What attracted you to your first Land Rover?

[Serg]

What was the first Land Rover you remember seeing? What attracted you to the Land Rover marque?? What do you use your Rover for?

For me it was the 109's.. I just love the Station Wagon look. I had always wanted a NAS D110 and any Series truck since I first saw them back when I was like 12.... I think for me it was the overall rugged look. Just very purposeful.

I bought all my Rovers with very little off road intentions, to be honest. I needed something sizeable to be able to service my rental properties and I am always buying collections of stuff so I needed more space than my M3 would afford at the time.


Serg

[01001010]

It was a matchbox Disco for me. It was one of my coolest trucks. It was a PD Disco and the hump on the roof attracted me. Even at that size they are detailed enough. Later in life, my dad had a company car that was a P38, and then at the auto shows the Camel Discos were on display and that's when i finished falling in love!

Mine is used as a daily driver. But because I LOOOOOOOOOVE to drive I'll find the longest, dirtiest, beaten-up rout possible! I sacrafice 200+ dollars a month on gas and one hell of a waxer's elbow...only its not from applying wax, but from scrubbin dried of mudd and dirt off When I first got the truck It took me 3 months before I could get it off road. Now I try to go off roading as often as possible!

[Moeras]

My father was a cattle farmer. He only drove Fords (F150 & 250's) Those things were for a long time the best 4 wheel drives available in south africa.

Mu uncles had land rovers. (SI & SII). When the fords got stuck the only thing other than a Agrucultural tractor that could pull it out was a Landy.

I liked the Ladys for their rugged look, and because the Spare wheel (on the Bonnet) was a cool place for small boys to sit in. even today it is my choice seat if I am not driving!!

[ibjettin]

I used to watch Wild Kingdom as a kid and remember the safari scenes when Marlin Perkins would be cruisin' after some giraffe or lion in a Rover series II or something like it. Back in 94'-95' a buddy got a brand new Discovery! Man, that thing was sweet! I loved it because I'm short and thought the visibility was just great for an SUV. I'd love to get a Defender 110... I've always loved the Defenders - they are just too expensive in the states

[LRR219]

Off Road Capability And Price!!!

[TerryS]

When I was first married, In 1973, my wife and I lived in a condo, in Simsbury, CT. The opportunity to rent a beautiful antique colonial, way in the woods of North Granby, CT, on 35 acres seemed idylic, except that winters in the foothills of the Berkshires can be snowy, and the mile long driveway would be tough without a 4x4.
A 2 year old series 2A 88, with 34,998 mile on the clock, showed up on the used car lot near my factory in Hartford, and sat there for weeks. I finally walked up at lunchtime to check it out and the reason it was still there was immediately apparant, no compression in number 4. I offered $1200, and the salesman couldn't take my money fast enough. That night I drove it, on three cylinders, out to my friend's shop and we pulled the head to find a badly burned exhaust valve. It was back together the next night, and I drove that 88, exclusively, for the next 7 years. It had a slightly leaky rear main seal (What a shock, an oil leak!) but the only problem it gave me was that at any temp below freezing, the bendix wouldn't engage, due to the sticky starter shaft. It never failed to start on the first spin of the crank and that's how I started it every cold day for the next 7 winters.
We didn't get the house, which was fortunate, as something much nicer became available that spring, with nearly as long a driveway. I bought a new Fisher Suburban snowplow, designed for the land rover, and plowed every flake of snow that fell.
When the rear crossmember was getting pretty cheesy (this is before Atlantic British began selling new galvanized frames) I sold it to a friend, who drove it another four years. He then sold it to aa guy in NH, who reframeed it eventually, and even today, I see it occassionally when I go up to Dublin, NH.
I replaced that one with a '62 series 2A, then a '71 109, then....... (15 Rovers later) an NAS110. My son's following me down that path too. and has a '93 LWB, a '71 2A 88, a '73 S3 88, and a '97 XD Disco. My wife has a new Freelander. She finally convinced me to part with my S3 109 last year.
When I last saw my first 88, it still had 34,998 miles on the clock. I'm guessing it's closer to 300K by now.

[PCrover]

I was shopping for a new truck and stopped by the local Land Rover dealer just to what they had to offer. Took a test drive in a Disco and was hooked! Now we have three rovers in the family.

[jozg44]

Growing up in the countryside in the UK you HAVE to grow up with Land Rovers- you don't have much choice!

