Defender a good first car?

Wasnt sure where to post about this so thought id just post in general chat. I just wanted to some advice and anyones opinion on getting a defender as a first car. i really fancy one as they look like fantastic cars. I work on a farm so it would be good to have a 4x4 to get around there but I was wondering how they get on, on motorways and such, do they struggle at 70 or are they comfortable? also is the mpg as bad as a lot of people make out or can you do well if you drive pretty economically? are there any major faults i should know about or do they not really have any? if anyone knows of any up for sale near newcastle i would appreciate some info.

cheers

sean

sean1992 said:

Wasnt sure where to post about this so thought id just post in general chat. I just wanted to some advice and anyones opinion on getting a defender as a first car. i really fancy one as they look like fantastic cars. I work on a farm so it would be good to have a 4x4 to get around there but I was wondering how they get on, on motorways and such, do they struggle at 70 or are they comfortable? also is the mpg as bad as a lot of people make out or can you do well if you drive pretty economically? are there any major faults i should know about or do they not really have any? if anyone knows of any up for sale near newcastle i would appreciate some info.

cheers

sean

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I'm 19 and have owned my 110 since I started driving. In my opinion they're a brilliant first car, for a multitude of reasons.

Firstly, what's your budget?

Unless you're looking at a TD5 or TDCi model, 70mph is probably pushing it a bit for cruising speeds. Most are more comfortable at around 60.

As for fuel economy, it again varies depending on which powerplant you're talking about. Early 19j (Pre Defender) TDs will achieve around 25mpg, TDI powered Defenders will give you around 30mpg, TD5 around 27mpg, TDCi about the same, maybe slightly more. So overall not too bad for such a large and heavy vehicle. An added bonus is that you can run most of the engines on vegetable oil, which will lower your running costs a fair bit.

Major faults, rust is the main killer of these vehicles. Chassis, bulkhead and steel flooring all rusts very well. Generally pretty reliable vehicles, and as they are so simple, they are extremely easy to work on with the most basic mechanical knowledge.

These vehicles are noisy, slow, uncomfortable, poorly equipped and more like driving a truck than anything else, but I can guarantee that once you drive one you will fall in love and not want to drive anything else!

Iys that feeling of "do i care if that knob pulls out in front of me?" "go ahead punk make my day" lol

thanks for the reply. budget is from like £1500 to £2500 i reckon, iv seen some that look to be decent around that price, will they be riddled with problems at that price? whats the insurance like for lads of our age?
iv been told that the parts can be replaced quite cheaply as well, is this so?
Also im a fairly big person, about 6ft 2, will i have hardly any room in there, some people say there is like no head or leg room?

Thanks for the info mate, really appreciate it, i really fancy getting one, i think id much rather have a noisy uncomfortable truck then some crappy 1.2 nissan micra haha!

sean

Having something like an older Defender as a first car will probably make you a better driver. Because they are so big and don't stop and accelerate like a normal car, you will learn far more about vehicle control, anticipation and other driving skills, and without an electronic nanny to mask and correct poor driving habits you will have to concentrate more on driving and what is going on around you.

im 18 and had a defnder since i passed, also learnt in it, and honestly wouldnt want anything else, comfortable crusing at 60 but with some mods, transfer box, higher ratio diffs mean you could go higher, shouldnt be too bad, insurance is comperable to any other car at our age, if not lower, mines around 1800 but coming up for renewal, but ive got mates who pay 800, and 1200, so prices vary depending on model, and there a grand car to have for mates, bundle loads of stuff in the back and go places knowone else can. major faults woyuld be bulkhead and doors id say from experience as my doors are shot and bulkhead is average, but if youve got mechanicing skills and some time no problem really, and mpg around 28 no matter how i drive it

sean1992 said:

thanks for the reply. budget is from like £1500 to £2500 i reckon, iv seen some that look to be decent around that price, will they be riddled with problems at that price? whats the insurance like for lads of our age?
iv been told that the parts can be replaced quite cheaply as well, is this so?
Also im a fairly big person, about 6ft 2, will i have hardly any room in there, some people say there is like no head or leg room?

