Hi all,
I've just brought my first ever offroader. Where can I go in the Midlands to pay and play off road? Nothing to sexy, just a field with bumps will do to start with.
Cheers Kev

Welcome to the forums Kev. I would highly recommend that you save yourself any embarassment by spending some dosh on a Land Rover Experience. You use their car not yours and they start from first principals and teach you everything you need to know. It will cost you but you may be able to get your dealer to send you if you ask them nicely and in a round about way! If they offer a half day then you really must upgrade to the full day ((about £300 if you pay the whole lot yourself!)
There are LRE's all round the UK and you can find your local one here http://www.landrover.com/gb/en/Adventures/...ations.htm

The best one for you might be Eastnor Castle which is also where LR do a lot of the offroad performance tesing of the cars. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Thanks,
I have one half day pending. The dealer recommended that I wait till the bad weather arrives for maximum fun.
Could do with details of other places to go off road, not to far away for simple fun.
Kev

Our sister site disco3.co.uk are having a training day in December

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic15889.html 2005 Zambezi TDV6 - Gone but not forgotten
2009 Alaska TDV8 - Gone and much missed.



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1st thing then Kev is to upgrade the half day to a full day and if possible book to go midweek. To find out about local 4x4/Land Rover centres or clubs buy a copy of Land Rover Owner International (aka LROI) or Land Rover Monthly magazine from Smiths or any good newsagent. There plenty of clubs and centres all over the UK. I would suggest that you also watch the postings over on our sister forum for Discovery 3's at http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/events-vf11.html
RRsports and Freelanders are always welcome on their trips and from what I have heard even beginners have a brilliant day. This may be a better route for you to take than joining in with a club day for folks with 4x4's that are seriously tricked up for offroad fun rather than gentle offroading. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

dont know how this got here, sorry new guy

Last edited by kevofcov on Fri Nov 30 2007 4:18pm. Edited 2 times in total

Thanks Tim
I agree - I dont want to join an organised event yet


.[/quoteOur sister site disco3.co.uk are having a training day in December quote]



This is in Wales.

I will eventually get the bug without a doubt but need somewhere local..........

Remember when you got youre first skateboard, you're mates would teach you but you still had to have a go first in your back garden just so that you wouldn't be a complete muppet. Its like that

That's good info Tim,

I was thinking of giving a full day of offroading to my wife for Christmass,

We are (actually its her and the kids) thinking of buying an old defender and doing some off roading ( i wanted to buy two quad bikes but that is regarded as enough fun)

Hence the reason behind giving her one of those experience days

The question is,..... shall i give her and experience day in an RR or RRS (as we have an RR) or in the defender, what is more fun???

Oh there is one dead easy answer to that one.................................................. unfortunately if you do an LRE in a Defender you will more than likely get a 2008MY 110 with the super new Transit (Puma) engine,TC and ABS, I don't know if you are thinking of buying a NEW Defender or something that you won't mind the odd scratch and dent on which would a TD5 or Tdi300 and not quite so smooth and powerful, you may get the wrong impression by going in a new Defender, but that's the one to take for the LRE day H.

Kev I think you would enjoy going off with the Disco3 guys, they are excellent instructors and they won't let you do anything that your car cannot handle. Recently they took 4 offroad virgins in their Freelander2's with them to Tong and if you read the posts over on www.freel2.co.uk those guys had a brilliant time and did some pretty serious stuff but were kept in check by the D3 guys. One of the F2's was only 2 days old and the owner tried to drown it in a big mud hole - the D3 guys got him out and running again and he's wife was none the wiser! Remember the RRS is a D3 with a party frock on, it can can everywhere that a D3 can go. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Fri Nov 30 2007 5:42pm. Edited 1 time in total

On your defender, how much maintenance do you have

And yes it will be most likely an 2000 model

Mine is a 300Tdi and it does between 3000 and 5000 miles annually, often less. It has 69000 miles on it. It gets an annual service and check up just before MOT time and from a non franchise specialist that costs me about £150 including the MOT.
This year it has had a lot of money spent on it as I had a new galvanised chassis fitted, all new suspension components at the same time (it was on the 12 year old/69000miles originals) and I had the clutch replaced not because it needed it but because it is easier to do with the body off the chassis! That lot set me back £4200 for the whole lot including annual service and MOT after the rebuild. This will extend it's life by another 15-20 years.
I bought my 90 from an LR dealer in 2001 for £10000 and it of course then had a warranty that I have been able to extend.
The problem is finding a good one, many are overpriced dross that need a lot of work on them. I reckon mine is now worth in the region of £7000-8000 now it's had is surgery! If you want any advice H please send me a PM and I'll let you have some tips! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW