Help Needed Please Newbie

Hi people how are you,
Over the last couple of weeks I have been reading up on this forum and other forums regarding the Land Rover Defender.

Im on a visit abroad and whilst looking at cars thought the ideal vehicle for where I am based would be a defender and with it looks would look cool also, Now I have come across a few and they are priced ok not too much actually same if not a little cheaper then UK prices considering a 2004 land cruiser prado are worth atleast £25K.

Now the problem is I have never driven a defender and nor do i know what its like to drive and how it is on the road or off. here where i am based the roads are ok but rough with plenty of both holes on main and side roads so a good 4x4 is ideal but i need it to be comfortable.

I have come across 2 defenders which I like...
first is a defender 130 double cab in white on 1998, it looks pretty standard and its about £6/7K it is manual with a tdi engine I dont know if its a 200 or 300

the second defender is a 110 station wagon 1989 in black it looks nice and the owner bought it from the previous owner who has heavily modified the mechanics, he has added a lexus 4.0 v8 and the automatic gearbox and he has also for some reason i dont know added the land cruiser dashboard with all the instruments etc and i have been told it all works and the interior is land cruiser.

I wouldnt mind a petrol v8 considering i have heard the diesels are very sluggish.
Now my question is do i need to be carfeful from the second defender and its modifications? and what do i have to look out for for with the modifications its had ie.. what are the pitfalls with a mod like this?

Also how are these to drive and can i take them comfortably on a long journey? I am intending on modifying which ever vehicle I buy with the updated cool lookinjg grilled lights Led lights side steps etc, I am also intending on adding some sound proofing/deading but after all this will it still be a car best suited off road or can it be just as good and comfortable on road?

It seems like some people love them or some hate them but since I haven't driven any and with the above questions and dilemma It would be best to ask the people who have these and know about these gorgeous looking icon of a vehicle.

Thanks for reading and sorry if i sound silly asking these questions, oh and i dont have a clue about engines or how to fix them

Thanks

If you want comfort you're looking at the wrong vehicle. Noisy, rattly, windy, leaky, uncomfortable. But I love em! Maybe a discovery would better suit your needs. Avoid the modified one, if you don't know about them you need to stick with standard or you will end up throwing money at it. Petrol v diesel - pros and cons outweigh each other really, a diesel is cheaper on fuel but a v8 is a v8!

Oh, do yourself a favour and pop over to the 'introduce yourself' section - the locals here tend to get a bit upset when someone just walks in n starts asking questions.

A high proportion of defenders are / were bought new by farmers, quarry owners, foresters, national grid and the like because they are tough as old boots and capable of a hard working life of a decade or so before they were replaced. They then either end up on the scrap heap or in the hands of enthusiasts as you will meet in this forum. Enthusiasts who can sort out their own mechanical problems, electrical problems, rotten chassis problems, even do ground up total restorations. This has kept a very high percentage of all defenders and its predecessors ever built, still alive and active. If you are looking at 25 plus years old defenders, you will need to be prepared to tool up and learn how to maintain and repair it otherwise you will need deep pockets to pay somebody to do it for you. Same as any old / classic vehicle, they can be reliable in proportion to the amount of care and maintenance input. And you will either love it or hate it, nothing in between.

Well, I find the Defender a perfectly good car for long journeys. https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/long-days-journey-into-night.289535/ and https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/trip-to-scotland.292970/page-2
I'm surprised that people think otherwise. being able t see the traffic up ahead and admire the view over the hedges is a bonus too.

Brown said:

Well, I find the Defender a perfectly good car for long journeys.

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Not saying you are wrong, sorry but I'll disagree with that finding, I drove my mates 130 Deef ute on a 350Klm trip and found it had no leg room and to get comfortable behind the wheel I would have needed my right arm amputated from the shoulder, my wife as passenger also very uncomfortable, we are both of average build, the cab was hot, and noisy.
A true great vehicle for working and fun that involves short distances but not for long distance travel.

Discokids said:

Maybe a discovery would better suit your needs. Avoid the modified one,

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Totally agree with this.

Brown - I hope you're right and not just unique! As I'm planning on driving to the south of France in mine. Besides, yours is not exactly box fresh anymore is it? I know you've now made various improvements to it for the purpose of improving long journeys. If somebody who's never had a Land Rover goes out and buys a bog-standard farmers cast-off, piles his wife and three kids in and just drives off into the sunset I think he's going to be returning home very shortly, probably with a throbbing headache.

Well, I suppose I have cheated a bit, in that I bought some expensive seats shortly after I got it. But the overdrive etc. was fitted after I did those Scotland trips, so I've done 700 or so miles in a day on the standard gear set. Yes of course if you want something that feels like a Vauxhall Vectra you'll be disappointed, and might be better off with a Japanese machine. But I happen to want something like a Land Rover. I was talking to a man at work yesterday about his car and I was dismayed to discover it was called a Twingo. It sounds like it should be a chocolate bar with a name like that. He didn't seem to see anything wrong with it, and felt it was an excellent little car. Now I'd be very uncomfortable undertaking any kind of journey in a Twingo. It would offend my vanity.

As someone who has done a trip to the south of France (before it broke) in a 90 I can say that it COULD be a decent long distance vehicle but it needs better seats, lots more soundproofing and a bit more power (in the case of the TDi). I think if you go for a TD5 onwards it would be more suitable. The main complaint I had with mine is that I couldn't steadily cruise at 65mph as it didn't have enough power to cope with hills and the roof tent.

