Wrangler or Defender
Discussion
I am after a cheapish 4x4 toy for both winter and getting into some light offroading. I thought about buying an early current series Rangie, but decided that £10k was too much to spend on something that will be hacked around and neglected (it will never, for example, be cleaned).
I love Defenders - but they are pricey for what they are: but then I guess condition and spec are the clinchers with these vehicles. Some sort of 300Tdi hybrid would be the thing, for anything up to £6k.
Which could also buy me a Wrangler 4.0 Sahara or similar from the early 2000s. Now I know the Jeep is a pratty good offroader, but not in the same league as a sorted Defender. However, and this is the clincher, I suspect that it will be rather a lot more pleasant in normal winter driving than a Defender, especially on the motorway.And it may actually have a heater that works.
Undoubtedly, the Landie is cooler. But is it as good an all-rounder?
And no suggestions for Pajeros/Troopers etc. It's pretty much down to these two: I wanted something a bit iconic, rather than an excellent but bland Jap machine. Those old Land Cruiser Jeeps (as used by Hammond in the Top Gear Bolivia thing) may have been an option but they are like hens' teeth, and seem to be getting on a bit.
Similarly, I think some sort of early Range Rover based offroad special won't do the road driving thing well enough.
Any insights/experiences appreciated!
I love Defenders - but they are pricey for what they are: but then I guess condition and spec are the clinchers with these vehicles. Some sort of 300Tdi hybrid would be the thing, for anything up to £6k.
Which could also buy me a Wrangler 4.0 Sahara or similar from the early 2000s. Now I know the Jeep is a pratty good offroader, but not in the same league as a sorted Defender. However, and this is the clincher, I suspect that it will be rather a lot more pleasant in normal winter driving than a Defender, especially on the motorway.And it may actually have a heater that works.
Undoubtedly, the Landie is cooler. But is it as good an all-rounder?
And no suggestions for Pajeros/Troopers etc. It's pretty much down to these two: I wanted something a bit iconic, rather than an excellent but bland Jap machine. Those old Land Cruiser Jeeps (as used by Hammond in the Top Gear Bolivia thing) may have been an option but they are like hens' teeth, and seem to be getting on a bit.
Similarly, I think some sort of early Range Rover based offroad special won't do the road driving thing well enough.
Any insights/experiences appreciated!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 4th October 14:39
300tdi Disco.
ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
Edited by rhinochopig on Monday 4th October 14:41
Wrangler:
Memo: To all female staff, female staff at suppliers, pole dancers in the general area, in fact any female within a 50 mile radius.
Subject: Flashman has turned gay, it's safe to come out.
Landie:
Memo: To all female staff, female staff at suppliers, pole dancers in the general area, in fact any female within a 50 mile radius.
Subject: Flashman has gone 4x4. You're now not safe anywhere.
Joking aside, both are very capable off-roaders, and both are capable of being seriously modded. The jeep probably does have the edge on comfort. I've had both, I now drive a Discovery - nice mix of comfort and off-road ability, although I admit I'm a bit more careful when I go offroad in the Disco.
ETA: Bugger - too slow with the gay comment!
Memo: To all female staff, female staff at suppliers, pole dancers in the general area, in fact any female within a 50 mile radius.
Subject: Flashman has turned gay, it's safe to come out.
Landie:
Memo: To all female staff, female staff at suppliers, pole dancers in the general area, in fact any female within a 50 mile radius.
Subject: Flashman has gone 4x4. You're now not safe anywhere.
Joking aside, both are very capable off-roaders, and both are capable of being seriously modded. The jeep probably does have the edge on comfort. I've had both, I now drive a Discovery - nice mix of comfort and off-road ability, although I admit I'm a bit more careful when I go offroad in the Disco.
ETA: Bugger - too slow with the gay comment!
Edited by sunbeam_alpine on Monday 4th October 14:56
rhinochopig said:
300tdi Disco.
ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
Disco/Rangie won't fit on my driveway with the other bits on there. Defender or Wrangler it has to be, for size reasons alone!ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
Surely, if I get a Wrangler, off road mod it, never clean it and acquire some dents, it will go from gay to awesome? Hmm?
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 4th October 14:59
Harry Flashman said:
Surely, if I get a Wrangler, off road mod it, never clean it and acquire some dents, it will go from gay to awesome? Hmm?
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
You'd take a wrangler to a shoot. In these parts men have been shot for less. Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 4th October 14:59
Acceptable shoot vehicles in order of acceptability#:
Rangie
Disco
110
90
RR Sport - no big wheels though
Shogun
Or a car.
#this assumes driving down the estate road, but not actually off-roading. For off-road use, green, 110, keeper spec, truck-cab with rear cover to keep the labs / springers dry.
A lot of yank off roaders would disagree with you about a the sorted Defender vs sorted Wrangler thing.
The downside of the Wrangler is the parts cost and availability in the UK. There are a few specialists round but unless things have changed recently Jeep charge a fortune for parts in the UK. It's fine if you are happy to import far cheaper parts from the US and wait.
As for ride quality they are no better than a Defender in my experience. They are as draughty and noisy as a Defender and the heater isn't brilliant. This is with the hard top on.
