[Closed] Landrover Defender

Sounds like your mind is made up already. The itch needs scratching I can tell. To be fair, try one out for size, if you fit in it well enough then that is half the battle. New ones aren't that bad to drive at all, just a bit different to other stuff. But if you are tall or wide then you may find the driving position too annoying to allow you to overlook all the other niggles and foibles they have. But you won't know until you own one will you 😉

Enjoy it if you do decide to take the plunge, many have tried, most have stayed

Another couple of years and the Bollinger B1 will be making inroads off-road.  1-200 miles between charges

12 miles a week. May as well run anything you bloody well want!

Not seen the Bollinger before, like it, although looking at the range you'd need a trailer behind a Defender if you wanted to go somewhere. Lots of scope for an extra battery pack in the front though.

Noisy, leaky, slow, always something needs doing. But put a huge smile on your face when driving them. We love ours. Go on, you know you want to...

If you want a Defender, there is only one way to scratch the itch.

Do it.

I've got a very early Discovery (no ARB's) and it's like a limo compared to a Defender.

If you're not going to be loading it to the gunnels then really is worthwhile changing the springs. Most seem to be rock hard at the back and soft as at the front as if to balance it out.. Hence a harsh ride and lots of roll.

The missus has a 130 with a GMC 6.2 diesel which needs a new gearbox (again), it is rough and it is noisy and leaky but the excessive power does make it fun (until the gearbox breaks).

Mine is my daily runner. c.4-6k miles pa.

Always something on the list to deal with. I recently thought Id got mine in fair nick...and then I notice the coolant loss yesterday and the source being a gasket behind the timing case....so the next few days it will be in my garage getting opened up. Fortunately I can unwrap the T4 for family duties while it's fof the road.

I do have a motorbike for longer distances as I rarely take the Def more than 30mins anywhere.

Its still one of the funnest things to own though and it will be taken from me only when Im cold and stiff.

only when Im cold and stiff.

That's why you rarely take more than half an hour away then...

Bravo Lazlowoodbine!😀

130 with a GMC 6.2 diesel which needs a new gearbox (again)

These two statements might be related 😉

As above mine rarely goes more than an hour from base

Itch , scratch. It'll either stick or it won't.

If your idea of motoring is clicking the key for the central locking and starting it upits probably not for you.

If you don't mind getting hands dirty then you may love it.

Miss mine, loved it

Driving it made me smile

However the leaks, noise, lack of turning circle, zero safety are now not the biggest issue of Defender ownership unfortunately it’s theft. They are getting nicked left right and centre and although I miss it terribly I don’t miss the paranoia.

If you do get one, especially a Twisted get a non factory Cat 1 alarm & tracker and consider a pedal lock and a disc lock.

These two statements might be related

Oh they most definitely are. The poor old LT77s do not appreciate the torque the v8 inflicts. I dislike autos hugely but I'm trying to convince her that it really is the way forward in this case. Then it's just the rest of the drivetrain to worry about.. It does sound damn good though.

I've always driven old stuff so the agricultural nature of them doesn't bother, it's the rust, the rust.

Sadly my own 110 is rotting into its parking space while I find some money to mot it and fix the cracked head.

As long as you fit it then they are great. Do it

I had heard the tales about thefts. The alarms that Twisted fit do seem fairly robust.

a couple of local enthusiasts had recommended some additional precautions.

Always had a hankering. Drove one for the first time at the weekend. What a pile of shit. More like operating a broken steam shovel than driving a car and everything is in the wrong place and made of bits of angle iron and mattress springs.

I had one for about 3 days before it went back, luckily I found out it was a CAT B write off so I got my money back. That was very lucky otherwise I would of been lumbered with the bloody thing. They look great, nothing else like them. But they are bloody awful things 50mph tops else you get deafened, they stink inside of oil and engine smells. Turning circle is poor, gears are clunky with a maaaaaaasive gap. The 90 I had was small inside considering its big footprint. Money pits don't even begin to describe them. Yet they have a huge following, having owned one I don't get it, I'll never have another. Too much money, too much trouble. Buyer beware.

On a serious note, have a full hpi check if you're still crazy enough to want one, loads have been stolen. Check all the chassis, engine numbers match up and look legit. One on front chassis drivers side, one on engine and one on dashboard.

Defenders in my opinion are to be admired from afar.

More like operating a broken steam shovel than driving a car and everything is in the wrong place and made of bits of angle iron and mattress springs.

I know, they are ace.

"one on dashboard"

Only on later ones.

It's chassis leg behind outrigger , brake pedal box for vins and there will be an engine number on the engine.

On older ones.

