Landy Virgin...needs help.

Hello folks.

I'm hoping you can help...looking at the posts it seems as though there is a wealth of friendly knowledge out there.

I'm a Land Rover virgin....never owned one but want a Defender. My eagerness to buy one is only matched by my fear of buying the wrong one. So, to start, I was hoping that if I gave you guys a few clues you could point me in the right direction. Here's the story:

I've got about £10k to spend..don't tell the Missus.
I can change a oil filter..just about
I can unscrew and screw things back on...but beyond that I'm no mechanic.
I def can't weld/fabricate etc !
It's mostly a fun 2nd car but my wife will use it to take our daughter to school up a muddy track sometimes...so need some relability.
I'm confused about whats a car, van etc...for insurance.
I'm confused about seats...and insurance.
What's the diff between 90 and 110? ( I know..20 )..apart from seats?. Why would I go 110 over 90 ?
Engines....????????
Buying tips...what dangers should I look out for?

I know I've probably offended the welding/fabricating/rebuilding experts among you ( forgive me) but thank you in advance to the kind souls prepared to share their thoughts.

pompeydad

Without these guys on here our disco would be in serious trouble, I reckon you have come to right place....other than that I can tell you nothing!

Welcome

There's plenty of information about buying a Defender on the site, just have a good look for it, and join in too if you want.

The main thing to look for is rust everywhere but especially underneath, and make absolutely sure that the paperwork is correct for the vehicle; there are too many out there that shouldn't be.

The difference between a 90 and a 110 is the wheelbase, 90 inches between the front and back wheels or 110 inches.

The difference between a car and a van is whether there are side windows behind the driver. If the vehicle was originally fitted with side windows then it's a car, if not then it's a van. Vans which have had side windows fitted after original sale can be changed to a car status by notifying the DVLA.

Engines: there are petrol engined Defenders out there, but from what I've heard they do tend to be a bit more expensive to run, diesels I believe are more common. The TD5 (5 cylinder diesel) engine is the latest one fitted to Defenders. Diesels tend to be more economic on fuel.

Seats will also depend largely on the original spec, cars will probably be 5 or 7 seats (2 front, 3in the second row and two "occasional" fold away seats in the third row). Vans will often be just the two in the front allowing for a greater load space.

If you're not able to do stuff for yourself yet you have three options: learn and LandyZone can help there (except with questions about what tyres ... not the done thing!), find a (very) friendly mechanic or be prepared to dig deep in your pockets.

Thanks very much.

I'm hoping some one will say...."what you want to go for is the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, because xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx."

Pompeydad said:

Thanks very much.

I'm hoping some one will say...."what you want to go for is the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, because xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx."

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:welcome2: to the mad house

Have a search and a read (you will be there a while), and decide what you want it for, and how many passengers you are likely to be carrying, its probably a 90 or 110 County Station Wagon (CSW) your after, with kids the 110 is probably more practical IMO, if you've got £10k, if it were me, I'd be looking to spend £8k ish, that'll leave you with plenty to customize it a little, buy some tools, and have some left over for unforeseen problems.
I'll warn you now, a Fender will get under your skin, they are easy enough to service and work on as well, even for a numpty like me, and with this place help is always at hand

Just don't ask about tyres you have been warned...... just don't

Thanks Grimmer.

One thing I'm not sure about. On a 90, are kids ( my 13 year old daughter) allowed to ride in the 4 fold downs in the back?

Appreciate the help.

btw...i've seen several posts about tyres...i'm tempted to ask just to see what happens!

Pompeydad said:

Thanks Grimmer.

One thing I'm not sure about. On a 90, are kids ( my 13 year old daughter) allowed to ride in the 4 fold downs in the back?

Appreciate the help.

btw...i've seen several posts about tyres...i'm tempted to ask just to see what happens!

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My kids did for 2 year's, you can change the seats as I have to forward faceing one

Most things on a landy you can change or modify to suit your needs

Pompeydad said:

Thanks Grimmer.