The downside of the Wrangler is the parts cost and availability in the UK. There are a few specialists round but unless things have changed recently Jeep charge a fortune for parts in the UK. It's fine if you are happy to import far cheaper parts from the US and wait.
As for ride quality they are no better than a Defender in my experience. They are as draughty and noisy as a Defender and the heater isn't brilliant. This is with the hard top on.
rhinochopig said:
Harry Flashman said:
Surely, if I get a Wrangler, off road mod it, never clean it and acquire some dents, it will go from gay to awesome? Hmm?
Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
You'd take a wrangler to a shoot. In these parts men have been shot for less. Or is this just wishful thinking?
Defender is cool. But I don't fancy driving it to a shoot in Devon in the midst of winter. As this would replace my trusty but boring V70R, the new 4x4 will need to be able to do (occasionally) big distance in bad conditions.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Monday 4th October 14:59
Acceptable shoot vehicles in order of acceptability#:
Rangie
Disco
110
90
RR Sport - no big wheels though
Shogun
Or a car.
#this assumes driving down the estate road, but not actually off-roading. For off-road use, green, 110, keeper spec, truck-cab with rear cover to keep the labs / springers dry.
Wrangler shouldn't be a problem. They all tend to tool around in beaten up Defenders anyway.
"Commercial" (i.e. work invitation) shoots tend to involve being picked up anyway, so one can drink. Problem solved!
Wrangler with a 4.0 is a bloody fast thing as well. I'd go for this.
much easier to prep for offroad in my opinion if you are willing to search for the parts. I can link you shops that do these if you need.
Wrangler will break down less, be better out of the box in alot of situations.(worse in a efw as well), but on the otherhand, you have to be comfortable wih your sexuality for one!
The amount of landies I see broken down in quarries needing someone to tow /pull them out is quite high from my enperience.
Also why you not considering an SJ? very capable, very cheap.
edit: a sorted wrangler is far better than a sorted defender, and is cheaper to get there. I will get flamed for saying this. but you don't see many landies going rocking for a very good reason.
much easier to prep for offroad in my opinion if you are willing to search for the parts. I can link you shops that do these if you need.
Wrangler will break down less, be better out of the box in alot of situations.(worse in a efw as well), but on the otherhand, you have to be comfortable wih your sexuality for one!
The amount of landies I see broken down in quarries needing someone to tow /pull them out is quite high from my enperience.
Also why you not considering an SJ? very capable, very cheap.
edit: a sorted wrangler is far better than a sorted defender, and is cheaper to get there. I will get flamed for saying this. but you don't see many landies going rocking for a very good reason.
Edited by cmackay81 on Monday 4th October 15:15
Chaps - I'm fairly comfortable with my sexuality. My "daily" is a baby blue Morgan, for God's sake. YOu don't get much camper than that.
No, I have a budget of £6k. I want the most reliable all rounder I can buy.
Did think of the SJ, but I think it will be pretty rotten on the motorway; bit too small for me I think.
I have always wanted a Defender. But horror stories on reliability led me to consider the Wrangler (another car that I have always had a bit of a soft spot for).
Any owners on here of either breed? The Jeep parts thing has me a bit worried...
No, I have a budget of £6k. I want the most reliable all rounder I can buy.
Did think of the SJ, but I think it will be pretty rotten on the motorway; bit too small for me I think.
I have always wanted a Defender. But horror stories on reliability led me to consider the Wrangler (another car that I have always had a bit of a soft spot for).
Any owners on here of either breed? The Jeep parts thing has me a bit worried...
I wouldn't worry too much abbout wrangler parts. the 4.0L engine is pretty bulletproof.
for an unbiased comparison from a landie forumsee what they think between the two...
http://forum.landrovernet.com/showthread.php/16457...
for all out offroading the wrangler is the way to go.
for more info on parts, have a look on difflock, theres a jeep forum on there thats very informative
for an unbiased comparison from a landie forumsee what they think between the two...
http://forum.landrovernet.com/showthread.php/16457...
for all out offroading the wrangler is the way to go.
for more info on parts, have a look on difflock, theres a jeep forum on there thats very informative
300 TDI Defender, have had one in the family for knocking on 7 years, yes it needs some TLC from time to time and it isn't in its finest hour on the M4.
They are becoming harder to find a 'good one' but there are still some gems out there.
If your down in Devon/London I normally have one kicking about if you want a go?
They are becoming harder to find a 'good one' but there are still some gems out there.
If your down in Devon/London I normally have one kicking about if you want a go?
Harry Flashman said:
rhinochopig said:
300tdi Disco.
ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
Disco/Rangie won't fit on my driveway with the other bits on there. Defender or Wrangler it has to be, for size reasons alone!ETA Because they're close to the rangie in comfort and are more practical on-road, and yet still perform well off-road. There are myriad bolt on toys you can buy cheaply too if you want to make it better off-road.
And it's British, so will be less likely to upset the Morgan.
Harry Flashman said:
Surely, if I get a Wrangler, off road mod it, never clean it and acquire some dents, it will go from gay to awesome? Hmm?
You mean one that has is properly equipped to make regular heavy duty visits to the dirt box as opposed to the one that only wonders what it would be like?... perhaps you could call it full blown vs curious 
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