I do 28miles a day and drive a 58 plate puma defender and it makes me smile every day. It does about 28mpg (!) so is more expensive than a normal car

Money pits

Cheapest cars I’ve ever run

Parts are cheap

Insurance is cheap (or was)

Simple enough to fix yourself

and the last 4 I’ve had I sold for more than I paid for them after running the for a few years.

Mine costs me about £500 a year to insure compared to £180 for my van.

Tax wise both my 110 and van are the same at £220 but guess that will vary with body type and revenue class

Ive found parts to be a bit costly for our td5 and think I should have gone for an older tdi

I’ve owned five, regretted buying every single one.

Ill probably get another at some point

^^^^^^^^^this I just can’t help it

Whatever happened to that bloke off here who bought a faulty one then when he took it back to be fixed they basically held it to ransom?

Never had a Defender but I did have an 1963 2a.

Slow, noisy, thirsty and downright dangerous at times with the brakes (or lack thereof) and the wandering across the lane at 50MPH.

Would I have another? In a flash.

<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Whatever happened to that bloke off here who bought a faulty one then when he took it back to be fixed they basically held it to ransom?</span>

I think he left it with them, as he didn’t want to cause a fuss

I’ve loved and hated every Landrover I’ve owned. I was glad to get rid of my last 90 but I will have another one day.

Yeah mines 150 for insurance
And has needed a bonnet release cable replaced for its mot this year. But that's the first thing in 3 years

If you're looking at low mileage 90s from Twisted they're likely to be the 2.2 TDCi engine. If your weekly mileage is 12 and weekend trips are still local the DPF on the 2.2 may not thank you. Might be worth looking at the 2.4 versions which didn't have one?

I had a mid-90s 300TDi Defender as a daily driver for a few years.
Cold in the winter, roasting hot in the summer, cramped, noisy, etc.
It always needed something doing to it - preventative maintenance is everything.

As above - planning to buy another as soon as I can justify the expense/time.
And yes, I'm well aware that various Toyota/Nissan/Isuzu products are superior in every way.

There were times where driving it felt so awesome - like nothing else I've ever driven.

Had both early Discovery and then a 90 as long term 'only' cars. Took both down into Africa as well as daily commutes. I miss the 90 the most despite the Disco being more comfortable, practical, etc

At 6ft2 I had the bulkhead replaced with strengthening bars so the seat base had longer runners and went back further. Made all the difference to me.

28 year old Land Rover One Ten here (not a Defender). Love it. Wouldn't swap it for anything.

Sailed through last years MOT, this year failed on rear shocks. Replaced both sides plus chassis bracket for about £100 and it passed again.

Not expensive to fix, doesn't go wrong often. Is so much fun to drive. Very capable and puts a smile on my face.

Just buy one.

a couple of local enthusiasts had recommended some additional precautions.

Also when I’ve got it back on the road, a ‘71 Lightweight with a military low compression v8, like a motorised roller skate doing 8-12mpg and spinning its wheels in 3rd (and sometimes breaking halfshafts)

Loads getting robbed where i live, so deffo consider beefed up security.

Weekend mileage is about  100-200 miles as a range so hardly vast. To be quite honest I should probably really walk the 2 miles to the station rather than drive but I can never be arsed at 6.30!

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

I know they are wildly impractical vehicles but I don't really mind. All it is used for really is riding and popping down the yard to see the horses. I don't even intend to tow with it. It is purely a toy.

I used to offroad our ex-MOD 90 and spent hours tinkering with it and making it easier to drive, fitting PAS and an assisted clutch off a Defender. It used to eat betteries for fun, the clutch slave cylinder used to fail once a year, it guzzled diesel, you could actually smell the oxidationhappening if you drove it on wet salty roads but I loved it, it was part of the family. Broke our hearts selling it. We will have another when we live in Scotland, I'm thinking I'll buy one in South Africa and ship it back in an empty container, at least we will be getting an un-rusted chassis.

I used to own a 1964 Series 2a.  Fantastic!

Absolutely awful to drive which just added to the fun 🙂

As may be inferred by my username, I’m a big fan of ‘proper’ land rovers. That being said, I can’t disagree with any of the criticism levelled above. They compare TERRIBLY to almost any modern (last 15 years) car. About the only thing they compare favourably to is an old tractor, or lorry. Which is kinda what they are, really. Still love them though.

Bigman - great resource is defender2.net

ICJ is right if you go Puma with your low mileage a 2.4 is better as it has no DPF so no probs with lack of regen and carbon in your oil or knackered EGR valve. Do all the security things - diskloc, pedal lock, tracker, ignition barrel defender etc

You won't regret it

What are peoples opinion on a TD5 vs TDCI engine?

All my reading seems to indicate I am better going for a slightly older model if I can find one.

Just get one, for so few miles it'll be fine. Old 300 TDi's were good, TD5's good but some ECU/electrical issues, ECU under the drivers seat I believe, play up (die) when they get wet, and I think with oil running back down the loom into them, but very tuneable and most common problems are well known, and have fixes now.

What are peoples opinion on a TD5 vs TDCI engine?

Not a lot wrong with either really. TD5 is a great engine and despite all the naysayers turned out to be very reliable, a few very well documented niggles as above but easy to sort / predict and fix other than the known issue the TD5 is pretty much bullet proof. Plenty around now into the 300k miles + territory.

The TDCI is a transit engine and again apart from a few exceptions very reliable.

The biggest deciding factor between those two wouldn't be the engine but the Dashboard / Gearbox which on the Puma based cars is better. I'd buy on condition and history.

Short answer is as above "not much wrong with either."

Talking about them robbing stuff. The guy down the road from us has a Defender and he woke up the other morning and somebody had robbed his bonnet!!! WTF?!!

And I thought I'd post this up as well chaps, and get your opinions. I've just been doing some T-Shirt designs for local Land Rover specialists Tuffrok

Like the art. 🙂

Yep, bonnet theft is a problem, a bike lock through the bonnet frame and into the engine lift eyes as well as security hinges.

Designed to be lifted off and removed in 10 seconds for ease of maintenance in the bush somewhat plays to a thief's hands as when they are worth a few hundred quid each. Designed for a different era.

I've had 3 new ones and 4 old ones,

I like them, but i used to them
got a 1971 and 1985 series 3

my new one is a 65 plate 90 xs, with some nice extras, inc Alive ECU remap and intercooler

its coming up for 17,000 miles only
I think its going to get sold soon

If you wanna see a photo and some spec pm me

The earlier td5 10p has a reputation for cracked cylinder heads. I believe the later 15p ones are better.

Oil in the injector loom tend to cause misfire but easy to replace.

Most common ecu failure stops it reving properly so the car still drives just not fast.

Hateful things, terrible. The day we got rid of the last one at work was a happy day. If you have not driven one do so soon as it could save you a lot of bother.

If you're looking for a slightly more unusual defender then Monty Halls is selling his Custom 110.

[B][url= https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F162883438704 ]A chance to own the only Land Rover 'Marine' Defender made. There is only one of these unique vehicles.[/url][/B]

I was knocking about in the works Landy today and as usual it was a hateful experience. If you value fashion above function go for it. Which is a shame to type as they where originally so functional but have been totally outclassed and outdated. If you need a 4x4 look at an L200 Dmax etc. Or do the planet a favour and buy a modern estate car.

A guy I know made a fortune buying restoring/improving selling and exporting land rovers, can you guess what he drives?

Yep you got it a Toyota Land Cruiser!

I had a love/hate relationship with my TD5 90. Brilliantly robust for lugging gear down lanes, over fields and into the woods. Bloody awful on the road, cold, damp, insecure (I gave up locking it after I realised all the locks could be opened with a 20 pence piece), terrible in icy / greasy conditions, cramped and uncomfortable (at 6’2” there was never enough leg room and it’s only possible to steer with your elbow out of the window). Brakes are awful compared to weight of vehicle - as I found out in a head on collision (admittedly the other car was a write-off, my 90 had a chipped number plate.)

sometimes I miss it, but I wouldn’t have another.

Dime of you have got it all wrong. Your expectations of the LR are based on car ownership.
If you think a Defender is a bit rubbish, just buy a knackered old Series LR, if you can still find one cheap. Run that for a while then buy your Defender, it will feel like a Rolls Royce in comparison!
Certainly felt like it to me going from a S3 ‘lightweight’ to a 90. The move to a RRC after was even better, apart from the fuel bills from the 3.9l V8....

<quote>Bloody awful on the road, cold, damp, insecure (I gave up locking it after I realised all the locks could be opened with a 20 pence piece), terrible in icy / greasy conditions, cramped and uncomfortable (at 6’2” there was never enough leg room and it’s only possible to steer with your elbow out of the window). Brakes are awful compared to weight of vehicle</quote>

I'd agree with most of that, but if your brakes weren't very good then they hadn't been maintained properly. In good nick they will comfortably stop 3.5 tonnes with minimal effort.

The only time I've found the brakes in a land rover lacking was one or two descents in the Pyrenees - but that was in a drum-braked series 2 109, so a world away from a Defender.

EDIT: No quote? Oh well, I guess it's better than all that 'span style' nonsense...

I've a 54 plate 90 td5, use it daily for work for the last 3-4 years and whilst it's officially a pool vehicle, it lives with me and is the very best form of Landrover ownership in that when it does very occasionally need work, I leave it with the estate workshop 😃 So far, it's been mainly radius arm bushes which get abuse from pulling the Ifor Williams twin axle trailer and brake pads which really don't like the wet sand/light soil. Just fitted some polyurethane radius arm bushes, so hopefully they'll last a bit longer.

