Defender 110 VS Toyota Land Cruuser?

[PotHoleHater]

Hi all,

I'm buying another 4x4 for green laning , towing and getting out and about in crappy weather. My last was a mint 300tdi Defender 110 with some tasty, but not OTT, modifications.

Have any of you had first hand experience of the Colorado or Amazon VX offerings? On road I suspect they are far nicer to drive, however, I'm really interested in off road ability, wading ability and ease of DIY maintenance.

Cheers,

PHH.

Oh, and budget is circa 9k

[PotHoleHater]

KevinCamaroSS said:

Have you considered a crew-cab Hi-lux? I would say that this is probably closer in 'feel' to a Defender than a Land Cruiser (LC probably closer to Discovery).

Nope, I hadn't. Good shout! I'll take a look at what's available:-)

[PotHoleHater]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. Especially the in depth one, Sir Pug. I think it'll come down to the right car at the right time and what the good lady indoors likes, too. If she had it her way it'd possibly be a Classic RR Soft Dash with a V, however that's be a whole different thread/can-o-worms!

Merry Xmas to you all and happy driving.

PHH.

[PotHoleHater]

jmsgld said:

I have an 03 Landcruiser 100 series diesel Manual, fantastic beast, in 225k it has had a few windscreens and it blew a turbo at 90k but otherwise has just been service items, starts on the button every time, took it down to the south of France over the summer and would happily jump in it tomorrow and drive to Asia...

It may well be up for sale in the coming months, I'm hankering after another sports car. I'm smack bang in the middle of Dorset if you're interested.

Cheers, James

Hmmm, *rubs chin*, I could be tempted. Drop me a line when the time comes :-)

[PotHoleHater]

Ayahuasca said:

I have never felt the need for additional arm support in my Defender. If the window is up, and I feel the need to lean an elbow, it fits into the angle between the window and the door. Same as any other car.

Normally, I drive with both hands on the wheel (thumbs out of course) and don't need to rest an elbow anyway.

I have heard this 'fault' before, but cannot understand it.

Unless the complainers are all fat bds.

It's one of the faults I've experienced, however it was intentionally designed in (from what I've been told). The seating position allows a good view of the front right wheel whilst off road by merely leaning to the right.

I'm 6' 3" and 14st, so nowhere near fat b'stard status, nor am I 'powerfully built', however being able to rest an arm on long journeys would be nice.

[PotHoleHater]

It's going to be a Toyota. Just have to find the right car now. Budget has shrunk due to a house purchase, so now looking at £3k.

Hopefully the right Cruiser is out there...it'll be put to work quickly. Towing, tools in the back and as a multiple dog carrier!

Thanks for the input to the thread, guys.

[PotHoleHater]

Hainey said:

Its not what you want to hear but I'll say it anyway.

Having seen recently and first hand what 3k will get you in the Toyota world, I'd be going Discovery.

Sorry. I'll shut up now.

No worries at all chap. I've looked at too many rotten 300tdi's and TD5's with the usual issues to go that route. I may well up the budget, but not by too much.

What sort of issues have you seen with the Toyotas? I've found a couple of Colorado's that 'appear' to hold decent, so I'l take a wee trip to see them.

[PotHoleHater]

Great post, Hainey. Thanks so much. Food for thought, indeed. Bugger!

I'll keep you posted!

[PotHoleHater]

In all honesty, I doubt I'll be doing much green laning or the like in France. The 4x4 will be a workhorse and tow vehicle and if it goes off piste, it'll be on the property.

Thanks for all the contributions though :-)

[PotHoleHater]

Update time...

To be honest, it's doing my head in.

I've seen a few crappy cars, from both badges.

The budget has stretched to 3.5k and so have the wishes of the Mrs..."Heated seats and a sunroof would be nice (nice = would prefer to have).

I don't give a monkeys whether it's a Toyota Prado/Colorado or a TD5, but it needs to be in good condition with service history backing up any claims and not falling to pieces.

The off road element is not going to feature a great deal, but there will be a trailer behind (2000kg to 2500kg in total) it and it will off the tarmac occasionally due to work. I'll probably look for places to drive in the countryside (here and in France) though. It's been a while since I have green laned and I look forward to a little here in Devon.

I'd like achieve mpg in the 30's. I'm probably insane!

Any further words of wisdom or pointers to good steers?

Thanks, guys!

[PotHoleHater]

300bhp/ton said:

30+mpg from a proper 4x4 is unlikely. Not as a real world varied road type average at any rate.

Why not look at some p38 Range Rovers. Your budget should get you a nice on. A V8 on lpg maybe or a diesel.

Thankfully, I can (and often) drive like a saint. I have managed to extract 900 miles out of our 2004 V70 D5 manual's tank (brim to brim).

As for a P38? I'm not sure by balls are big enough to take such a chance! Joking aside, like many, I've read too many horror stories about P38's. Some must be true.

Edited by PotHoleHater on Saturday 6th May 22:37

[PotHoleHater]

300bhp...you've sown a seed that may well turn into something P38 shaped! Damn you! :-D