Road tax question

We are looking for a TD5 XS for my missus and l have seen a nice 2005 one locally.
However there’s a lower mileage, better one at another local dealer, and it’s even a bit cheaper.
I would like to buy from them as l know them and they will always sort any problems with it.
But.... the lower mileage one is an April 2006 which means the higher rate road tax (£580 rather than £330)

I don’t really mind the extra £20 per month, but we are worried that sooner or later being in the highest tax band it will get hammered to try and tax it off the road, where the 2005 one falls into a loophole where it’s in a lower band.

Any thoughts on this?

I’d go for it regardless of it being in the higher band.
I reckon if you’re thinking that in the future you are going to get caned even more then that is just as likely to happen to us all regardless of which tax bracket you are in.
Live for the moment and as it’s for your good lady get her to pay the tax. Lol

(That’s one reason I bought my Utility. Get a 110 in size for half the tax.)

What’s the chances of changing the tax class to commercial?
If we get the LR garage to remove the rear seats and associated seat belt mountings etc then either black out or cover the rear side windows, and fit a mesh or solid bulkhead.

Could you then apply to change the tax category? As it would then be effectively a hard top.

Tax banding IIRC is based on its Type Approval as it left the factory , which can't be changed regardless of what you might remove (seats) or alter (van sides for windows) etc. My Defender 90 - see my avatar, is N1 which is a van, despite having windows and individual rear seats.

wireman said:

Tax banding IIRC is based on its Type Approval as it left the factory , which can't be changed regardless of what you might remove (seats) or alter (van sides for windows) etc. My Defender 90 - see my avatar, is N1 which is a van, despite having windows and individual rear seats.

Click to expand...

You could snap the mrs spine, then she’s classed as disabled so you get free road tax, might be a bit extreme though

Just go with whatever one has the best chassis footwells and bulkhead lightening, perhaps one is of a higher tax margin, but changing crossmembers and bulkheads can be a right old faff

We looked at one today, at £18,500 for a 82,000 mile 2005 XS TD5

It all looked fine, and having looked at quite a few now, it seems that this is the price for the best ones.

It still needed a bit of love (discs scored although pads OK, paint coming off one of the wheels, waxoyled but only where you can see, lower face of crossmember (visible from wheel arch) has spread a bit, patch of surface rust needing treating on bulkhead in engine bay, exhaust pretty rusted etc)
All OK really but the thing that made me hesitate was that the passenger door was nearly 1cm proud at the bottom, but level at the top.
It shouldn’t have bothered me but it did. I guess you could bend the glass frame out a little and then adjust the door in.

I guess that l am expecting perfection for £19,000 and l will never get it.

Their mainly TDCi stock all looked lovely, particularly the 2016 XS SW in black, but at £36,000 totally out of reach.

Going to look at the green one on Monday, it’s a 67,000 mile 2006 90 XS SW but higher tax.
Here’s the one we looked at today.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/123823424369

“I guess that l am expecting perfection for £19,000 and l will never get it.”

I’m afraid with the inflated prices/values currently been asked (and paid for), you’ll be looking in the early to mid £20k’s for a ‘perfect’ Td5.

I don’t want to pay too much as l think that in the long term these prices are not sustainable.
There are so many Defenders around, that there’s no shortage, and once the buying frenzy dies down the people who paid silly prices will lose out.

lightning said:

I don’t want to pay too much as l think that in the long term these prices are not sustainable.
There are so many Defenders around, that there’s no shortage, and once the buying frenzy dies down the people who paid silly prices will lose out.

Click to expand...

I think there are exceptions to that rule and Defenders seem to be proving it fortunately/unfortunately. Even before the prices skyrocketed they have always held their value pretty much.

Try to find one that hasn’t been waxoyl underneath, as it can hide all sorts of horrible things

I’ve been looking at late TD5 Station Wagons and they are all similar, maybe because they get an easier life.

(The seller of the one l have found has been using it as a car)

Bulkhead and floors seem to hold up OK not found any with bulkhead rotten
Crossmembers generally are fine except for underneath and at the ends in the wheel arch where the metal spreads after fifteen years of water and salt spray

Electrolytic corrosion, mainly confined to the rear, happy to get it treated and sprayed
I’ve been looking in the range £10-16,000

I don’t expect a minter, those are £20,000+
Just something that looks good and can be sorted for an initial repairs budget of £1,000-£2,000

£20,000 for a late TD5, rather you than me, no matter how nice it looks.

Whether we consider they are worth it or not, in my view prices (of some) are still inflated at present.

There are many defenders around which can be had for a reasonable price with consideration that there will always be some lurking problems on a 15 yr old truck

I’ve not paid anything like £20,000 fortunately.

For my 300TD I paid about £4,300 a few years back.

It wasn't and isn't in great condition cosmetically, but structurally it was, and is, rock solid for the most part. The only thing that gave me a bit of pause for concern was a drilling company used it and a fleet of defenders. So I had the RAC professionally inspect the thing top to bottom and got the low-down that it was sound. Then I parted with hard cash.

Only now, as it's nearly 20 years old, is the rear crossmember getting done. Galvanized one is going in, should last as long as I do hopefully.

A real shame how it's impossible to find landrovers for that price now unless massive work needs doing.

Blaven said:

(That’s one reason I bought my Utility. Get a 110 in size for half the tax.)

Click to expand...

You lost me on that one. Is that some Kit Landrover Pickup machine that comes under exemptions? I pay 315 pounds for mine which just slipped into the lower bracket by mere months.

Well he means that the Utility (no rear side windows or seats) is classed as a commercial vehicle so is taxed at £265

Where the Station Wagon is classed as a car, so pays £570

Unless it’s post 2011, (2.2tdci) where they were all classed as commercial and pay £265

Or made before March 2006, in which case it’s £325 for the Station Wagon

lightning said:

Well he means that the Utility (no rear side windows or seats) is classed as a commercial vehicle so is taxed at £265

Where the Station Wagon is classed as a car, so pays £570

Unless it’s post 2011, (2.2tdci) where they were all classed as commercial and pay £265

Or made before March 2006, in which case it’s £325 for the Station Wagon

Click to expand...

Mine is a Utility as well in spec, but is 2001 Registered and I'm charged 315 a year. Hmmm.

It changed in 2001. Yours must be an early 2001

lightning said:

It changed in 2001. Yours must be an early 2001

Click to expand...

Roger that.