Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Crystal-clear on August 26, 2013, 02:51:30 pm
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It really is time to upgrade my old van, the other day I saw someone with a nice neat black pickup with a cabin at the rear which is perfect for water tank was wondering if the payload would be decent?, I'd much prefer claiming expensis to use this its like kiing 2 birds with one stone as I was thinking of treating my self to a car but now I have had a revelation ! I'm guess inc would need to make holes for pole to fit as that back part might not have the length of 4 foot
Has anyone got something similar how do you find it?
I feel it can also look profesional too with maybe a sign
Put it this way its far from mondeo man!
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One obvious disadvantage is that if you intend to use it as a car as well, you can not offset the purchase cost of the vehicle against tax. You would have to claim a mileage allowance or offset only a proportion.
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Van
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It's basically going to be work only will help morAl imagine working with this compared to a van with the odd personal use which ill work out with my soon to be accountant
So what do u recon cool idea who els has something like this?
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I want one also. Running cost is high tho with fuel
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u will need to buy a fuel bowser to tow behind it
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New shape L200s can do 35-40mpg fairly easily.
We have one for pressure washing and gutter vac work, and when we travel across the country for internal work or high level stuff.
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I just bought one and woohoo.... I love it! Got a 500 litre tank in. Fits perfectly with an 11L DI, pump and reel. Can make it two man also if you want. We gonna use it on solar and window only. My Citroen Relay will be doing anything ladder or driveway related. Gonna put some pics on next week.
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Soupy's got something similar.
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=174881.msg1476227#msg1476227
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A Club Cab L200 has a loadbed of about 6 feet and four seats - My supercab Ranger is similar. Both can carry over a tonne. I'd never go back to a van.
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I just bought one and woohoo.... I love it! Got a 500 litre tank in. Fits perfectly with an 11L DI, pump and reel. Can make it two man also if you want. We gonna use it on solar and window only. My Citroen Relay will be doing anything ladder or driveway related. Gonna put some pics on next week.
Wow. So does everything fit in ok stand up or flat lie? Couldn't post a picture could you :)
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I just bought one and woohoo.... I love it! Got a 500 litre tank in. Fits perfectly with an 11L DI, pump and reel. Can make it two man also if you want. We gonna use it on solar and window only. My Citroen Relay will be doing anything ladder or driveway related. Gonna put some pics on next week.
Wow. So does everything fit in ok stand up or flat lie? Couldn't post a picture could you :)
My Ranger has 5.8 feet, a 400 litre flat tank, 22 foot pole, battery, 100m hose on metal reel, pump and di unit - my set up is all a bit haphazard at the moment but it all fits and works fine.
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I just bought one and woohoo.... I love it! Got a 500 litre tank in. Fits perfectly with an 11L DI, pump and reel. Can make it two man also if you want. We gonna use it on solar and window only. My Citroen Relay will be doing anything ladder or driveway related. Gonna put some pics on next week.
Wow. So does everything fit in ok stand up or flat lie? Couldn't post a picture could you :)
I can post some pics next week. The 500L flat tank sits perfectly between the wheel arches, the DI fits perfectly between one side of the tank and the side of the loading bed. The pump and controller are mounted on the opposite side of the tank. The reel sits between the front of the tank and the rear door. Cost me £336.00 to have professionally fitted, but is worth every penny. It is very user friendly and looks neat too.
Just got to get the windows blacked out, £100.00 from a mate who runs a window tinting business and then sign written. It's gonna look mint when finished.
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i prefer to have a van for work and a car for leisure.you cant beat coming home from work.filling van tank up and leaving it until the next days work and going out in a car.
driving a 2.5 V6 after a day taking it easy in a van loaded with water is heaven!!! ;) :) :)
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i prefer to have a van for work and a car for leisure.you cant beat coming home from work.filling van tank up and leaving it until the next days work and going out in a car.
driving a 2.5 V6 after a day taking it easy in a van loaded with water is heaven!!! ;) :) :)
That is the ideal - it just comes down to cost / personal circumstances.
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i prefer to have a van for work and a car for leisure.you cant beat coming home from work.filling van tank up and leaving it until the next days work and going out in a car.
driving a 2.5 V6 after a day taking it easy in a van loaded with water is heaven!!! ;) :) :)
::)roll
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i prefer to have a van for work and a car for leisure.you cant beat coming home from work.filling van tank up and leaving it until the next days work and going out in a car.
driving a 2.5 V6 after a day taking it easy in a van loaded with water is heaven!!! ;) :) :)
Unless its in a ford cougar.