My dad has been into classic cars ever since he was a lad, and as long as I can remember I have been interested in anything mechanical car-related or not. Until a few years ago we never had any need for a Land Rover, but I saw at least one every day- Series IIs, Series IIIs, Ninety/One Tens/ Defenders driven by the local farmers, contractors, mechanics, horse-owners and everyone else. If you grow up interested in classic British cars you can't fail to learn a little about the Land Rover as it is probably the British motor-industry's greatest success. I knew they were slow (many a rural traffic jam has been caused by a diesel Land Rover towing a trailer), basic, leaky but unbeatable off-road and uncompromising, built to do the job they were designed for better than anything else.

Doing some small jobs for the local farmers in the summer over a few years meant I spent a good few hours a day bouncing across fields in the back of 90 pick-ups with an Ifor Williams canopy (the stereotypical farmer's Land Rover) and it was FUN! The first one I drove was a late 80s Ninety 2.5-turbodiesel, and that was REALLY FUN.

When it came to buy my first car, I was determined to get a Land Rover. I almost ended up with a Morris Minor 4-door, but luckily the floor fell out before it could be passed down to me! The cost of buying and insuring a Ninety was too great, so I went for my SIII Station Wagon. The simplicity of a Series Land Rover is a great attraction, as is the fun in off-roading one, and the owner's scene. Now I can't imagine having anything else.

Jack

[roverX]

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom - watching that as a kid. Man, Jim was a tough guy - a man's man while Marlin sat back and watched it all unfold. Jim was tough. All the while, there was a landie in every episode.

[LRWheelman]

My first sight of a Land Rover was also from Wild Kingdom, used to watch it every sunday evening when I was young. A few years later my mother brought me home a Matchbox 109. Years passed, I married, and my beloved wife said: "Why don't you go buy a Discovery". She didn't have to tell me twice . . . LRW

[SCSL]

Definately the first time I saw a Camel-equipped rig,,,, yellow! All tricked out with gear & winches & stuff ! I never saw anything like it. All I saw was Jeeps riding monster tires, & rock crawlers, & the like. I remember that 1st Camel Disco with what seemed like ludicrously small tires winching through mud & taking crazy off-cambers,,,, remember those 110's loaded to the hilt,,, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, If I could have only walked away,,,the money I would still have !!

[dent]

I remember watching "The Gods Must be Crazy" and seeing that series. Said to myself... i need to get me one of those when i get older... got older and got me a disco back in '96. still looking for an affordable project series but they're hard to find over here in canada
take care
sam

[Jonesy]

For me it was my Uncle back in Victoria.....he had a cream colored 109" Series II....he had EVERY imaginable accessory on it, a huge "roo bar" and chains on front the front. He was also into radios back then and the dang thing brissled like a porcupine, with all sorts of gadgets - it was the COOLEST looking Series. He used to drive over to Western Aust from Vic at least once a year, he was my hero back then...he sold it and unfortunately I was too young to buy it - then he bought the new Defender when it came out and tricked that puppy out too!!!!! He was real cool and loved his Land Rovers!!!!!!!!

After college and a few years of work I went to Africa - ON SAFARI!! Because I read every Wilbur Smith book that was written and just wanted to go and see the continent. I grabbed a SWB Series and traveled around - have fantastic pictures of my adventures....so always wanted a LR!!

Now I have my RRC and she will be with me for quite some time.

Like everyone on the board....I WOULD LOVE TO GET A DEFENDER 110
PS - Like a lot of ya....the wife thinks I am crazy!!!!!

[roverX]

LRWheelman - She's a keeper. Does she have a sister?

[Hailsharky]

For me it was 4 years ago when my SO wanted to test drive a 2000 Range rover HSE.

It was nice.

At the time I couldnt afford one but she could. Barely.

Anyhow, the test drive course was at a land rover dealership and it was really fun. They got the rover sideways and showed its climbing abilities then the salesman drove over curbs at 20 mph and showed the suspension off. I asked about the alingments and he said if teh alignment is out, the rover is totalled.

We went on two tesdt drives, the second one being in a 2000 discovery.

I sat in the back and I liked the Disco a lot.
I said , "one day"....

Then one day I saw mine at a Jaguar dealership at a cheaper price then any place else so I jumped on it.
I made sure it was a 2000 (since 99 and a half they switched from crap lucas electrical parts to bosch) and I bought it with a big fat 50k mile warranty.
That has since past, but it came in handy.

Now I still own it 2 and a half years later and I am just getting into modifying it.
If I get rid of it, I want to give it to my younger brother one day, then get myself a 03 or 04 with the 4.6.

I am not a fan at all of the LR3 It looks like a Honda Element with bigger car tires on it.