Mrs Gti was using our 1986 ex-RAF 90 for commuting and even though I fitted PAS and an assisted clutch pedal off a Defender it was a handful for her. She used to enjoy asserting herself in traffic and choking tailgaters with a big cloud of smoke but as a day to day car it was horrible, the fuel consumption was awful and in winter starting was always dodgy because the alternator never quite recharged the battery enough. The road tax was top whack too, which hurt a lot. You can't get a bike in a 90 without removing a wheel either. In wet weather it was always full of water, smelled damp and grew mildew on the seats. We spent £7000 on spares and maintenance on it in ten years of ownership.
She bought a Citroen C1 diesel and gets 66 mpg and pays £25 a year road tax. It's easy to park, very nippy and 100% reliable. 'Nuff said.
You'd be much better buying a Rav4, if you get the older model the rear seats are removable which makes for an excellent load carrier (ahem bike transporter). It's comfortable and refined if a bit plasticy inside. You can get a good one for £8-£10k.
The Defender is an off road vehicle, if you're not going to drive it off road you'll not see the best of it. Aside from shaking your wife's teeth out she'll freeze in the winter.
I've had 4 Defenders and now I've got an '03 Discovery. It's newer than my last Defender by 3 years, cost £1500 less than I got for my 110, has electric mirrors/heated screen/roofs/locking/levelling lights, cruise control, parking sensors, self levelling suspension, aircon,etc etc.
All in all a much nicer vehicle to be inside and it does the same job, but better, 95% of the time. As a day to day vehicle I'd NEVER go back to a Defender.
Agreed. I've had very little trouble with my Disco 3 and it's completely unstoppable (like a Defender) but also does the big-car-cruising thing very well. Fine to do 600+ mile days, which I'd not consider in a Defender.
I've had 4 Defenders and now I've got an '03 Discovery. It's newer than my last Defender by 3 years, cost £1500 less than I got for my 110, has electric mirrors/heated screen/roofs/locking/levelling lights, cruise control, parking sensors, self levelling suspension, aircon,etc etc.
All in all a much nicer vehicle to be inside and it does the same job, but better, 95% of the time. As a day to day vehicle I'd NEVER go back to a Defender
As a long-term prospect it's not as good though, once disco's start to rot you'll be forever welding them back together, there's just too much sheet steel used in their construction. The worst it can ever really get (rust wise) with a series/defender is a chassis and bulkhead replacement.
Oh, and paws off those 109" s2a's terry, that's what I want next!
haha - how many would that be for you .... done owt with that scrapper of a series 1 you brought back ?
wouldnt mind a swatch at your homebrew bulkhead if your ever about as mines needs work but tbh its nothing a bit of tlc and some sheet couldnt sort out short/medium term.
goin to gordos next weekend ?
By 'next' I mean after doing 'the scrapper' ('63 s2a 88" actually, unless you're insulting the glorious S1 hybrid)
Feel free to drop in and have a swatch at that bulkhead if you're passing montrose of a weekend, its almost at the galvanising stage.
Well reminded, need to sort somewhere to stay for gordo's
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5160/7438726788_5f08d3bf2d.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/81189062@N06/7438726788/ ]100_2911[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/81189062@N06/ ]AirconAde[/url], on Flickr
Try again,
The series two is just having the chassis fettled and when I've done that There's a new galv chassis waiting for series 1 V8. That's the thing with landrovers, there are always things to do!
Without sounding negative, how do you Defender owners secure/keep your vehicle from disappearing? Steering wheel lock effective?
AirconAde, that's a nifty looking Landy! I like the colour, and the white detailing sets it off nicely. Great wheels and tyres too. Very nice. 😀
Glad I went to Mayhem in mine, towed two folks out on Sunday.
[img] http://www.flickr.com/photos/salsaboy/7439937750/img ]
Heritage, nice 😀
Security is a problem, but it's a case of making it less atractive and harder to start/tow/move.
The detailing looks silver but is natural galvanized finish, although the roof is silver!
I had a pile of land rover magazines.
I love them.
The only thing to put me off a defender is the ease at which they are broken into.
Without sounding negative, how do you Defender owners secure/keep your vehicle from disappearing? Steering wheel lock effective?
There are many clever ways, but talking about them on a forum is a big no-no. And of course none of them stops a flat bed truck with fake plates and a Hiab.
One of mates went away for the weekend. His mum come home to find 2 guys just about to drag his VW splitty panel van into the back of a flat bed.
They were so blatant and casual about it in the middle of the day, they even tried arguing with her that they'd bought it, which she knew was utter nonsense. They packed up and left (without the van) before the police got there, don't think they heard anything back from the police about it at all. I bet they're out there still stealing people's pride and joys.
My daily driver 🙂
Well not quite, I walk to work or get the train or cycle. So in fact it does about 1500 miles a year. So not quite a daily driver.
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jackthedog - MemberWithout sounding negative, how do you Defender owners secure/keep your vehicle from disappearing? Steering wheel lock effective?
There are many clever ways, but talking about them on a forum is a big no-no. And of course none of them stops a flat bed truck with fake plates and a Hiab.
So what are the secrets? They've tried to whip mine twice now.
1st Time foiled by transfer box in neutral, screwdrivered the locks and broke the steering column though. 🙄
2nd time I disturbed them as I was in the garage and heard them. 🙁
Without giving too much away...
I've modified the door locks so they can only be opened with a key from outside.
It's a bit of an inconvenience if I want to stop to pick someone up. I have to get out and walk round to unlock the door for them, but it means I don't have to worry about someone breaking a window and opening the door when it's parked.
Mine runs on petrol or LPG with a changeover switch . It's not too hard to rig up another hidden switch to turn both fuels off.
my God there is a lot of flannel and bulls**t on this thread!
I've only skimmed through, but I was thinking exactly the same thing.
Just remember, they were designed in the late 1940s and nothing much has changed
Apart from the engine, gearbox, steering, brakes and suspension of course. 🙄
...has to practically hang her entire body weight off the steering wheel to get it to turn
My old ex-military 110 is hard work in a tight spot, but if she's having this much trouble with a 2006 model, then there's a fault with the steering. Get it fixed.
"Mine runs on petrol or LPG with a changeover switch . It's not too hard to rig up another hidden switch to turn both fuels off. "
This is a good, cheap way; I had a fuel pump switch under the dash of an old sports car. Enough fuel in the carbs such that it would catch and run for a short while. As mentioned, little prevents the determined pikey with a flatbed; mine is parked at the top of the pony-infested field, closest to the house and farthest from road gate.
Well if you are on the Landy pics...this one is outside my office today having been my taxi this morning (now minus the blues and reflective bits as it is in our maintenance managers hands)
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