Thanks for the info mate, really appreciate it, i really fancy getting one, i think id much rather have a noisy uncomfortable truck then some crappy 1.2 nissan micra haha!

sean

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At £1500 you're going to be looking at the bottom end of the market really, but your top end of £2500 should get you a decent and fairly reliable pre-Defender 90 or 110. I paid around that for my 1990 110 CSW with the 2.5TD engine in it;




Admittedly I have swapped out the engine for a Tdi and done loads of other bits and bobs to it, but I have loved every second.

I am 6ft and have no trouble whatsoever with headroom, although my seat is pretty much as far back as it will go. You can get extended seat rails as far as I know though, your best bet is to have a sit in one and see if you can get comfortable.

And yeah - any Landy is far superior to the 'normal' first car choices

Yeah, I guess with a defender, you'd be hard pushed to lose your licence because of speeding( Which seems to be a big issue for most young drivers in their saxos or fiestas).

I think it'd be an excellent choice. Ok im 32 now, but wish i'd got one sooner. You're sure to learn a lot about mechanics whilst owning one, but I can't think of a better vehicle to learn on. And working on a farm, I can't think of a better option.

ye defenders are cool as had mine when i was 17 only moved on to discos as i like the comfort

gcoo8154 said:

ye defenders are cool as had mine when i was 17 only moved on to discos as i like the comfort

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What are ya, 19 or 79?

19 na ile admit defenders are the best land rover but once youve owned a disco theres no turning back for me, well for now

gcoo8154 said:

19 na ile admit defenders are the best land rover but once youve owned a disco theres no turning back for me, well for now

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Gay.

gcoo8154 said:

19 na ile admit defenders are the best land rover but once youve owned a disco theres no turning back for me, well for now

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Just noticed your sig, am I reading that right? Three Discos???

Yep

gcoo8154 said:

Yep

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Erm, just one question......... why?

Just saying, if it was me I would have sold all three and put the cash together for one really special vehicle, as opposed to three lesser vehicles

Pretty impressive for a 19 y/o though I must admit

Langers said:

...These vehicles are noisy, slow, uncomfortable, poorly equipped and more like driving a truck than anything else, but I can guarantee that once you drive one you will fall in love and not want to drive anything else!

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Wot he said!



(...though, strangely, mine isn't so uncomfortable - actually, the seats are damned good, albeit 'simple' in design )

Well, I'm only 2 years short of 60. I have a Defender and although they are a high maintenance vehicles, they are worth the effort. When I was younger, I had an old ex-army 109 which I adored, but couldn't afford to run on it's 2¼ litre petrol engine. I used to do all my own work as far as possible (this included a full engine strip down, re-bore and re-ground crankshaft then re-build) but over the years I pretty much gave up on all DIY mechanics until I got my Defender almost a year ago. Although they can be frustrating, they really are a pleasure to work on. As mentioned above, they aint fast, they aint elegant but they can pull the birds just as well as any other car (if you find the right ones.) I was never short of female company when I had my first one waaaaaaaaaay back then, but in those days I had teef, hair, no money and no beer belly.

The question has been asked on here many times: Why do we love our Landies?

They have character, they have a certain aesthetic appeal, they even have a certain "class" to them, they are fun vehicles and the whole Landy scene is one of the friendliest I've ever had the pleasure to be part of. Like so many others, I love mine.

I'm 20, had a series 3 when i was 16 then learnt to drive in it...it was an interesting experience shortly after passing my test i bought a 90 and have used that everyday since, absolutely love it!

i had a disco for 8 months which i loved but going to uni meant a big clear out and now i've just got the fender

the insurance isn't too bad, it saved me during a crash, you will struggle to get done speeding, your mates will love it and you can get so many different configurations of bodywork, you can simply change it if you need. plus you will learn about mechanics and can save yourself a shedload of money

All sounds good. thanks for the info n that, much appreciated

I've had mine since about 15 and it's now my car now I can drive. Brilliant car and all your mates love it. You can get up to some laughs with a fender too. Cripples you on fuel and they are most comfortable at 50 to be honest.
It's one of those situations where you couldn't recommend one to a friend but I'd never let mine go.