez, that's the appeal for me too.

No beeper in the dash either. I can drive to my letter box now without the Nanny state:mad: beeping at me for not putting my seatbelt on! I had a new hilux before I brought my Defender and I sold it because of the incessant beeping :wallbash:

Blissful silence now

[rick130]

Maybe it's the vehicles quirks and design deficiencies, requiring an inordinate amount of regular maintenace.Maybe it's the type of lifestyle they encourage that is un appealing to many women. Or maybe it's the character flaws in the blokes that have been my closest friends during my over 4 decades of LandRover ownership.;) But the marriages of virtually all those LandRover owning friends have indeed ended in acrimonious divorce. Conversely many of my aquainteces who own other brands of 4wds have solid relationships.
I managed to preserve my own marriage by purchasing a reliable non Rover built vehicle for family use and just use my Landy for personal enjoyment and work around my bush block.
Bill.

Geez Bill you might be onto something.

SWMBO has always had her Patrols, I've had the oddball Jeeps, effy 100, race cars and for the last ten years a Defender and we're still together after twenty-two years. :D

[Beckford]

They are a cool car, so there is case of fatal attraction.

However, they also continue to grow on you.

Like yesterday, my Defender pulled a large car trailer up and down hills all day. (picked up a series 1 from the mountains.) Temperature gauge did not move!