The Expedition Vehicle
23rd Jul in Planning by Land Rover Expedition5
I’ve finally started the journey towards my own Land Rover expedition. Recently I purchased this 1992 Land Rover Defender 110 Hardtop 200Tdi from eBay. I’ve already found myself trawling catalogues and websites for things I can buy to upgrade it with. My journey to make the ultimate expedition vehicle has begun.
Buying an expedition Land Rover relies on a few choices depending on what your main purpose is. Any Land Rover can be used effectively, but Defenders from 1990 to 1998 seem to be the popular choice. My vehicle also sits in this bracket, and my reasons are fairly similar to others who buy Land Rover Defenders as expedition vehicles:
- It’s a 110 Hardtop
- It’s has a 200Tdi
- It’s in fairly good condition
- The price
The spec
A Defender has the ground clearance, the ease of modification and simplicity of maintenance that aren’t a given with a Discovery. The 110 was a definite choice over the 90, as they have better load space to carry expedition equipment. I would have settled for a Station Wagon, although as I don’t have kids or intend to carry many people on expedition, the Hardtop allows me to get even more stuff in the back. It means there are fewer doors to rust and less potential break-in points! It’s also fairly standard spec, so gives me a blank canvas on which to design my ultimate expedition vehicle.
The engine
It would always prefer to have a pre-Td5 engine that didn’t rely on electronics that could be mended in the middle of nowhere with simple tools. The 200Tdi, although an earlier model than the 300Tdi, has a good reputation for reliability, and it’s well known that a diesel is the best expedition engine.
This one being at 205,000 miles still has the potential for plenty of life to go. The 300Tdi’s, whilst of similar performance, have reliability issues with head gaskets and timing belts on the early engines. Having said that, I would have settled on either. The fact it’s a 200Tdi meant I was able to pick it up for under £2000. Had it been a 300Tdi the price could have been a lot more.
The condition
I have seen better examples of Defenders, but a lot worse. From the photo it does look quite gleaming. It had had a fair amount of work done already such as a new clutch, tires, modular wheels, timing belt and the engine runs smoothly; all of which help to settle the nerves when buying a 17 year old Land Rover.
However, the hinges are rusty, some parts of the chassis are a bit crispy, the radiator’s damaged, the fuel light stays on, the doors are rotting, the transfer box leaks from both ends and so do the sump and rear diff. The fact it has a few niggly issues makes me glad that I have a Land Rover that I can learn from and feel more confident in fixing should I find myself lost in Africa with no mechanic.
The price
Your choice of expedition vehicle comes a lot down to your budget. I intend to use it as a project and get the satisfaction of modifying it over the coming years, but you may want to pay a bit more to have a ready made expedition vehicle. My budget was optimistically set at under £2000 and after 3 months looking at Land Rovers on eBay for a good “cost to condition to suitability” ratio, and looking closer to see exactly what i’ve bought, I feel happy that I got a good deal. They’re definitely out there! This way i’m still able to get a decent capable vehicle, but spread out over a few more years…
The future
As i’m not going on expedition quite yet, I’m glad I afforded myself the time to research the market and strike when the factors were right.
It was a big step of commitment but it has made the vision of going on expedition a definite reality. In the coming months i’ll be fixing/repairing/modifying the Land Rover as the pay cheques clear. Watch this space….
Related posts:
- 6 Advanced Land Rover Expedition Modifications
These expedition modification options are relevant if you have the... - Engines on Expedition – Why is Diesel best?
Many people see the diesel engined 4×4 as a superior...
Hey All the best with your upgrades to your Landy and also 3 cheers to your great choice of the Tdi instead of the TD5!
hey mate, good work on the purchase; i’m looking at similar models, but 300 tdi’s. be great to chat – i’m looking to overland taunton to cape town october 2010 for four months, and i’m looking to work up my vehicle for the trip, too.
richard
Hi,
i am so pleased to have found this web page among hundreds of others
your expedition is an inspiration
ive just bought my first landy two days ago, a 1988 defender 110 2.5td, paid 2000 and it really is an absolute gem of a vehicle, a couple of bulbs and a windscreen wiper later its now ready for the mot due in a couple of weeks,
now im writing this as i think so bear with me…
when i was a kid (32 now) i used to fall asleep whilst playing the ‘journey across the sahara’ with my brother and sister in the same room, lights off, sat up in our own beds (landys) ‘driving’ across the desert.
come to think of it, we never did get to the other side…..
I didn’t even know where your expedition is going but it instantly reminded me of my older brother stumbling around a darkened room pretending to buy winches and water from a crazy marrakesh bazaar
this is now my dream, an expedition across the sahara, ive got my first driving seat in a 4×4 trail tomorrow with dorsetrovers, that’ll test the beast (and my mettle) i’m sure
Jon
bournemouth
Will, I stumbled across your site this evening – great source of tips. I finally took the plunge in September 2009 and bought my own Land Rover via Ebay and am really enjoying the experience and plan to go on many expeditions in the years ahead (age 42). Having spent several years in the (reserve) forces, I’ve been around Land Rovers quite a bit so it’s great to be driving one now as a ‘civvy’. My motor is right up your street:-
Land Rover Defender 110 CSW V8 3.9 Efi – 1991 on an H Plate. The Tdi was professionally replaced in 1997 to the V8 by Dunsfold Land Rover by the previous owner (at a cost of £7,500 back then!) which included brand new gear box and other ancilliaries plus the recon (NAS) engine. Mileage is 118,000 for the vehicle but about 60,000 on the V8. I paid £1,850 on Ebay and have just spent £2,500 at Dunsfold ensuring the vehicle is more-or-less ‘expedition ready’ (new rear X-member, foot- well welding, stepper motor etc. etc.). She runs superbly and, with around 200BHP, can surprise a few motorists. Where legal, she hums along the motorway and can easily exceed 90 MPH. My questions is this – I’ve seen your comments about diesel engines – when on an expedition, is the lower cost of petrol in far flung places around the world (compared with UK petrol prices) likely to be less of an issue? Any other comments on V8 engines as the only downside seems to be petrol cost (many off-roaders I’ve met seem to be in awe of V8s). Cheers, Pat
Hi Patrick
Good to hear you’ve taken the leap! My point of view for recommending diesel engines for expeditions is due to a number of differences between petrol engines. They have more torque at lower revs, which means they’re better at crawling slowly and/or keeping moving if the revs drop in mud, etc.
Diesel is marginally cheaper than petrol around the world (except the UK!). I was in Morocco last week and petrol was 9 Dirhams (72p) whereas diesel was 7 Dirhams(56p) per litre. There is also the argument that diesels are less reliant on electrics, which helps if encountering water, and are more fuel efficient, keeping costs down over long distances on expedition.
V8s also have their power at the top end and rely more on speed to get through obstacles, which hitting something at speed could give your Land Rover more of a beating.
Having a V8 though is certainly not a problem. It’s entirely dependent on the type of terrain you will drive and how you drive it.
Hope that clarifies things a bit,
WIll