As for off roading they will cope with anything that you throw at them.

As you don't know much about Defenders, the main thing you need to check for is rust to the bulkhead and chassis. Most other stuff can be fixed reasonably easily.

Original Twingo is a good little car, we have one in France as a runabout for the whole family. The new one is odd. Rear engined and RWD but a 911 it ain't.

Hi Guys thanks for the comments and replies, sorry for replying it was late last night I went to bed.. 5 hours ahead of UK.

ok Thanks disco Kids yes i can understand that i gathered that from reading on this for the last week or so, and brown that what i was thinking with some modifications and sound proofing I think i can make it quite usable on local roads, as far as comfy and long distance I don't want it to go on regular trips far as most of the time i am going to be in UK just when am back here and the trips are going to be an hour or a couple of hours to the airport and local.

The discovery I think is a no go as they are expensive here for a 2003 or 2000 its about £25k at least for some reason the defender are quite cheap and I thought rather then getting a similar to a local astra or vectra equivalent it would be ideal vehicle as especially the modifications to make it look nice with the black wheels, side steps led lights all round and roll cage it will look really nice here and much more updated.
for me the idea its an iconic car and i love the look of it at the same time it falls in my price back

The guy who has the v8 conversion has said it drives really well with the auto gear box and to make the ride smoother he has changed the suspension to a mercedes one which is suppose to be more comfortable.

Im sorry if all the modications upset anyone on here but where I am they make do with what they can get.

as far as knowing who to fix and work on it myself and spending a fortune having someone to do it i think that isn't a big issue, as where I am based is in Pakistan and the Kashmir part, labour here is very cheap or affordable i should say, and some of the vehicles that are still on the road here you will be shocked there are old ford transit vans and old previous vehicles imported from the uk that are over i think 50 years still going strong, the mechanics here dont believe in something being dead and replacing it most of the time they will actually fix the part that is faulty cheaper then what it would cost to buy a new one and it works perfectly,

Yes I think main thing i need to look out for is rust but again as this is a very warm country i haven't seen many cars having this problem here.
I have attached some images of the cars for you guys to see the first black on is the modified one and the white one is the standard on but the white one has apparently done 350k kilometres.

they are both prices around the £7k mark which for there in Pakistan i think is very affordable as a old Toyota land cruiser 86 or so model will be worth the same of not slightly more.
the black one is a 89 model and with one 98 with a tdi engine













Yes thanks im going to go over to the newbie section and introduce myself.

also thanks guys im really enjoying the feedback and the spirit in this forum it feels like a real good community.

Agree with james and discokids.
A 90 (or an older Defender) can be fun but:
unless you replace the seats, uncomfortable on long distance combined with a bumpy ride; unless you add sound proofing or ear defenders, your head/ears will be bludgeoned and don't waste your money putting a sound system in unless it's mega and you've reduced the overall noise; they can be freezing in winter and roasting in summer, absolutely check that the heater works; check window and door seals/fit otherwise the weather outside will be doing the same inside; go for 110 if you need to carry a bit of stuff or intend to maybe take it camping/long trips otherwise you're looking at roof rack/mods or some innovative stowing of gear; avoid mods if you're not familiar with the how and the why, avoid them even if you are as original parts will be easier to come by and less faffing about usually; a Disco will definitely be comfier...and usually faster, so if going for a Defender go for 200 or 300tdi or TD5 for sustainable speed/power over distance; petrol v8 loadsa fun, sounds luvverly but diesel is better fuel consumption and you van run it on veg oil/biodiesel as well, the TD5 is also less likely to cause you problems with emissions on test the way things are going (although we diesel owners could end up getting shafted anyway).
Lastly, before you start throwing money at funky lights and grilles make sure the chassis and bulkhead are sound and that the engine is running as sweet as it can. Once you've bought an older Defender you'll possibly find that cosmetics take a back seat to maintenance.
But I'd still have a 90/110/Defender before much else...although if anybody wants to give me a spiffy v8 Disco or lets me swap the 90 for a nice Series again I'll 'av it. Depends how many smiles to the gallon you want..or can afford!

Just seen your reply, you shouldn't have the same issues with rust over there! Both nice looking vehicles and lucky if you can afford regular maintenance and replacement parts. I'm not sure what to say about the mods on the black one but it definitely sounds like a more comfortable looking ride whilst the other looks more of a utility vehicle. Best advice, take 'em both for a drive and see what you like! Also find someone else besides the person trying to sell you the vehicle to give you an objective opinion of the work done.

Good luck. Happy Land Rover owning!

Thanks Rogue Trader,
Unfortunately where they are based are more like worlds apart, the black one is not too far its about 4 hours away where as the white is at the bottom of pakistan which say by coach is roighly about 24 plus hours away hence the reason for seeking advice on here but yes you are also right to check them both out in an ideal world.
The guy with the black one has said he took it to a a place where they restore rolls royce silver shadows and other quality vehicles and said theyt had a through look through it, he had the suspension changed to mercdes and had a new sports exchaust put in, he said you can come and see it at the garage and ask the guys any questions, he has also said he has the previous owner who did the engine mods number and the mechanic who did it, but sometimes the people here dont be fully honest too so thats a hard thing to find out the truth.
He has sent me some more photos of the black one i will show post them up.

Thanks againe