looking to buy my 1st defender.. what engine should i get?

Hi all

Looking at 110 defenders. My budjet is around 6k so have been looking at TD5's but a few people have said that the 200 and 300's are better? Is this true?


Looking to have it as an offroad beast but also for the road So thought a newer td5 would be for the best?

Sorry for the noob question

This has been discussed, google "Defender 300tdi or TD5"

Personally l have a 110 TD5 and the missus has a 300tdi 90. The TD5 is more refined but the tdi is still pretty good. The engine is a fair bit noisier though! For off road use and if you want to modify it l would be tempted to say get a 300tdi.
But if you are using it as a daily driver and motorway use l would go TD5

Ahh see i knew someone on here would have both lol. I will be using it 75% daily and 25%off road!! The td5 was my 1st choise but when a few people make that sucking noise and go hmm i would go for a 200 or a 300 it puts the wollys up me

I think general condition is far more important than engine type, all three engines have their good and bad points but all tratters suffer from rot regardless of age, and as for 'off road beast' if it's going to spend 75% of it's life on the road I'd watch what's on your wish list. I've got a standard spec tratter with mud terrains on it and it's more than capable off road and have heard horror stories of people who've put all sorts on bling and crap on their tratters and wrecked it's on road abilities

A reason I went for the 200tdi is so that I could work on it myself.
The more modern the engine the more electrical knowledge require etc.
Depends on how confident you are with stuff.

I agree condition is up the list too... maybe beast was a bit over kill i just want it to be capable off road! So bigger tyres and maybe some diff lockers? The rest will be making it look mean on the road ☺

donk56 said:

A reason I went for the 200tdi is so that I could work on it myself.
The more modern the engine the more electrical knowledge require etc.
Depends on how confident you are with stuff.

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Working on it isnt an issue.. im a tech for toyota/lexus by trade 😉

Marmaduke said:

If it's going to spend 75% of it's life on the road I'd watch what's on your wish list. I've got a standard spec tratter with mud terrains on it and it's more than capable off road and have heard horror stories of people who've put all sorts on bling and crap on their tratters and wrecked it's on road abilities

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This is basically my view. When Land Rover designed the thing they generally knew what they were doing in striking a balance. In standard form with a decent set of boots on, it will go pretty much wherever you need it to. Underbody skid plates and such won't do any harm, but once you start getting into massive lifts and wacky suspension that comes apart you can ruin it.

My vote goes for the 300, I had a 300tdi CSW and I loved it, then I swaped it for a td5 pick up, which was also good but I did give it a bit of abuse off road and I learnt the hard way that electronics don't like water. After the td5 I bought another 300tdi CSW and I plan on keeping it forever, the 300 engine just keeps on going and it is a lot more forgiving than the td5, plus I love the lack of electronics

I'd say the v6 is the betterer option but yer need to buy a Freelander to go with it.

Hippo said:

I'd say the v6 is the betterer option but yer need to buy a Freelander to go with it.

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And a balaclava so nobody can see you driving it, unless you're a hairdresser by trade then it's perfectly acceptable

Hippo said:

I'd say the v6 is the betterer option but yer need to buy a Freelander to go with it.

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but its thirsty compared to a diesel,and no where near as reliable

Marmaduke said:

And a balaclava so nobody can see you driving it, unless you're a hairdresser by trade then it's perfectly acceptable

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Yer but no but biscuit tin nail bar technicians wear anoraks to stop yerself getting wet. ound:

THEengineer said:

but its thirsty compared to a diesel,and no where near as reliable

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Yer but no but petrol's are quieter, smoother, more powerful and ignite quicker...

I think it all depends on what you are going to use it for. You mentioned 75% road use and 25%off road. I have only driven a 200TDI which I use as my daily drive around the French countryside and it suits me fine. If however my 75% road was commuting to work on motorways then I would think again and probably look more seriously at a TD5
My 200tdi works for me, no one parks near it in the supermarket car parks. I don't come back and find dings or scraps from trollies. I go off road in the forest collecting wood. Last holiday was crossing the Sahara in Morocco and its going again next year. The engine seems unbreakable and just keeps going. My only real complaint is the heaters are crap and you suffer in the winter which you might not in a TD5.

_DSC8552 by MichaelWills.fr, on Flickr

James_mac said:

My vote goes for the 300, I had a 300tdi CSW and I loved it, then I swaped it for a td5 pick up, which was also good but I did give it a bit of abuse off road and I learnt the hard way that electronics don't like water. After the td5 I bought another 300tdi CSW and I plan on keeping it forever, the 300 engine just keeps on going and it is a lot more forgiving than the td5, plus I love the lack of electronics

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Liquid electrical tape is a godsend for electrics that are going to get wet. I use it on everything from boats to kids rc cars.

I agree...I have 200tdi and love it.Have driven them all. Never noticed much difference between 200 and 300 except different engines and r380 gearbox is nice.

Td5 is a good engine too.

I think any are going to be fine. I would have any. None are perfect.

200tdi gets my vote!
Although a lot of people use the TD5 offroad, the 200 has plenty of torque, and no electronic trickery!

I've given mine some real sh*t and she's still going strong.
My only complaint is the old stye v-belts for the alternator/water pump/power steering get a bit squeely when wet, or can do if you haven't got them super tensioned up!