lrfaq.org? That’s what came up when I googled it. Looks very interesting. Will spend some time on it.
My mission:
Yes NAS. Looking for a competent offroad vehicle that’s pre computer/microchip. I absolutely love the look and functionality of the 110. Reached out the guys at Juice Motors and they’d said pre 99, but to avoid Series 3 109’s due to poor highway performance at 70-75mph, 50-100miles.
*** Series III 109's won't go 70-75 unless you push them off a cliff and let them get to 9.81 M/S/S They are a 2.25L engine and geared for off road use or dirt roads, etc. You can re-engine them and re-gear them. You still have a drum brake chassis that you don't want to drive at those speeds. A 88 or 109 "Series" Land Rover is a 55-60 MPH vehicle. Not easy to live with unless you do all your own work. But parts are simple to get and you can do most stuff yourself. But it's not a commuter car. And driving out to your shooting range or hunting camp may be an all-day thing! I commuted in a Series IIa every day for several years in Ohio. Winter and summer. 30 miles each way. There was a vague approximation of a heater. In 35 MPH head winds on the way home after dark, top speed was 45. But I was in my 20's and the coolest guy at the company driving it.
The NAS 110's and D90's are V8s and capable at Interstate Speeds. The 90's more than the 110's. That said, the 110's are now basically in "Collector Status" with their pipe bodywork roll cages and limited production. They Didn't import more because the owner of the (I think it was 500 that came into USA) sued because they were told it was a 'limited edition.' And so no more were brought in to 'protect' their limited edition. Prices are insane on them. They are also not much fun off road. If you are in any kind of forest trail situation, the pipes catch on everything. In the desert, they are fine. But noone take them to the desert because they are stupid collectible.
NAS D90's are similarly silly collectible. But more practical than the 110's. Though they run between the 'used up' and the highly-collectible barely used. Not much in between.
Last, there is the new Grenadier (I think it's called) coming out. All the Land Rover 'stuff' but going to have a support network, warranty and a great engine/drivetrain. Be made for a North American Market. Don't exclude it. That said, they are going to be 80K or so. Or double that if you check a lot of boxes.
Also, there are the remanufacturing companies.
https://www.landroverdefenderusa.com/inventory/ But spendy!
Would be used for basic off-roading, shooting, and hunting. Some towing, 5-6k ideally. Might do some camping/overlanding. Possibly. Weekend outings. Not a daily driver.
Ok Towing... You can't tow anything with a D90. At least not at speeds above 35 MPH. Yes they tow horses around England behind Land Rovers. At 35 MPH. Above that, the whole thing will porpoise and you will die. I have BTDT... Towing light landscaping trailer with 3 motorcycle trailers on it. Horrible. That said, it tows a little US Army "Jeep" Trailer or a Sankey like a champ. So you can use that as substitute for a pickup truck. Forget campers, car trailers, anything like that. Not a chance of towing 5 - 6 K. Not a chance. Overlanding. Weekend outings. They are a blast. And you can do just fine with a Series IIa (better than a Series III -- less plastic) and go for a 88 or a 110. As a weekend toy, they are a blast. Just prepare to spend a few weekends a year lubing, tuning, taking head off every couple of years and de-coking valves, and just basic maintenance. Everything is rebuildable from the dash switches to 10 minute axle swaps. But you need to do it yourself.
I’m in WA state. I know there are a few shops that work on vintage Land Rovers but I don’t believe to the extent these big shops do. Need to do some more homework regarding local experts.
*** If you have local shops and can afford the labor rates, great! Again, Series Land Rovers are fun and easy to work on. Any part is overnight mail away. Defender's (including NAS ones) are a whole different ball of wax for parts. Especially the NAS ones. Parts for UK or EU models are available. But may require expensive shipping and lengthy delays. And the D90's and 110's most certainly had computers, fuel injection and lots of plastic that breaks (my Ignition Key went tits up, requiring $2000 replacement of steering column. That was $2,000 1999 dollars. Not 2,000 worthless 2024 dollars.
Went to look at a Arkonik 110 today. Wow. Hard to tell it hadnt just rolled of the assembly line. Interestingly it had a carbureted small block v8. Some things I liked, others I didn’t. Need to love it for that kind of money.
The whole point of a lot of these builders is to get back to the point of a Land Rover. Which is that they have things like carbureted engines and no computers. The Grenadier is going to be in this category. If you go NAS, you are going to be dealing with computers, electronics, fuel injection, and all of it 30+ years old now. Beware!
