Post 2012 Defender - Am I mad ?

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T

thomson_adam

Member
Posts
19
Location
UK
hello everyone ,
i am new to the forum and never owned a landrover before.

I am looking at a post 2012 defender 90. It will mainly be used for short trips and to move the dog around.

It will be the main car for my partner but she works from home so use is minimal.

I have been doing my research and many people have tried putting me off but for some reason i keep coming back to them.

Any advice would be welcome
 
Get one bought they are unlike any other car so dont try and compare it :). If you hate it sell it dont think they be dropping any time soon..
 
Prices are high. So you’ll have to pay to get one. But unlikely to loose money on them.

That said, I bet you sell it. If you don’t want the off road and/or utility nature of a Defender. They are the wrong vehicle!!!!

Way too many rich folk buying them as fashion statements these days :(
 
They make a great car if you can get into the way of driving them, you will either sell it after six months or never buy another ordinary car.

Be aware that any Defender manufactured after 2011 is classed as an LCV and will be subject to a congestion charge in many towns.

For instance Manchester will cost you £9 to enter and the zone goes right out to the County borders.

There's no way out of it, you could buy a pre 2011 Factory Station Wagon, which is classed as a car, but you then pay the highest rate of road tax....£600

This is going to affect Defender values as more and more cities impose these LEZ's
Already my local LR Specialist dealer has a forecourt and showroom full of 2.2 TDCi Defenders and 2.4 hard tops, as people move them on while values are still high.

Of course if you stay out of cities and towns, this won't be so much of a problem. lt's unlikely that Derbyshire for instance, will have a LEZ in the foreseeable future.
 
thomson_adam said:
hello everyone ,
i am new to the forum and never owned a landrover before.

I am looking at a post 2012 defender 90. It will mainly be used for short trips and to move the dog around.

It will be the main car for my partner but she works from home so use is minimal.

I have been doing my research and many people have tried putting me off but for some reason i keep coming back to them.

Any advice would be welcome
Click to expand...
Beware - you may top money for someone else's junk.
I would not buy one unless it had a recently run out MOT or one with MOT left on it and it was running and all electrics work.
I have seen some awful ones bought in the past and i have seen the same bag of junk ones pass hands more times than a game of pass the parcel.
Just be aware that some sellers will be trying to offload a bag of 5hite for top money as they have probably been had over as well.
Go with someone who will tell you straight if it a bag of poo - if its ok and running and seems quite sturdy then why not buy it :)
If repair work looks dodgy on it steer well clear as well, it usually mean its a pile of junk
 
tottot said:
More to the point, will your partner like it ? Has she driven one before ? Defenders are a bit Marmite for folks.
Click to expand...

neither of us have driven one and I guess we are close to buying as a status symbol but I am fully aware of the pitfalls of buying one and understand it’s not going to be your typical suv type vehicle
 
lightning said:
They make a great car if you can get into the way of driving them, you will either sell it after six months or never buy another ordinary car.

Be aware that any Defender manufactured after 2011 is classed as an LCV and will be subject to a congestion charge in many towns.

For instance Manchester will cost you £9 to enter and the zone goes right out to the County borders.

There's no way out of it, you could buy a pre 2011 Factory Station Wagon, which is classed as a car, but you then pay the highest rate of road tax....£600

This is going to affect Defender values as more and more cities impose these LEZ's
Already my local LR Specialist dealer has a forecourt and showroom full of 2.2 TDCi Defenders and 2.4 hard tops, as people move them on while values are still high.

Of course if you stay out of cities and towns, this won't be so much of a problem. lt's unlikely that Derbyshire for instance, will have a LEZ in the foreseeable future.
Click to expand...

Oh that is interesting , are you saying anything post 2011 is classed as commercial ? I am looking at buying a hardtop to use through my ltd company anyway.

do you think we will start to see a decrease in price?
 
kurtjohnson10 said:
Beware - you may top money for someone else's junk.
I would not buy one unless it had a recently run out MOT or one with MOT left on it and it was running and all electrics work.
I have seen some awful ones bought in the past and i have seen the same bag of junk ones pass hands more times than a game of pass the parcel.
Just be aware that some sellers will be trying to offload a bag of 5hite for top money as they have probably been had over as well.
Go with someone who will tell you straight if it a bag of poo - if its ok and running and seems quite sturdy then why not buy it :)
If repair work looks dodgy on it steer well clear as well, it usually mean its a pile of junk
Click to expand...

