Landrover defender owners input...

[Donkey Basher]

Have run two 90s, a 2.5 turbo diesel for about 2 years then a 300Tdi for 20 years. Stupidly sold the 300Tdi and bought a Td5 110 DCPU & like S62 I didn't love it & it didn't love me! Had a Td5 D2 for 5 years before moving on after the first MoT advisory for chassis rust. Now run a Japanese import D2 V8 - it has zero rust & is so much more refined than any Defender. Ten grand will get you a very nice Japanese import V8 D2 with front & rear aircon, leather heated seats, electric mirrors, electric sunroofs, etc. I love driving mine Also got a D4 too, that's simply in another class but running it is not cheap...

 

[Danny Fireblade]

I have a 1998 300tdi 110 utility which is used solely for stalking. I have never been stuck in it, it has a solid and unmolested chassis, runs on OME shocks, galvanised suspension gear and while the engine isn't the most powerful, it isn't full of electronics which require a separate reader to work out what is wrong.
There are loads out there so buy the one that is right for you, take someone who knows about defenders with you when you get it and while mine has been pretty reliable, the parts that are available for them are usually not the best which is why they sometimes break down.
There are things that do go wrong, and they do get nicked, but I know wherever I want to go, this will get me there and back.

 

[shakey jake]

i had one hateful thing, super reliable if you spent all weekend fixing the faults. cheaply built tat that is over priced, thay rot like a pear, every component sorced as cheap as they could get. if they came from the eastern block no one would touch them!

if you have deep pockets or a garage and hate free time, enjoy

 

[sy247]

Yep - definitely marmite

 

[willowbank]

Owning a Defender is not all doom and gloom, I’ve had my 1994 90 300tdi now for almost 20yrs (180k) and use it in lanes and off road daily.
Fitted with Insa Turbos it will go anywhere in 4wd, a little noisy, but a very fair trade off.
It has had one or two niggling little probs but no dramas.

Willowbank

 

[sy247]

Owning a Defender is not all doom and gloom, I’ve had my 1994 90 300tdi now for almost 20yrs (180k) and use it in lanes and off road daily. Fitted with Insa Turbos it will go anywhere in 4wd a little noisy but a very fair trade off.
It has had one or two niggling little probs but no dramas.

Willowbank

Mine is also a 1994 that has now done 195k. If I was doing a lot of long journeys or commuting I wouldn't have it as an every day driver but it suits my needs. I'm looking forward to taking it to my local off road pay and play day next weekend

 

[willowbank]

Mine is also a 1994 that has now done 195k. If I was doing a lot of long journeys or commuting I wouldn't have it as an every day driver but it suits my needs. I'm looking forward to taking it to my local off road pay and play day next weekend

Enjoy but remember it will only as good as the rubber you fitted, doesn’t matter how good a driver you think you are once the blocks are full you are on slicks

WB

 

[sy247]

Enjoy but remember it will only as good as the rubber you fitted, doesn’t matter how good a driver you think you are once the blocks are full you are on slicks very

Very true! I have been round once before when it was very muddy and had to be winched out but the guys who did the winching seemed to be enjoying it!

I've got some old BF Goodrich mud terrains on it but they have got plenty of tread. I think I was running too high pressures in them and may have forgot to engage diff lock!

Hopefully I'll get round this time

 

[willowbank]

Very true! I have been round once before when it was very muddy and had to be winched out but the guys who did the winching seemed to be enjoying it!

I've got some old BF Goodrich mud terrains on it but they have got plenty of tread. I think I was running too high pressures in them and may have forgot to engage diff lock!

Hopefully I'll get round this time

Maybe teaching eggs etc but if you did forget to engage difflock last time out maybe I could offer a Pearl.
Before you enter a quagmire select 4wd Low and 2nd gear, not 1st or you will run out of revs when you need them, try to go through on tickover first, this has kept me moving many a time when the mud, **** and water has been coming in the cab

WB

 

[sy247]

Maybe teaching eggs etc but if you did forget to engage difflock last time out maybe I could offer a Pearl.
Before you enter a quagmire select 4wd Low and 2nd gear, not 1st or you will run out of revs when you need them, try to go through on tickover first, this has kept me moving many a time when the mud, **** and water has been coming in the cab

WB

Thanks. All advice gratefully received

 

[User00033]

I was going to make a joke about your forum name / handle, but I won’t cos that would be mean spirited. But if you do swap a Jap pickup for an Land Rover of any description, I will.

Never underestimate the aggravation / inconvenience / humiliation / financial burden / regret of choosing to replace a perfectly good vehicle with an unreliable donk. You might get lucky and buy a 90 that some other poor bastard has ruined a marriage / mental health / bank balance over, that actually goes quite well and doesn’t empty its bowels all over your driveway on day 3 of ownership.

And if you were so lucky (rare!), it is guaranteed that some pikey scumbag will steal it as you sit down for Sunday lunch (just after you’ve spent Saturday and Sunday morning underneath it probably).

Old Land Rover’s like the 90s and 110s with 200 or 300TDi motors deserve their time in the sun, but only when you already own another reliable car that you are going to run as your daily driver. A “fun” 90 should be a hobby car that you intend working on more than driving. It’s not something you should rely on on a daily basis.

Buying Top Gear’s red Hilux would be a better bet.

 

[bfltd0]

Owning a Defender is not all doom and gloom, I’ve had my 1994 90 300tdi now for almost 20yrs (180k) and use it in lanes and off road daily.
Fitted with Insa Turbos it will go anywhere in 4wd, a little noisy, but a very fair trade off.
It has had one or two niggling little probs but no dramas.

Willowbank

Love the paint job/wrap!

 

[308tikka]

It depends if you want a project and have time/resources.

As a second vehicle i think theyre great. Not enjoyable on motorways. Great on country roads and parking is a cinch due to flat rear end.

iI might be selling my R reg 300tdi 90 defender-needs new rear door and a repaint, but has had several thousand put into it including a ‘new’ engine with 110k (barely broken in!) at the 230mark. It will go for another 100k easily.

id say Landies are like Triggers broom.... some people love tinkering and replacing. That novelty has worn off for me-and due to an injury I find the seat position isnt great for it...

 

[User00036]

Maybe teaching eggs etc but if you did forget to engage difflock last time out maybe I could offer a Pearl.
Before you enter a quagmire select 4wd Low and 2nd gear, not 1st or you will run out of revs when you need them, try to go through on tickover first, this has kept me moving many a time when the mud, **** and water has been coming in the cab

WB

Absolutely this, good advice Willowbank. And if your terrain is a bit iffy, get a compressor & an ARB ez deflator. Takes seconds to deflate 4 tyres to 8-12 psi. Make sure you do it before you go anywhere dodgy, ie beaches at low tide!!!! Go easy on the clutch at low pressures to avoid breaking the bead. These things will go anywhere with decent tyres, modern Tyers can handle low pressures, hard tyres dig holes, once your in, you aint going nowhere.

 

[@theroedeerguy]

If I was looking for some 4x4 nostalgia without the dreaded Land Rover reliability I would be looking for something like this…..

2003/52 Toyota Hilux EX 270 4WD 2.4 TD Double Cab Pick Up*37,000 MILES!* *F-S-H* | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2003/52 Toyota Hilux EX 270 4WD 2.4 TD Double Cab Pick Up*37,000 MILES!* *F-S-H* at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[TomT3]

I was going to make a joke about your forum name / handle, but I won’t cos that would be mean spirited. But if you do swap a Jap pickup for an Land Rover of any description, I will.

Never underestimate the aggravation / inconvenience / humiliation / financial burden / regret of choosing to replace a perfectly good vehicle with an unreliable donk. You might get lucky and buy a 90 that some other poor bastard has ruined a marriage / mental health / bank balance over, that actually goes quite well and doesn’t empty its bowels all over your driveway on day 3 of ownership.

And if you were so lucky (rare!), it is guaranteed that some pikey scumbag will steal it as you sit down for Sunday lunch (just after you’ve spent Saturday and Sunday morning underneath it probably).

