After
several years of owning Series Land Rovers culminating in a fantastic but
thirsty Stage 1 V8 station wagon, I decided in October 2001 that I needed
something a bit more modern and more importantly, economical. This
decision was prompted partly by a possible house move that would have seen
me travelling further to work and partly because of a nagging doubt about
the prospects
for long term ownership of my Stage 1. It was a great vehicle to drive and
was in excellent condition, but I was increasingly finding that certain
parts were no longer available. At best this meant that it would
inadvertently achieve ‘classic car’ status, where the challenge of
some repairs would be in finding or making the required part. At worst, a
serious mechanical failure of certain particular components could see it
unusable for long periods of time.
So,
it was time for a change and my first choice was a 300tdi 110 station
wagon. My wife and I had already booked ourselves on an overland trip to
Morocco for the following April and a 110 seemed to be the ideal vehicle
for this sort of use. However, finding a suitable vehicle proved to be
extremely difficult. Finding a 110 station wagon for sale at all was an
achievement - it seems people just don't sell them again once they've
bought them - but finding a decent one for the £10 000 budget I’d set
myself proved impossible. Those that were within my price range had
clearly led hard lives and frequently had mileages that suggested they'd
been off-roaded on the moon!.
It
was at this point, whilst drooling over a reconditioned Camel Trophy 110
that was for sale at Keith Gotts of Alton for a figure way beyond my
budget, that I was persuaded to look at a Discovery. I test drove N441 DDM
and was an immediate convert. I was impressed by it’s power and comfort
and the practical interior would be ideal as a base for camping.
The
deal was done and then began the task of modifying it for an overland
trip....
After
several years of owning Series Land Rovers culminating in a fantastic but
thirsty Stage 1 V8 station wagon, I decided in October 2001 that I needed
something a bit more modern and more importantly, economical. This
decision was prompted partly by a possible house move that would have seen
me travelling further to work and partly because of a nagging doubt about
the 
So,
it was time for a change and my first choice was a 300tdi 110 station
wagon. My wife and I had already booked ourselves on an overland trip to
Morocco for the following April and a 110 seemed to be the ideal vehicle
for this sort of use. However, finding a suitable vehicle proved to be
extremely difficult. Finding a 110 station wagon for sale at all was an
achievement - it seems people just don't sell them again once they've
bought them - but finding a decent one for the £10 000 budget I’d set
myself proved impossible. Those that were within my price range had
clearly led hard lives and frequently had mileages that suggested they'd
been off-roaded on the moon!.
It
was at this point, whilst drooling over a reconditioned Camel Trophy 110
that was for sale at Keith Gotts of Alton for a figure way beyond my
budget, that I was persuaded to look at a Discovery. I test drove N441 DDM
and was an immediate convert. I was impressed by it’s power and comfort
and the practical interior would be ideal as a base for camping. 