Again, the Series Land Rovers that 'created the breed' and the UK Defenders (that are largely simple diesels and very slow and loud) are all about farm reliability. Noone in London drove Defenders to the mall. They are farm and country vehicles. And must be farmer reliable. And Africa Reliable. And UK Armed Forces Reliable. And Australia reliable. The North American stuff was for mall-crawling. And was NOT designed to be an expensive 'Look at me' Rig. I bought mine when I had my Series Land Rover after going on a Mountain Crawl in West Virginia and seeing the D90's off road. At the time, they could not give them away. A year later, the prices had doubled. Timing is everything.
My initial questions:
Which years should I zero in on?
The TDI motor I’ve seen in these 1990’s 110’s sufficient for my mission? Almost thinking a carbureted V8 might be ideal…
Based on what you want to do... if it were me... I'd look for a 1960's Series IIa 110 or 88. With a 2.25L carburetted engine. And live with the fact that you are going to be slower than molassas. But who cares, you will have a blast.
If you want a Defender... I would do two things. One is open the wallet and get a Grenadier or have one custom built to your needs with disk brakes, fancy V8 (or Diesel) and all the stuff. It won't actually be a Land Rover. It will be a Land-Rover like hot rod.and you will love it. But it's going to cost you anywhere up to (or beyond) $250K Door number two is to look at going over to England with about $30,000 in your pocket and spend a week driving around the UK to find one that is old enough to legally import (over 25 years) then find a good shipper and customs broker (about $5k to ship). You will find a superb example, maybe even one restored by the 'active' Land Rover Enthusiast community over there. Or a great exMoD rig. Often with low miles and maintained at The King's Expense. You will NOT find a highway vehicle there. You will find a superb example that was built for/by an enthusiast and maybe used for green-laning or just weekend fun. Watch out for farmer vehicles. They sell nothing unless it's worn out beyond belief.
I’ve seen some pics of automatic trans models, assuming manual would be best?
Never, ever buy a Land Rover with an automatic. The engines are under-powered enough. Adding a slush box only makes things worse and the last thing you want is an automatic that noone can fix!! It's not like it's a Turbo-400 derivation. It was probably designed for a Humber Snipe and parts are only available in Mumbai. Forget it. The Standard Land Rover Gearbox is great. Overdrives are also worthwhile additions. That gives you a lot of forward speeds! And lots of Reverse Speeds. That said, it's not so you can go faster. It's to keep RPM's down. Did I mention Drum brakes? These are real utility vehicles. NOT sports cars. Ever.
I’ll spend some time on lrfaq.org. Thanks for the recommendation.
Another thing to do is subscribe to (or buy old copies) of LRO (Land Rover Owner) magazine. Used to be the bible. Tremendous amount of information in the old issues. ABEbooks.com and you can find entire 'years' of issues for not much $$. Or eBay.
Full of Defender - Range Rover - Series1 - Series 2 - Series 3 - Classic Land Rover Content. Based in the U.K, we specialise in fuel injection system components. JOB LOT OF 6 00-05 MAGAZINES. Bargain Job Lot!
www.ebay.com
Also don't be in a rush. You want one. Great. You don't 'need' one. It gives you the luxury of time to find a good one. Don't jump into something. You clearly have a LOT of research to do. That plane ticket and UK vacation pays for itself 10X over when you get a superb vehicle to bring over.
Last, drive some examples. find a local club (there are clubs all over the USA.). Go to some events. The owners there will let you ride with them. Drive their rigs. Feel the difference between a good one and a POS. Feel the difference between an NAS D90 and an early Series II. You can't have enough knowledge.
Or just go the 'spendy' route! And get one built for your or buy a Grenadier. I can guarantee either of those routes will get you an amazing vehicle. But it will be no more a Land Rover than a Mercedes AMG G-Wagon is actually a G-Wagon. It's just a bling mall rider for rap stars and Connecticut Trophy wives with cellulite clauses in their prenups. But they 'look' butch. So there ya go!
I'll see if I can find some pictures of mine for you... They are great rigs! A blast. And 'real' Land Rover people are awesome and fit in the Bear Pit well. But we are also masochists and mechanics. Of course, money obviates both. But the ones who go that route don't show up among 'Real' Land Rover people... ;-)
Cheers,
Sirhr