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I had a ranger crew cab with a 650 litre tank in the back for about 6 years. It was great to start off with but after 6 months I realised that it's better and more economical to have a separate family car. I have a medium sized van now and the difference amazing, you can fit so much more in, which in turn allows you to work faster due to faster loading and unloading. I'd never go back to a truck, I would be tempted by a 4x4 van though.
Simon.
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hairdressers car daz ;-)
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have had landrover and toyed with pickup but a van is hard to beet for window cleaning.
pickups have pluses if you only need or want one car for work and play, but in my experiance you can buy a much better van / newer etc than pickup
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have had landrover and toyed with pickup but a van is hard to beet for window cleaning.
pickups have pluses if you only need or want one car for work and play, but in my experiance you can buy a much better van / newer etc than pickup
Did you use a landy for work Tom ? what was your experience?, have been looking for a 110 defender panel van at a reasonable price for some time now, a mechanic friend has warned me though to be prepaired to get my hands dirty on a regular basis :-\
Simon
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Why does the vAn beat a nice pickup they look mint and some have installed 500l tanks etc imagine going on holiday driving to Europe multi use work and play
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As said vans are cheaper to run and cheaper to buy.
Only my opinion , I was tempted by the pick up myself so
May suit some but for me van wins
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I started six years ago with a 110 station wagon then had a 110
Panel van .
Can't fault them as they're robust trucks but yes if you
Buy an older one that's been worked you could be in for
Weekends fixing it.... It really is luck of the draw.
My first ever landrover was a k reg with 30k miles on it
That never caused me any problems and I put 100k miles
On it no problems.
But my last two had 80k miles fsh and I spent £6000 on
First one and £2000 in six months on the other in repair bills.
Common problems ujs on props, bushes, cv , rear half shafts
Lift pumps, head gaskets, all these are cheap to repair but expensive
When the crop up week after week.
Newer models suffer worse than older esp with clutch issues
On 2007-2012 models
1999 -2006 suffer from cracked heads and odd injector probs
Earlier ones best but dreaded rust eats them around bulkhead
And chassis.
I love landrovers but can't afford new enough one so have now bought a
Ford transit .
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I started six years ago with a 110 station wagon then had a 110
Panel van .
Can't fault them as they're robust trucks but yes if you
Buy an older one that's been worked you could be in for
Weekends fixing it.... It really is luck of the draw.
My first ever landrover was a k reg with 30k miles on it
That never caused me any problems and I put 100k miles
On it no problems.
But my last two had 80k miles fsh and I spent £6000 on
First one and £2000 in six months on the other in repair bills.
Common problems ujs on props, bushes, cv , rear half shafts
Lift pumps, head gaskets, all these are cheap to repair but expensive
When the crop up week after week.
Newer models suffer worse than older esp with clutch issues
On 2007-2012 models
1999 -2006 suffer from cracked heads and odd injector probs
Earlier ones best but dreaded rust eats them around bulkhead
And chassis.
I love landrovers but can't afford new enough one so have now bought a
Ford transit .
Td5s are the way to go 1999-2006. In 2007 Ford got their grubby little mits on the beloved Defender and what did they do? Stuck a Chuffing transit engine in there. >:(
On Td5s bulkheads chassis and doors are prone to rot. Engine and gearbox issues are rare but can happen.
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sorry for highjacking this post with the landy questions
I was going to take a look at a 110 panel van, 1991 126,000 on the clock, polybushed throughout , waxoiled and new power steering pump, seller reckons needs new uj on prop shaft other than that the couple of pics I've seen it looks very clean for age, £2800, mechanic friend thinks I'm nuts to even consider it :-[
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Does it have its original engine? A 1991 should have a 200tdi. I have a 200tdi engine in my series 3. I estimate it has done 300000+ miles and is still going strong.
£2,800 is not a lot of money for a good 1991 110. I sold a 1991 110 csw about 2 months ago for £4500, it was a cracker though. Check the bulkhead round the vents and behind the dash, you can see it if you open the door. Any rust walk away. Go underneath with a podger (spikey instrument) and see if you can force it through the chassis especially on the rear cross member. Waxoyl can be used to cover up a rotten chassis.
