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

[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

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!!


aew849
landy tragic