Old Land Rover’s like the 90s and 110s with 200 or 300TDi motors deserve their time in the sun, but only when you already own another reliable car that you are going to run as your daily driver. A “fun” 90 should be a hobby car that you intend working on more than driving. It’s not something you should rely on on a daily basis.

Buying Top Gear’s red Hilux would be a better bet.

‘And if you were so lucky (rare!), it is guaranteed that some pikey scumbag will steal it as you sit down for Sunday lunch (just after you’ve spent Saturday and Sunday morning underneath it probably)’

This!

 

[User00033]

‘And if you were so lucky (rare!), it is guaranteed that some pikey scumbag will steal it as you sit down for Sunday lunch (just after you’ve spent Saturday and Sunday morning underneath it probably)’

This!

They're even being stolen here in New Zealand Tom, parted out and sent overseas. They have an appalling reliability reputation here and they're disappearing fast, almost all gone I'd day. So no need to keep the parts in country, no market for it, so into a container and off they go, who knows where. My old mate Bob has an old mouldy 1986 Landy 90 V8 that was broken into outside his house last year, they tried to steal it but being a Land Rover it wouldn't start and they abandoned the effort after flattening the battery. To be fair, it hadn't been driven for a little while, but still.

(When we returned from Aus after 6 years, we day we got back we opened up our storage shed at the farm and set about getting the '93 Hilux going. Disconnected the 1 amp trickle charger, re-fitted the drain plug into the fuel tank, put 20L of fuel in and primed the fuel pump, replaced the engine oil... and it fired and ran on the third or fourth turn of the key. Dropped it off the axle stands and away it went... Took maybe an hour, probably less?)

 

[willowbank]

I was going to make a joke about your forum name / handle, but I won’t cos that would be mean spirited. But if you do swap a Jap pickup for an Land Rover of any description, I will.

Never underestimate the aggravation / inconvenience / humiliation / financial burden / regret of choosing to replace a perfectly good vehicle with an unreliable donk. You might get lucky and buy a 90 that some other poor bastard has ruined a marriage / mental health / bank balance over, that actually goes quite well and doesn’t empty its bowels all over your driveway on day 3 of ownership.

And if you were so lucky (rare!), it is guaranteed that some pikey scumbag will steal it as you sit down for Sunday lunch (just after you’ve spent Saturday and Sunday morning underneath it probably).

Old Land Rover’s like the 90s and 110s with 200 or 300TDi motors deserve their time in the sun, but only when you already own another reliable car that you are going to run as your daily driver. A “fun” 90 should be a hobby car that you intend working on more than driving. It’s not something you should rely on on a daily basis.

Buying Top Gear’s red Hilux would be a better bet.

I’m not usually moved to express an adverse response but cannot let this pass, what a crock of biased shite

Willowbank

 

[User00033]

You bet I’m biased mate. Every flavour of bias in every strength available. So biased I would happily wear a T-shirt saying what I thought of old Land Rovers in highly unpleasant terms. In fact, I have a friend who prints T-shirts, and I might just get one made up. As rude as possible. I’ll send you one for free!

Sadly my bias is a direct function of hard-won bad experiences, over many years, in the UK and Africa. Thankfully the Kiwis and Australians worked out that a Land Rover is a loose agglomeration of poor quality metal held together by hope & desperation, and stopped using them about 50 years ago.

 

[willowbank]

Love the paint job/wrap!

Matt Green, Brown and Black Halfords Camo rattlecans together with local natural foliage used as stencils, discarding foliage as it became too wet.

Prep is key (pun intended) wash, very lightly rub over with wet n dry, panel wipe then put down adjoining base sections in each of the colours, allow to dry 24hrs. Next day let your imagination go a spray away, building up layers of overlapping foliage etc, I used an old Onion bag as a stencil for Tree trunk, it’s works
The Secret is to spray a dark onto a lighter colour and vice versa.
Oh and I also sparingly used White here and there to really make it pop.

Willowbank