Description
Owned for 18 years now; originally bought in May 2008 with 20k miles on. Now has 181, 800 miles on but it is still being used. Huge lever arch file full of invoices and two stamped-up service books.
This has been a brilliant car which has never let me down. When working as a rural music teacher this transported children and instruments all around the parish in all weathers. It therefore had no expense spared on it.
This was previously owned by a retired military brass player and was immaculate, but he sold it when the last Labour government threatened to increase road tax, but this missed the cut-off. I searched for a a full year before finding this as these cars are used heavily and as you will know, come with varying build quality.
This car still looks terrific. It's garaged every evening. The wheels were refurbished a while ago and still look good. It's been to Monaco in summers and Salzburg in winters. It is a classless go anywhere, do anything car and it's been surprisingly economical. It once got to Munich on a single tank of diesel. You will know how practical they are.
This one is a really odd spec. Supposedly a last-of-line Landmark, it seems it was randomly equipped with whatever was lying around in Solihull in the last few weeks of production. I have the original brochure somewhere. CD mulitchanger works. Remote controls for 3rd row seating is still there. Heated front screen and climate control works.
It's got leather seats, but they are manual and without arm rests. It's got air-springs (now on its 3rd set) but no ACE. It's got twin sunroofs, electric but without blinds (remedied in the front with the replacement headlining). It's got a genuine walnut dashboard. Manual gearbox but with no locking diff. Clutch and dual mass were replaced at 100k because the clutch got heavy.
It even featured in a 'readers drives' section of Car Mechanics magazine.
The reason for sale is it went into a Land Rover specialist for a replacement rear quarter chassis. It was stripped and then left.... for a year. So I had to buy a new car. It was recovered when the 'specialist' was about to get evicted. It therefore needs his work finishing. The fuel tank breather is split. The air springs pipework on the replacement part of the chassis is leaking. The (previously new) rear step has gone. BTW, this is a 7 seater.
This, then is a car which has been loved, cherished and has had no expense spared on it. However the 18 year honeymoon has been halted by a specialist who has let me down. Said specialist had done a load of work prior to the chassis work; tyres, dampers, exhaust. For all of its servicing and repairs it originally went to Cheviot 4x4 and then more recently Durham 4x4 who were both excellent. The air-springs were also replaced when it was serviced prior to going in for welding.
I now neither have the space, the money or the patience to finalise the car. It drives perfectly fine as it is. But, it's a 22 year year Land Rover with a rake of miles on. Happy to allow viewing, happy to have you as a passenger (the car still has great steering, tracking true unlike many Discovery's).
Its has also got ALL internal instrument and control bulbs fitted. The oil having been changed more times than I can remember is clean. It was always flushed through. Likewise, gearbox, transfer box and diffs always had regular oil changes. EGR and Oxidation Catalyst were removed when the car was tuned by Gary at TD5 Alive. Find another as original as this.
