Hello everyone

Thanks for having me! I'm new to posting here but first off - I just want to say that I'm really impressed with the information and knowledge that so many of you have shared. I've been trawling posts here and elsewhere trying to find some guidance but I'm still in a bit of a quandary...

To cut to the chase. I currently have a MY24 Defender 110 (switched from an SDV6 L494 - please don't judge) but I'm now looking to add an L320 as a second car. This will essentially serve as an airport / station / shopping / general run about type thing and will probably do around 6-8k miles per year. I've always been a massive fan of this shape RRS and whilst there are possibly 'better' and certainly more reliable options out there I really do fancy one. The Defender isn't going anywhere I just want to be in a position where I don't have to expose it to quite so much carpark peril.

I've found a nice, to me at least, 2.7 (07 plate) on 123K that's in budget that seems to be in good overall condition. It appears to have generally good history with the previous owner having had the car for 7 years. Whilst they have been done once already, it is my intention to have all of the belts replaced along with the oil pump and the prop shaft (MOT advisory for bearing having slight play).

The vehicle has also been subject to quite a bit of work recently including new air compressor, parking brake motor and shoes, brake pipes as well as some front suspension components. It also appears to wear four matching Pirelli Scorpion tyres. The car is about 3 hours from me so I have yet to still go and stand in front of it... next weeks task provided it's still available.

On glance it seems that the previous owner has spent quite a lot of money on it but I just wanted to seek some advice from anyone who's willing to offer it as to whether or not these early 2.7's are a good buy or whether I should simply get the idea out of my head that this is a 'good' idea! I understand and accept that they are not cheap to maintain, I'm okay with that.

Thanks for taking the time to read my version of war and peace and I very much appreciate any thoughts and suggestions you may have...

Cheers all,
Adam

You get a lot of vehicle for the money when you buy an L320. If you've got a chance to buy a well-cared for example that has had the usual stuff dealt with as its gone along then it's a decent risk. Be worth investing in a decent smart charger and using it to keep the battery in good shape, especially if it's going to be used infrequently / for shorter trips. A tired battery is the starting point for a number of wild goose chases.

A 2.7 would be a tad slow for my tastes but as for just pottering around it'll do the job well. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Get the water pump done at the same time as the belts, I’ve got a breaker in atm that the guy has the belts done, then a few months later the pump seized and took out the engine.

2.7 is glacially slow, 0-60 is over 10s. Crappy ride quality on poor road surface. Otherwise great truck. Steering feel is nicer than the l494/defender.

There’s plenty around, I would test drive the closest one to see if the performance is acceptable before doing a 6hr round trip. Then start shopping for a nice 2010 tdv8

Thank you both very much for the comments!

If all is well then I will get a smart charger ordered and will add the water pump to the list of things to be done if required. I must admit that the idea of a TDV8 is very appealing... one day perhaps.