> > Kendall Robinson asked about the useability of Land Rovers on the road.
> > Well, these guys are the people who parodied the Rolls "God this car's
> > quiet" ad with "at 50 mph, all you can hear is the engine." But they are
> > quite useable, much like a 1950 Chev pickup is useable. I wouldn't take it
> > on a trip, or go to the opera (okay, I wouldn't go to the opera anyway) but
> > I'd definatly drive it everywhere else. I think 10K is a bit steep, unless
> > it has been very well maintained/restored.
>
>
>
> > I might as well step in, having once driven a Land Rover several
> > miles. Several years ago, I learned that a friend was moving to CA and
> > selling her 73 LR 88. She had had it from new, and it was low mileage
> > (driven only in winter, when her other oddball car was laid up). If I
> > wanted it, I could grab her vanity plate, DAWG (she had always wanted a
> > Rover named Dog, but DOG was already taken).
> >
> > My daughter and I took it for a test ride. I have been in noisy, harsh
> > riding vehicles before, but this was a new high. At the first dip in the
> > road, my daughter claimed whiplash. Anything over 50 mph was something of
> > an adventure, given harsh springs, short wheelbase, and narrow track.
> > Splashing through puddles gave much the same sound as one might imagine
> > going over Niagra Falls in an unpadded barrel. I wanted it, if only
> > because it would look *magnificent* in the driveway. Elizabeth hated it,
> > and since she was to share whatever I bought, I conceded.
> >
> > I still think the Rover is nifty, and I'd like to have one, but older ones
> > sure aren't suited for long drives on the interstate.
>
A land rover that is well maintained (and any semi-competent can maintain
a land rover) will travel at 55 fairly quietly, especially if you have an
OverDrive
fitted. As the vehicle is not designed to be a 200 miles-a-day road
cruiser, it doesn't have the soft US suspension, nor the massive,
gas-guzzling US engine -- it is a UK vehicle designed for rough roads.
Many people do use them as daily drivers -- they have character and charm,
they have unstinting loyalty to their owners.
If you want an interstate cruiser, buy something with an 8 litre V8 and
burn the environment, if you want fun -- buy a land rover.
----** Ian Stuart (Computing Officer) +44 31 650 6205
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh University.
WWW sites: Work -- <http://www.vet.ed.ac.uk/>
Play -- <http://tardis.ed.ac.uk/~ian/>
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I'm not a computing nerd, I'm a computing geek. |Land Rover owners do
Geeks are much higher up the evolutionary chain. | it in the mud.
|