Take it for a drive and watch out for excessive smoke. Try the diff lock, check the bottom of the doors, they can be £500+ for a good second hand one. Beware of oil back pressure from the dipstick while the engine is running (fire it up then take the dip stick out, if there is a problem you will soon see what I mean).
Got any photos?
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Thanks for reply soupy,
Appreciate the advice as I know very little about landrovers
http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=276745259&width=640&height=480
This is a fair way from me and will be a 4hr round trip just to walk away from it, so I may need to ask a few more questions and request some more pics,
Simon
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I notice it appears to have 2 fuel fillers? 1 at the rear quarter where you'd expect 1 just behind the door. There is probably a second tank under the drivers seat, this in not a problem in itself but the only 1 I have had that has had this was an exMOD FFR (ministry of defence, fitted for radio) which was a terrible Land Rover. FFRs have 24v electrics which need to be converted for civilian use, this is a big job and needs to be done right preferably by a professional.
Having said that, it is painted up like a camel trophy so it may be a secondary auxiliary tank for expeditions and such. I'd certainly ask about it if I were you.
See if you can get photos of the chassis, a close up of the bulkhead, the engine bay, rear tub and inside the cab.
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ex military-that small door/compartment on the side is always on the military ones
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One obvious disadvantage is that if you intend to use it as a car as well, you can not offset the purchase cost of the vehicle against tax. You would have to claim a mileage allowance or offset only a proportion.
I didn't think you could write of 100% of your van against tax either. There are certain concessions granted by the Receiver for individual companies ie motor trade and pool cars, but if you are audited, then they will start with this. The first question would be that you have never used your van for any personal use, even to go the the chippy, drive to the bakery just once to get some lunch, etc. If you say no, they won't believe you. If your van registration number is lodged with the council for 5 free trips to the council tip a year to offload household rubbish, they have got you.
I have my van with the tank split 90% business and 10% private, although the other van is 40% business and 60% private as I do use that for personal stuff as well.
Whilst the claiming of business expenses against tax is Self Assessment and how you see your business, this is one of those areas that they also have opinions that will differ from yours. Their opinions are usually the ones that matter.
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Thank you Soupy and robertphil, I am beginning to suspect this is why he had recently dropped the price, however he was honest enough to tell me over the phone of the worn prop uj's. I could request more photo's but I think this is one I can only really decide on by taking a look in person. Glad I asked on here now, I won't let a bargain price cloud my judgement, Simon ;)
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exMOD is not necessarily a bad thing. My Series 3 is exMOD and it is 33 years old, still going strong. I suspect it probably is exMOD, it has wolf wheels on it and like robertphil says the side lockers are common on the military ones.
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Sorry Crystal- Clear I should really have put my own thread up (although not strictly window cleaning related) But whilst I have your attention Soupy, I will ask the owner as to whether its ex mod ffr, but how will I know if the electrics are still 24v ?
I presume if its been converted for civilian use it should be 12v ? could you please briefly explain to me the differences and what they would mean ? I do not possess a lot of mechanical knowledge but am learning (inherited a triumph spitfire ;))
Thanks once again
Simon ;)
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You don't have to change a 24v to 12v there is no law that says so. You would have a bit of a nightmare trying to get bulbs and stuff for it though.
It's a 1991 so it is unlikely to still be 24v (that is assuming it ever was). In fact looking at the picture it has plastic side light and indicators which would melt with 24v running through them, so I'm 99.9% sure it isn't 24v.
I may be leading you down the wrong path, worrying about 24v / 12v. It is just in my experience we bought a FFR which had been converted to 12v by a blind cowboy in boxing gloves. Best bet is to look at the wiring under the bonnet and under the passenger seat (if the battery is in there), if it looks like a bowl of super noodles you are likely to have issues. The Landy is 22 years old so it WILL have had things wired in here and there over the years, whether it was ever 24v or not. You are looking for shoddy workmanship, any sign of it start to worry.
Ask him why there are 2 fillers, it may just be that it has a secondary tank. Lots of Landy owners fit them.
The guy has told you it needs new UJs, these cost £15 each and take about 1/2 an hour to sort if you know what you are doing. Symptoms of ruined UJs can be the entire vehicle vibrating like buggery, that could also be an out of balance propshaft which is a specialist fix, not expensive but can take a while. I'd ask him why he has not sorted it. If a propshaft has a ruined UJ you can just remove it and run in 2 wheel drive.
