New to Land Rover - Looking for a Defender 110

Hi there guys/girls,

As the title says I am new to the land rover scene but have recently got in to the defender model specifically the 110 ... I have no off roading experience but a reasonable knowledge of it.... obviously practical experience is something you can't read for! I currently drive a Nissan 350z 3.5v6 with 300bhp... but I want to take the plunge, sell it and go for a Defender... I have some fairly big ideas for it, which involves revamping the entire interior but still retaining the mechanical off road ability a Defender has... I think I will want to make performance upgrades and possibly invest in stainless steel upgrades on the susceptible parts... I'd prefer an 11 seater model if possible and was hoping for some guidance on here!

I look forward to getting to know some of you and starting my project!

If you go for an 12 seater model you'll struggle to get competitive insurance -most insurance companies won't touch you with a bargepole . I've had to self limit to 7 seats to make it possible.

Hope you have deep pockets in your search and enough left over for a **** ton of security on it.

Welcome to the forum

Joshua49 said:

Hi there guys/girls,

As the title says I am new to the land rover scene but have recently got in to the defender model specifically the 110 ... I have no off roading experience but a reasonable knowledge of it.... obviously practical experience is something you can't read for! I currently drive a Nissan 350z 3.5v6 with 300bhp... but I want to take the plunge, sell it and go for a Defender... I have some fairly big ideas for it, which involves revamping the entire interior but still retaining the mechanical off road ability a Defender has... I think I will want to make performance upgrades and possibly invest in stainless steel upgrades on the susceptible parts... I'd prefer an 11 seater model if possible and was hoping for some guidance on here!

I look forward to getting to know some of you and starting my project!

Click to expand...

Ever driven one? They might change your mind if you do!

Joshua49 said:

Hi there guys/girls,

As the title says I am new to the land rover scene but have recently got in to the defender model specifically the 110 ... I have no off roading experience but a reasonable knowledge of it.... obviously practical experience is something you can't read for! I currently drive a Nissan 350z 3.5v6 with 300bhp... but I want to take the plunge, sell it and go for a Defender... I have some fairly big ideas for it, which involves revamping the entire interior but still retaining the mechanical off road ability a Defender has... I think I will want to make performance upgrades and possibly invest in stainless steel upgrades on the susceptible parts... I'd prefer an 11 seater model if possible and was hoping for some guidance on here!

I look forward to getting to know some of you and starting my project!

Click to expand...

Welcome to lz, mate!

Like they say^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. I would try and drive one a few times first, see if it is suited to you. They arent to everyones taste, and if you dont need the off road abilities and towing capacity it may be an expensive form of motoring.

If you do get one, try and get a good one, and just drive it for a year or two before sinking a lot of money in probably needless mods that will make it more difficult to sell.

A defender is what it is. A slightly more luxurious tractor. With all the money and will in the world it will still be agricultural at its core. Yes you can spend a fortune 'improving' it but why? Most improvements people make are to make it more car like. Yet the appeal of the defender is that it isn't car like. If you want performance mods I'm assuming you mean a remap so you'll want a td5 or later. Finding one in a condition where it won't explode as soon as you gain the new power will mean needing a car buying budget of £6000 and above.

Stainless steel parts throw up issues the main parts susceptible to corrosion are bulkheads and chassis. You can't buy off the shelf stainless only galvanised and that's a lot of work and cost to replace a chassis or bulkhead.
Are they up to being a daily driver? Yes even series land rovers are the big question is are you up to being capable of driving one daily? Don't think a modern defender will even be comparable to a 90's corsa. The corsa would drive better as a car.

If you need the off-road ability or towing capacity or carrying capacity. Then definitely get one. If you're after one just to say look at me I drive a defender then don't bother.
The only way I can describe owning a Land Rover is like th dog marmaduke. The dog is a pain for the owners too big to own really and always needing to be looked after. But the owners don't get rid of the dog because he's a member of the family. You have to be able to work on it in the pouring rain when it's broken or stuck at the side of the road late for work or see it eat all of your money and be able to say I'm still glad I own a Land Rover. I own 3 and they are all used as workhorses the oldest is a 1971 series 2 109 used as a farm vehicle and to go to the shops and everything inbetween. You really need to go on YouTube watch some reviews, top gear did one years back, there a loads that show comparison between models where you'll see just how similar in design they are to the first series 1's.
Go to a Land Rover dealer and ask to test drive one if they have any. If you drive a brand new one you can assume that anything you buy will be worse so if you find the new one bad to drive then you won't like the others. It's not like going from a Ford Focus to a vw golf. Where the drive is similar in both.