Defenders any good for a first car?

What's everyone's thoughts on a defender for a first car? Drove a few but this will be the first legally defender 90 or 110? What's insurance like for them? Is it any different for lasses? Any advice is appreciated

What do you want from It? family, kids, camping out of it , lots of travel. What is your budget, how long you plan on keeping it. What are your mechanic skills, place to work on it? Age determines insurance, young you pay more, old fookers pay less.

I had one when I was 17 and it was brilliant... however, that was 10 years ago - insurance now is excessive.

Try getting some quotes (look in the insurance section - DONT start asking about it, it's been covered a million times.

You'll need to ring some specialists, as well as comparison sites.

My brother is insured for a series 3 as his first car, and with my dad on it they wanted 1900, adding me took it down to 1500 (im only 20 as well, bit of a surprise that!) but I would assume a 90 would be a lot more still, as it is more powerful, expensive etc.

I don't understand insurance at all but by the time you have sold the limbs to pay it, it gets very hard to drive!

I don't see how the insurance is so high on a 90/110 they only go about 30mph and a good one 60mph. But what puts the price up is because they are a 4x4 and are weigh 2t

Kellers said:

What's everyone's thoughts on a defender for a first car?

Excellent.

Drove a few but this will be the first legally defender 90 or 110?

90

What's insurance like for them?

OK for me, crap for youngsters.

Is it any different for lasses?

Dunno

Any advice is appreciated

Click to expand...

Learn vehicle maintenance ...

lr-90 said:

I don't see how the insurance is so high on a 90/110 they only go about 30mph and a good one 60mph. But what puts the price up is because they are a 4x4 and are weigh 2t

Click to expand...

Sell ya heap of **** then and get a decent one. Mine will do 90. on a motorway

redhand said:

Sell ya heap of **** then and get a decent one. Mine will do 90. on a motorway

Click to expand...

I will openly admit that my 1990 110 2.5 N/A will cruise down the motorway all day at the legal speed limit ... with about 20mph in reserve, although it would be illegal to travel at 90mph

I've got one as my first 'car', I love it. 200tdi 90. Sometimes I wish I had got a 110 but then I remember that the wheelbase I have is an awesome all rounder especially off road. Mine is a station wagon with 6 seats. My insurance was a nightmare and in the end after A LOT of research and phone calls we just had to pay it. It doesn't seem to make much difference with modifications, only a few hundred which is nothing on the grand scale of things lol . I have seen that if you get a 90 hardtop van, it is significantly cheaper, with Aviva atleast, If I had a van I was getting quotes for about £800. With my SW its thoosands no matter what you do. I had just turned 18 when I took my insurance out last October. Hopefully I will manage to get a years no claims (almost there touch wood) which should soften things a little.

redhand said:

Sell ya heap of **** then and get a decent one. Mine will do 90. on a motorway

Click to expand...

Mine does 0 mph because i don't have one

I would advise you get a cheap to insure/run small car, then save your money up , and do a mechanics course. The money you save you can then buy a load of tools. You will end up older , so insurance cheaper with ncb as well, a decent tool kit , and knowledge how to fix vehicles. Without all the aforementioned running a landy can be a expensive, and soul destroying experience, as you will be buying into the lower end of the market , which vehicles are usually abused , and messed about with by people who havent really got a clue.

Assuming youre a young first time driver, you are going to be absolutely shagged by insurane companies, theres simply no way around it. Be prepared for quotes in the high £1000s if not £2000s. Theres so many factors in insurance its impossible to say, but the key ones are:

Is it fast? No thankfully defenders arent
Do they have a reputation of being a "boy racer" car and crashed lots (i.e vauxhall corsas)? No, thankfully.
How much damage is it going to do if you do crash it/how likely are you to kill someone else? Lots, its a 2 tonne lump of steel on wheels!
How likely is it to be stolen? Very likely, defenders are probably the #1 most stolen landrover.

I would reccomend you get something a bit smaller and cheaper to insure, build up a few years no claims bonus, then look at getting a defender My first car about 5 years ago was a horrible 0.8litre Citroen AX from the 80's that only had a 4 speed gearbox... and the blood sucking insurance companies still wanted about £1100 to insure it! but after the first year it dropped to about £700. Now Im paying just over £400 fully comp for a freelander

Cheers everyone. Insurance is gonna bite me arse no matter what I get, standard first car corsas n such are all high insurance, I just fancied something a bit different to everyone else and summat practical to tow a trailer when needed n cart plenty a ****e about!

Have read articles recently about 17 year olds buying series 3 or old 110's as first cars.
Apparently insurance is less than on a little hatchback and being older they are eligible for classic insurance.
All depends on what ya want froma vehicle though.

best idea ever, way cooler than a corsa etc!
get 110 over 90 as 90 is tiny. get 20year old or more so on classic insurance and should be very cheap. insure through specialist like greenlight, adrian flux, sureterm.

My nephew is looking for a suitable series 3 as apparently they are cheaper to insure as well as buy than a defender. Both would make a great 1st car

Just check classic car insurance, they might be cheaper, but a lot of them DO NOT build you up any no claims bonus.

Gonna have a look see what's about, thanks everyone

Kellers said:

What's everyone's thoughts on a defender for a first car? Drove a few but this will be the first legally defender 90 or 110? What's insurance like for them? Is it any different for lasses? Any advice is appreciated

Click to expand...

To be honest, unless you have the serious personality flaw that drives you to owning a Land Rover in the first place they aren't any good as a first car, a last car or any car in between. By any measurable standard they barely qualify as a "car".

I'm on my fourth

waldershelf said:

To be honest, unless you have the serious personality flaw that drives you to owning a Land Rover in the first place they aren't any good as a first car, a last car or any car in between. By any measurable standard they barely qualify as a "car".

I'm on my fourth

Click to expand...

Rubbish, they are amazing first cars... when you get something wrong (which most new drivers do) it doesn't crumple the car and write it off... perfect.

Kellers said:

Cheers everyone. Insurance is gonna bite me arse no matter what I get, standard first car corsas n such are all high insurance, I just fancied something a bit different to everyone else and summat practical to tow a trailer when needed n cart plenty a ****e about!

Click to expand...

If you're towing big stuff make sure you do your trailer test too

tacr2man said:

I would advise you get a cheap to insure/run small car, then save your money up , and do a mechanics course. The money you save you can then buy a load of tools. You will end up older , so insurance cheaper with ncb as well, a decent tool kit , and knowledge how to fix vehicles. Without all the aforementioned running a landy can be a expensive, and soul destroying experience, as you will be buying into the lower end of the market , which vehicles are usually abused , and messed about with by people who havent really got a clue.

Click to expand...

Well you sir are very boring. You only live once, you're only young once, go have fun while you can.