Defender 90 as a first vehicle?

Evening all, this is my first post so be gentle.

I will be after my first car very soon and i'm thinking of buying a Defender 90 (instead of the usual Punto/Fiesta) I don't know why I want one, I just do.
I have done a lot of searching and reading of this forum and found answer to a few questions, but not all of them - hopefully this is where you can help out.

Would a defender be suitable as a first car? My needs would be driving to and from work (about a 7 mile trip), I play bass in a band and bass amps are big, heavy things, the extra size in the back would be useful.
I have read lots of posts on this forum about the defender breaking and needing repairs - how often would you say they break will I be stripping it down every weekend to get it ready for the next weeks comuting? I'd say I am below average at mechanics, however, my dad knows his stuff and we have a private, friendly local garage who are cheap - they also have a couple of Defenders themselves.
I'm hoping to have £2000 or so to spend, I've read the main things to look out for are the chassis, bulkhead, engine, gearbox and driveline - if these are solid it should last a while, right?

Any other magic bits of knoledge you can give me? Or should I just take the plunge and go for it?


Many thanks in advance.

Go for it try for a tdi and there usually quiet reliable. If you're not going tobe doing loads of offroading and you look after it you shouldn't have too many problems. and if it does breakdown their esy to fix. unlike a punto or a fiesta.

definitely go for it. You'll wonder why you didn't do it years ago, I sometimes have to drive the trouble's astra and I can't wait to jump back into the 110 afterwards ( you just feel too low down and vulnerable in a standard car ) You might think about getting a 110 actually being as you play in a band you never know when the extra space will come in handy.

Hi Big and Daft,

I bought a 1986 land rover 90 back in May as my first car (I'm almost 18) and I absolutely love it, but there are a couple of things that you need to consider, so here's a quick run through:

Fuel Consumption & Costs
Defenders are thirsty cars compared to your average curvy clio which get around 70mpg, but there are ways to run a defender reasonably well and easy on your pocket:

• Don't race about, cruise up to speed, allow plenty of time for your journey and enjoy the ride
• Use a mixture of vegetable oil and standard diesel in your fuel tank. This can work fuel prices down to anything between 60p and 75p, it's better for the environment and you'll get more miles to the gallon.
• Take it easy until your engine is up to temperature

What to look for
You've hit the nail on the head with what to look out for, but really make sure that it is just as solid as it seems. As for the drive train, if you keep things like propshafts and joints well greased up, they will last forever, so I wouldn't really worry about that so much. The chassis and the bulkhead are the only bits that seem most obvious, but check the underside of doors. they're the bits you'll notice after you've bought the car, and they can be in really bad nick, eventually costing 3-400 quid to replace.

Problems I've experienced
Luckily my local garage gave me 3 months warranty which has come in very useful. In this time I've had a cylinder bored out and a piston replaced to improve compression. Other than that, everything is fine.

Things you'll get used to
You'll get used to door seals which don't quite work as well as they should and the occasional puddle on the floor. It's not uncommon for a defender to make perculiar rattling noises so don't start thinking that something different has broken every time you drive.

The Good Bits

• Your family will call on you for little jobs which brings in a bit of extra cash
• You can go off road!
• They look bloody cool and you can customize it to look exactly how you want

All in all, I'm very happy with my 90 and it's running just as sweet as ever, even after 250,000 miles! Go for it...

-Pos

Aye go for it young 'un. Wish I'd got one when I wuz your age. Do a search for "buying a second hand 90", theres a good bit from Widget. 90s are better'n 110s for offroading an they have a much smaller turning circle but 90's ant got much room in the back for kelt, pickups are better for long ,wide odd shaped stuff. An you'll never get away from the fact that as far as age is concerned 2 grand will get you a 90 thats over 15 years old an probly had a hard life, whereas the same money would get you a five or six year old small boring ****ty little daft crappy car that dickheads drive.

My Land Rover Defender is my first car and it is wicked it is a 1994 swb hardtop with 18,000 miles they are safe and fun and easy to work on.

I firmly agree wi the older members of the forum (sorry guys)

Got my first landy when i was 20 had it three years and regret the day i sold it for an astra, so much so just i have traded the astra for another 90csw.
Dont expect to find much for 2 grand though you need to be 3 grand and upward for a decent one but they are worth it and loadsa fun to customise and are totally classless

GO FOR IT THERE GREAT!

landy10 said:

I firmly agree wi the older members of the forum (sorry guys)

Got my first landy when i was 20 had it three years and regret the day i sold it for an astra, so much so just i have traded the astra for another 90csw.
Dont expect to find much for 2 grand though you need to be 3 grand and upward for a decent one but they are worth it and loadsa fun to customise and are totally classless

GO FOR IT THERE GREAT!

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Couldn't agree more on the classless issue something i've always said.No doubt about it when you're in a normal car there is definitely an air of competition between you and everybody else. Theirs look nicer, newer model, bigger engine etc whereas in a landy you just don't give a toss what the others are driving cos you're in ya landy.

Thats excellent - just what I wanted to hear, thanks everyone.
I'll be getting a loan to buy one, so I might as well get a loan for 3K instead of 2K

Thanks for that link Grunt, I had read it once but couldn't find it again - ideally i'd like a CSW, just need to keep an eye out, anyone know of any good dealer type people in North Manchester area. I'm currently using eBay for ideas of what I can afford.

Thanks once again.

You'll pay a fair bit more for CSW just fer a few seats and some soggy carpet.

nowt wrong with a few seats and soggy carpet.Wear waders and keep your feet and arse dry

go for it boyo my 90 is my 1st motor at 24. its awesome. got well stuck into offroading, but it breaks far more ofter! keep it clean and look after it. dont use ebay as a guide as you dont know the condition very well and its a mine field... its bad enough without ebay!

G