The 2 main things to worry about are the bulkhead and the chassis, if either of those are gone you are looking at scrap. If you have any mechanical knowledge you will find that everything else is easy enough to fix. Oh, and if (when) you need parts look here (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/souterlandrovers) first. ;)
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Big thank you to you Soupy,
Simon ;)
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One obvious disadvantage is that if you intend to use it as a car as well, you can not offset the purchase cost of the vehicle against tax. You would have to claim a mileage allowance or offset only a proportion.
I didn't think you could write of 100% of your van against tax either. There are certain concessions granted by the Receiver for individual companies ie motor trade and pool cars, but if you are audited, then they will start with this. The first question would be that you have never used your van for any personal use, even to go the the chippy, drive to the bakery just once to get some lunch, etc. If you say no, they won't believe you. If your van registration number is lodged with the council for 5 free trips to the council tip a year to offload household rubbish, they have got you.
I have my van with the tank split 90% business and 10% private, although the other van is 40% business and 60% private as I do use that for personal stuff as well.
Whilst the claiming of business expenses against tax is Self Assessment and how you see your business, this is one of those areas that they also have opinions that will differ from yours. Their opinions are usually the ones that matter.
I do. Accountant says its fine.
I take the odd trip to the tip, stick the bikes in the back etc but I also use the car every now and then for work.
It balances out.
My accountant reckons it only flags up for her maj if you're claiming 100% on a van and 50%ish on a car
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But back to the op.
get a van.
You don't want to only have one vehicle.
It's pony.
You'll look like a pikey.
By all means get a pick up for work, but have a car too.
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But back to the op.
get a van.
You don't want to only have one vehicle.
It's pony.
You'll look like a pikey.
By all means get a pick up for work, but have a car too.
Unless its the barbarian... What a beauty of a pickup truck. A bit ott for window cleaning though i think.
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But back to the op.
get a van.
You don't want to only have one vehicle.
It's pony.
You'll look like a pikey.
By all means get a pick up for work, but have a car too.
Depends really on where you live and work. In sunny Devon you just look like everyone else. Posh people drive pickups and so do workers, like us. A van identifies you at a certain level - a pickup does not. If you want the ultimate classless vehicle then buy a Land Rover - The Queen drives one and so does her gardener...
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Lets get some photos up I think a pickup looks profesional as much as a van does!
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1377933019_Voyager.jpg)
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Looks amazing how has it been set up I think a vid is needed !
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1377935721_Voyager1.jpg)
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1377935753_LandyTank.jpg)
No videos yet I'm afraid :(
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Looks very profesional how much water does it hold how much did it set you back ?
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450L
We only use Td5 (1999 - 2006) Land Rovers as these are the best. You can get them for anywhere between £2500 for a rust bucket to £10,000 for a cracker. Ex Hydro board 110s are a good option as they are Land Rover factory 'Special Vehicles' and come with beefed up suspension and side lockers, they tend to have high mileage but are well maintained.
We have bought MOT failures that needed loads of work to get them up to scratch and we have bought low mileage / well looked after Landys too. Depending on the state / type of the vehicle it can take us between 2 weeks and 2 months get the Landy stripped out and the system installed.
It is difficult to put a price tag on them as the vehicle that you start with will determine the labour needed and therefore the price, Defender 110s come in many different variations, truck cabs, hard tops, Special Vehicles etc, and are often modified. I could probably source and build you a good one for £10,000. I could definitely source and build you an excellent one for £15,000. The thing to remember is that correctly maintained Defenders will easily outlast a van 2 or 3 times over.
The Landys are 2 man double DI set up, element heated and would come with a full 1 year MOT, WaxOyl rust proofing on the chassis, full re-spray any colour, brand new wheels and tyres (the tyres we fit are high weight rated) and would be newly serviced (all fluids, filters and belts replaced). We can also do any customisation that you might require.
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I love landys but unless you need a 4x4 if you've got 10-15k to spend on work truck
Then A van will cost way less to run than a defender.
That budget gets you a new van with 4 year warranty
And a sell on value will be more than a bespoke wfp defender.
Soupy it's a great truck though, if I only had one car
Then a pickup or defender double cab is the way I'd go.
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Surely any van/4x4 will last if looked after that 1 sure does look the nuts you have soupy, im not in the know about them at all! how many miles do those defenders happily manage in there lifetime from new to death??.
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Souppy it looks amazing I'm guessing its really easy to use get out van no taking hose reel off all mounted up could you give us a bit more info on how you set it up it looks really secure and professionally set up, so you provide this service also good to know what's the labour breakdown etc?
