Wife wants to buy a Defender 90 diesel
Discussion
Hello All.
My wife wants to buy a defender 90 diesel as our VW touran is getting on in years and is no fun.
Our children are now grown up and my wife wants to go back to fun cars. In the past she has owned several MGs, Porsche's and a Mercedes W123 280CE.
She has always wanted a Defender and we are now in the position to buy one. However, i have a couple of questions:
1) I notice that the rear seats are side facing and understand that these can be changed to forward facing for children with little modification? Is this easily and cheaply done?
2) What economy can i expect from the TD engine?
3) Is it a safe car to use with children? It has no airbags etc.
4) Can i hire an older model or perhaps borrow one to see if we actually get on with the car, prior to buying one?
5) What should i look out for when going to view one of these?
6) Mileage on these cars (at my price) seems to be 150k+ - is this an issue?
This is the sort of car that we are looking at as our budget is about £8k max.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3288970.htm
Thanks for any help.
My wife wants to buy a defender 90 diesel as our VW touran is getting on in years and is no fun.
Our children are now grown up and my wife wants to go back to fun cars. In the past she has owned several MGs, Porsche's and a Mercedes W123 280CE.
She has always wanted a Defender and we are now in the position to buy one. However, i have a couple of questions:
1) I notice that the rear seats are side facing and understand that these can be changed to forward facing for children with little modification? Is this easily and cheaply done?
2) What economy can i expect from the TD engine?
3) Is it a safe car to use with children? It has no airbags etc.
4) Can i hire an older model or perhaps borrow one to see if we actually get on with the car, prior to buying one?
5) What should i look out for when going to view one of these?
6) Mileage on these cars (at my price) seems to be 150k+ - is this an issue?
This is the sort of car that we are looking at as our budget is about £8k max.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3288970.htm
Thanks for any help.
1) I notice that the rear seats are side facing and understand that these can be changed to forward facing for children with little modification? Is this easily and cheaply done? Easily done, but if you want it done properly, it won't be cheaply done. A decent set of exmoor forward facing seats are £300+
2) What economy can i expect from the TD engine? At first, when you said TD, I thought you were referring to the pre TDi engines, I assume you just mean turbo diesels in general. 200/300TDi's do anything between 27 and 34mpg. TD5's are said to do around 30mpg. TDCi's do 25-28mpg.
3) Is it a safe car to use with children? It has no airbags etc. Define safe?...you hit a typical Eurobox and there will be hardly a mark on a Defender, yet the Eurobox will be written off. They are built like tanks (unless you roll one). However, they don't have crush zones etc, so don't expect it to be a 5 star rated vehicle
4) Can i hire an older model or perhaps borrow one to see if we actually get on with the car, prior to buying one? I'm sure someone somewhere hire these out, not sure who though without googling
5) What should i look out for when going to view one of these? Rust, rust and rust. Check chassis, bulkhead, doors. Ensure the thing isn't stolen/ringed.
6) Mileage on these cars (at my price) seems to be 150k+ - is this an issue? It is and it isn't. A well serviced TDi will do double that. One that's been used and abused won't do much more. The problem is you are buying a Defender when prices are at their highest (winter). For upto £8k, I'd want a Defender with less than 100k on the clock
This is the sort of car that we are looking at as our budget is about £8k max. Looks a tidy vehicle, but for that sort of money, I'd want the chassis to be galvanised on a 200tdi
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3288970.htm
In summary for £8k, I'd be looking for a nice, low mileage, well serviced, looked after 300tdi with a gal'ved chassis
HTH
2) What economy can i expect from the TD engine? At first, when you said TD, I thought you were referring to the pre TDi engines, I assume you just mean turbo diesels in general. 200/300TDi's do anything between 27 and 34mpg. TD5's are said to do around 30mpg. TDCi's do 25-28mpg.
3) Is it a safe car to use with children? It has no airbags etc. Define safe?...you hit a typical Eurobox and there will be hardly a mark on a Defender, yet the Eurobox will be written off. They are built like tanks (unless you roll one). However, they don't have crush zones etc, so don't expect it to be a 5 star rated vehicle
4) Can i hire an older model or perhaps borrow one to see if we actually get on with the car, prior to buying one? I'm sure someone somewhere hire these out, not sure who though without googling
5) What should i look out for when going to view one of these? Rust, rust and rust. Check chassis, bulkhead, doors. Ensure the thing isn't stolen/ringed.
