They've been turning my head a LOT recently and given that production is ceasing (in the UK) later this year I'll be sad to see them go.
I say see them go, but I know they'll be around for decades to come 'cos they seem indestructible.
So, aside from the woeful fuel efficiency and the fact they seem expensive for what they are - even used (and I know this flips as strong residual value), give me good reason to go right off them.
Have you driven one? They're a bit love/hatey!
Are you a farmer ? Do you spend a lot of time in fields ? Forests ? Deserts ?
I was talking about the end of the defender with my dad (Farmer up here in Northumberland) it went along the lines of
Him - Shame they are stopping making them
Me - Would you buy one?
Him - No Way!
For most things there are modern, cheaper, more reliable, efficient and practical alternatives. Of course if you want a lifestyle statement go for it 😉
They have the turning circle of a supertanker towing a caravan
but I know they'll be around for decades to come 'cos they seem indestructible.
spending lots of time, money and effort fixing them does not equal indestructible....
Yeah, a supertanker's turning circle I could live with, but with an added caravan, well, that would be too much.
I don't think its a coincidence that the people who buy them tend to be people who like to work on stuff, and are happiest with a spanner or a welder in their hand
theyre not very big inside. The driving position is cramped. The second row seats are uncomfortable for anyone over 4'6". (deadlydarcy finds them incredibly comfortable obviously)
It's an agricultural vehicle with some upholstery, and drives like it too 🙂
The new ones are made with some rubbish belgian steel that rusts as soon as it sees salty water. Theyre very much not indestructible, the chassis often need welding repairs to maintain them if they are not galvanised (and nothing leaves the factory galvanised BTW)
But they're bloody good fun to own. The kids love them. You look forward to the crappiest weather possible so you can show off. I wouldnt be without mine now.
Because I'll be jealous? I've always fancied one, from the days when I used to trundle round in an ex-RAF lightweight series III. Go for a 110 though to give you some decent space inside as that's about all the practicality you'll get from a Defender 🙂
Think spinal compression and a 4wd transit van
Hope you like getting dirty.
They have the turning circle of a supertanker towing a caravan
Could be worse - could be an Mitsubishi L200!
jamesfts - Member
They have the turning circle of a supertanker towing a caravan
Could be worse - could be an Mitsubishi L200!
At least there is less chance of the L200 breaking down half way through the 30 point turn 🙂
Only 30?
I've taken to just reversing ours home from work at the end of the day 😉
A 90 pickup is a very beautiful thing but thankfully that itch is well and truly scratched.
Oh yeah...that's it...right there, yeah
Keep 'em coming.
No. Not driven one - yet. Mrs T23 suggests arranging a test drive just to answer that love/hate question. I'm scared I might like it!
I spend no time at all in the extreme environments mentioned above, but the appeal comes more from its iconic look than the need for its abilities. Our annual mileage is very low - say 5K tops - so maybe the fuel efficiency isn't such a huge concern.
Maybe I've watched too much of [i]The Walking Dead[/i] and I'm mentally preparing for some kind of 'end of days' scenario where I can spot-weld some cuts of Heras fencing over the windows and plough through herds of zombie types to safety...
mileage is very low - say 5K tops
V8.
I spend no time at all in the extreme environments mentioned above, but the appeal comes more from its iconic look than the need for its abilities. Our annual mileage is very low - say 5K tops - so maybe the fuel efficiency isn't such a huge concern.
Ah the sort of owner I last saw cruising round central London in one, they really did convey that they had a certain look (though some people might not think it's a good on)
We run a 90 on the Farm, been trouble free for about a week now. Ok it's S/H, lives life on the Farm, carries all sorts of shite in it and yet we choose to use the Ford Ranger pickup if we're pushed to go anywhere further than ohhhh, 30 miles.
Although you do tend to have fond memories and clouded judgment, the only way I'd ever have another is if it's the last of the new series ones without the Air Con but all the other mods...
The Air Con melts the seals and the front radiators been hacked to bits to accommodate it.. Looks nice from a distance though, especially in dark Grey or Black.
Wilko...not fair. Why did you do that?
Actually, thanks for doing that. When I see a Defender on sale for £84K, I see sense, as it were.
From the farmers I insure I'm always amazed how often one has had a Defender pinched.
Still wouldn't stop me getting one but I'd want to keep it out of sight ie garage/barn or out of view from the road.
My one good reason not to buy one is have you seen figures of how many are being nicked at the moment all over the UK......appear to have taken over from BMWs!
I'm on my third. First was a 90 winch challenge / greenlaner which I re-chassised. Second was a TD5 110 which I rebuilt on a galv chassis. Third is a Tdci also rebuilt on a new chassis. Spot a common theme?
They are great fun to drive and own, but not without thier downsides.
As standard, they are noisy, not very fast, agricultural to drive and can be tempramental, corrode, will leak water in and oil out and the heater is crap unless you buy a Puma. They are a money pit as well - who buys a Defender and doesn't want to bolt some gucci kit onto it?
