LEARN TO LAND ROVERS

The 88 inch series III makes a brilliant first Land rover for young drivers, you learn basic mechanics quickly, they’re fun to drive both on and off road, and parts are cheap. If you have a family, they aren’t ideal although different seats, soundproofing, overdrives and engine transplants make a difference. The Discovery is a bargain and it’s easy to find ones even cheaper than our two grand examples. It’s hugely practical, family friendly and, underneath the ski, essentially the same as a Defender or Range Rover so it’s also cheap and easy to fix. But it doesn’t age as well dents, dings and faded paint can be shrugged off the series III, but it makes a Discovery look a bit of a shed.

Both can be run on a shoestring, but only if you can do your own Discovery repairs it’s easy to rack up four figure garage bills on Land Rovers this old. And at 17mpg, a daily commute in a petrol series III is expensive, but you could halve the bill by buying one with an LPG conversion or budgeting for one yourself a Discovery kit.

For a cheap way into Land Rovers, both of these make sense. You could replace the family car with a Discovery and use it in the same way as well as going out of the town and pay and play sites. However, unless you love welding, this is not a Land Rover life. The series III will continue for years with the odd anti rust waxing and a service here and there. An old leafer is the safest bet you can get with Land Rovers.