defenders on the road

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A Defender in a nutshell is a **** car, slow, cramped uncomfortable, leaks oil no matter how hard you try, but everyone loves them including me!
Look on the bright side if you dont like it you can sell it easy as the bad weather will soon be here.
Last year i struggled keeping warm in my s2 diesel this year im going posh in my tdi 90!



Lynall
 
**** car but versatile and so much fun and a great tool/work horse to own, thats what im liking

what im thinking if i got one for winter- a dog guard with maybe some clipped on ply wood lined with bit of carpet against back of the cab,some extra heaters and maybe a cig lighter one , few bits of carpet in there and a rug over seat or something,and just tough out the winter, i think id easily fall in love with them once owned and a great all year rounder and alot of summer fun

its just finding the right one, its a choice between a defender or a classic, no other options in my mind
 
polsta said:
Hi folks

what are defenders like on the road ? ie if you had one as a road 4x4 for winter, my work trip is 50 mile round trip of town-motorway-town

and leave 8pm return 3/4am sort of time, most of year i use a car, but winter i like 4x4 and keep my car off grit/salt/ice etc

had a disco last winter just sold it, and pondering next move, just wondered what defender 90s are like in that sense ? drove one today it was a nice fun drive, not much leg room, maybe a bit small for me, and no comforts, i wonder what the heaters and that are like in winter ? if maybe a bit of a big ask ? ie my disco had heated screens,heated electric leather seats etc, just not sure if a defender would make a good winter daily driver ? but it would fit in the sense of rest of year it sits there as a toy to be used when needed on the odd trip

although i love the defender look

might go see this one, does it look any good and good value ? i love the look

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

had a look at this one today..was nice and solid etc, fun to drive, but i much prefer the look of the above one and the side windows,snorkel,chequer plating and it sounds very solid and like a good off road toy aswell ? just trying to do some research before deciding what my next 4x4 purchase will be, appriciate any help and info etc

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
Click to expand...

As I said in your other thread, I think they are great.

I did over 12,000 miles in my 1st Defender in 12 months. Not bad when my "commute" was only 1.7 miles each way!

I love driving them, but they are a little raw, think of them more like driving a Lotus Elise or MGB daily.

You'll either love it or hate it.
 
im not sure how...but i need to somehow decide a 90 or a classic, thats the 2 options, but how the hell do you decide, id love one of each hahaha

i think it might come down to what comes long and stands out within reasoable viewing distance really, if its not too far a trip, i can take a mate with me whos an mot tester and knows a bit about land rovers etc, and can have a good look, hours n hours away and im on my own really

defender vs classic, tough choice, both have their merrits and different atributes i suppose
 
lynall said:
A Defender in a nutshell is a **** car, slow, cramped uncomfortable, leaks oil no matter how hard you try, but everyone loves them including me!
Look on the bright side if you dont like it you can sell it easy as the bad weather will soon be here.
Last year i struggled keeping warm in my s2 diesel this year im going posh in my tdi 90!



Lynall
Click to expand...

Thats why I plan to upgrade the heater in mine and wear my Irvin flying jacket or Rab Summit, both might be designed for -30 temps or below but they'll keep the cold at bay in the 109
 
polsta said:
**** car but versatile and so much fun and a great tool/work horse to own, thats what im liking

what im thinking if i got one for winter- a dog guard with maybe some clipped on ply wood lined with bit of carpet against back of the cab,some extra heaters and maybe a cig lighter one , few bits of carpet in there and a rug over seat or something,and just tough out the winter, i think id easily fall in love with them once owned and a great all year rounder and alot of summer fun

its just finding the right one, its a choice between a defender or a classic, no other options in my mind
Click to expand...
The standard heater in my 300 tdi 90 works just fine, you wont need extra heaters as long as the original is working properly. It's more important to insulate all the bare metal, it stops the "feeling" of cold and stops the condensation.
 
My 1986 90 CSW with 200tdi conversion was fine for heating in -10, after I put a working thermostat in it. Before then, gloves and a woolly hat were needed. The County has some sound-deadening stuff that probably helps with temperature insulation, but I don't think it does much. I wouldn't say it gets toasty hot in the cold weather, but is certainly comfortable enough to not need hat and gloves (apart from the first mile or so, maybe).

They're fine for commuting - I did 10K in mine between MOTs. On my 30 mile round trip commute, I don't find the noise too obtrusive, but for longer journeys, especially motorway, I sometimes put ear defenders on (radio is much easier to hear with them on as well). The 90s are good in traffic, and surprisingly easy to park.

I run mine on biodiesel, and get a very steady 27mpg on a fairly even mix of town, back roads and motorway (rarely over about 55mph). Bio is cheaper and works out, cost-equivalent, to about 32mpg.
 
If you are thinking of getting a 90, series or RRC don't decide now. Go out, have a look and test drive them. At the end of it all the 3 types of land rover will do what your wanting them for. So i would go out and try to get the best deal i could. I got a 1996 defender 90, i was looking for an old one but the one i have was close to me and at a good price so i snapped it up. Good luck getting one. Post when you do. Cheers
 
keep em comming fellas its all going on board

its a defender/90 vs classic rr , diesel, and im just looking and reading and seeing what comes up local/within reason to go view, just waiting for the one that "feels right" , whats ment to be for me will be, not in any real rush but ideally want soem time to get it all ready for winter and also avoid snow tax/panic buying one

i think if its a 90 it has to be either a 1500 range tank, thats a bit rough but solid enough, or one that looks/feels nice , the one i test drove thinking 3.5-4k for it..felt a bit funny, if i was a farmer a bit different, but im not, so if i get one it has to be a nice "toy" have nice looks for one rewason or another/potential to have, and/or maybe have some off road toys and be good in that sense , or a nice cleanish type one thats not ahd a particularly hard life, i know all defenders are like that to a degree but im not paying 3.5k for something that looks and feels a bit of a ****ter

or il get a classic maybe if the right one comes along , both have things i really like about them, just have to keep looking and seeing
 
classic range rover :cool: ..but not sure il find the right one, with how much they need looking over etc and seems to just mainly be petrols for sale, or a 8-10 hr round trip, and you cant be "certain" before making such a trip, and not knowing anything about them really, so needs to be withn reasonable distance, id like to own something within say 5 weeks, and that gives me a month of it being sat there and alos my car still, to get it all ready for winter
 
Oh yeh, I just read your previous post again! :). A rrc will be much 'nicer' but won't perform as a 90 will.. And as to have found most rrc's are petrol!
 
We run a TD5 and it's quite civilised (coil springs, some sound proofing and a diesel / night heater). Comfort wise, at 6ft it's ok, but many fit seat risers to give a bit more room. It's our daily driver and passengers love it!
 
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