On the plus side, you'll never lose money on a Defender if you look after it - they are one of the few vehicles that won't really depreciate much.
Don't view a 90 as anything other than a two seater - you CAN carry more people, but won't be able to carry anything else.
A TD5 Discovery is a much more sensible vehicle for daily drive, but just don't have that Defender factor. In short, you've got to HAVE to own one....
They're one of the easiest vehicles in the world to nick and are dead easy to sell, so I'm told. I used to remove the rotor arm out of my series III lightweight whenever I parked it anywhere other than my garage. Not that anyone would have wanted to steal it mind
So, for clarification then, is the reason there are so many used ones available for purchase because they are (arguably) built to last, or because original owners regret their decision and want shot of them?
Or, just having read the immediate posts above, is it 'cos they've been nicked and are being fenced?
MikeWsmith - I live in Edinburgh, and they don't seem [i]so[/i] out of place here as they might in central London. Perhaps because we're not far from hills and farmland, or maybe the more landed gentry/weekend home on country estate types are more visible due to smaller population.
Anyway, so far so impressed. Thanks. Keep talking.
We have an immobiliser on ours, we've fitted a self destruct button in the form of an ignition key terminal on it..
Or...
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Get a Fourtrak. The best four x four x further. Proper Tonka toy that can tow with massive grunt and is bullet proof. (albeit cheap when it does go wrong)
LR = the best faux x faux by far 😆
My mechanics hates LR's with a passion. I had to drive a 110 long wheel base when I did some Ranger work on the SDW. Horrid things. the driving position is so squashed if you are of a normal height. On the road above 50 mph they are rather wretched as well. Look pretty but get use to being under it with a spanner and a hammer in hand.
^^ Them Mercs are quite "ace" 😀
[i]Yeah, a supertanker's turning circle I could live with, but with an added caravan, well, that would be too much.
[/i]
Well, exactly
Because Land Rover also make the Discovery
Just the right level of bling 8)
Genuine lol at get a 4 trak...... The one vehicle of this world rhat rusted quicker than a montego.
Defenders
They are understandably aukward , but also great fun to drive in. Road trips happen at a different pace ..... But never yet stationary through mechanicals......avoid late models with the big dash - takes up too much room.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-am-man-defender-provider-mechanic
This thread probably worth a thousand words.
Get an ex military 110 wolf. Great fun "driving sensibly" with the soft top off and the rear end is robust. Well more robust than the front end of a civvie one.
Driven enough army land rovers in my time to come to the conclusion that unless its for off road stuff only they`re shi te, slow, uncomfortable and horrible to drive.
Thats my take on it anyway 😆
For the money a cheap LR will cost you'll get a cracking Fourtrak.
They rot but nothing a bit of welding and underseal doesn't sort.
Cheap to keep going as well.
Just my 2p.
Drove one when I lived in Edinburgh
110 td5 csw
Yes they can break down, no more so than any other car I've owned but they do tend to be cheap to fix
Corrosion problem with chassis but also where aluminium meets steel like door frames
If I was getting another I'd make sure the chassis, bulkhead and doors were well waxoyled
There were only the two of us when I owned it, not sure how we would get on as a family of five. I borrowed a double cab 110 the other week and the three kids seats were a tight squeeze
I'd also forgotten how agricultural they are having been driving a discovery 3 for the last six years
Try and get a test drive for a long weekend before committing
I hate mine mine it's cost daft money to keep it working yet I keep finding reasons for not selling it.
The current one is a td5 but next I think another series 2 or 3
Ours does at best 5k a year and modern ones rot far worse than older ones
Go drive one
For some of us that first drive will ruin your life forever
As for tdci there are a few with gearbox issues so a dealer and some warranty is best
I spent a few hours in a new one today. They do look great in a rufty tufty sort of way.
The trouble is, it was just comically rubbish.
It made me think of the sort of thing Yugo would be building today if they had survived.
This one was almost new but it feels like it's already gone round the clock once. Squashed, stupid doorhandles, lurchy, interior steams up instantly, gutters pour water all over you when you open the door, etc, etc.
But yet, the attraction to own one even for a short while remains inexplicably strong.
We owned an ex-MOD 90 for seven years. During those years servicing, repairs and upgrades cost us exactly £7000 on top so it was a labour of love and a hobby, not a sensible vehicle. Land Rovers are high-speed tractors so they are noisy, drafty, smelly, thirsty and they rust for fun. The 90 has an excellent turning circle if you get a farmer's model with the smaller 205 wheels. Most of all they are brilliant fun and when you drive one you become curiously invisible because other drivers don't view you as a threat to their road space.
We sold ours to a bloke who had zero mechanical sympathy and told us he just wanted something to "run into the ground".
*sniff*
"when you drive one you become curiously invisible because other drivers don't view you as a threat to their road space."
Interesting i found the polar opposite, where they would constantly try and barge me out the way in my little white van - they would stop and let the 90 in so not to get a girder in the face 🙂
