I know it been asked a million times, but can't find much on ex mod,

Ok I know it's been asked, I'm looking at a ex mod 90 van style, went to view it today, had a good look underneath, some surface rust, particularly the back end, but had a good poke and all was well, I tryed to start it, (I assume it hadn't been for a while) as it took a good 30 secs of trying, it's got 108k kms on the clock, so underneathe looks good, the engine sounded good and looked clean, (had a few new bits n bobs on it, priced at 4k inc vat.
I have owned a 88 before and had much fun and found what to look to (basically chassis+bulkhead) thing Is been ex mod it's hand painted(don't bother me) but there are loads of dents and a fair bit of peeling, is there anything in particular to look for with ex mod? (as I'm pretty sure some bits are differnt???) or is it basically rust and how does it drive?
Thanks so much for your time, any comments appreciated
(Ill try get a couple pics up but there's only 2 on eBay and I didn't have my phone for photos sorry)

Here's a eBay link ( the milage it says in the ad is incorrect)
EX ARMY LANDROVER 90 SWB | eBay
Seems abit expensive (I think it's worth 3.8-3.8k?)
And are ex military the same on insurance as a regular landy??

I just bought one a month or so back. i got mine from John Henson. Link below. he has some really good ex MOD Landys in and all are in lovely nic. Super bloke to deal with. Take a look. i bought the 1992 model

Land Rover Sales - Land Rover Vehicles for Sale

Tar for the link looks nice (bit too far for me though)

I live in Scottish borders and he drove mine up for me for the price of a train ticket home. Give him a bell mate, you wont be sorry

Oh, I bought it blind too, only photos. He was totally honest in it and i was VERY happy with the Landy. Perfectly described etc etc

i'm a vehicle mechanic with the army and i have to say army vehicles are well looked after in respect to servicing, storage and constantly being cleaned.. this is why they always more expensive than standard ones from the same year, dont get me wrong, they have been driven hard there whole life and probably on there 5/6 engine but still well worth it..

try withams in grantham, not too far from stoke really (i live between derby and uttoxeter) get some good deals and you can go to their yard and choose the one you want, usually from hundreds..

Hope this helps..

Browny

I have an 86 EX MOD and like already stated they are well taken care of from the MX side of the house. On the other hand the primary drivers while in the military were soldiers that were rough on them and they pick up quite a few dents and dings. When I got mine I thought it was straight but I came to find out that when they demob them the company does some body work and gives them some fresh paint. On mine the filler is 10mm thick in several areas along the wings. This is not every dealer I am sure and as I bought mine from the first owner after the MOD it might have been him to fill the dents like this. aside from this small issue the MOD defenders also have a stronger rear tub with gussets in the corner of the rear seat box fro the extra weight capability. My civi 90 does not have these. all in all very awesome vehicle and I wouldnt trade it for the world.

Thanks,
Doug

If you're buying straight from MoD, ie withams et al, you get just what you pay for. I've spent a lot of time in the Army with LR's and agree totally with Browny90. Afew exterior dints, but mechanically A1. By the way, Browny90, I used to live in Tutbury, nice part of the world with great beer.

I am an owner of 2 XMOD Landy's a 90 and 110. My 90 (86) was out of Cyprus and the chassis was absolutely pristine, only 50K miles on the 2.5, it has some very small dings and dents, some paint flaking. It does require some usual upkeep (new starter last month, was the original, new brakes, striker plates, battery, oil sump gasket, rear seal and other bits and bobs, but it is great (just completed a 4500km cross country trip). My 110 (87) was released this year and had a new engine less then 5k miles in it, all new suspension, brakes, brake lines, paint, wolf wheels and new Michelins, exhaust system and other new parts. You can't go wrong with them (if you buy the right one) I know a lot of people drop in the 200 and 300tdi, but if you want to travel to far corners of the world or work on your Landy, I would stay with the 2.5... It is not the fastest, but they sure are dependable. One thing I would do though is change/check out the timing belt/cambelt if you buy one.

I am an Army REME mechanic also. Land rovers are my bread and butter. They do have a some uprated bits, such as the axles but pretty much the same as a civi LR. The reason an Army LR is a good buy is. They spend most of their lives sat in hangers, hence why it is very rare to find a rotten one! Believe me I know. I have two 110s sat outside my office from 1990 and the chassis are as new as when they were built. Army LRs also get full services every two years and smaller services every 6 months even if they havnt been driven. Its the "Army way!" So the answer to your question is yes! they are a good buy. Even if the engine blows up, who cares? Get another one and bolt it in, and your good for another 150,000 miles.
Points to note:
A dent on a Land Rover is not damage, it's character!
And if a Land rover doesn't have an oil leak, there is no oil in it!

I couldn't recommend buying a ex mod landy anymore than these guys, I bought a 110 soft top back in the summer from Withams, and I'm so impressed with it, and the build spec in comparison to civi spec, the way its been kept by the army that I want a 90 aswell

I'd go to Withams, and have a look up there, you'll get an idea of different stages the defenders are in their lives. I got one with a just replaced engine and solid underneath. see my thread here... there are 100's too choose from and I got mine, all in inc MOT/reg/VAT/TAX for under 4k... bargain.

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f7/my-110-venture-194706.html