The 300Tdi defender seems a decent sort:

AFRICA 4X4 CAFE: 4x4s for sale in Africa & Self Drive overland Expeditions to Sub-Saharan Africa

So why not buy a UK registered LR already in Africa and drive it home?

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Enzo

Ok, to answer what Land Rover to avoid for an over land trip I would say it has to be the vehicle we did a trip Ireland to Cape Town in. It "was" a 1983 Range Rover with a 2.5 diesel transit engine. We paid £328 for it, changed all the fluids/filters etc and stuck a nice set of BFG tyres on it. These things broke:
Gearbox UK - bought another on ebay uk £80
Front wheel hubs oil seals leaked oil Switzerland
Various steering and suspension bushings Turkey
Speedo cable snapped Syria
Radiator mountings collapsed due to rust Sudan
Exhaust broke off, engine mount collapsed - Sudan
Engine Injection pump disintegrated - Ethiopia
Clutch hydraulic pipe burst Kenya
Rear axle balljoint mount broke Tanzania
Rear chassis cracked right through - Tanzania
Overdrive gearbox bearing failed - Zambia
Rear brakepipes cracked - Namibia
Starter motor bushings worn out - Namibia
South Africa - Timimg belt tension pulley bearing failed (nearly killed engine)
Tanzania (again) Could not select reverse gear, clutch slave cylinder failed.
Kenya (again) - Electrical fuel cutoff switch solenoid malfunction.
(these are the ones I remember - there were more)

Now obviously we had a lot of "technical" problems but I only needed a tow for the timing belt incident and that "fix" only cost €75 including the tow (most expensive repair on trip) and had I paid attention to the screeching 500 miles earlier I probably could have prevented it.

Needless to say at the end of the trip after covering 35,000 miles in 11 months the Range Rover was in perfect working order and was parked up in Zambia. Unfortunately, she was driven a few months later (not by me) and her engine was killed with a snapped timing belt.
To be honest we didn't really expect the vehicle to make the trip and our attitude was to drive as far as we could until she died. The upside of african repairs is that they can be incredibly cheap and this is what kept us going. I reckon what caused a lot of our breakages on top of the bad roads and rusty vehicle was the fact that we totally took too much stuff and overloaded everything causing a strain on all the components.

Lessons learned - Less is more. (you don't need all those cooking pots, backup stoves, awnings, etc. Good set of tools a must. Africans can do great repairs really cheaply if you monitor them. Other overlanders we encoutered were very friendly to assisst us if needed and we found ourselves rescuing others too.

When we started I had very little knowledge of mechanics - its all about having the right attitude and telling yourself you can fix this. (or pay someone else to). Upside after this trip is I know a Classic Ranger Rover backwards and now have two more and would do the next trip in one again (after winning the lotto). I understand this trip would not be everyone's cup of tea but we found you meet the nicest people trying to get your car fixed. Compared to our friends travelling in a Hilux the Range rover was very comfortable but not a patch on reliability - I think their main complaint was a drive shaft UJ and a battery...oh and 17 punctures (we had 2).

R

I take my hat off to your bravery Richardq, I would never be able to undertake a trip like that on the same basis that you did and I'm amazed that you made it considering you paid so little for the car and bought an "ebay" gearbox on top of it, well done.

Like Ollie mentioned, jumping in a LR is like jumping into an adventure. We get that feeling every time we jump in our TD5. It's now covered 172k miles, is 10 years old and still on it's original engine, gearbox and axles. The only parts we've had to replace is the exhaust and tyres.

The hubby previously owned a 1954 Series I and a 1965 Series 2a, neither of which he had problems with.

Like choosing a bike, it's all down to personal choice and preference.

Yeh, the "where will I brake down next?" type of adventure!

I can honestly say that just thinking about bombing around the Zimbabwean bush in my old SIII still raises my pulse rate, however I've had too many bad experiences with LR to buy any of their latest offerings. The LR history, look, and relatively cheap prices, make it a very attractive proposition here in the UK but I am still holding out until I can afford a 'cruiser!

The main problem with all modern 4x4s is their reliance on electronics - for everything from winding down the windows to engine fuel management and security - this and first world servicing (nobody repairs - they swop the part out and replace).

If you've decided on your marque then look for something where you can "make a plan" or fudge a "work around" if things stop working. If you plan to do any overlanding in Africa then you'll find the fine dust gets in every nook and cranny and with older electronic components, can assist in their failure.

Basically "keep it simple" and you'll always be able to find a way to keep moving.

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Enzo

Before anyone dives in I'll give you some background:

I am female
I know how to drive
I know Africa well
I've fallen in love with a LWB Land Rover Defender 90, that was built in '79
I need a vehicle in Cote d'Ivoire
I will be driving this down, living in it on the way, in the quickest time possible, loaded with things for my NGO there.

