LR Vs Frontera..... and cost.

[Drift]

I got to thinking.. ouch.. before you say it

We might not get monster trucks when lifting out Frontera's, but with modest tools and a modest budget we dont do to bad.

When lifting, say, a Land Rover 2" you need 4x coils camber correction arms, shockers and other minor bits and bobs, we just need two coils rear shocks and a 27mm socket for the torsion bars

But we also dont need to fork out for under body protection, we have it standard, two front bash plates a gear box plate and the rear diff casing is unsmashable , so again we are lucky.

Now being a realist a LR with out perform a Frontera as both standard BUT how much money is the LR to start with and how much does the Fronty cost to start with could be thousands difference between the two cars of the same year.

SO equate the differing cost and plough the difference into the cheaper Frontera and would it be as capable as the LR? Remembering your making the Frontera cost the equivalent to the start cost of the LR.

In this equation you must keep the IFS on the Frontera.


My thoughts are LSD, Lockers and Terra Low Gearing.

But lets work out the price difference first.

Discuss at your leisure

[Road Hog]

Cost didn`t enter into it for me,I just don`t like land rovers

[Drift]

Not the choice just if the financial difference could alter the offroad difference

[Trugga]

At least with a Frontera you can arrive relaxed after a two hour drive into Wales and ready to start a days laning - the LR boys took a little longer and need a rest before they start off again.

Ask Sandy-in-a-Landy - I always arrange to meet him there, rather than convoy.

Lawrence

[Road Hog]

Well on a cost basis do the disproportionate amount of chassis repairs on a green oval over those on a Fronty count

[Drift]

Now we have it

Yes, the overall cost of maintenance and upgrades/mods, though LR are generally cheaper for parts and modification upgrades.

Again, is this reflected in the cost of the cars both being the same year but having generally a huge price difference ?

[weave67]

would i be able to knock up suspension spacers and shackels,and body lift spacers,in my shed,for next to nothing for a LR

[Drift]

[weave67]

hmmmm drift if one came a long as cheap as chips and you had the spare cash would you be tempted

[Drift]

If I had the room, but thats not the point, the idea is what the price cost of two equivalent cars are same year condition, we know the LR would sell for more, so what with the price difference could you do to make the Frontera more capable off road within the price constraints

[Krusher]

[weave67]

me stir trouble having never driven a LR off road i cant say how good they are compered to a frontera

[Krusher]

And we all saw how good they are at Bala didnt we!!!

[Drift]

[Krusher]

Sorry Drift, but I thought you said "discuss"

[Drift]

not the merits but the financial/ off road differences

[Road Hog]

From personal experience while working full-time in a garage I had to replace the complete rear chassis section on 2 Landys & also replaced snapped halfshafts 3x LR & 2x RR ,while trying to bodge leaking sphere`s at MOT time was a constant nightmare.

[gregster]

Interesting line of thought dwifty....

Only landrover v fronty is probably not really fair...
By this I mean landrover (series 1,2,3, 90 and 110) have a cult following which reflects heavily in the price. (My B reg 90 with a 4.2 v8 is valued at about £4000 which is ridiculus really for a gas guzzling 2 seater tractor with an insatiable apetite for diffs and 1/2 shafts).
I guess this is the same way as jeep cj's, wranglers and bj40 and 45 landcruisers etc have a cult following.

A fairer comparison may be with a disco...more saloon car than tractor, like the fronty...but the price comparison for an out of the box unmodified used example isnt as vast.
When you think a tidy p reg 2.8 lwb fronty will cost about a grand usually, and a p reg 300tdi disco again tidy is about £1000-1500.
Not a lot in it really. And for the school run mums, the disco has extra seats as well.

I would say the disco has better "out of the box" offroad ability, but you certainly know that when driving one on the road.

The fronty is much more road friendly and is really capable off road if driven well.

The disco will do ok off road with any twit driving it, as its impressive articulation will keep 4 wheels on the ground over most things.

As for breakage the discos suffer bad, loads of welding, and a life time of "cheap" parts that have been fitted previously that will break on a weekly basis if driven in anger.

Fortunately not so many "cheap" junk parts are available for spares for the fronty, so most have been repaired with OE or equivalent bits all their life.

Driven correctly (and acknowledging its limitations and driving accordingly) the fronty, whilst lacking articulation, has no front diff to drag along the ground, (rear diffs being much more happy to slide due to shape on all 4x4's), which can be a massive advantage,

has no steering arms/drag links that are vulnerable like the disco,

and has a better power to weight ratio so certainly is more lively.

Rear wheel drive only can help to bring the back round, something the green ovals cant do.

You hit less trees with a fronty due to its lower roofline,


Selectable Centre diff lock on a disco is a nice thing and useful off road, and fronties can suffer breakage through bind up on dryer surfaces in 4wd, if driven wrong!
Drive train is reasonable tough on a fronty, particularily the rear, but standard 10 spline stuff on a LR is more chocolate like than our IFS!!
Any modded disco,90 or rangey will have 24spline axles (expensiveish) probably with ashcroft shafts and cv's. Thats probably £1-2k on just axles that wont break and no lockers yet!

Bolt on bits and mods are generally cheaper for a disco, I guess through volumes of units sold, but a pair of springs for a 90 isnt much less than a pair for a fronty.
Yes you can buy disco shocks for £14 each or something stupid, but they are cr*p! A pair of decent shocks like foxs or procomps will be about the same for either vehicle.

Green oval owners can be quite snobby about their mods, and will want scorpion suspension and qt radius arms etcetc and they are DEAR to buy,
wheras the fronty scene is far more chilled, and I think there is more appreciation for someone making a part themselves, than someone spending of huge wad of cash with calmini...
...make you own winch bumper and you will be a laughing stock at a LR event!

Body lifts are cheap way of getting clearance for big rubber on a fronty (what is it £65 for a kit?) but think again for a disco.
Loads of messing and brackets and seat belt bits...2 days work for us to do a 3"BL on one of my mates discos...forget it on a 90 or 110...near impossible to do...

The 2 cars have their strengths and weakness's,

I dont mean to sound big headed, but the fronty suits me as I can drive, and can make stuff myself....

...If i couldnt drive and relied on buying bolt on bits that only require a half inch spanner to fit then I would probably be on the southern rovers clubs forum right now, not here!

Good thread dwifty...made my grey crinkly thing work for a minute!

Laters

Gregster

[Drift]

This land rover costs £3995
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-N-Land-Rover ... 1|294%3A50

This Frontera Sport (though expensive) cost £1,100 buy it now same year.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-VAUXHALL-FRO ... 1|294%3A50

So what Im saying is what could you do to the Frontera with the outstanding £2895 to make it more off road capable than the LR but retaining the IFS

Thus making there off road abilities equal, will they still be equal value?

If not, why?

Good point Greg, so lets find a Disco comparison like the one I have above

[Krusher]