1978 Land Rover Santana 109 6-CYLINDER DIESEL 3.4 'Restored' very nice vintage

1978 Land Rover Defender diesel 109 like defender 110 Description

Hello and thank you for looking at my auction for this 1978 Land Rover Santana 109 / Defender-style vehicle.
Actual VIN# of this truck is E88800427 - European Vin # will not be recognized by US computer systems/ carfax/ etc.
My auctions usually end early as any truly interested party will call me at 912-414-8993 to discuss purchase. If you want to sit back and watch the auction to see where it goes, you are welcome to do that of course, but it is unlikely you will win/ purchase this truck as I reserve the right to pull this auction at any time for a local/ live buyer.
I have all proper CBP/ DOT European title & paperwork in order to get title/ registration in any state - EXCEPT CALIFORNIA - In which case I will have to obtain Georgia title for you first. In this case there will be a title/ registration fee that will need to be applied to purchase price. Vehicle is with me now just outside Savannah, GA at zip code 31326
Please read entire ad! By bidding on this vehicle, you agree to the terms and conditions of my auction, mainly ; A) $1000 deposit due at the end of the auction by paypal, balance due within 5 days' time of end of auction by cash in person, bank transfer, wire transfer or check (must clear before vehicle is removed). No exceptions, unless you have contacted me first to discuss. B) Vehicles strictly sold 'As Is Where Is' - You are welcome to come and inspect in person, or send a mechanic over to look at truck for you, and vehicle is sold in the condition described here (running/ driving/ stopping) , but 'As-Is' means just that! This vehicle sold with no warranties or guarantees. C) By bidding on this vehicle you agree to flow through with sale. You are not bidding to win, and then inspect at a later time. If you have less than 10 feedback on ebay, please contact me BEFORE BIDDING or I will cancel your bid. Sorry, but people with zero feedback, or low feedback have a nasty tendency to bid, win, and then never communicate after that - not cool!
Now onto the vehicle shown here….
This is a 1978 Land Rover Santana 109, built under license in Spain --- Pretty much your typical 109 (Pre-Defender 110) 5-door civilian model, but with some differences. Main difference is this truck has a 3.4L 6-cylinder diesel engine! (IT is the 'normal' 2.25 diesel with 2 extra cylinders added - Most parts same as run of the mill Rover 2.25 diesel) - 4 speed transmission, overdrive fitted to this truck. It does look very nice! Odometer is showing 24,900 KM, I was told, ad believe it has 124,900KM which translates to just 77,500 original miles!
I recently bought this and was told it was just restored about 200 miles ago. Truck does look very nice, and there is not a speck of rust, anywhere, but it is an amateurish restoration. The quality of the paint is not the same as that you will find on the 60-80K dollar Land Rovers you see, and the interior is still sparse, but in very good condition. While I do not know for a fact, it appears to have been a body-off job. Frame/ chassis looks like BRAND NEW with semi-gloss black paint shiny throughout. Springs look new or restored. Most bolts/ nuts securing bod to frame look new as do suspension bushings/ etc. ENGINE WAS RECENTLY REBUILT and is spotless and does not leak a drip of anything, ever! Doors all shut/ open/ lock. Upholstery inside (seats/ door panels) appear to be original and about 7-8 out of 10 condition-wise. Lights all work. Brakes are new and grab perfectly for 4-wheel drum brakes. Body is very nice, with only one small, newer blemish to the front of the passenger side fender and shoddy repair letting it down. (please see close-up photo of this) Overall appearance is quite striking and this truck has a very solid/ impressive presence. DOES have locking center differential. Full time 4x4 with this one. 4-speed transmission with overdrive and lo/ high transfer case makes for 16 forward speeds and 4 in reverse - pretty cool!
Engine starts easily enough/ as expected after letting glow plugs glow for about 20 seconds first start of the day, and they usually do not need to be used again once engine is warm. Engine purrs beautifully. Clutch is new, and all gears select without issue. Runs/ drives/ stops just fine.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TRUCK ---- Once it arrived here to me in Savannah, a few short test drives revealed a very noisy gearbox on deceleration --- I know this is due to worn thrust washers in transfer case -- transmission itself is healthy and selects fine --- But the whine on decal from transfer box is quite loud. It will likely soldier on this like for some great while, but it is something that would have to be addressed in order to feel good/ confident about the truck. The other 'problem, perhaps, for those of you thinking of using this as a daily driver ; despite that big, pretty, engine, this truck is quite slow (by modern passenger car standards - by 1978 Land Rover standards, it is powerful and feels just as you would expect) - It will get up to 45-50 quickly enough, but if you want to get up to 6, 65 or beyond --- give yourself a lot of room! This would be great around town, but not great for a cross-country or long daily commute, unless you are patient. Yes, it has an overdrive fitted. No, the engine does not like to rev very fast beyond 2500-3000 RPM, so anything above 50, 55MPH seems like it is trying too hard.
IF I STILL HAVE YOUR ATTENTIO, you should know this truck looks as good in person as it does in the pictures here. You should know this is a pretty primitive machine -- Is that why they are selling all over the place for $20,000-$40,000? I don;t know, but this is an excellent example. Get the transfer case fixed and you will have nothing to worry about, ever, other than being the slow person on the road. You can, very slowly, be the person to rescue some other person who got stuck on the beach/ in the mud/ etc however. And this truck DOES get thumbs-ups and gawkers wherever you go - Great advertising piece!
In short, this classic Land Rover looks great, but not perfect under scrutiny. It has absolutely no rust, and is left hand drive, as you can see. Starts/ stops/ runs great, but is relatively slow. Has noise issue with transfer case. Most of the rest of the truck is new, or at least appears to be new. Rebuilt engine and new clutch here, people! This truck is very cool, but if it were your only truck and you live in the modern world, it may get tiring. I think it is a good financial investment. Check the values of these things.
Please check my other auctions for more Land Rover Defenders, Tdi turbo-diesel land rover diesel engine conversion kits, VW dokas, and more. If you are serious about buying this truck and have more question or want to discuss the process, call me at 912-414-8993
Visit zombiemotors.net for more photos and information on this truck.
Thank you for reading all this…. ZM