When is a Defender a chelsea tractor?

I bought my 2001 TD5 a couple of years back. Prob paid over the odds for it but its 65K miles. New rear door, new seals all round, hinges, wax oiled, serviced, new rear chassis section, interior refitted, doors stripped, repainted and sealed etc etc. It gets regular use towing a horse box but someone stopped me the other day to say how 'nice' it looked. That was scary for a Defender....I will have to get it covered in mud!

They're just being polite. Where I take mine for its MOT the woman in the office called it a 'beautiful vehicle' on one occasion, which struck me as an odd think to say about a Defender. But a well presented Land Rover tends to make people want to say something nice. It's a bit like having a friendly dog.

Nothing wrong with having a Chelsea tractor. I'd rather buy Chelsea tractor than a work horse or off roaded toy.

Chelsea tractor to me is either all the gear and no idea like never used winch, snorkel and lights or lowered fat tyres, big alloys and chequer plate yours just looks an nice condition Defender and they do appeal to many different people and are pretty iconic and well done for not having a 'one life, live it' sticker on

It's a Chelsea tractor when it's driven by a ****.

payydg said:

It's a Chelsea tractor when it's driven by a ****.

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Every car I drive must be a Chelsea Tractor 

Mine is a Chelsea tractor and I don't care to admit it.
But it is ideal for what I want to do with it, throw mountain bikes in i and not worry about being able to get there cos of snow etc, get changed in it (mountain biking), tow heavy stuff etc.
It's far too bling to take offroad, ive used the wife disco for that

Mine's always been somebody's car- probably bought originally because they needed room for multiple offspring (6-seater) and/or to tow a horsebox or caravan. I don't take it off road regularly (have done a couple of times) but it does see use for trailer towing and other general land rover stuff. It sort of shares duty as a main car as when it's just me I'll usually be on 2 wheels

Post-offroading washdown. Note lack of modifications.

Now if it had a roll cage, 6 inch lift, huge wheels etc and was never offroaded, that would be my idea of a chelsea tractor.

Pretty much every customer l visit makes a positive comment about my Cairns Blue 110 TD5. Everybody seems to "want one". It never happened when l used my silver 90 TD5 a couple of years ago.
As the Defender 90 is generally what people who don't own one think they want, l put it down to the recent surge in popularity. There are a few Yummy Mummies driving them round here now, and they rarely return a wave.

FlyingPete said:

Mine's always been somebody's car- probably bought originally because they needed room for multiple offspring (6-seater) and/or to tow a horsebox or caravan. I don't take it off road regularly (have done a couple of times) but it does see use for trailer towing and other general land rover stuff. It sort of shares duty as a main car as when it's just me I'll usually be on 2 wheels
View attachment 90339
Post-offroading washdown. Note lack of modifications.

Now if it had a roll cage, 6 inch lift, huge wheels etc and was never offroaded, that would be my idea of a chelsea tractor.

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Pfft wing mounted aerial, yours disgusted of Kent!

Ps nice to see the older style front pane with the handle slot.

lightning said:

Pretty much every customer l visit makes a positive comment about my Cairns Blue 110 TD5. Everybody seems to "want one". It never happened when l used my silver 90 TD5 a couple of years ago.
As the Defender 90 is generally what people who don't own one think they want, l put it down to the recent surge in popularity. There are a few Yummy Mummies driving them round here now, and they rarely return a wave.

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The reason they don't wave is they tend to take offence when you are stark bollock naked

The phrase "Chelsea tractor" is used to describe large expensive 4x4's which only get driven in the city/urban area's as a status symbol rather than actually needing one. It's often a term used to attack "school mums" for using their eggspensive gas guzzling 4x4's to drive 300 yards to drop the prog oft at school, whilst having to abandon it in the way as it won't fit in the parking gaps at the side of the road... when a normal ford focus would.

I would say the term chelsea tractor is correct for the vast majority of defenders on the road today.

There's nothing wrong with people telling you how "nice" it looks. I have owned my 300tdi 90 for 12 years (it was freshly rebuilt when I bought it). in my eyes, the poor thing is looking rather tired now, even though it's well kept. Paint is faded, it sits on 265/75 tyres (they look small nowadays) and is basically a normal, run-of-the-mill 90, yet so many people stop to look at it and tell me that it's beautiful.

Even a Chelsea Tractor is a hundred better than a Q7/Toureg/X5 etc. No matter how modern, you still have to drive it, and put up with the "quirks"

Mine is probably classed as a CT... It gets taken off road a fair bit I just look after it, wash and wax, buy nice new shiny parts, grille upgrades etc... Nothing wrong with taking pride in your 24k toy!

zeaphod said:

Even a Chelsea Tractor is a hundred better than a Q7/Toureg/X5 etc. No matter how modern, you still have to drive it, and put up with the "quirks"

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+1 Even a Freelander is loads better than that sh!te!

Rosie said:

Mine is probably classed as a CT... It gets taken off road a fair bit I just look after it, wash and wax, buy nice new shiny parts, grille upgrades etc... Nothing wrong with taking pride in your 24k toy!

View attachment 90395

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Wouldn't say so, seen a few up town. You need rangie wheels, low-pros, lowered suspension, tinted windows and furry dice if you want to go down that route!

Turboman said:

+1 Even a Freelander is loads better than that sh!te!


Wouldn't say so, seen a few up town. You need rangie wheels, low-pros, lowered suspension, tinted windows and furry dice if you want to go down that route!

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Hehe... My rear window is tinted

Lowering a defender though... Whatever next

Rosie said:

Lowering a defender though... Whatever next

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Never driven one, but I don't see any reason it wouldn't improve the road handling, and make it easier for FWAGs to get in and out. Could also make for a lovely tow vehicle for those who have no need to go off tarmac.

lightning said:

There are a few Yummy Mummies driving them round here now, and they rarely return a wave.

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You're up in the High Peak though. For most people around the Peak District, Defenders aren't a passion, simply a necessity used for carting around horse boxes and livestock, shuttling around the farm and hills and used the ferrying kids around and doing shopping in between, therefore most of them don't even bother to give a wave to their fellow series and defender owners, it's the same thing up here in the Lakes, you would get RSI if you waved at every Defender up here

I still wave even though I know that most won't wave back, makes it more rewarding when they do