Observer
I was limiting myself to those two primarily for creature comfort, but also because from my research defenders are priced very high for the condition. I see the low cost of entry reflecting the steep learning curve, something I'm willing to deal with.
I'm not married to anything. I'd take a defender in a heartbeat.
Observer
My experience has been that my D1's and Classics have been the most reliable Rover's I have owned. I have not had the chance to own an LR3 or MKIII Rangie yet but I have had 3 classics, 4 D1's a D2 and a P38. My P38 was easily the "nicest", drove the best, had the most power, looked the best. I had it converted to coils with a 2 inch lift, 285's and a Safety Devices roof rack, it was an 02 HSE so it had the 4.6 motor. I never had a problem with mine other than a leaking radiator which was a simple fix of replacing it. I sold it last year and have regretting it, however the current owner has had nothing but trouble with it. He filled the tank with bad gas and plugged his injectors and ruined the fuel pump, and then he got the dreaded Open Book symbol on the dash to the tune of 1500 for new blend door motors (I think that this is more likely to happen if the system is left on auto mode)
I'd say buy the P38 if you like the style, find a good one and enjoy it! There are work arounds for almost any problem you could have and you get the bonus factor of driving a car that is unique and fantastic to drive
Buying any Land Rover is an emotive thing - if one was buying with ones head we would all have Toyotas! So you may as well buy whichever one pulls at your heart strings the most.
Adventurer
In the uk, p38's aren't worth a lot at all, many can't sell them, too much trouble.
A Disco 2 is a far better choice.
Like Mike above says, Toyota are the sensible choice...I'd have a Land Cruiser if my heart didn't belong to Defenders.
Good luck choosing.
Observer
Greeni - what's the defender market like in the EU? I travel to DE-CH-IT on business often. Are they as expensive as over here?
Observer
Germany is a pretty good place to get one. That's where I bought mine from. Biggest Land Rover market in Europe. Some fine ones can be found from Switzerland also. 300Tdi's in good condition go for about 10-14k USD, but you can get a newer TD5 for quite a bit less than that since 300Tdi's are quite wanted. You can get a project or a molested one for a lot less. RHD's are worth significantly less, price difference is well over 50%, so in that respect the UK is a viable choice if you don't mind the RHD. Many LR specialist companies in Europe have started shying away from RHD -> LHD conversions because the parts needed are getting too hard to find to make it worthwhile.
300Tdi Defender 110
Observer
Yeah I wouldn't buy in CH if I had too. The Swiss are masters at over pricing. Makes sense about DE. My limit would be 1989 or earlier to not have worry about import restrictions. I could also do a Wehrmacht GWagen, but that's a different thread.
Observer
Actually, atleast according to my friend who runs a workshop on the border of Germany and Switzerland, and lives in Basel, says that the CH examples are often excellent buys. The Swiss vehicle inspections are extremely strict and this tends to reflect well on the condition of used cars. If there are problems with a car you are thinking of buying, it always shows on the price, or you can make a deal to have it fixed before the vehicle is handed over.
300Tdi Defender 110
Observer
Timo - good to know. I'm in Basel all the time. $50 for a dinner that would cost 15 here tends to taint my opinion. But you are right about the upkeep in CH. it's an angle that I didn't consider.
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