The Rover-Landers of BC

My wife and I are in the early stages of shopping for a Defender, and are talking to Duncan Goodchild and Landroverimports.com.

Does anyone have any experience/feedback/advice re this company?

Regards,
Stephen and Carrie Ford
58 Series 1

Hi

So you are the mystery buyer that Duncan spoke of. I have just ordered a defender from him.
Don't know him prior to finding him on the net. A few people know of him here at Rover landers but not many that have actually dealt with him.
email me if you like.

[email protected]

Cheers
Christopher

Christopher,

Not sure if I'm really a mystery buyer but I might be. You must let me know of your experience with landroverimports.com.

We're also in contact with Liveridge4x4 in the UK and they seem to be a very serious player also. They seem very good about email responses which is how I tend to judge these things at least in the early stages.

Stephen and Carrie
58 Series 1

rovergeek wrote:My wife and I are in the early stages of shopping for a Defender, and are talking to Duncan Goodchild and Landroverimports.com.

Does anyone have any experience/feedback/advice re this company?

Regards,
Stephen and Carrie Ford
58 Series 1

Is that the correct URL? When I go to www.landroverimports.com, I get a US company website for Brittania Auto, and no sign of someone by the name of Duncan Goodchild.

It's wise of you to post questions about the company you're planning on purchasing from. I personally know nothing of this company, and have no reason to question their integrity. However, there are many horror stories over the past decade of folks who paid big bucks to import trucks through a few less than scrupulous vendors. We all are very aware of buyer-beware at the local car lot, but when you're purchasing a Land Rover from half way across the globe theres so much more that can go wrong.

My advice would be unless you can verify testimonials from previous purchasers that the company you're dealing with is legit, I'd be very cautious with any purchase.

Dave

Dave

Try landroverimport.com as opposed to landroverimports.com

Hi,

Another linky for you to try.....

http://www.globallandrovers.com/main/site.php?use=index

Never spoke to them but worth a try. Liveridge are very good, have done plenty of stuff for UK mags & shows etc. They had huge displays at Billing and Eastnor shows in '07.

Met Duncan a while ago, seemed an ok guy.....

Andy

Thanks Andy,

I've been checking their site regularly, they have a big presence on LRX.

Stephen

I bought my 300tdi and transmission from him earlier this year. I was very happy with his level of service and knowledge.

Thanks Dave

I sgree with Dave Blair's comments above . I had the good fortune and a few extra $'s at the time and took a 7 day vacation to England [ Manchester and surrounding countryside ] in 2002 . The main purpose was to purchase a exmod90 LR90 . I visited several sites that sold ex-military equipment . I settled on L Jackson & Co. in Bawtry / Doncaster . Examining a vehicle 1st hand , test driving it and speaking with their operational personnel [ mechanics , engineers and the like ] is a good thing . Also to assess their operation [ cleanliness , how organized etc ] is a bonus . To me , buying / importing a vehicle sight unseen is tantamount to on line dating ... it's a crap shoot . L Jackson & Co. at that time was price competitive vs other suppliers such as Blanchard & Witham . Both of these suppliers were in the same class as L Jackson & Co. but didn't have what I was exactly looking for in their inventory .

Importing a vehicle is not a big deal ; pre-planning is key here .
All in all it was a good experience . However beware of military suppliers websites ... some do not represent their actual operations . One such site I did visit had a great web-site , but upon visiting it was a s&*t-hole with junk for sale !!!
It's your $'s ... all one wants is a sound product with no surprises .

my 2 cents . Gerry [ -23c here in PG ]

sorry to hear about your troubles royama. I hope you have been in contact with Duncan to try and get these issues resolved or get some compensation for your headaches.

Yes I also am sorry that you've had a bad experience with Duncan, I met Duncan last year and have spoken with him a couple of times since, he seems an affable sort and I would hope he can rectify your issues. I think this sort of discussion is valuable but I caution people to be respectful in their posts so that our moderator doesn't feel compelled delete any of them. If there are others like discojonny who have had good experiences I would like to hear from them. Firsthand experience is always preferred over anecdotal allegations of poor business practice.

Bill E. wrote:Yes I also am sorry that you've had a bad experience with Duncan, I met Duncan last year and have spoken with him a couple of times since, he seems an affable sort and I would hope he can rectify your issues. I think this sort of discussion is valuable but I caution people to be respectful in their posts so that our moderator doesn't feel compelled delete any of them. If there are others like discojonny who have had good experiences I would like to hear from them. Firsthand experience is always preferred over anecdotal allegations of poor business practice.

Just to clarify, I tend to leave first hand experiences on the forum, and tend to delete anecdotal experiences of others. That way, an issue with a supplier can be addressed, without muddying the waters with 3rd party anecdotes that may be less than accurate as the 3rd party may not have all the facts.

I also prefer that the discussion between the customer and the client be held off-forum, but I have no problem with either or both parties posting what the resolution was.