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Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to say that getting a Defender from us will save you money. It certainly isn't the cheapest option. Like everything else there are upsides and downsides.
Going down this route is not a decision to be taken lightly. It is a very different prospect to buying a van, where you'd probably be looking to replace it in 5 years. A Land Rover is for life not just for Christmas. Also you can't have a Defender and not be prepared to get your paws oily from time to time. They are far easier to work on than a car or a van though, with a fantastic online community who are very knowledgeable and always helpful.
If you look after them properly Land Rovers will just keep going. I have a 1980 Series 3 that has done well over 300k. When was the last time you saw a 1980 transit? 1985 that's when. We have done work on Land Rovers built in the 50s! I have heard it said that 75% of all Defenders produced (including the older series vehicles) since 1955 are still on the road. Quite incredible if its true.
The oldest Defender I have is 1999, granted if I wanted to sell it to anyone besides a window cleaner I would need to rebuild the rear end but I don't want to sell it. Why would I? It is pretty much the same truck as my newest one (2005), which will be getting converted in the coming weeks.
The highest mileage Defender I have has 220k on the clock. I'd be lying if I said it was completely problem free but I'd be willing to bet that it is still on the go long after any of the L200s or vans that you guys run around in have been squashed and turned into skips.
The design and positioning of the reels is, in my humble opinion, to put it bluntly, brilliant. They are at the perfect height for reeling in and are ready to pull out in any direction within 2 seconds of parking up. The reels really make a difference to productivity, I am not about to say 'our lads do x amount a day / hour / week' I find those posts tedious, but if you fancied a wee trip to Scotland I'd happily show you.
Apologies if I have been rambling, I had a mate's head wetting last night, I may still be a bit boozy.
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Wow cheers ;D
Looks like you are the man to speak to regarding pick up conversations!
I do love what you have done my initial idea was to combine a black kick ass looking pickup or 4x4 (x5 if possible lol) to have both bussniess and the odd personal use rather then having 2 seperate I looked at l200 cos it looks good , but your defender seems the most practical on how I have read, and maybe the easiest I'm looking to spend around £4000,00 aprox on my new kick ass 4x4 didn't think too much about system was going to chuck my custom in from van but depending how much it could set me back if its in amazingly then maybe too
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To be honest our defenders are not ideal as dual use vehicles. Something like your L200s or Ford rangers would be more suitable if wanted something you could use as an everyday run around. The main issue being that there are only 2 seats, 3 at a push.
You get Defenders (110 csw) with more seats that would be better suited but they aren't cheap, you could get one for £4k but you'd get more car for your money if you bought a L200.
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Are those freelander van style 4x4 any good?? Seen a few of those about.
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For £4000 you would only get a high miler or nothing newer than around a 9 year old + L200.
That would be a gamble as to what you would end up with, and you might need deep pockets.
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Gaylanders Freelanders are fairly terrible. You can get good ones (must be Td4, must be 2007 or newer) but generally I'd have to say avoid.
Having said that the wife has a Gaylander Freelander, she loves it. ;)
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For £4000 you would only get a high miler or nothing newer than around a 9 year old + L200.
That would be a gamble as to what you would end up with, and you might need deep pockets.
As above with a 110 csw but more like 20+ year old
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http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=200957461270
£3.6k black 2005 don't know mileage
But I feel ill get one around that year with under 80k
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http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=200957461270
£3.6k black 2005 don't know mileage
But I feel ill get one around that year with under 80k
That shape looks so dated now though, althogh still a lot of car for money.
Id love a barbarian but way way way to much for a work motor.
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The new shape doesn't look that good , wouldn't pay silly money I'd be happy with this looks great
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Looks good (as far as Japanese 4x4s go).
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http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?sbk=1&nav=SEARCH&itemId=200957461270
£3.6k black 2005 don't know mileage
But I feel ill get one around that year with under 80k
Too expensive. It's not got a canopy.
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i knew a farmer with a l200 , he hated the seats and got hold of a pair of volvo black leather seats . i fitted them for him, fitted almost straight in!- summat to bear in mind if you find them not comfey to ride in
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i knew a farmer with a l200 , he hated the seats and got hold of a pair of volvo black leather seats . i fitted them for him, fitted almost straight in!- summat to bear in mind if you find them not comfey to ride in
Hmm so have to put more thought to it I found a closed of one same shame 2005 solar lets see your pictures!