Defender 90 - buying advice

[Doug Ward]

First post in the land rover area of this site, I've searched through previous posts and found half the info i'm looking for but not all and wondered if anyone would kindly offer their opinion.

I'm about to head out and buy a second hand defender 90 from a landrover approved used dealer. I'm looking in the 1-2yr old category so last of the TD5's or early transit engine. Question is which one?

It seems one can get a last year TD5 XS for ~20k with <20k mileage and the same spec new engine on a 07 or 57 plate, similar mileage for 23k. My question is whether the new engine and refinements worth the difference.

Should I also be cautious about buying the first production year of a new variant?

[Doug Ward]

Thanks for all the advice. I went ahead and bought a 57 plate 90 XS in the end! It's a dealers ex demo car so has been quite well spec'd but also decently discounted despite only having ~2.5k mileage. Hope to pick it up in just over a week. Planning to use as main car, transporting surfboards/wakeboards and possibly towing a speedboat or trailer and track car.