Bruce, I would say 3K is a VERY good price for a land Rover with a recently
rebuilt engine. I recently priced the parts for COMPLETELY overhauling a
LR engine & it came out to almost 2K. You might ask the owner what was done
as part of the rebuild.
Things to check (Didn't I go through this & wasn't the info collected??):
1. Carefully look over the frame. If it is seriously rusted you might want
to pass on it. I do not think you can get replacement Series I frames.
But you may be able to get new metal wielded in. The frame is boxed steel.
Test drive the car! There is no syncro in first OR second so do not try to
shift into either or those gears while the car is moving. At sometime during
the
drive, lock the wheels and put the car into 4WD while on the pavement.
If the 4WD is working OK, the steering wheel will buck a little while
making a turn on pavement. Check to see that both high range and low range
work.
Go under the car (while it is stopped and the engine is off) and look at the
front ball joints (Brtween the axle housing and the Brake plate). The metal
should be smooth and without pits. If it has pits the joints will leak 90wt.
Not a big problem if you check them frequently and top them up as needed.
Used ball joints go for about $3-400 each last time I looked.
Other than that, poke, prod and inspect just like it was any other British
car.
Good luck. There are very few Series I Land Rovers left in this country.
I suspect they will be in for a price jump after Land Rover is reintroduced
into the US. If the car is in decent shape and nott needing a new frame,
or major part like a transmission or balljoints, $3K is a good price.
If you do get it & are not hit with high maintenence or $$$ expenditures
right away I think you will grow to really like the car.
TeriAnn
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