RE: Land Rover Defender '2,000,000' announced
Discussion
The Crack Fox said:
Quite a milestone. I wonder who actually buys these new nowadays. I rather fancied one until I tried a new one recently and was gobsmacked at how utterly horrible it was in just about every respect.
I love mine, it's even fun to drive.. Its a 90 HT so the heavy duty spring rate at the back means large amounts of lift-off if you're brave!I will concede however that it is a very acquired taste..
rudecherub said:
Ending production in the UK - due to EU rules.
Just vote No to the EU, and then Landrover can continue to make Defenders in the UK.
Why on earth would you do that? Your chances of slicing or mashing yourself on the interior of a Defender (even in a modest knock) are pretty much 100%, let alone a Defender induced roll! Can you conceive a more hostile environment for the human body in a crash?Just vote No to the EU, and then Landrover can continue to make Defenders in the UK.
I just don't get it with the Defender. It is a dreadful car to drive and having spent much of my working life in Africa and the Middle East you NEVER see one. All the hard off-road work is done my Land Cruisers and Patrols. The only place where I have seen lots of Defenders is the UK where off-road means a gravel drive!!
lostkiwi said:
Steve_W said:
What surprises me is that they've only made 2 million; I'd have thought it was more than that to be honest if they're counting from the first Series 1.
Maybe my reasoning is skewed by the number of early models that you still see plodding on.
Series ones aren't Defenders. Whilst they share some DNA (more so between the Series 3 and the Defender) there are significant differences and very little of the Series 1/2/3 can be used on a Defender. Much of a 1988 Defender is still usable on a 2015 Defender (for example body panels, suspension and some trim) and anything that won't fit directly can usually be adapted to work. Maybe my reasoning is skewed by the number of early models that you still see plodding on.
2 million produced over 67 years averages out at c30,000 units a year. Land Rover was always a relatively low volume product, maxing out at c55,000 units in a good year. In recent year it has dropped to below 20,000 units annually. You see a lot about because their lifespan is above average, the aluminium body work does not rust, the steel chassis (which does) can be repaired or replaced, and much of the work to dismantle and reassemble a Land Rover requires not much more than a set of spanners, screwdrivers and a hoist. This offers plenty of scope for the d-i-y enthusiast to get their hands dirty and to have fun in a way not possible with most other vehicles. I think it is long past its due replacement date.
mariscalcus said:
I just don't get it with the Defender. It is a dreadful car to drive and having spent much of my working life in Africa and the Middle East you NEVER see one. All the hard off-road work is done my Land Cruisers and Patrols. The only place where I have seen lots of Defenders is the UK where off-road means a gravel drive!!
Review here - they're both great cars:https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNcs0dcjyB8
I have drove a fair few of these (long wheel base and short wheel base) over many countries in many terrains and I absolutly love them. They are a dog on roads, noisy and crashy but take them off road and they are a completly different machine. I have only come across 2 that needed recovering in the deep stuff. 1 at night had drove into a ditch effectivley making it sit at 90 degrees on its nose and 1 was unlucky enough to get 2 punctures at the same time on the drivers side, it probably could of carried on but two punctures was just plain unlucky.
I dont drive one anymore but If I could afford one now I would deffinatly have one on my drive, as to me they are probably the best, most simple bit of engineering I have known. They might not be fast or refined but the places they will take you can not be matched. Wish I had a spare 20k for one.
I dont drive one anymore but If I could afford one now I would deffinatly have one on my drive, as to me they are probably the best, most simple bit of engineering I have known. They might not be fast or refined but the places they will take you can not be matched. Wish I had a spare 20k for one.
jeremy996 said:
I love my pre-Defender 110 CSW, so instead of buying a new one at £32,000+ I rebuilt the old one for £17,000. It has now done over 80,000 miles since the rebuild and will continue until it needs the next rebuild.
I don't want another disposable vehicle. Something that becomes an economic write-off after an ECU failure is a waste of resources. I'm also fed up with vehicles that are dependent on a (useless) dealer network. Current model Land Rovers are too needy to become a suitable vehicle for my garage - heavy maintenance on a D3/D4/RRSport etc requires a big two post lift as a lot of work requires the body to be lifted off. Almost everything on a Defender can be done, (uncomfortably), on the floor.
Congratulations on the 2,000,000th, but they should be more proud of the high % still on the road; a mix of owner passion, repairability and usefulness.
Every car is repairable and every car is disposable, an ecu doesnt cost seventeen grand.I don't want another disposable vehicle. Something that becomes an economic write-off after an ECU failure is a waste of resources. I'm also fed up with vehicles that are dependent on a (useless) dealer network. Current model Land Rovers are too needy to become a suitable vehicle for my garage - heavy maintenance on a D3/D4/RRSport etc requires a big two post lift as a lot of work requires the body to be lifted off. Almost everything on a Defender can be done, (uncomfortably), on the floor.
Congratulations on the 2,000,000th, but they should be more proud of the high % still on the road; a mix of owner passion, repairability and usefulness.
Fair play for keeping it going but realistically it was not a valid economic decision but one done with the heart rather than the head, I could keep pretty much any car going with a 17 grand refit every few years and comparing that cost to buying a new one.
J4CKO said:
Every car is repairable and every car is disposable, an ecu doesnt cost seventeen grand.
Fair play for keeping it going but realistically it was not a valid economic decision but one done with the heart rather than the head, I could keep pretty much any car going with a 17 grand refit every few years and comparing that cost to buying a new one.
Some cars are more difficult than others. If you run a fast ford from the 70s or 80s internal trim bits like door cards are a nightmare; rare as NOS, rare secondhand and almost impossible to replicate at home. Replacing analogue fuel injection bits is getting difficult, so not every car is properly repairable, with "ordinary cars" particularly troublesome. Try rebuilding an Audi 100 or quatro on a budget!Fair play for keeping it going but realistically it was not a valid economic decision but one done with the heart rather than the head, I could keep pretty much any car going with a 17 grand refit every few years and comparing that cost to buying a new one.
Cost in your labour and the pieces you need to build a new "old" vehicle and you will come to a figure like the one above or more. I wanted a substitute for a new Defender; it has done 82k miles in four years.
More old car rebuilds involve dubious man-maths than not.
The marketing are milking this one, I placed an order under pressure 3 weeks ago being told if I did not order that day I would miss out and it would be too late and production will stop in November only to find they are still taking orders at the Festival of speed and going now to December or keep going?
Ayahuasca said:
Defenders are great! Yes they have their quirks and bits fall off but it is part of the deal.
I was told that there is only one component that the current Defender has in common with the Series One. It is something daft like the sump plug (or similar small part).
The part in common is the rope pleat that fixes to the side of the tubI was told that there is only one component that the current Defender has in common with the Series One. It is something daft like the sump plug (or similar small part).
Skater12 said:
It'll hit six fugures for sure.
My guess is that someone somewhere will pay close to £250k, not only because it's the last one, but also because of the great charities the money will go to.
If i were a lottery winner i'd happily be in the bidding.
Now that the result is known, not a bad guess. You were in the right "ballpark" , £400K it ended up at!!!My guess is that someone somewhere will pay close to £250k, not only because it's the last one, but also because of the great charities the money will go to.
If i were a lottery winner i'd happily be in the bidding.
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