Harry is for sale, reluctantly

With a newer Land Rover Defender gracing the croft, it’s time for Harry the Dirty Dog to find himself a new owner to cosset and cherish his old bones.

Harry is a 1990 Land Rover Defender 110 200 TDi County Station Wagon with 127,000 miles on the clock.

We bought Harry in July 2005, bringing him up from Leicester where he’d been used as a dog kennel for some years. We drove him north on a warm, summer’s day and his history gave him a unique smell—hence his name.

Fortunately, the smell has long since worn off.

Harry has some history and MoTs going back to 1998, but it’s incomplete until we bought him.

I’ve done the 6,000-mile services since then, with mechanics doing the bigger services and a variety of other jobs.

In the time we’ve had Harry, he’s had:

• Replacement timing belt twice, first time in August 2005, second time in October 2007 as a precaution after the crank oil seal failed.
• Clutch overhaul in August 2005.
• Replacement bushes in October 2005, genuine red Polybushes.
• Replacement steering damper in October 2005.
• Kenlowe electric fan in October 2005.
• Chequer plate side steps fitted in October 2005.
• Genuine LR dog grille fitted in October 2005. This meant removing the rear, sideways bench seats but we still have these in store.
• Exmoor cloth-covered cubby box fitted in October 2005.
• Three replacement Exmoor cloth-covered, second row seats fitted in October 2005. Two high backs on the outside, a low back in the centre.
• Replacement, high-flow aluminium heater matrix fitted in October 2005 (yes, Harry warms up much faster and the windscreen clears faster).
• Heavy duty Bilstein dampers fitted all round February 2006, plus heavy duty rear springs.
• Rear cross member repaired April 2006.
• New water pump fitted May 2006.
• Centre and rear exhaust pipe sections replaced  May 2006.
• New front brake discs and pads April 2007.
• New fuel lift pump May 2007.
• New Hardy Spicer joint fitted to rear of front propshaft June 2007.
• New anti-roll bar bushes, rear anti-roll bar links, exhaust front pipe and nearside rear door handle fitted July 2007.
• Sunroof seal replaced with genuine LR part August 2007, so the sunroof doesn’t leak.
• New alternator and power steering belts, rear brake cylinders, and rear brake shoes fitted March 2008.
• Reconditioned steering box fitted March 2009.
• Harry’s also had a new battery, new front outer seatbelts, new mudflaps, a galvanised front bumper and a few other bits and pieces added over the years.

The chassis is sound, while the repaired rear cross-member should have a few more years in it.

I’ve cleaned the chassis and recoated it with Waxoyl-based underseal at the beginning of each winter, and poured more Waxoyl into the chassis as well.

Harry’s bodywork is showing its age. 

The driver’s door frame needs to be repaired or the door replaced. Repair sections, which need to be welded in, cost £15 on ebay while used doors cost from £50-150 on ebay.

The offside passenger door needs some welding to the door frame, and the body tub cappings need to be replaced at the rear. The latter cost about £65 each for galvanised ones and are available from most Land Rover parts stockists.

These were our next jobs to tackle in the coming school holidays, but Harry’s replacement turned up out of the blue so we’re not doing them.

Harry also has the typical Defender aluminium corrosion on the bottoms of the doors and in a couple of other places. The patches of corrosion need sanding and repainting, or covering with chequer plate.

There are a fair few dings, dents, scrapes and scratches on the panels, as is to be expected on a 19-year-old working truck.

Harry has a height-adjustable LR towbar fitted—wired for trailers and caravans—and we also have a full-length, genuine LR roof rack in storage that can go with him.

He’s sitting on Colway C Trax AT 265/75R16 tyres on silver, modular steel wheels with about 5-6mm tread remaining. (The spare is a Goodyear Wrangler 205R16, so a get-home slowly tyre and wheel only.)

The MoT is valid until July 4, 2009. He breezed through his last one, with the only advisory being ” “child seat fitted not allowing inspection of adult belt”.

Emissions were a pass, with Harry coming at 1.15 l/m, less than half the test limit of 3.00 l/m.

Harry has been a solid, reliable truck while he’s been with us, serving as a long-distance family transport, as a capable tower of a laden livestock trailer, as an impromptu water bowser, as a farm vehicle doing all manner of jobs, and as the Other Half’s daily transport to work.

We’re asking £2950 or near offer, and will be advertising Harry in Scot Ads and Autotrader shortly. (Asking prices are all over the place, while LOI has a guide starting at £1300 for station wagons with MoT and rising to £4150 for the best ones.)

If anyone is interested, we’re just outside Insch, Aberdeenshire. Use the contact form to get in touch.

Replacement galvanised bumper was bent by a careless driver in an icy car park.