Dave

I purchased a used /rebuilt engine from Land Rover Import / Duncan it arrived as agreed runs flawlessly - has used 1 cup of oil in six months and no leaks - starter failed but I had pushed Duncan pretty hard on the price so I didn't make an issue of the starter .
Currently have some parts that are 30 days overdue - guess its time to find out if its a weather delay or something else .
I however have not had a happy experience with Liveridge and could not recommend that anyone deal with this firm .

just been talking with romayama about this today, as since he last emailed me back in october (6 months after engine delivery and 3 months after warranty expiration) i have heard nothing from him. back then i suggested he do a few things to make sure the obvious things were eliminated..... i heard nothing back till now on this forum after being notified by a third party. hard to do anything about issues unless i am told about them.....

i would love to know of anyone who can look at an engine and tell how many miles its done, i always go by the paperwork that comes with a vehicle.

short version to the story is i am doing what i can to help here, going above and beyond my stated warranty.....

ross, i emailed you straight back regarding your parts. with you shortly as i understand it.

regards, to all, Duncan.

roman, it seems you want to talk about this on the forum rather than privately..... if you would please send the pics to my email rather than the links that didnt work. please also use [email protected] rather than my personal email you have been using, i will read it sooner than the personal one.

duncan.

Well he is still at it. Claims to sell rebuilt Defenders however they come with rather tired parts. In the process now of rebuilding several components on a turn key truck from this company. They also seem to sell engines on Ebay quite often, just be prepared for a rather tired engine if you make a purchase. On a positive side it is a legal import however I am or have completed the following repairs:

--wiring
--brakes
--rebuild rear axle
--speedometer cable
--heater not functioning
--stock temp gauge doesn't read correctly
--spring sag
--coolant leak
--oil leak
--back lash in running gear
--new door window guide seals

The truck did drive nice for 18 miles till black smoke started to come out of the dash. Maybe "turn key" in the UK mean that only the key moves freely in the ignition switch and nothing else is supposed to happen.

Caveat emptor

Why buy it if you can't roll underneath in advance, take it to a local mechanic, and ensure that you're not only buying what the seller says it is, but also what you really want? When I read his website he says they can do custom rebuilding, but it doesn't say every truck or engine has been rebuilt. My personal experience is that if you buy something sight-unseen from a foreign country you should be prepared to spend as much again on rebuilding as you did on the original purchase.

I say this as I still drool over all the Defenders on eBay UK, but when it comes down to buying, I think I'd have to fly over and see for myself after seeing all the grief that so many folks have had with importing a vehicle they haven't had the opportunity to thoroughly inspect. I don't see Duncan's landroverimport.com as any better or worse than any other car dealer in this regard.

We want these rovers so badly over here that we forget that they were worked to the bone by some utility company or the military over there for 15-20 years before we get our hands on them.

I hope you can get it worked out and have a long and enjoyable relationship with your truck now it's arrived.

agreed Dave B ... i guess no different than meeting someone on-line ; could be a risky transaction .

For what it's worth, I also agree with Dave. Used is used, buyer beware. Misrepresenting a truck in an ad is of course bad business and these sellers should be careful not to over promote the condition of the trucks they're selling. I think most of us would not shy away from a potential purchase of a vehicle that came with an honest assessment of its shortcomings. Seems to me that many of these sellers don't have the ability to give an honest appraisal of what they're selling. Some are willfully ignorant and unfortunately some are just plain old dishonest (not referring to anyone specifically here). For me, the safest way to proceed when buying an overseas truck or one in my own neighborhood is to assume that unless I perform a rigorous inspection at my own cost, the truck is only as good as the photo in the ad. These days you probably can't even depend on the photo. :cry:

another option is to pay the RAC (Royal Auto Club) to do an inspection and test drive . They offer different levels of inspection and will go to the vehicle . Will provide a full mechanical test and visual check plus roadtest . Their services are not free but they are a qualified third party that will provide a decent assessment of a vehicle .
My son had them lined up to do an inspection on a 130 until he discovered that the vendor firm was known for providing stolen vehicles for export .

Decided to pay a bit of a premium and get a local vehicle . To date have had 5 years of good service from the 110 , but it is sidelined this week with a dead alternator .

to answer this in short, i did have problems with contractors building this particular vehicle hence i started doing everything myself. it past mot in the uk so brakes checked out well and no fluid leaks there (otherwise i would not have sent it out)
i drove it for hundreds of miles after paying an auto electrician to work on wiring, that showed no problems.
not saying the problems dont exist, i did tell scott about some problems with it and said i would ship anything he needed for it next day, i heard from him saying he was waiting for parts to arrive from a US supplier.

i also offer to refund half the air fare to come and see my vehicles or a specific vehicle being built for a customer from the final balance of the vehicle and recommend customers do this. just sold a land rover to a guy and his wife in ohio who did exactly this.