My passion for 4X4s started many years ago when I was a teenager and before I was old enough to have a driver�s permit. After joining the Air National Guard and having a few extra bucks in my pocket I was ready to buy my first 4 wheel drive. Since I was commuting between San Juan and the west coast of the Island of Puerto Rico very frequently, I set my mind on the newest and most reliable vehicle that I could afford. I ended up with a Japanese 4X4 (Suzuki SJ410 - Soft Top). It wasn't my dream, but hey, after all it was brand new, affordable and reliable. I did many modifications to it. First was an after market A/C, performance heather, front high back seats, 3" lift kit, Kelly - Safari mud tires, brush guard and the list goes on.
After 6 years, 2 engines, 1 transfer case, 1 transmission and rust all over the body; in other words - after beating the heck out of it and because I needed money for my wedding, I sold it.
Series IIA
Other cars and minivans followed, but my heart was always set on my next 4X4. At one point I considered a Jeep CJ8 (aka The Scrambler), then a Toyota FJ40, but after a lot of research, when it was time to make the decision there was only one winner: a LAND ROVER! They are just unique in more than one way.
Now that I knew what I wanted it was time to decide which one. More research followed and after a couple of months reading anything and everything with the name Land Rover on it, I reached the conclusion that the best one for me was a Series IIA. It wasn't an easy decision. I like all of them for different reasons -from the Series I to the Defender- but there was something special about the IIA that really caught my eye...and with a wife, 3 kids and a lot of camping gear, the obvious choice was a 109 instead of the 88.
When I was doing my Land Rover research, I learned about the NADA Limited Production. I did not know a whole lot about the engine, but having a 6 cyl engine appealed to me...so the search began. It took me more than a year to find one in decent shape. I checked online every single night for hours, magazines, word of mouth, you name it. No luck. When I finally found what I was looking for, it was located in Canada! (Toronto area.) I live in Central Florida. OUCH!! Way out of my area, but after looking for an NADA for such a long time, it wasn't my intention to let this one pass. My sister Wilma and her husband Kurt are long time residents of a Toronto suburb so I asked him to go and check the LR out. I gave Kurt very specific instructions. If it is worth it, GET IT!! Not too long after I talked to him he called me with the news: You are the owner of a 1969 Land Rover. yeeeehaaaaa!!!! I knew about the medical condition called landroveritis, and I was already feeling early symptoms of that disease, which for some people is incurable�
A few days later I rented a V10 powered Ford F250 and on a Wednesday of mid November 1998 at 5PM I started my journey. First leg: from Orlando to the Carolinas. Second leg: from the Carolinas to Syracuse, NY. Friday morning I crossed the border thru Niagara and met Wilma and Kurt in Toronto. After a much needed coffee, we went to a U-haul location where I had previously reserved a trailer/platform. This was the first and only problem of the entire trip.
The gentlemen at the U-haul shop told us that there was no reservation in the computer. To make things worst, he only had 1 trailer and it was reserved. He had already taken a deposit from a customer the day before. The reason why I went to this place was that only US registered trailers with a state license plate can cross the border. This was the only one in Ontario. Not good�and my anxiety level went thru the roof. Even with the reservation confirmation number he didn't find anything and refused to rent me the car platform. Maybe the American and Canadian computers do not speak the same language or something, who knows. The guy was really upset with the whole situation and very negative. After many, many phone calls and persistence he finally agreed to rent me the trailer. whew!! We wasted close to an hour.
