Defender as a daily...

So, who uses their Defender on a daily basis, and what sort of driving/mileage do you do?

I'm looking to get a defender for a bit of offroad/green lane fun. Originally I was going to buy it was a weekend toy, and buy a cheap run around to use on a daily basis.

Having looked into it, I'm not sure its worth the cost to run 2 cars - I'm only 22 so insurance is still my issue, its cheaper to insure a Defender than a cheap diesel Ibiza etc - in which case I'm sat wondering if its worth using the Defender on a daily basis instead.

I'm fairly into my cars, but at the moment there is nothing that takes my fancy enough to want to spend money on, except a Defender really. Only problem is its not what I'd probably call a typical daily driver...

I know that the Defender will be more expensive to run than a 'regular' daily, but I'd rather spend a little bit more on something I'll enjoy using than save a little bit of money but end up with something I'm not fussed about. At the end of the day its still going to cost me money, so why not spend a little more and enjoy it.

I'm really after opinions on whether it is worth while or not, and what sort of costs I should be looking at in terms of mpg, consumables like tyres and brakes etc.

Any help would be appreciated!

Seeing as you will be able to do repairs yourself, you will probably save money in the long run, yes it will cost more in diesel, but with all the companies specialising in replacement parts all the consumables like brake pads and other service items are easily cheaper than an Ibiza, I say go for it.

Lee

I was in exactly the same position when looking for mine. I do 40 miles of motorway everyday, takes about half an hour/45 mins. Costs me £10 each day exactly, which is the same as my 1.8 petrol merc used t

Mine is a daily driver, when it's working that is

Do about 170 miles a week in it, not a lot I know

I use mine as a daily driver and if im in the yard its a 40 mile round trip. Its not as economical as my t4 van was but that was ace on fuel. dont take it over 60 miles an hour and youl save a bunch of money. well thats the case with my td5 anyway. I do have a safari rack fitted to mine though which dosent help in the streamline department.

Long runs are not that bad on fuel really, i used £30 of fuel going to birmingham - wigan- birmingham yesterday. long runs can be uncomfortable as the seats are not mega comfy. but if you want comfort you dont buy a defender you buy a range rover.

I have 285/75/16 cooper stt mud terrains on mine and there noisy on the motorway and make the steering wheel wobble slightly at low speeds but for me the compromise is worth it.

If you can afford it, you can always get a little run around if you dont like the daily driver aspect.


Matt

Do 20 miles a day. I had the same problem, do I get a cheap run around & a 90.
I know I'd get bored with the run around.
Now I cycle once or twice a week & enjoy both.
One life that's all I can say !

I use my Defender every day when it works that is, if I feel like a change I use the KTM for some fun. I much prefer to sit in traffic in my defender, that way if sombody tries to squeeze in I can scare the s@*t out of them. I ony do 50 miles a week commuting so I dont mind paying for teh fuel.

I see no reason for not using one daily. In fact I suspect most Defender's probably are indeed dailys for most people.

Tyres - they'll last as long or longer than car tyres.

Mpg wise - it'll depend a bit on which engine you opt for, how you drive and where. But I'd budget along the lines of 25-28mpg for the diesels. It is possible to see 30+ but you need to drive it in a fuel efficient manner. Likewise its also quite possible to average 21-23mpg also.

I drive mine everyday otherwise I get withdrawl symptoms and my Mrs will start to assume I dont need it anymore.

Shifty1962 said:

I drive mine everyday otherwise I get withdrawl symptoms and my Mrs will start to assume I dont need it anymore.

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:lol:

I had a similar issue with my last missus...... I didn't drive her every day and realised the fat cow was not needed anymore.
Now I have 2 motors, a tool box in the kitchen and if I want another Land Rover I just have to ask myself

Yes ok as daily driver can be hard work, but still enjoyable.
My other cars is a series 2!
I had a micra for 12monts dull or what 40 mpg and air con but totally **** car felt like a pratt driving it as well.
Plus you will never get nicked for speeding!
27mpg to work and back 150 miles a week, over 30 on a run so not to bad.


Lynall

Our TD5 is the main car in our family, possibly because its my wife`s car (!) - there is a compromise on comfort and fuel economy (and access to multi-story car parks............) but on balance its worth it, we use it more than the four other cars in the family put together.
It costs more to run than a eurobox but its more fun and more adaptable (it does more things we want to do). On balance I`d go for it, but you might want to check your insurance quotes again since Defenders aren`t cheap for 22 year olds to insure

I drive mine pretty much every day. It's not my only car, but the other one is a Series III so even less practical.

Defenders can make great everyday cars, how much fettling you do to them depends on your preference. Currently I drive my 90 and that has had a few things done to improve the user experience, soundproofing, remote central locking, Td5 dash etc. A long term project is a 110 CSW I am re-building, and this will have a few more things on top, air conditioning, heated screens etc.

My 90 is also my work vehicle, being in forestry I don't just drive it to work I also quite often drive it at work, and usually off-road. It has just the right levels of comfort for this I think. Sure it gets a bit annoying when things break and need fixing, but as it's nearly 20 years old I expect it and budget accordingly.

As far as insurance goes, I'm also 22 and pay about £350 for the 90 and slightly less for the Series III, both fully comp. With five years NCB.

You'll know within the first few weeks whether you can live with a Defender as a daily driver, I know I can with a few comforts added as above (used to have a Focus with heated everything and air con etc. which has probably spoilt me!) but some people can't deal with some unchangeable aspects of the vehicle.

Shifty1962 said:

I drive mine everyday otherwise I get withdrawl symptoms and my Mrs will start to assume I dont need it anymore.

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im with you on this one

MrJC said:

I had a similar issue with my last missus...... I didn't drive her every day and realised the fat cow was not needed anymore.
Now I have 2 motors, a tool box in the kitchen and if I want another Land Rover I just have to ask myself

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i have 2 landys and a tool box in the kitchin, compressor under the stairs








but still have the Mrs to go with it

I don't miss my c4 one bit. Yes it was comfy. Warm in winter and cool in summer, and I didn't have a tanned right arm and oil under my nails but I wouldn't swap my 90 for anything.
Only down side is when it snows your the only one in work...

300tdistu said:

i have 2 landys and a tool box in the kitchin, compressor under the stairs








but still have the Mrs to go with it

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I keep my old lady under the stairs and my tools in the kitchen - I wished
Sometimes I cant get her out of my Defender when I want to use it. Taken to hiding the keys so she has to use her Euro box. Also threatened to tow my trailer with three tons of oak logs using her motor but she saw sense in the end.

Use mine every day and its the main family car (wife got a corsa) 8000miles in the past 12 months and loved every one of them. Love going back to to where Ive parked it and finding someone looking at it.......and the wife thinks its great how other Defender owners wave at us, even though we dont know them!

Shifty1962 said:

I keep my old lady under the stairs and my tools in the kitchen - I wished
Sometimes I cant get her out of my Defender when I want to use it. Taken to hiding the keys so she has to use her Euro box. Also threatened to tow my trailer with three tons of oak logs using her motor but she saw sense in the end.

Click to expand...

my Mrs hates the 90

but happy in the disco

n to top it off she dose not drive........