This is now my biggest decision when shopping around for The Adventure Truck and it isn’t an easy one to make. There are so many different types of Land Rover I really have to refine my decision making or I will find myself floundering around like a teenager in the lingerie section of M+S looking at every thing in a wild sweaty panic.
The whole concept of this vehicle is fun, laughter and adventure. It’s not about refinement or comfort, but about the noise of the engine, the smell of gearbox oil and the wind in your hair (or draft at your feet) as you rattle down the road. As such I have completely discounted the modern post 2008 tDi Defenders, they are too refined, the air conditioning is simply too cold, and electric windows are too smooth and reliable. I want a 20+ year old ex Farm truck filled enough dents to match its no doubt frustrating character.
But do I go for a properly old Series 3 that I modernise and try and refine or a TD5 that I can (maybe) rely on and trust to get us around when we are in the UK with a tiny degree of reliability, but I can also upgrade into something a bit more fun. As I am 3,500 miles away from any vehicle I choose and am buying completely blind, I am only really left with comparing what I would like the end product to be through the power of instagram…
Where better to start than spending hours gazing at Cool N Vintages mind blowingly detailed and painstaking transformation of Series 3’s, I can’t imagine any vehicle being more wonderful. If money was no object then I would be running to their incredible factory in Portugal and picking up the most instagrammable vehicle on the road. But money sadly is a consideration, so as healthy as it is to dream I need to be realistic and the only way of getting close to the beauty of The Land Rovers creations or Drive Himlaya’s style would be to try and do a lot of the work myself or with a smaller garage…
But this is about decision making, and choosing between a Series 3 or a TD5, old or new….do I want to fold the windscreen flat and cruise around exposed to the elements like the Island Rover, or do I want big wheels and tyres replicating one of the Big Foot conversions from The Land Rovers. I’d be over the moon if I ended up with something similar to the beach runner Juice Motors put out last year, but equally an old truck with the style of Ponstyen Motors would equally cheer me up every day.
Maybe there is some kind of middle ground, can I create a TD5 that looks enough like a series 3 without it being a bodge job, something like the wicked Defenders coming out of Riverhouse? Can I downgrade a Td5 and make a retro looking Defender that I can also improve and make into a genuinely fun and possibly even fast truck that fulfils all my requirements?
Obviously I know no one will even care, but I do, and if you are still reading this maybe you do. So it’s important, and provides hours of e bay/ autotrader/auction/ internet searches comparing my options and deciding exactly what kind of Land Rover The Adventure Truck will end up being. But really it will only really start to take shape once I know what I am going to buy in the coming weeks…watch this space and please let me know your thoughts!
The answer to your quandary of which reliable Land Rover to buy is surely “Colorado” or “Shogun” non? 🙃 though you didn’t hint as to your budget ..
I’d be looking at Discovery’s personally, they mix at lot of what you want and say you don’t want but decent AC, a radio you can hear and somewhere to rest your elbows will on occasion be welcome!
Remember when classic Range Rovers were cheap!
I looked at the classic Range Rovers, nearly got swayed by some “stray dog Classics” beautiful restorations…
But decided agricultural comfort was more up my street!!
Hope all well mate.
The saga of Sophie (our 1974 Series 3) continues! She is still in the workshop. We have replaced the points, condenser and carburettor kit, and she came alive! Only to repay us with billowing black smoke and something the mechanic calls “piston slap”… What does this mean? Worst case scenario is a new engine. But we are committed and waiting for the final verdict. Just wanted you to know what being on a Land Rover journey is all about!
Jack told me last week Sophie was his favorite car! (He didn’t even get inside!)
I can’t wait!!!