Defender, unreliable and badly made.....

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.

lightning

Well-Known Member
Posts
4,050
Location
High Peak
Just had this said to me....."The old Defender was unreliable and badly put together"

What makes me laugh is someone like this person will buy a twenty year old Defender, that's done 126,000 miles in the hands of eight owners.

One of which was a farmer, who regularly towed an lfor Williams across his farm with 15 sheep in it, and another used it to launch his boat off a slipway in a metre of sea water.

One owner never serviced it as they "go on forever" and two used Frank from no. 12 because he's good with cars.
Frank didn't know about the centrifugal oil filter, so that was not changed for 50,000 miles.
He filled the engine with Castrol GTX because that's "good for anything and these engines are bulletproof"

The Land Rover has been stolen recovered twice and on one occasion used to ram raid an off license. ln the ensuing Police chase it was dumped in a hedge where it got stuck trying to jump a stream.

lt's been washed on average twice a year (they look better dirty) and if it's lucky had the mud jet washed off the chassis after a winter driving in snow and salt.
One owner used it as an off road toy and thrashed it round Tixover Quarry every weekend. The monster wheels and tyres he fitted looked great but ruined the handling, and were taken off when he sold it as they needed money to do up the house.

The turbo had its wastegate messed with to "improve response" and a £50 Ebay tuning box that made it go like stink but it smoked like a tramp steamer.
So it was "stage 2 remapped by Megachips" to produce "180bhp mate"

Nobody ever refilled the swivels with grease or changed the gearbox/transfer box oil, although owner no. 6 installed a straight through exhaust and rock sliders.

Owner no. 7 tweaked the turbo again and blew the head gasket. His dad fixed it after watching a Youtube video, although afterwards it ran lumpy when cold.

Owner no. 8 got fed up with it and part exchanged it for a Discovery 3. The dealer cleaned it up, painted the crossmember, waxoyled it, fitted new headlamp surrounds, and changed the seats, then put it out at £9,995.

And then the new owner (like my customer) complains that his recently purchased Land Rover is "unreliable" and "keeps breaking down" and Land Rover "didn't put them together properly"
 
Last edited:
That is such an accurate post..

Maybe there should be like an aptitude test for all potential Land Rover Owners
Or they just buy it because it will look cool with Big wheels on the driveway and make me a roughty toughty outdoor explorer and adventurer. When in reality it will just be easy to find in supermarket car parks and you will be able to park on the verge whilst doing the school run.

In reality it will turn you into a gibbering wreck, a moaning old bugger, empty your bank account, increase the tools in your toolbox and will probably teach you a lot about sympathetic vehicle ownership, and make you a fair mechanic and have a sense of humour and part of a very unique friendly club.

Guess all sort of people buy them for all sorts of reasons, some with their heart some with their head


or some of us are just landy junkies needing our next fix and we are addicted and for which there maybe no cure....
( says the man with 3..well 2.5 and none useable on the road today.....)
 
If this varied and catalogued 8 ownership was seen as provenance as used in the art world, then it would surely increases its desire and value.
Definition of Provenance from Oxford Languages. A record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality.
Sounds just like a 20 year old Landy!
 
Just had this from a customer.....what makes me laugh is someone like my customer will buy a twenty year old Defender, that's done 126,000 miles in the hands of eight owners.

One of which was a farmer, who regularly towed an lfor Williams across his farm with 15 sheep in it, and another used it to launch his boat off a slipway in a metre of sea water.

One owner never serviced it as they "go on forever" and two used Frank from no. 12 because he's good with cars.
Frank didn't know about the centrifugal oil filter, so that was not changed for 50,000 miles.
He filled the engine with Castrol GTX because that's "good for anything and these engines are bulletproof"

The Land Rover has been stolen recovered twice and on one occasion used to ram raid an off license. ln the ensuing Police chase it was dumped in a hedge where it got stuck trying to jump a stream.

lt's been washed on average twice a year (they look better dirty) and if it's lucky had the mud jet washed off the chassis after a winter driving in snow and salt.
One owner used it as an off road toy and thrashed it round Tixover Quarry every weekend. The monster wheels and tyres he fitted looked great but ruined the handling, and were taken off when his missus made him sell it to "help out more with the kids"

The turbo had its wastegate messed with to "improve response" and a £50 Ebay tuning box that made it go like stink but it smoked like a tramp steamer.
So it was "stage 2 remapped by Megachips" to produce "180bhp mate"

Nobody ever refilled the swivels with grease or changed the gearbox/transfer box oil, although owner no. 6 installed a straight through exhaust and rock sliders.

Owner no. 7 tweaked the turbo again and blew the head gasket. His dad fixed it after watching a Youtube video, although afterwards it ran lumpy when cold.

Owner no. 8 got fed up with it and part exchanged it for a Discovery 3. The dealer cleaned it up, painted the crossmember, waxoyled it, fitted new headlamp surrounds, and changed the seats, then put it out at £9,995.

And then the new owner (like my customer) complains that his recently purchased Land Rover is "unreliable" and "keeps breaking down" and Land Rover "didn't put them together properly"


Thats a great advert ........where do I pay
 
Yes but Frank at no. 12 must be good with cars because he's got 17 of them in his drive and round the back he's rebuilding!

:cool:

For fixing / rebuilding substitute stuck with can't fix..

Not that i can talk with several unfinished vehicle projects.. but at least i own them..

:D
brill.....


I've got 12 cars including 1 van & 3 landroverso_O


Rich.
 
to fix or scrap or sell i have
2 quads
3 landys my 90 and the two recent 110 project purchases
1 skoda octavia
1 bmw diesel 320
ford fiesta 1.4tdci at the MOT station ( has been for a fortnight) waiting on a test or the results of it)

glad the L200 & the skoda octavia estate are still going ok

so 10 i think..

missus reckoned last week i had more vehicles than rooms in my place, good job she forgot 2 hidden in the barn and the one away for test...lol
 
You could always make a bed in the back of the 90, think a 110 would be better for me as am 6ft 2"

My 90 when in it;s garage is less than 20m from my bedroom, when it is on the road and not in the farmers workshop 6 miles away...lol
 
Mine's been great, in 70,000 miles it's never let me down
But it's been looked after.
Not obsessively but just regular servicing and anything that needed doing has been done.
 
Back
Top