I am looking for some advice. My car just died and I am on the search for a daily driver and I have been looking at the series IIa and III short wheel base (88) as possible options. I live in Maine and I am an avid skier so I find myself driving long distances in snow storms to catch the powder so I guess my first questions is if I am dreaming owning a series land rover for my primary car?
-I hate to ask this question but what kind of gas mileage should I expect to get?
-if I am concerned with gas mileage should I be looking for diesel or gas models?
-are there good tricks to improve gas mileage?
-how reliable are these engines at starting in sub-zero temps?
I obviously don’t know much info so if you guys could help me out that would be great!!
I am looking for some advice. My car just died and I am on the search for a daily driver and I have been looking at the series IIa and III short wheel base (88) as possible options. I live in Maine and I am an avid skier so I find myself driving long distances in snow storms to catch the powder so I guess my first questions is if I am dreaming owning a series land rover for my primary car?
An 88" with a good tune up might push mid to low 20mpg
-I hate to ask this question but what kind of gas mileage should I expect to get?
-if I am concerned with gas mileage should I be looking for diesel or gas models?
A diesel is really slow for pick up however the gas mileage is much better.
-are there good tricks to improve gas mileage?
I got an electronic ignition for my 109, you could get an overdrive or a high speed transfer case from ashcroft (my dream someday). They use to have a header kit and an upgraded carb but I wouldn't want to try it.
Check out www.lrfaq.org/series and seach around, they mention performance upgrades such as adding a 2.5L cam to a 2.25l petrol engine.
-how reliable are these engines at starting in sub-zero temps?
With a good battery, mine always started, if it did not I could and did use the hand crank.
I obviously don’t know much info so if you guys could help me out that would be great!!
Welcome to the club, I would caution, they are old, stinky, love to eat up parts and I never seem to have enough time or money to spend on mine... that said it is an adventure whenever you turn it on and drive, I love it.
As for a daily driver, it can be done, I would love to however they are older cars and require preventative maintanance more so than a more modern vehicle. But I love crawling under and changing fluids and checking on things.
If you are mechanically adept or at least not fearful you will probably have an enjoyable experience. Choose the right land rover with the fewest existing problems and most sound frame (chassis) and you'll be miles ahead of where I started. Good luck
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there is just something about the smell of ep 90 gear oil when driving a land rover. Best perfume around.
Daily driver for 6 of the 10 years I've had her. Over 100,000 miles. She isn't far off 500,000 the nearest I can make out. I've changed the speedo a couple times so odo isn't correct. Motor blew up with over 1/4 million miles on it (maybe 350,000?) and I've rebuilt the tranny (poorly it seems). For 4 years I had her in a shop doing ground up repairs and have just got her back on the road this summer, then quickly went on a 3900 mile excursion for a shake down cruise. Got back Sunday night from a nine hundred mile cruise over the weekend to go to a Land Rover challenge event in Oregon. (Google North West Challenge Land Rover)
Other people come on the web forums asking what spare parts they should take with them on 100 mile trips.
II or III? My Series IIA has a hand held GPS mounted right in front of the steering wheel as my speedo. I don't need no padded dash, nor an all syncro gearbox. Everything else is essentially the same.
Fuel? 2.25 petrol engine on a 109 Station Wagon, I drive it hard and get about 14 -15 mpg imperial, more sensible driving brings in about 19-20 mpg imperial with 87 octane, better with higher octane but it costs more.
I am looking for some advice. My car just died and I am on the search for a daily driver and I have been looking at the series IIa and III short wheel base (88) as possible options. I live in Maine and I am an avid skier so I find myself driving long distances in snow storms to catch the powder so I guess my first questions is if I am dreaming owning a series land rover for my primary car? "PRIMARY" You better know how top turn a wrench, may have a hard time finding a garage that will touch it depending on where you are?
Long distance driving will leave you with a sore butt. That said, I have done 4000 mile road trips and enjoyed it.
-I hate to ask this question but what kind of gas mileage should I expect to get? Anywhere from 12 to 20 depending on carb and tune and how fast you drive and if it has an overdrive.
-if I am concerned with gas mileage should I be looking for diesel or gas models? If you think the gas is slow, drive a deisel.-are there good tricks to improve gas mileage? Tune
-how reliable are these engines at starting in sub-zero temps? Good battery and tune it shouldn't be a problem, mine does fine.
I obviously don’t know much info so if you guys could help me out that would be great!!
My DD is a Discovery II, does great offroad and in the snow.
My 71 88 IIa is my fun trip drive, whether just running to the corner store or a 2 week road trip, it is a blast!
