Used Car of the Day: 1988 Land Rover 110 300TDi

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Only about 10 to 20 percent of the time do I want to actually buy what we post in this feature. I don't post vehicles I like -- I post stuff that I think you guys will find interesting (and yes, that includes half-dead vehicles in need of serious restoration). That said, this 1988 Land Rover 110 300TDi makes me feel things.


It's got a five-speed manual transmission, and importantly for us American and Canadian folks, is left-hand drive.

The cylinder head and radiator are new, as are the wheels and tires and brakes. That last bit includes the brake rotors.

The seller says other work has been put in to keep this Rover running well, and it looks clean in photos.

The ask is a somewhat hefty $40,000 and this trucklet/wagon is available in Omaha.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Carson D Carson D on Feb 27, 2024

    Hasn't the federal government that can't be bothered keeping cop-killing illegal aliens off the streets found the time to track down Defender imports and crush them under the suspicion that most of the parts are less than 25 years old?


    This is what a real 1988 Defender 110 looks like: 1988 Land Rover Defender 110 Turbodiesel VIN: SALLDHMB8EA323463 - CLASSIC.COM Good luck.

  • TheEndlessEnigma TheEndlessEnigma on Feb 27, 2024

    I was in the middle of swallowing a mouthful of coffee when I read the $40,000 asking prices. My monitor is soaked with cafe con leche now. Thanks! Oh, no indication of mileage or the use it's seen over its life. Uh huh. It is pretty.

  • MRF 95 T-Bird Whenever I travel and I’m in my rental car I first peruse the FM radio to look for interesting programming. It used to be before the past few decades of media consolidation that if you traveled to an area the local radio stations had a distinct sound and flavor. Now it’s the homogenized stuff from the corporate behemoths. Classic rock, modern “bro dude” country, pop hits of today, oldies etc. Much of it tolerable but pedestrian. The college radio stations and NPR affiliates are comfortable standbys. But what struck me recently is how much more religious programming there was on the FM stations, stuff that used to be relegated to the AM band. You have the fire and brimstone preachers, obviously with a far right political bend. Others geared towards the Latin community. Then there is the happy talk “family radio” “Jesus loves you” as well as the ones featuring the insipid contemporary Christian music. Artists such as Michael W. Smith who is one of the most influential artists in the genre. I find myself yelling at the dashboard “Where’s the freakin Staple singers? The Edwin Hawkins singers? Gospel Aretha? Gospel Elvis? Early Sam Cooke? Jesus era Dylan?” When I’m in my own vehicle I stick with the local college radio station that plays a diverse mix of music from Americana to rock and folk. I’ll also listen to Sirius/XM: Deep tracks, Little Steven’s underground as well as Willie’s Roadhouse and Outlaw country.
  • The Comedian I owned an assembled-in-Brazil ‘03 Golf GTI from new until ‘09 (traded in on a C30 R-Design).First few years were relatively trouble free, but the last few years are what drove me to buy a scan tool (back when they were expensive) and carry tools and spare parts at all times.Constant electrical problems (sensors & coil packs), ugly shedding “soft” plastic trim, glovebox door fell off, fuel filters oddly lasted only about a year at a time, one-then-the-other window detached from the lift mechanism and crashed inside the door, and the final reason I traded it was the transmission went south.20 years on? This thing should only be owned by someone with good shoes, lots of tools, a lift and a masochistic streak.
  • Terry I like the bigger size and hefty weight of the CX90 and I almost never use even the backseat. The average family is less than 4 people.The vehicle crash safety couldn't be better. The only complaints are the clumsy clutch transmission and the turbocharger.
  • MaintenanceCosts Plug in iPhone with 200 GB of music, choose the desired genre playlist, and hit shuffle.
  • MaintenanceCosts Golf with a good body and a dying engine. Somewhere out there there is a dubber who desperately wants to swap a junkyard VR6 into this and STANCE BRO it.
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