So my heart & brain are telling me to go after this LR. But the economic side of me is wondering a few things ...

1. The cost of fuel, will it drink it down?
2. Mechanics I would think are possibly the 'easiest' for African mechanics, I don't know the first thing about mechanics
3. It's cheap, I read on this thread about a cheap Range Rover, I need a vehicle for my own personal use in Cote d'Ivoire and have a buyer there already for when I'm done with it ...
4. Seen a few Nissan's for around the same price .. read the other post about Nissans which was encouraging ...

Am I being completely female & mad? Would you go after it???

Does anyone want a lift south in April or so???

Thanks & please don't argue!

Kira

If it was built in '79 then it will be a Series 3 not a Defender. Great trucks but IMO too much (ahem) 'character' if you are new to maintenance. As simple as meccano and as awkward as a mule.

A Def might suit better.

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Pictures, Mauritania 2011

This probably won´t make an end of this somtimes heated topic, nevertheless thanks to all for informing me their expirience and some opinions, but I just have got an offer of a friend of mine to use his ....Landcruiser BJ75 for the trip!

Unless you'll hit a mine, you'll most probably make it to Cote d'Ivoir. Most probably not without visiting a few welders and mechanics. It might be a good idea have it checked by the LR mechanic in Dakhla before you head further south. There's plenty of SIII in Western Sahara, so they know how they work. From Dakhla, it isn't all that far to Cote d'ivoir anymore ... .

If it has a petrol engine, it will be thirsty..., and honestly, a good SIII tends to be expensive for what you get. A similar priced nissan might be a good idea, if it hasn't been abused too much...

OK, I'm not blonde but nevertheless I got a few simple bits wrong ... (no offence to blondes!)

It's being advertised as a 109 Defender - built in 79 and a diesel engine ... I don't like petrol engines if only due to their thirstiness!

The Nissan comment is interesting .. in terms of 'drinking fuel' would a 'small' under 3L Nissan engine drink less???

Thanks

Kira

Hi Kira,
we run a bunch of 3.4L diesel Nissans and they get an average of 10-11L/100kms. Nissans are good vehicles and they make good engines that is for sure. I also would stay away from a series Landrover (i.e. old ones with leaf springs all round). Their power when weighed up with their consumption is absolutely frightening... then comes the reliability and comfort issues! What about a good old Landcruiser 60 series if you can find a cheap one? Can I be rude and ask what your budget is - that way it's easier to come up with some suggestions,
Gil

Thanks Gil,

The other thing is that as you are probably aware LR's aren't that common in CI .. although there are a few around! Seen more rolling around Ghana!

Budget, 0 or as close to it. Seen a few Nissan's etc around the 1,000euro mark, essentially I'll need a vehicle in CI - I'm used to taking taxi's everywhere but with work there a vehicle will be easier! If I can get 'something' down there and sell it on and maybe buy something else when I'm there - I've got a few buyers for vehicles, pick ups are a good choice - hence my thoughts about a Nissan!

Kira

For around 1000€, I'd rather look for a Toyota Starlet or corolla and travel light. These are fairly sturdy cars, and as long as you avoid the back roads in the rainy season, they'll get you there. Any 4x4 (except a lada niva or suzuki maybe???) at that price will eat quit a bit out of your budget on repairs along the way.

What about a Toyota Hiace or Nissan Urvan - as you know they are in demand as mini-buses! And you could load one up or even rig a bedding arrangement in the back.

Yes!!!

A minibus has also been in my thoughts ... seen a few Merc's on the market at reasonable prices and again I have buyers in CI taking them off me as a Ghanaian type 'Benz bus'.

Gil, don't know if you've been to CI, but all over they have Mazda minibuses, never seen them in Europe (never looked) very square looking things very sturdy but with leaf springs (know that as one I was in managed to stuff its springs a few k's from the destination). Do you know what I mean - they're 22 seaters in CI. Don't think I've seen them in Ghana as tro-tro's ...

Still not sure when I'd be going down, ideally April, depends on a few signatures first for work.

Would a Nissan etc be sturdy enough to do it? Mechanics easy enough for Africa, I don't want 'electrics' to cause problems ... as ideally this would be my 'first' vehicle down there. The contract will mean my return to Europe and another purchase with more money the second time around so 'the vehicle' has to 'do' me for a few months & be re-saleable!

There would be 3 of us taking it down at this stage, but only me able to drive (the third is my 13yr old goddaughter currently in Australia who's begging to go back through Africa with me!!!). Having a minibus or LWB 'something' would help as I'd offer a seat or two to other travellers to cut down on costs ...

Kira