Rather than polluting other threads, vent your spleen here. Do you prefer a Toyota, does your heart tell you Land Rover?

Me - well I have an old, 200tdi Land Rover Defender 110, and have a firmly held belief that it's not all about reliability, well not to all people.

Of course, I will come back to this thread when crying my eyes out in the desert in Iran because my big end has gone ......I promise!

So please do, tell us what you think .....

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Pictures tell a 1000 words!

I remember when following this Land Rover around the world, I bookmarked this blog entry, as it did make me smile. It includes broken down toyotas as well as a landie towing not 1, but two toyotas up a slippery hill

October 21st 2007

PS BTW What the hell is that???????????????????????????

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

That my friend Mr. Ollie is a Bacon that has been well and truly busted!!!
I have just finished my most recent copy (I get it sent airmail) of the excellent magazine 'BaconBusters' (i.e. legendary Aus Feral Pig shooting magazine) and I have to say in the various sections including
"Hogs, Dogs and Utes" as well as "Bacon Babes" there is not a single (let me repeat), nil absolutely Zero Solihull rubbish. A Trophy Grunter like that one would break any LR product

Ollie

you have really started one here

Gil
very inflammatory comments

IMHO the LR looks great and steals the hearts and minds of most Brits, however, once you have a bit of experience and some common sense its got to be a Tojo product!
The 70 series Troopies have probably got to be the ultimate Overland vehicle, but for us Brits and most Europeans the 80 is the most afordable and attainable, especially in reasonable numbers.
Personally I would not bother with another Solihull product, there is simply no quality in the most of the parts or in the work taken to put them together, and to make matters worse Solihull are well known for leaving the owners to sort out well known faults - much like Nissan have been with the D22 Navara engine problems, perhaps thats something to do with their more recent owners.

Some of the Patrols look pretty good but what are the electics like? And how good are the 3litre engines?

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ChrisC

Well I've commented on this subject in previous threads and my reasons are well known so I'm not going to rave on more about it except to say, one more time.......
If only I had found HU before we rushed out and bought our LR we could have saved ourselves lots of cash but I am happy to say that at least we didn't continue throwing more hard-earned money away trying to keep the vehicle on the road and outfitting it with even more 'extra's'.
We realised that even though we got a thrill out of waving to other LR owners along the way, flicking through the LR mags and all the other little things which attracted us to LR that the cold hard facts were just too big to ignore.
We wanted to enjoy our trip in every way, we didn't want to have to keep a list of workshops in each country we were planning to visit, nor did we want to eat dust or have our bones shaken to the core. We wanted to jump into our vehicle, turn the key and drive off without worries. Oh yes, I know we would have to service our LC, replace brakes, etc; etc; and if we were unlucky then we would deal with that if it happened but certainly even though the car was a major part of the trip, we wanted it in it's rightful place - a workhorse to get us from A to B in as much comfort as possible with only a small amount of the budget used in repairs and maintainence.
We want to meet the people, not the mechanics, we want to see the countryside not their workshops.
All I can say is good luck, go with whatever makes you happy, in the end it is your decision, your trip, your memories, your money.

I have just realised what a masochistic exercise this was for me!

Anyone want to buy a nice 200tdi? Will swap for 80 series

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Oh poor Ollie! I certainly don't want to upset you or your plans as you're so close to departure!!
Look, at the end of the day you have to do what is right for you - not anyone else. Everyone has different idea's on how they want to do their trip-of-a-lifetime but for us it came down to something quite simple - money!
Although we don't fall into the 'budget' category we are still concerned about how much money we spend. The longer we can make it stretch the longer we can stay on the road.
We also want to remember the experience for the right reasons which, for us, isn't having our heads stuck under a bonnet or worrying about 'will it start, will we make the next town?
As long as you have a safe trip that's all the really matters. The road is long and winding so enjoy the experience, you may never get another chance. There will be many people who can only dream of what your are about to do.

I'm only spleen venting, and Ollie was wanting (I think!) to raise some debate... And I am bored and stuck in a office with a ranting MD tearing accounts apart when I know that most of our managers are doing sod all and getting stuck into Star (Ghana Beer) at our club or travelling off home for the holidays.

On the subject of Landy's I just got a call recently from my mate that I sold my Defender to - he made a few trips in it but then got a job in Afghanistan so I ended up with the Defender back gathering dust in our workshop. He came back recently so we fired it up (battery was shot after standing so long) and he ran around Ghana for a few weeks. I do have to point out that it completely died on him 15mins after he arrived at the airport (electrical gremlins but minor). He has sold it to some dodgy guy I sort of also know - it's going to end up in Liberia..... I feel quite sad, as it has had a HELL of a life and looks like it will continue to see some strange sights.

