bhs@siemens.UUCP (05/09/85)
Yesterday evening I went and saw the GODS MUST BE CRAZY. Now, one of the heroes of the movie is a rather abused Land Rover. Being of an inquisitive nature, I was curious about how reliable they really are. To put my question into context: it is an English car, and is saddled with an english electrical system as far as I know. Also, the carbs are bound to be english as well. Talk to owners of english cars, and while they may love their beasties, they arre typically the first to admit that the cars are unreliable. This unreliability may be acceptable for a two seater, which typically is used as a second car. But, if you are actually intending to cross the Kalahari, or merely drive into Upper Volta (which now is called something else), I would think that you would want something more reliable. Also, Land Rovers are quite common in Africa, in part because much of it once was english, and in part because they are so exceptionally simple that they are very rugged. Now, does anybody out in netland own a Rover? Or does anybody merely know the answer? thank you! Bernard H. Schwab Siemens RTL, Princeton, NJ
kmk@hlwpc.UUCP (Ken Keyzer) (05/10/85)
> Now, one of the heroes of the movie is a rather abused Land Rover. Being of an > inquisitive nature, I was curious about how reliable they really are. > [...] > as a second car. But, if you are actually intending to cross the Kalahari, or > merely drive into Upper Volta (which now is called something else), I would > think that you would want something more reliable. Also, Land Rovers are quite > common in Africa, in part because much of it once was english, and in part > because they are so exceptionally simple that they are very rugged. > > Now, does anybody out in netland own a Rover? Or does anybody merely know the > answer? > > Bernard H. Schwab > Siemens RTL, Princeton, NJ I, too, would like to know about Rover reliability. Also, the more general question: What are the most reliable vehicles? What vehicle would you want to use in a remote area with: 1) Limited fuel supply 2) no parts support 3) bad roads -- Ken Keyzer AT&T Bell Laboratories ihnp4!hlwpc!kmk
bob@vaxwaller.UUCP (Bob Palin) (05/13/85)
> > > Yesterday evening I went and saw the GODS MUST BE CRAZY. > > Now, one of the heroes of the movie is a rather abused Land Rover. Being of an > inquisitive nature, I was curious about how reliable they really are. Land Rovers are extremely durable and rugged which is not to say that things don't break on them but they can usually be fixed easily. We had a several ancient Land Rovers at Rothamstead Expt. Station in England where I worked, my first job - what memories. These things were driven on freeways ( max speed ~45 mph and NOISY ) all over fields and mountains collecting soil samples and frequently down to the local pub. They just kept on taking abuse while never stranding us anywhere. One of the chaps I worked with also owned a WWII jeep that seemed to be holding up pretty well. I drove it home once and it was quite an experience, you had to brake real early as it was very heavy and the brakes were not too good, steering was more like a wrestling match but it was fun. New Rover cars, Range Rovers, are used by the British police as chase vehicles and perform very well though they do have special police engines, they are known as Jam Sandwiches due to the orange stripe down the side. Bob Palin, Varian Instruments, Walnut Creek, Ca. USA ( formerly of Luton, England )
chris@nrcvax.UUCP (Chris Grevstad x310) (05/14/85)
Now I don't know about the Land Rover but I can attest to the sedans.
When I was a kid, we owned consecutively a Rover 2000TC (or perhaps it was
the TC2000) and a Rover 3500. Both cars performed quite well but were never
very reliable. We would have clutch failures, transmission failures,
rubber (hoses, gaskets, etc) failure. Both cars were in the shop often.
Needless to say, a shop visit was neither short nor cheap. But I'll tell
you, I loved driving those cars. If I had the money, I would find an old
one and fix it up. (sounds like a rabid Jaguar-Porsche-MG fan).
--
Chris Grevstad
{sdcsvax,hplabs}!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!chris
ucbvax!calma!nrcvax!chris
Life is difficult for the organizationally impaired.rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) (05/16/85)
Sorry I can't answer any of your questions, but I can tell
you that there is a big difference between a 'Rover' and a
'Land Rover'. The former is a largeish expensivish auto-
mobile (try to imagine a stylish Volvo with a British
accent), and the latter is the thing you were describing -
a large jeep-like 4WD vehicle, which was replaced by the
'Range Rover' in the early 70's. The Range Rover is a much
more luxurious affair - snapped up by British 'county'
types (Sloane Rangers' daddies (~preppies)) and, of course,
used extensively by H.M. the Queen, when mucking about in
the country (:-)).
--
rod williams | {ihnp4,dual}!ptsfa!ptsfc!rjw ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
------------------------------------------- ~ gee, toto - ~
pacific bell | san ramon | california ~ i don't think ~
^^^^^^^^^ ~ we're in oz ~
||||||||| ~ anymore... ~
~ ~
moving from san francisco on may thirteen ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~chas@ihuxe.UUCP (Charles Lambert) (05/16/85)
The Land Rover was develped as a British Military vehicle and is still built and tested to high standards of mechanical durability. You know, since coming to the US I've started to wonder how we British ever managed to drive anywhere, now that I've been informed of the total unreliability of our electrical systems :-) As for carburettors, I'll stand a properly-tuned S.U. or Stromberg against a temperamental FoMoCo gadget any day. Charlie @ the Death Star, IL.
bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas) (05/17/85)
Summary: Expires: References: <25300033@siemens.UUCP> <541@hlwpc.UUCP> <410@ptsfc.UUCP> Sender: Reply-To: bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas) Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: Transaction Technology, Inc. (CitiCorp), Santa Monica Keywords: In article <410@ptsfc.UUCP> rjw@ptsfc.UUCP (Rod Williams) writes: >a large jeep-like 4WD vehicle, which was replaced by the >'Range Rover' in the early 70's. The Range Rover is a much >more luxurious affair - snapped up by British 'county' The Range Rover did not replace the Land Rover, it is just another model to choose from. Land Rover still makes the 88 two door and this year introduced the improved 110 four door (now available with the Range Rover 3.5 litre V8). -Pete-
jp@lanl.ARPA (05/20/85)
> > > Yesterday evening I went and saw the GODS MUST BE CRAZY. > > Now, one of the heroes of the movie is a rather abused Land Rover. Being of an > inquisitive nature, I was curious about how reliable they really are. > As a long time Land Rover owner, I am able to speak with some authority on this subject. The principle virtue of the LR is the ease with which it can be repaired. Only when delving in to the very inner regions of the engines transmissions or differentials does one require special tools. Even then a little common sense and some luck will serve you well. As for crossing the deserts of Africa, I recall an article in the Atlantic magazine many years ago describing a journey across the Libyan desert to some oasis in the depths of the Sahara. They took three Land Rovers, two to carry the personnel and one to carry the spares! On the other hand my personal experience has been that parts don't often fall off and the transmissions, etc. are well protected from getting creamed by the normal hazards of the trail. I used to be in the habit of recommending Toyota Land Cruisers as a reasonable 4WD vehicle until I met an owner of one who carried a large can of nuts, bolts, and misc. in his vehicle. When I questioned him about it he said that the can was for pieces that had fallen off and when it got full he would stop driving it and repair it. All of the LR's that I have are the long wheelbase (109") one ton variety. All are series II. The one in the movie "The Gods must be Crazy" is a series I (circa 1957 or earlier). The series II 2 1/4 liter four is a pretty forgiving engine. I have one that was parked for 12 years without being run. After a little oiling of the cylinders to try to prevent scoring them on startup, I stared the engine with the help of some ether. It ran on the 12 year old gas (It sure smelled like varnish.) that was still in the tanks. On the other hand the 2.6 liter six cylinder engine lived up to its reputation for burning valves at the least excuse. I have given up on it for good. Then I have one that has a Ford 289 (with overdrive). The only use for Low range is to prove that it will twist off the axles at the slightest provocation. The axles make a pretty expensive fuse. I am still dreaming about a shear pin elsewhere in the drive line. On the other hand I have never heard of a LR breaking a front axle shaft. But, it's true. Land Rovers are for afficionadas only. The resemblence of the Land Rover in the movie to my Land Rovers (as seen by my wife) was enough to cause her to laugh hysterically and roll in the aisle at its every appearance. (And my wife does know how to double clutch on both upshifts and down shifts.) I am not a purist. If anything breaks, I try to replace it with American parts. The four has a 70 Amp Leese-Neville alternator in place of the Lucas junk. I'd be happy to swap tales with any present or former LR owner. Jim Potter jp@lanl.arpa