Would a LR Defender be an awful DD?

"Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2" (pompei426)
08/30/2017 at 15:53 • Filed to: None

I’ve seen a few Defenders for, I think, good prices, and I wonder what it would be like to live with. Here are three pretty sweet examples I found under $26k. Also, why are these things either $80k or $20k. I’m very unfamiliar with the pricing.

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DISCUSSION (17)

C62030 > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:00

Unless you drive to work on farm tracks coated in knives, yes. It would be terrible.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:02

Someone drives one just about daily to my office so t can’t be that bad. If I knew who it was I’d ask.

djmt1 > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:03

Defenders are terrible but also pretty awesome. I mean you’re gonna end up with fused vertebrae and tinnitus but damn you’re be a right old rugged bastard and who wouldn’t want that?

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:06

No ways in fuck are those two “94 Defenders” are from 94, I would say mid to late 80's Land Rover 90's. Defenders only came out in ‘91.

Also I’d DD the fuck out of a 90', hell I DD’d a 68 88" in with no heat for the month of January and loved every day of it but that’s just me.

Svend > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:15

The last one, H514ONP is actually a 1990, 90 (pre-Defender name by a few months).

Kinja'd!!!

Svend > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:18

You can daily a 90, 110 or Defender. Wheel noise will be an issue if you are driving on off road tires as the sound deadening is non existent, The ride is quite firm and seating isn’t great but there are a lot of aftermarket accessories to address almost any issues from ride, comfort, etc...

razorbeamteam > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:20

Terrible? Depends on your definition. If you compare it to a normal car, say, a Camry, then yes, its is terrible. Defenders aren’t normal cars, they aren’t comfortable, they aren’t fancy, they break a lot, they handle poorly, they are terrible on gas, but man are they so freaking cool. I borrowed my friend’s 90 for a week and I couldn’t even sit at a red light without people staring at me. If I was parked on the street, people would come up to me to make conversation. You feel invincible when you drive one, its indescribable. No car has ever made me feel cool when i drive it like that one did.

My friend ended up losing the car in a garage fire. He bought a 911 as his replacement “fun” car. The 911 barely got driven and its currently up for sale. He has his eyes on an imported 110 now.

My 92 RR is similar to the defender, but doesn’t quite have the cool factor, and nobody comes up to talk to me when I’m parked. It does have the trademark reliability issues though, so there’s that.

KevlarRx7 > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:22

The second one has had some welding according to its MOT history (yearly safety inspection)

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk

Search it on that and you’ll learn all about it.

But they make awesome daily drivers, I know plenty of people that use them here in Cornwall.

BLCKSTRM > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
08/30/2017 at 16:34

That’s why they make sticky notes.

I’ve made a couple great friends that way!

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 16:43

I daily drive a Defender - a ‘97 110 heavy duty with the 300tdi motor - it’s my work truck and it’s excellent at what it does, but what it does is work. Haul a fully loaded trailer, carry tools, get me up to some quite rural locations with said trailer. I do use it sometimes just for daily driving chores as well, but anything longer than a 20 mile drive can feel like a right slog.

Contrary to popular belief, and aside from the slightly odd driving position, they’re actually really comfortable with the right seats. Most previous owners will have swapped out the original pvc or cloth seats for the upgraded Exmoor seats which go a long way to actually making the Defender DD-able.

In my 4 year experience, reliability has been good. The 300tdi (an evolution of the 200tdi) has been faultless, drivetrain has been good also aside from replacing the front propshaft just last week (£65 and 8 bolts to remove) and replacing one rear bearing and adjusting the front two. The electrics regularly find new ways to amuse my wallet, but they’re cheap as hell and really easy to do. Keep up with regular maintenance and chassis maintenance, the tdi units are pretty solid.

With that said- road noise, engine noise, general leakiness (water comes in, oil drops out), odd squeaks and rattles which come and go, splashy handling on the road when laden, questionable electrics, no creature comforts, all make for a vehicle that really isn’t a brilliant only car. I actually have a diesel family wagon for most driving duties, only because the Defender can become tiresome on on mid to long journeys.

I love the car, I love driving it, it makes me smile, it has character, and most Defenders are pretty unique, it’s hard to find two alike. But I would definitely advise getting into and driving one first. They’re really not for everyone.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 17:20

yes. Next question.

I mean I have boundless respect for them and what they are. What they aren’t...is a decent daily.

Cé hé sin > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 18:33

Well, if you like driving a slow (the last ones had 120 bhp to move something like two tonnes), noisy, uncomfortable vehicle with an odd driving position, then a Landrover will be just fine for you. Otherwise, maybe not.

Chinny Raccoon > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 19:02

It really depends on how far your driving regularly & whether you’re a good fit inside. I’m a bit under 6ft and lanky, so it’s reasonably comfortable for me. You do get quite a lot of heat coming through the transmission tunnel after a while driving. Some stick on insulation helps this and also cuts some of the noise.

My parents had a 1986 110(retrofit 200tdi) as their only car for about 10 years, and my brother had a 98 300tdi 90 for some time a couple of years ago. At that point he was doing a couple of 100 mile commute trips every week with no major issues. Now they have 2008/2010 models which are quite a bit more refined!

I don’t know if it would be such an issue in the US, but they are quite a common target for thieves here as they’re easy to shift as parts.

The prices seem to be all over the place, across all years- it mostly seems to be people trying their luck to see what people will pay.

SpeedSix > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 19:31

The most expensive mostly stock ones are those LHD ones that were officially imported to the U.S. for a few years in the mid 1990s as they are unquestionably legal and rare (no more than a couple thousand imported).

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/30/2017 at 19:40

I did. And it was just fine.

The 200TDi engine was a bit fussy with respect to timing belts. It needs a new one every 50,000 miles. And it’s not a nice or easy job PLUS it is easy to fuck up. I wouldn’t get one again unless it had a timing gear conversion.

Vaginafication Nation > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
08/31/2017 at 02:02

This is a decent assessment.

adamftw > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
08/31/2017 at 07:11

My buddy has a NAS 90 (V8, 5 spd) that I’ve driven a few times. I’d DD the shit out of it, but I’m a Rover guy so take that with a grain of salt. I DD’d a Disco 1 for 3 years and it is a LOT more comfortable and cheaper to buy with the same “oh shit this part broke I have to wait 3 days to get it” thing.

The biggest thing about the Defender is that you pretty much have to drive with your arm out the window. You kind of wear the thing more than drive it. All old Rovers have a driving position and visibility that makes driving almost anything else feel well, worse I guess.