I may have mentioned before, when I told my girlfriend that I was flogging the Defender and buying a new HZJ78 she actually shed tears and said she might buy it!!! So yes they do have a certain charm, absolutely 100% no doubt. I learnt so much from buying it and slowly rebuilding it. When I was a baby my mum's car was actually a very cool series I Landy. And I learnt to drive in a series II, so I can claim a fair bit of green oval DNA in my petrolhead makeup and I would so much like to see Landrover come up trumps with a rugged Defender replacement that could claw back lost ground instead of producing RR Sport footballer wagons and just sticking updated engines in the Defender.

Merry Christmas all, don't matter if you use a bike, push bike, a pajero or a whatever. So long as you enjoy it,
Gil

Oh do bring it on - it's was only I realised that it was going to be one way traffic and that would be painful reading

Until we have started the big trip I just could not be convert to the big Toys, but maybe after 20,000 miles of pain I may change my mind.
Interesting to read though, and could be good for future overlanders to read me thinks .......

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Wow I‘m not sure I want to enter this debate (LR’s can almost provoke a rabid response in the G Wagen camp, mostly based on hear say rather than 1st hand knowledge / facts though)

But anyway, here’s my 2 penith. I driven lots of LR’s over many 10’s of thousands of miles, with a significant amount of time being spent off road. Fortunately I didn’t own them which meant they were used and abused to within an inch of their lives.

Lot’s of them broke in some way. Half shafts, gearboxes, steering etc but I don’t remember ever being completely stranded. It was always possible to bodge something together and get home, maybe with front wheel drive only. However the above pretty much describes the way a lot of LR’s seem to lead their lives. Just watch anyone using one at a trial or play day. Lots of revving, wheels flapping in the air. So it’s worth remembering you could end up buying one of those second hand. Oh and it may well have mountains of modifications, which I would personally avoid like the plague. But that just MHO.

Having said that one of the other “company” vehicles were Toyota HiLux’s. Early 90’s non turbo 2.4’s. It almost turned in to a challenge to see how much abuse these could take. I still don’t know the answer! Character? No. Pride in ownership? Grudging admiration maybe.

Anyway why make it a 2 way contest? I toyed with a Nissan Patrol (too big for the UK but worth considering) LC80 would be my choice but again too big for a daily driver in the UK. So we went the G Wagen route. People are afraid of the perceived complexity / cost. In reality the 3.0 straight six diesel 463 series (1991-95ish) is pretty simple, no electronics apart from ABS, compact and spares are cheap AND available. Remember Africa is full of MB’s vans or saloons which share loads of parts. My ignition barrel played up in Morocco. No big deal to by pass it but a local mechanic sifted through his second hand parts and came up with the bits. 30 quid later a few mint teas and it was fixed. Tom Shephard knows a thing or two I guess.

In the end I’m a great believer in treating things gently and using those most sensitive of condition monitoring devices to spot problems before they turn in to disasters. Ears, finger tips, eyes and butt cheeks

So I guess Obelix would drive a Toyota!
and Asterix?

Incredible to think there's a whole magazine dedicated to killing boars.
I guess there must be a lot to say about driving out, shooting, loading up, driving back, lighting the barbecue, drinking and telling stories about driving out etc...

You have basically summarised the whole ethos of 'BaconBusters' Luke! Okay you have to throw in a rifle test or two! I do have to point out that I subscribed only for entertainment value for my Father who reads it and sends it on... Google it - amazing really. You can even buy armoured vests for the pig dogs to reduce the injuries they get from attacking these monsters! It is about as politically incorrect as you can get.

When we were in NZ we got talking to a guy who was in to this sort of thing. When I asked what calibre / type of rifle they used he looked at me as if I was mad, apparently shooting them is considered unsporting. So they chase them with dogs, leave the dogs to wind the pigs up a bit and then they dive in with a knife to finish the thing off with...mad. But then he was a LR fanatic so maybe that explains something.
Don't think the NZ pigs are quite as big as the one in the picture though. Come to think of it hunting monsters like that you would want a nice reliable truck that you could rely on starting every time wouldn't you?

Sorry for hijacking the thread, so to bring it back on track.
You are all wrong / deluded. G Wagen's are the true kings


Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

... Tom Shephard knows a thing or two I guess....

He does now.

Mercedes-Benz Type 463 G-Class - Luxury SUV Travel & Adventure Road Test - Truck Trend

New book out btw, unless it's already been mentioned here:
Quiet for a Tuesday: Solo in the Algerian Sahara
Looks great.

Nothing is infallible - who'd expect it to be? The best machine is the one that inspires you to go overlanding, assuming that's what's being discussed here.

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail