Someone please talk me out of buying a defender!!

I’ve probably driven more Landrovers (On and off road) than any other type of car, all at work. It wouldn’t surprise me if I’ve driven 20 or more different ones.

I love ’em. I actaully find them quite comfortable, they just seem to fit me….
They don’t seem to break down much. I can’t remember any packing up TBH, and they will survive criminal levels of abuse on a daily basis.

I’d love to own one. I’d drive round and everyone that cut me up, I’d just let them run into me and giggle at the state of their car afterwards. I saw a Sierra run into the back of a Landy. Couple of small scratches on the Landy, utterly mashed Sierra. Water, glass, plastic everywhere…..
But I don’t drive offroad, so I have no need for one, and that’s what they are for, and what they do best. Useless owning one is you don’t need the offroad capability and the spartan ruggedness of an interior that you can literally hose out when the mud round the pedals builds up too much!

Oh, and when our Hi-Lux used to get stuck, we’d send a Landy to pull it out, which was fairly often 🙂

My uncle is retiring and closing his business….one of his vehicles is a Toyota Hilux…..I am badgering him….

Explaining why you would rather drive a Land Rover than a car is like explaining why you would rather ride a bike than drive a car.
If people don’t get it, then there’s no logical argument you can use to convince them.

If you are asking the question, you already know the answer, it is absolutely yes.

Yes they are slow
Yes they are noisy
Yes they leak
Yes the break down
Yes they are CHEAP to insure (if you get an older one)
Yes they are CHEAP to fix
Yes they are more fun than you can imagine even on road (off road you will never stop smiling)
Yes they look like a meccano tonka toy
Yes chicks will dig you
Yes the dog will love it

I have an ’89 110 with a 200TDi, paid £3k for it 4 months ago, spent £500 getting it spot on, been offered £6k for it already, but money won’t drag it out of my cold dead hands. I never drove my AMG E55 anymore so sold it, never drove my MG so sold it, almost never drive my E class Merc estate (but will keep that as my wife plans to drive on hols to France this year.

Diesel economy (with the 200TDi) is about 25mpg around town (which would be less of a problem if the bloody govt would reduce tax) but they are stunning fund, absolute hoot everywhere you go. You will only regret it when you sell it.

Just to add a bit more to my previous comments:
– I’m 6’3″ and fit comfortably in our Defender 90 (previous owner fitted a smaller steering wheel which other owners have said makes all the difference)
– Pootling round it’s returning 32MPG push it and that drops to mid 20s – I drive with a heavy right foot so I’m averaging under 30 MPG.
– Sticking a few litres of fresh veg oil in the tank knocks over £1 off the cost of the fill-up and being a 200TDi it improves the power output too.
– With a few mods that fuel economy will go up (transfer box swap & electric fan).
– 60MPH on the motorway and it’s comfortable, 80MPH (obviously not on the Queen’s highway) is loud but do-able.

I’m very much a self confessed petrolhead so it confuses me why driving something so bad on paper puts such a big smile on my face every time I drive it.

I’ve had my Td5 90 for a year now, and have never regretted buying it, the thing i love most is the ability to just wash it out if it gets dirty. I have vynal seats and all the flooring has rubber matting so there is nothing to absorb water, i can go out with the bike (or dog), get covered in mud then just load up the defender and not have to worry about getting anything dirty as it just wipes off. As numerous others have said, it just makes any journey enjoyable.

This help?

So how do you put a picture on here? 😳

I love Landys with a passion. I have wanted one of my own for years and years and years, particularly a 90 hard top. I live pretty much in the country, own two spaniels and go shooting a fair bit as well. I keep being told to buy one by my wife, usually in an annoyed tone of voice when I have just pointed one out and shouted “Land Rover”.

However, I _will not_ buy one.

They are slow, underpowered, thirsty and (for my 6′ 5″) far too cramped. The load space in a 90 is tiny and they have no back seats unless you go for a county. The road noise would drive me mad in short order, and I would have to cut a hole in the roof for lamping.

I know that if I did buy one i would hate it quickly and that would spoil what is, for me, a dream. I’m even thinking of selling my Frontera B (which has full leather, A/C, a huge boot, seating for five adults and a huge boot, _AND_ does 35mpg) so that I can buy an even more economical estate car for the road journeys that I am doing more of now. If I need to go lamping, I have a mate with a Hilux.

What to advise? go with your heart. If it is wrong for you, then sell it on.

I have a 90 TD5 and its great. They may be slow but when your driving them you don’t notice 40 mph feels more like 60+ mph in a normal car. I don’t find them cramped, I’m 6’3″ in a standard 90 hardtop. I’ve driven a 110 mile daily commute in it for a month before and it was fine. In rush hour traffic it is great you seem to get far more space as no-one want to risk cutting up the yokel who doesn’t know the big city ways.

Then again my main vehicle before getting it was this:
(I didn’t try the commute in it)

im 6’5″ I drove to Morocco and back with no comfort problems.

I’m 6’4″ and drove one 10 miles to pick up parts in a 110 last week. Had to shoe horn myself back out the heap of junk, after being blown around the motorway, and remembering why I really really hate the things.

There are far more capable and reliable motors out there.

Don’t do it, you’ll only find that in reality they are:

Cheap to insure
Cheap to tax
Cheap to run (if you can wield a spanner)
Low depreciation

Expensive to fuel though – 20-25mpg

110 van get bikes straight in the back.

They are Marmite cars, I love mine , my wife hates it.

Right my 110 has just gone to another home, £3750, i paid £5600 for it back in 2004, it was manufactured in 1986, now who was saying they are a poor value for money ?

the wife was crying watching it go up the road,

Right my 110 has just gone to another home, £3750, i paid £5600 for it back in 2004, it was manufactured in 1986, now who was saying they are a poor value for money ?

The wife of the bloke you sold it to? 😉

NO, i’m not goping to talk you out of it. Just buy one. If you dont like it sell it on. If you buy second hand you wont lose much.