"You're not having one..."

...says my wife.

I currently have a Freelander TD4 which I share with my wife. I also have a Vespa which I use when she needs the car. However I want to sell the Vespa as it's becoming far too dangerous on a bike these days. My wife was overjoyed when I told her this until I said I want to buy a Defender 90 in it's place. She says it will cost too much to run such an old car. I have always wanted a Defender for years but due to my job I need something which looks new and very smart to meet clients in, hence the Freelander. For all other trips though, I would much rather something like a Defender TDI 200. Not bothered if it is 15 years old with some knocks here and there; that's part of the charm to me! I don't want to end up buying Citroen Saxo so please help me!!!!

So I wonder if you could help me by telling me what your experiences have been with a Defender. I know it will depend on what condition the car is in and how I drive it, and that every car is different but I just want to get an idea of how much the tank costs to fill up and how many miles it might do on a tankful on average for example.

Do they break down all the time or are they reliable? If they do break down, is it expensive to fix them? The parts for Defenders seem to be available quite cheap, but are they a nightmare to work on or would someone with a reasonable amount of common sense and a Haynes manual be able to carry out repairs?

I know this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" type question but I would be very interested to hear about your experiences, which hopefully will give me an idea of what to expect.

Many thanks in advance.

Michael

other than fuel and tax etc the 25 ish year old 110 that i use everyday costs me next to nothing to run, has never let me down and other than a Fiat 126 it's about the easiest vehicle there is to work on

however if you buy a right dog of a landy and use a garage everytime something goes wrong your spending on it will be high

parts are dirt cheap and there is little that can't be done my a sensible DIYer

but it is all about buying the right one in the first place

Hi Michael,

The 200's a good choice. Mine's rarely let me down apart from the odd electrical gremlin. Look for a good chassis and bulkhead, mostly everything else can be fixed with Haynes and a hammer. A 1oz for fuses and a sledgehammer for panels.

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, they're as cheap as chips to maintain. Mpg is about 30 on a run (depending how many hammers you're carrying), less if you've got a heavy hoof.

Best of all they're square so they're easily wrapped for Crimbo. The missus will love it.

Good Luck.
Al

Ok...i'll throw my tuppence in...
I have a 1987 N/A diesel 90 (forerunner to the defender, no real difference), being a N/A its obviously not got a turbo. Its done 170,000miles...not a lot for a 21 year old vehicle as long as its regularly serviced...by that i mean filters oil fluids etc..otherwise, if it aint broke, dont try to fix it...start to meddle too much and you'll start a chain reaction that never, ever, ends!!
I drive 40 miles each way to work at a steady 60mph and get about 28-30mpg. It will reach 70mph but it aint built for speed or comfort...you do what you can in that department if you want, change seats etc...by the way they are cold, draughty and noisy...but thats the charm and they will get you from A-B in any conditions if you have the correct tyres etc.
I am more than pleased with mine, i can take the top off in summer and put a 'bikini' top on if it rains, but the water comes in with the hardtop anyway so buy a hat!
I had no mechanical knowledge at all when i bought mine but dont be afraid, this forum is excellent for advice and pictures as to D.I.Y. Parts are very cheap and accesories numerous on fleabay, from snorkels to chequerplating, lift kits to funny stickers.
The only regret i have is that i didnt buy a 200tdi, by far i have learnt, the best engine, mines good but doesn't pull up hills, however as i live in flat denmark thats no problem, in england its a bit more up and down and i'd advise the 200tdi, you get the extra horses to pull you through, maybe a few mph also but thats not really an issue, 70mph or 80, who cares, especially as i hear the traffic flow aint that good since i left 12 years ago.

Buy one, you will really enjoy pottering about in it and on it, people really do know you're slightly mad to own one but you get more respect than in other 4x4's that really dont deliver on all fronts as the landy, road, lane, sand or water.....enjoy! (but get the 200tdi from late 80's early 90's)

Mark

Or buy a 90 thats had a 200TDi/300TDi conversion but make sure its been done right.
On the water leak side you can waterproof them! Mine don't leak through the roof never has but if its got a van back with no full headlining trim then you will get condension.
Most people as suffer from poor heaters but again mine gets hot in fact you have to turn the fan off.
I think the trick her is to bleed the system by disconnecting the heater hose and connecting the garden hose to it! Thats how i do mine also have the engine running at the same time.
Yes bits are cheap and with a good set of tools and a book can be fixed in the back garden.
Just putting the head back on mine, apart from torque wench only thing to pay for was the machine shop to machine the head. (£46)

Go on stick her in one she will love it, mine does!

a rough idea - my cambelt snapped while i was doing 50 down a hill.

Total repair cost - 2 hours and around £15.80.

My dads mondeo cambelt snapped at tickover on the drive

Total repair bill - 2 days at a garage and.. £800.

Loadsa fun to drive, own, play with, you get a great sense of camaradery with one, most LR owners will stop and help if you need it.

Fantastic working vehicles, carry anyting, two anything, recover stuff, drag stuff, take lots of stuff to silly places, take loadsa people about, easy to modify.

Simple wiring, so if it melts you can see where it has gone and put a new bit in.

As has been said, dont be shy of trying to fix it yourself.

Also, i'm a 19 year old student and I can afford the fuel, tax, insurance, maintainence etc, and i spent a fair amount of time and money converting mine from an NA pickup to a 300TDi station wagon, and still the process is ongoing

If you buy it and look after it and drive it, cheap as chips.

If you play and 'modify' it, they can get expensive but still nowhere NEAR that of a normal car.

Oh yeah, much better off road than a freelander

Also, if you get a smart looking one then there is nothing wrong with turning up to a clients house etc in it, very few people will deny that a smart looking LR looks, well, smart.

Hi guys
Thanks everso for your replies. I am now convinced that I should buy a Defender. I feel reassured that with cheap parts and lack of computer management etc it should be possible for me to at least try to fix it when it goes wrong!

Thanks again.

Michael

your such a sensible bloke, you'll never regret buying one (or 2 or 3 or 4)