Series 3 88" Diesel

[ExZARover]

Hi folks,

Long time since I registered on this forum and much water has passed. As we emigrated from South Africa to Vancouver, I was scared off from Landrovers, but the itch remained and I'm now trying to relieve the scratch. I've found a really good looking Landie on Craigslist and wonder if any one has any comments on it?

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/cto/6472049675.html

Is it a mythical unicorn... A series 3, clean, unbutchered, diesel...

I had a series 3 1981 109 Station wagon and loved it, it spent a lot of time in my workshop, but the trips we did in it are legendary in our family and with our friends. We no longer need a LWB, so is this a reasonable buy or not...

What do you think?

I'd really appreciate your inputs.

I'll send a longer introduction later, is there a profiles page where one can give a little of ones background and history?

All the best

Happy rovering

David

[Rob]

Hello David

That one has been for sale for awhile. I have not seen it personally so cannot make specific comments about it. A lot will depend on what you want to do with it. I had a series 2 88 diesel and it was a great little truck around town and for adventures in the back woods but it was too slow to be of much use on the highway (70 Kph was near the top end for it). Series diesels have a reputation for being slow, smokey and nasty leakers, mine was all of that, though still quite charming nonetheless. Condition is everything and there are still many nice old series trucks out there to be found. For that money you can get into a decent Defender as well which you might find to be much more user-friendly - parts are easier to source for most things on the Defender and Defenders are still pretty simple to work on. The modern TDI diesel and 5 speed are a nice combination too (Rover stopped using the 2,25 NA Diesel for a reason). There are no Unicorns, there are lots of rovers out there if you're willing to bide your time, with the 15 year import rule we are seeing more modern Defenders come here as well so you have more options to choose from. If you like the series 3 then go for it but there are more fish in the sea if you want to keep looking. There are still some highly-priced rovers out there but many good deals as well.

Regards, Rob

[John]

No real alarm bells ringing from looking at the photos but of course you'd have to have a closer look in person to know for sure. It doesn't seem to have had a hard life. A rebuilt engine is anyones guess as to what is inside.

[red90]

The asking price is quite high. As mentioned, you could get a nice TDI Defender 90 for that price. You really should want a Series if you go for the diesel as they are painfully slow.

[ExZARover]

Thanks Guys. Really appreciate the comments.

My concerns were :

1. Its been on the market a while
2. Price is highish, but possibly reasonable for a well cared for vehicle.
3. The "powersteering upgrade" did cause me issues, its apparently a power steering unit from a land cruiser.
4. It has no heater, no air blower either.
5. Do i really want a series diesel? A petrol 2.25 is manageable and up for reasonable speed cruising, but as you have all pointed out a diesel is slow, probably best for sub 70'ish and thats a long time to any destination.

A 90/110/Defender at that price is possible, and maybe that's where I should look.

Thanks again for your comments, helped me put my thoughts and response in order.

Regards

David

[red90]

It is double the realistic price. I sold a much nicer Series last year for $12000 and that took a long time. Nice 300tdi 90s go for under $20000.

The slow is not a getting there slower issue. It is dangerous with everyone else on the road being in a hurry.

[HeadDamage]

This one looks like a good choice if you want a short wheelbase:

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/pen ... nFlag=true