Steve
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Steve
B]Back in a LR after 25 years!!![/b]
71 Series IIa 88
01 D2, 2" lift, CDL. RTE front bumper with 9500# Ramsey winch "BackInA88" on all the other LR forums
(Sign up here first and couldn't think of a good handle at the time! )
Location: Bloomfield, CT If I died today, I lived there all my life.
Posts: 2,701
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I drove a '71 2A 88 daily for seven years, but it was only a year old when I bought it. I have a '64 88 and a '70 109 now, but need 5 more to have one on any given day. They are cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and wet all year long, but they're fun all the time too.
Reliable? That's directly proportional to your mechanical abilities.
I drove Series Rovers as DD from about 75 to 2000. Both SIII and IIa's.
Personally I prefer IIa's.
I never hesitated to drive 500 - 1000 miles on one. Have driven in very foul VT winters, and driven from VT to NJ in blizzards.
Reading peoples' posts over the years on various forums, most Series owners these days are seem to be either too wimpy, spoiled by new cars, or scared to drive them as DD's or on long trips. Or in too much of a hurry. There are a few of us diehards left though.
Keep in mind as far as comfort level/amenities , even the SIII's are basically a car design from 1948.
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Tom Rowe
Atlanta, GA
Four wheel drive allows you to get stuck
in places even more inaccessible.
My Series III 109" wagon with a 2.25L diesel and overdrive is my daily driver (10-12K a year) and I agree with all said above. I trust that ole thing to get me anywhere, anytime (though I have rebuilt much of it). It really is a labor of love (and noise, and stink, and hot in summer, and cold in winter, and oil leaking out while water leaks in). But I love my 109".
She gets about (+/-) 20 mpg on diesel and less on B99 bio fuel. Starts everytime with ease...even in winter (though it is not start and go...start and warm up...then drink another cup of coffee...then go).
Maine winters are brutal (I lived there for years) and I had a Jeep Wrangler at the time. My 109" is far leakier and moody than my Jeep ever was...but I would never go back. You had better be quite handy and hot blooded to run a series as a daily driver in Maine winters. Are you the man you think you are? This will certainly be the test.
My 109" needs constant love..but she has never left me on the side of the road stranded. Okay...so coasting into the pub parking lot with a leaking coolant hose doesn't count as stranded. Two pints and some duct tape got me back on the road home.
If you do choose a series...do not buy in the northeast / rust belt unless it has a new galvanized chassis. I live out here in rust free southern oregon and there are nice rust free rigs running about. Look nationally for a nice truck...it will be worth the added money up front. Data point: a local guy just sold his tip top / turn key Series IIa 88" hard top for $5000.
I just put new door tops on this week...should help keep some of the rain out. But the sadistic side of me is looking forward to those frozen puddles of water on the floor again this winter that make double clutching my Siia gear box even more exciting. Heater? What heater? I feel blessed just to have the wipers working when it rains or snows!!
All this said...my wife thinks I'm nuts and much prefers her Range Rover Classic.
Choose wisely...
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Road rage would cease to exist if everyone drove a 109" 2.25L diesel.
All righty Depending on what you do to your truck. Your looking at 15 mpg on a good day. D2 Discovery 2 are great trucks for when the weather turns. I am yet to get mine stuck or even use 4x4. BE PREPARD TO FIX HER! they are little girls when it comes to parts. You need to be ready to spend 1,000 right off the bat. If your looking for a year 2004 is great year. The computer problems have been fixed by then. MAKE SURE IT HAS THE SERVICE DETAILS!
My email is underwater_welder09@yahoo.com I will be willing to help you out the best that i can.
It can be done. We bought our 72SIII new in Chicago, drove it up here to Alaska and have been plowing snow and commuting with it ever since. 12-15 mpg. I figured the cost of ownership since new. Almost exactly 1.00/day. Including a reman Turner engine 15 years ago, a reman Rovers North Tranny and a new Turner Stage I this last month. Plus 2 BBl Weber, headers, 7ft snow plow etc. It has started at -25F but it takes a while. We park it next to a river and snowmachine up the river to our cabin. We use a propane catalytic heater (about 2,500 btu) and pile up snow around the sides and cover the engine with a space blanket.
Installed a Mojave auxiliary heater under the driver seat and it will get HOT in there! Biggest problem so far is the speedo cable--they snap at -20 or so. Regular and meticulous maintenance is the key.
Make sure you know the condition of the bulkhead. Outs is almost free of rust and we grind off any rust and re-paint every five years or so. Also using Dynamat for insulation (sound and temp).
Have fun and get a good set of sockets.
Call Trevor at roverfarm.com. he has been a reliable source for me over the last couple years and i live on the other side of the country. Much more helpful and friendly than our local potato chip.
No idea where you are, but he is in Princeton.
My guage reads kilometers, but doing the math, i get about 25mpg on my series III Diesel Pickup.
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