6) Mileage on these cars (at my price) seems to be 150k+ - is this an issue? It is and it isn't. A well serviced TDi will do double that. One that's been used and abused won't do much more. The problem is you are buying a Defender when prices are at their highest (winter). For upto £8k, I'd want a Defender with less than 100k on the clock
This is the sort of car that we are looking at as our budget is about £8k max. Looks a tidy vehicle, but for that sort of money, I'd want the chassis to be galvanised on a 200tdi
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3288970.htm
In summary for £8k, I'd be looking for a nice, low mileage, well serviced, looked after 300tdi with a gal'ved chassis
HTH
Will you ever take it inside the LOndon Emissions Zone (effectively within the M25 give or take a bit)?
If so, read up on the changes to the London Emission Zone starting January 2012 - basically most pre 2002 Land Rovers will be caught by this legislation and subject to a £100/day charge unless the V5 shows the body type as "Estate Car" (most are registered as Light Utility 4x4 regardless of body type).
If so, read up on the changes to the London Emission Zone starting January 2012 - basically most pre 2002 Land Rovers will be caught by this legislation and subject to a £100/day charge unless the V5 shows the body type as "Estate Car" (most are registered as Light Utility 4x4 regardless of body type).
As Woody said, but also try to find a 'user's guide' or look at some Land Rover magazines. There have also been many forums about the subject on here. Do some research into different models and different years. The 'E'-registered example on your link is officially not a Defender, but just a 90. The Defender wasn't launched until about 1990 on a G plate, when the 200TDi engine was introduced. The 300TDi was introduced in 1994 and the TD5 somewhere around 1999. Pre-200TDi was the TD (Turbo Diesel) or the NA (Normally aspirated) - ie non turbo diesel engine. Both were much less powerful than the 200TDi and arguably less reliable. Proper Defenders are worth more money generally as they are more desirable.
Mods such as forward-facing seats are possible and I bought a pair on e-bay for £90 and the seatbelts for another £90. The Exmoor Trim 'lock and fold' seats are something like £1000 each!!
Mods such as forward-facing seats are possible and I bought a pair on e-bay for £90 and the seatbelts for another £90. The Exmoor Trim 'lock and fold' seats are something like £1000 each!!
I would advise your wife to try one first as they are not to everyones taste,I love them but are a bit cramped inside, chassis,bulkhead rust are your main worries,door frames corrode as the frames are steel but the skins are aluminium.The other problem is they are a very high risk vehicle for theft and standard security is very poor. Best to get a hold of some old LRO mags and do some homework they are a mine of information,i am sure you will get them donated from an owner from one of the forums in your area,as i know i just throw mine out when the new one arrives.
Despite being pretty nifty behind the wheel of most things, Lady Crossflow loves my Defender as a passenger but hates it as a driver.
Says it's too big, too heavy, and too easy to damage (other) things.
At nearly two tonnes (unladen) with traditional ladder chassis construction, hydraulic power steering, a high CofG and boingy coil springs they're more like HGVs than cars to drive.
Think very very long and hard before getting one as a family bus.
Says it's too big, too heavy, and too easy to damage (other) things.
At nearly two tonnes (unladen) with traditional ladder chassis construction, hydraulic power steering, a high CofG and boingy coil springs they're more like HGVs than cars to drive.
Think very very long and hard before getting one as a family bus.
Ray Singh said:
1) I notice that the rear seats are side facing and understand that these can be changed to forward facing for children with little modification?
This is true. They don't suit heavily modified children though.
As a 110 owner I can back up the statement about thinking carefully before purchase. Ours is a family wagon able to pull any trailer, my wife uses it daily to get to work.
When we first got it I told my wife to be careful, and got a punch as she thought I meant be careful with the Landy. In fact I was worried about her, as the huge turning circle can make it a bit of a handful.
When we first got it I told my wife to be careful, and got a punch as she thought I meant be careful with the Landy. In fact I was worried about her, as the huge turning circle can make it a bit of a handful.
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