Hi - on the hunt for a Defender

Hi, folks.

I’m new to Land rovers, though I’ve had a bunch of old classics in the past, mainly air cooled VWs

Looking for my first defender and it’ll be our second car, typically for weekends and the odd bit of light off-road stuff but muddy exmoor tracks is probably as tough as it will get, so original is preferred. Whilst a county station wagon is the obvious choice, I quite fancy a soft top or maybe doing a conversion myself from a truck cab. Are the soft tops ok to be left out in the weather?

Any tips gratefully received, I definitely prefer the 90s looks and size, but quite like the 110 double cab - that said, we’re only a small family of 3 plus the muttley so we don’t need anything big (then again we don’t need a Defender but I’m not letting that stop me either!)

cheers,

Andy (Somerset)

Hello and welcome

Hi and welcome!

Lots of good help and advice on here. The main issues are rust in the chassis and bulkhead, which can be expensive to repair or replace. And check chassis numbers so that you don’t buy a nicked Landy.

Living in God’s own Landy county, you’ll have no shortage of vehicles locally. Mine came from there nine years ago! A nice example will command more to buy but will hold it‘s value better than one tarted up with bolt on tat.

And everyone needs a defender, it’s just finding that justification!
Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for the welcome, much obliged !

I have sight of a very nice looking rag top. I was looking for a station wagon or hard top so I’m a little reticent about a soft top as the defender will be on the drive and not in the garage. Is this likely to be a problem with weatherproofing (I’d likely get a storm cover for when the weather is poor). I expect some ingress but is it a bad idea to leave a soft top outside?

AndyFromTheBrac said:

Thanks for the welcome, much obliged !

I have sight of a very nice looking rag top. I was looking for a station wagon or hard top so I’m a little reticent about a soft top as the defender will be on the drive and not in the garage. Is this likely to be a problem with weatherproofing (I’d likely get a storm cover for when the weather is poor). I expect some ingress but is it a bad idea to leave a soft top outside?

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Welcome to LZ!

You can leave a canvas top outside. But with any Defender you need to think about security, they are very commonly nicked.
Chaining it on to something solid, blocking it in with another vehicle, and various patent devices are all employed with some success.
The locks on hard tops aren't much good either. But a soft top probably increases the risk of thefts from the vehicle when you are out and about.

A couple of things as well.

Have you, and your wife if she intends to drive it, ever driven any distance in a Defender? The experience is not to everyone's taste.

And are you aware that the centre seat in the front is only really useful for a small child, or the shortest journeys.
So only a Station Wagon, or a vehicle with aftermarket seats and belts is really more than a two seater.

Yeah I’m aware of the shortcomings. It’s character building!

I figured the soft tops are designed to be outdoors cars anyway - if it’s good enough for the army !

TBH this will only be a second car for the weekends to get out and about into the hills with. I work from home so have no commute. Security is a concern but I live in a very quiet village anyway. It’s well out of sight, but I’ll be looking at a lot of security devices as well as cut off switches etc to enable me to sleep at night

Welcome aboard