I was hoping to get a newer and in decent condition one , I don’t really have the time to be doing major repairs such as bodywork etc
 
thomson_adam said:
I was hoping to get a newer and in decent condition one , I don’t really have the time to be doing major repairs such as bodywork etc
Click to expand...
Good man,
I would then look for one that someone has owned for a while and has plenty of garage repair bills and servicing records. Save you a fortune in the long run ;)
 
kurtjohnson10 said:
Good man,
I would then look for one that someone has owned for a while and has plenty of garage repair bills and servicing records. Save you a fortune in the long run ;)
Click to expand...
Sorry, but you seem to be posting bollox....
No reason why a Puma would even need repairs at this stage ffs.
 
300bhp/ton said:
Sorry, but you seem to be posting bollox....
No reason why a Puma would even need repairs at this stage ffs.
Click to expand...
no your right, a 2012 vehicle will run like new with no issues. The ones i have seen need repairs just like any other vehicle. I would rather have a car thats been looked after than buy one off someone who thinks they are a mechanic and just fooks things up more. I see it every day in my job.
But yep i am talking bollox - thanks ;)
 
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kurtjohnson10 said:
no your right, a 2012 vehicle will run like new with no issues. The ones i have seen need repairs just like any other vehicle. I would rather have a car thats been looked after than buy one off someone who thinks they are a mechanic and just fooks things up more. I see it evry day in my job.
But yep i am talking bollox - thanks ;)
Click to expand...
Let me guess, you work at a garage where people take BROKEN vehicles... ffs Nuff said I think :D:D:D:D
 
300bhp/ton said:
Let me guess, you work at a garage where people take BROKEN vehicles... ffs Nuff said I think :D:D:D:D
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Not at all but nice guess,
I just see so many people buy bag of ****e defenders that have been bodged by so called home garage mechanic gurus. There are loads of dodgy ****e defenders that have been abused and neglected out there , but hey your right - load of bollox.
They never see a hard life or are misused. Go ahead and let him buy the first one he sees. Hope he has deep pockets or the gurus on here bail him out when the common faults arrive. He has already stated he wanted one that did not need repairs or work doing.
Crack on lads - as you were ;)
 
Thanks for all of the help guys

is there much difference between the 2.2 and 2.4 ? If all of the 2.2s are commercial that suits me as it gives me more options


Is there anyone on the forum selling one ?
 
Commercial means lower road tax, but you'll get clobbered by LEZ's

2.2 and 2.4 are both fine if you get a good one, as above there's good and bad out there.

l've seen "Puma" era Defenders that look like they've been stored at the bottom of a lake.

What's your budget? My local Indy has got a couple of really nice 2.2's and they are a great company to deal with, plus they honour their warranty and will sort any issues you might have without arguing or trying to weasel out of it.
 
lightning said:
Commercial means lower road tax, but you'll get clobbered by LEZ's

2.2 and 2.4 are both fine if you get a good one, as above there's good and bad out there.

l've seen "Puma" era Defenders that look like they've been stored at the bottom of a lake.

What's your budget? My local Indy has got a couple of really nice 2.2's and they are a great company to deal with, plus they honour their warranty and will sort any issues you might have without arguing or trying to weasel out of it.
Click to expand...

Are all 2.2s commercials ?
I depends if it has VAT on or not but I really didn’t want to be going about £30k either way. What is your garage called ?
 
All 2.2's are commercial

Am l allowed to name a dealer on here? They are in Hayfield Derbyshire, Land Rover specialists since the 1950's

Ask for Ben and say you were recommended by Martin

And no, l don't get anything for recommending them!! lt's just l have used them for years, bought Land Rovers from them, and l know they are good.

Not the cheapest, but they don't sell tarted up rubbish.

£30k should get you something very nice, particularly if you want a Hard Top
 
thomson_adam said:
neither of us have driven one and I guess we are close to buying as a status symbol but I am fully aware of the pitfalls of buying one and understand it’s not going to be your typical suv type vehicle
Click to expand...
As you say that neither of you have driven one before I am guessing you are not very familiar with them. Everyone else has mentioned the driving style etc so will not go on about that again but you say you are looking for a 90 but just make sure a 90 will suit your needs as they are very small for a such a large vehicle. if you put the dog in the back it will become a 2 seater. if you put luggage/shopping/etc in the back it will become a 2 seater and have no room for the dog. A 90 has roughly the same external dimensions as a golf but it is far less practical in how it uses it load space.
 
l will echo the above, l have a 110 and my missus had a 90 (now sold)

The 110 has a lot more room, but is obviously larger. lt's no larger than a modern SUV though.

If you've got kids/dogs/bikes or plan to use it for holidays, the 110 will be more suitable. Also they are often a bit cheaper to buy because everyone thinks they want the 90.

The 110 also rides better, although "better" is relative.
 
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