Help Need Advice

Hi people;


im new to the forum so bear with me.

I am thinking about getting a landrover defender, want to get out of driving new cars every day to and from work (corsa sxi) is BORING. so would like to get a defender to use as my primary veichle (i know it will be a lot different but thats the fun right), and may think about off roading some time down the line.

my problem is what should i go for, have been looking about at a few (realy like the swb pickup) priced at the £2000 mark 85-90 but have been put off after hearing about bad mpg's (18mpg's??) and bad engines. So dont know wheather to go for a cheap option at 2000 of spend more money like 3000-4000 on a newer defender

q1) should i go for one after 1990
q2) what sort of mpg will this give
q3) what is the reliability like for these (this i important as i will use it to commute)
q4) are parts and loabour expensive
q5) what things should i check when buying.


As you can see i am really dont know what way to turn so hope you can help me, have my heart set on a defender. my plan would be to buy it and keep it for ever maintaing it when needed. but have heard some horror stories about defenders

please help???

A 90 would be best if yer not in the family way, mpg is between 25-28 if you can get one a 300 Tdi. Parts are not too bad my independent specialist is £37.50 an hour I would recommend taking someone that knows Land Rovers or taking it to an independent to check it for you before you hand over yer lolly. £4k should get you into the 300 range

4K will probably get you a tatty 300, but it would get you a pretty tidy 200tdi. The differences between the two are negligible really - from the drivers seat the 300 is a bit quieter is about it.

I get anywhere from 26 to 31mpg from my 200 depending on how and where I drive it. For reference - I paid £3k for a '93 L plate and had to spend about a grand putting it right - mind you , I did the non welding repairs myself so I saved a packed on labour there.

If you can wield a spanner a little bit then a Landy is a much better idea than a Corsa... ever so easy to fix. You'll even save some cash on the gym subscription as undoing all the bolts the last **** overtightened will seriously put some muscle on ya

Happy hunting,

and from the poorer amoungst us, id go with ADZ and a good 200tdi for reliability. spend your 3000-4000 but take someone who knows what they are talking about with you! it will be worth it, to make sure you get a good, clean, reliable less-rusty landy.

ive got a 2.5 n/a (1984) 90 and for what it is, its great. cost me £1900 (my 1st car) kitted out with all the offroad stuff. but i wouldnt want the daily commute in it as i wouldnt trust it. reliability wise. i also offset my carbon footprint by riding my bike to work 5 days a week

anyway, im saving for a 300tdi and looking to spend 5-6k in the next 2years. my 90 was a great start to landrover ownership but from the sounds of it, you would be better off spending more and getting a good 200tdi.

where in the world are you? your avatar dont say. maybe someone here could go along with you to look at at some if thats what you want.

G

thanks guy;

you confirmed just what i thought, that in the long run it may be better to spend a bit more to get better reliability, performance. so i am now looking at spending 3000-5000. I like the truck cabs the best but they seem to be quite rare, where is the best place to look for these other than ebay & autotrader.

thanks again.

ps. im in glasgow