Id never driven one before, so after having done about 20k local miles with it, I can say that I love it and it's perfect for what I need to do, which is travel about a 5500 acre estate here in broadland Norfolk. It goes wherever I point it, although appropriate tyres in the really boggy bits are essential anyway. It starts, it goes, it stops and it gets a very hard life. It's noisy, it leaks and the exhaust fumes come in via the creased rear door and I love it!

I particularly like the camaraderie when passing other Landy's on the road, which reminds me of my Triumph TR driving days, although the Landrover wave seems to be one of resigned acceptance and acknowledgement 😃

Would I personally own one? If it's for local rural stuff then yes, without a doubt. If I needed to do longer journeys that involved lots of dual carriageway, probably not!

Actually, Kenneth, you’re right. I explained that really badly. The brakes were fine - if anything slightly too much grab in that particular collision (low speed, mid summer, greasy lanes after a light rain) . It was the BFGoodrich Mud and Snow tyres that let me down - everything locked up. Having subsequently owned cars with ABS I realise how ‘agricultural’ the 90’s brakes were.

EDIT: yes, I know, mud and snow tyres on the road in the middle of summer. 😬 In my defence, I worked on an estate and needed them for off road access.

So I drove a 2nd hand one today at our local Landrover dealer. Its feels much like driving a van, the elbow room was tight but I loved it!!!

I'm 6'4 and fitted just fine. Now just to find me a good example.

While I was there they did attempt to sell me a limited edition 400bhp version for 150k!!

You must be stick thin and have driven some terrible vans then. Every van I've driven for the last 15 years has been a considerably better place to sit and drive than a Landrover.

im 6ft 2 and i find mine (old 87 dash and sliding window doors with plenty room) comfy more comfy than our old golf or the hyundai i had before that

a friend had a puma xs with the focus dash and the wide door cards there was not enough room in that .

Are with a poster above - they are a total theft magnet.

Easy to strip, easy to steal, with a healthy parts market.

They had one of mine.

Not had one for about 10 years now. Noisy, unreliable, leaky, uncomfortable things.

Still miss it.

Bigman. Have a word with the Lord Whiskey sanctuary. I've heard they have had two vehicles donated to the charity recently for them to sell with all proceeds going back into the charity. I *think* one of them is a Defender. Might be an opportunity for a good deal.

There's a unit in the same place as where I work have some.
I now want this one...

[img] [/img]

Bargain at just under 40K!

Thanks Nick, I was after something quite specific so not sure that will fit the bill. I may put a call in on the off chance though.

I am going to head upto Twisted in the next month to drive some of theirs. I have seen those Bespoke 90’s aswell, they look very nice but i’ve not seen any of their work in person.

Dave, it's a Freelander Luxury Hse Td4 Auto. Registered Sept 2013. 20,000 miles.
Never mind. :0)

This is mine

with a few mods, Custom dash / Alive tuning remap/ etc etc

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That is very nice indeed!

Every van I’ve driven for the last 15 years has been a considerably better place to sit and drive than a Landrover.

The van at my last job was a 2002 Sprinter 108. Getting in that after my 1990 Discovery V8 was amazing. It cornered and stopped so much better. Thing is the Discovery with half the handling had twice the power to get into trouble with, properly sideways at 45 in it was one of my most terrifying experiences on the road.

When I bought it, winterised FFR.
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After its 1st rebuild, new 1.4 transfer box, late suffix LT77, gas flowed head, wolf rims, pump&injector tweaks, painted, roof tent.
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How it looks currently.

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Nothing much wrong with it apart from my ocd. Galv chassis going under it, galving the bulkhead and anything else steel, bare metal respray to grey. Building a ~140-150bhp 200tdi with VGT to replace the trusty NA. New seats and trim, Eberspacher, upper side panel lockers and adding a bit more overlanding stuff.

I'm 6'6" and find it day long comfortable but I drive with a dropped elbow style. Part of the family and will never sell it. Kept inside at all times and no longer used as a daily driver due to theft.

Had 200TDi, 300TDi, two TD5's, DiscoII and now a Disco3.
Evolution for me! I prefer the comfort of the Discovery 3 and it tows just as well if not better than all the 110's I had.
Scratch your itch. You seem to know what you're getting in to. We got rid of our last TD5 110 because it wasn't safe for more than one child seat. I've gone a bit soft now so probably wouldn't give up the comfort to go back to Defenders.

Had all of our TD5s chipped. More power and torque and better MPG. Get a Mantec rear wheel holder - it will stop the rear door from rattling itself to bits. Chequer plate the top of the front wings. They're so useful for standing on!

Good luck.

PS Other owners wave at you. It's weird at first!