One thing I'm not sure about. On a 90, are kids ( my 13 year old daughter) allowed to ride in the 4 fold downs in the back?

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I dont know if they are allowed to, although would they be allowed to fit them or pass MOTs if not.

I would never let my daughter or her friends use them, I had them taken out of my old 90. Cant give you a sensible reason other than it seemed that seat belts are designed to work forward facing and I would have worried how well they worked sideways.

Thanks guys....I had a sense they were not allowed. It means that although I'm planning to mess about in it myself, if ever I want to take the Missus and Daughter out...i'll have to go 110 CSW.

Pompeydad said:

Thanks guys....I had a sense they were not allowed. It means that although I'm planning to mess about in it myself, if ever I want to take the Missus and Daughter out...i'll have to go 110 CSW.

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13 year old children are allowed to use the rear bench seats. The other thing to consider when buying a 110 is when you passed your driving test. If you passed your after January 1st 1997, then you can drive a car with a maximum of 8 passenger seats plus the driver. As most 110's have either 11 or 12 seats, this can be a problem.

Thanks Martin1512...very useful. Luckily ( sadly?) I passed my driving test in the 80s....so no problems there.

I'm thinking now the answer might be a 110 CSW....I also have two dogs...so plenty of room for them too.

Appreciate the help.

Grimmer said:

:welcome2: to the mad house

Have a search and a read (you will be there a while), and decide what you want it for, and how many passengers you are likely to be carrying, its probably a 90 or 110 County Station Wagon (CSW) your after, with kids the 110 is probably more practical IMO, if you've got £10k, if it were me, I'd be looking to spend £8k ish, that'll leave you with plenty to customize it a little, buy some tools, and have some left over for unforeseen problems.
I'll warn you now, a Fender will get under your skin, they are easy enough to service and work on as well, even for a numpty like me, and with this place help is always at hand

Just don't ask about tyres you have been warned...... just don't

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:welcome2::5biamwithstupid::5biagree: 110 and family can grow in it and have fun camping, caravan, hosses , etc....... Do you plan
to drive in London? If so csw

And as Grimmer said even a numpty can work on them ........... He should know, he is at the head of the class.......:behindsofa:

I don't have a problem with people using the side facing seats in the rear of my 110. There are two 2 person bench seats with lap belts and whilst I accept that they may not be as effective as forward facing seats with inertia belts. I also recognise that I compromise my passengers' safety by not having front air bags; side airbags; a modern crumple zone; no roll over bar; no side impact protection etc. etc. But that's what comes with driving a Defender.

There are laws about who can use use side-facing seats. Passengers must be over 12 years if age.

As to the OP's original question, if you need passenger and load (dog) space then it's a 110 over a 90. If you need comfort then it's Discovery over a Defender, and if you want luxury over value for money then it's a Range Rover.

Ironically, with your budget you will find Defenders will be older than the Discos, although age is not a very good yardstick. Overall condition and level of rust are better things to check.

only thing is with disco's in the td5 group is electrics and air supension which will be causing issue's with there age

I am more into RRC than fenders, 110csw would be my choice of any, if its your 2nd car and play thing I would look for a good 300tdi version, think they are pre 1998, I am sure somebody can tell you the exact date. Less electronics to go wrong. I am sure if you offer somebody a case of beer they will cast an eye over a proposed purchase for you to make sure it's a guddun. Look at some of the rebuild threads and you will soon know where to look.

What are you planning to do for fun with it? Because you will probably be better saving a portion of your 10k for protection and toys. Also depends on what tyres you need

Thanks for the updates folks.....given I'm not great at the oily bits anything more mechanical, less "electonical" suits....I'm of the Jeremy Clarkson school of mechanical engineering.

Pompeydad said:

Thanks for the updates folks.....given I'm not great at the oily bits anything more mechanical, less "electonical" suits....I'm of the Jeremy Clarkson school of mechanical engineering.

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know for 2 csw for sale at the mo but there 110s its the same guy buying my 110 van off think there around the 4.5k mark