Defender budget
Discussion
Afternoon,
Got a Defender itch I need to scratch and I can only come up with very tenuous reasons to validate it. With a small budget I could perhaps consider it as a viable option. It'll only be a dump run, mountain bike carrying, very rare camping (as a family we've camped once in 3 years for two night 30 miles away
) vehicle.
But who knows I might then get the itch for green laning and the like.
I've seen a number of Defenders on PH and Autotrader around the £5-6K mark. Some with new galvanised chassis. Seems good to me or are Defenders at this end of the market a false economy?
Got a Defender itch I need to scratch and I can only come up with very tenuous reasons to validate it. With a small budget I could perhaps consider it as a viable option. It'll only be a dump run, mountain bike carrying, very rare camping (as a family we've camped once in 3 years for two night 30 miles away
) vehicle.But who knows I might then get the itch for green laning and the like.
I've seen a number of Defenders on PH and Autotrader around the £5-6K mark. Some with new galvanised chassis. Seems good to me or are Defenders at this end of the market a false economy?
Buy wisely and be prepared to do regular preventative maintenance and it'll serve you well.
They're almost depreciation proof, but badly modified or maintained ones won't be. Avoid the latter two.
You'll need to make it secure as they have a habit of walking if not chained down. Rather a shame but they're in high demand...
Galvanised chassis is a nice thing to get but don't let it rule your choices. Condition as a whole is the key. Largely ignore mileage and go for how it's been looked after. Receipts for quality parts (I.e not Britpart) are desirable.
Your budget gets you a good Td5. There are known problems with these but nothing terribly frightening.
There's lots of information available online but if you can give us some further pointers about what you're looking for then we can help further.
They're almost depreciation proof, but badly modified or maintained ones won't be. Avoid the latter two.
You'll need to make it secure as they have a habit of walking if not chained down. Rather a shame but they're in high demand...
Galvanised chassis is a nice thing to get but don't let it rule your choices. Condition as a whole is the key. Largely ignore mileage and go for how it's been looked after. Receipts for quality parts (I.e not Britpart) are desirable.
Your budget gets you a good Td5. There are known problems with these but nothing terribly frightening.
There's lots of information available online but if you can give us some further pointers about what you're looking for then we can help further.
Thanks. 
To be honest my reasons for wanting one are tenuous to say the least but I've always wanted one ever since my father had a IIA on Range Rover classic wheels in the early 80's.
It's main uses would be to ferry garden waste to the dump rather than get the daily driver mucky, transporter for our family mountain bike outings for the same reason and the very occasional family camping trip. Would be great fun to go in a Defender rather than the family estate which my son considers a bit of a "showoffy" car.
None of these trips are likely to be over 50 miles and it would only see occasional use at the weekends. Maybe two per month at most. It'll never be used for the 90 mile daily commute.
I won't say it'll never be used seriously off road because there's a possibility of some green laning with a friend at work and maybe the odd play day as it seems there's a fair bit around me near the New Forest. But certainly serious off roading is, at this point, not a huge consideration.
110 would be too large so looking at a 90. Whilst a pickup might suit my requirements I think a van or wagon would be more practical.
To be honest my reasons for wanting one are tenuous to say the least but I've always wanted one ever since my father had a IIA on Range Rover classic wheels in the early 80's.
It's main uses would be to ferry garden waste to the dump rather than get the daily driver mucky, transporter for our family mountain bike outings for the same reason and the very occasional family camping trip. Would be great fun to go in a Defender rather than the family estate which my son considers a bit of a "showoffy" car.
None of these trips are likely to be over 50 miles and it would only see occasional use at the weekends. Maybe two per month at most. It'll never be used for the 90 mile daily commute.
I won't say it'll never be used seriously off road because there's a possibility of some green laning with a friend at work and maybe the odd play day as it seems there's a fair bit around me near the New Forest. But certainly serious off roading is, at this point, not a huge consideration.
110 would be too large so looking at a 90. Whilst a pickup might suit my requirements I think a van or wagon would be more practical.
Edited by Agent Orange on Monday 24th March 21:04
Very few of my searches turned up TD5 though as you say plenty of Tdi. They do exist in that budget but Tdi's far more plentiful it seems.
Engine won't be a huge part of the decision making - condition of the vehicle will be. I'd prefer a TD5 or failing that a 300 Tdi but if I find a 200 Tdi's in great condition for my budget I'd rather a 200.
Is that sound judgement?
Engine won't be a huge part of the decision making - condition of the vehicle will be. I'd prefer a TD5 or failing that a 300 Tdi but if I find a 200 Tdi's in great condition for my budget I'd rather a 200.
Is that sound judgement?
If it were me, I'd go 300Tdi.
I've owned a 300Tdi 110 for nearly 10 years and, other than a large V8, see no real advantage in having any other engine in a Defender. Yes, they can be slow and somewhat agricultural, but there's ways around those to a degree. They're easy to maintain and the drivetrain is about as simple as it gets. The R380 gearbox is good and far better than the LT77 in the 200Tdi.
I've owned a 300Tdi 110 for nearly 10 years and, other than a large V8, see no real advantage in having any other engine in a Defender. Yes, they can be slow and somewhat agricultural, but there's ways around those to a degree. They're easy to maintain and the drivetrain is about as simple as it gets. The R380 gearbox is good and far better than the LT77 in the 200Tdi.
It's worth noting some dumps, sorry Re-Cycling Centres of Cleanliness and Excellence, take exception to Defenders dropping in. The bloke in the grubby high vis jacket will argue for hours that your car is a Commercial Vehicle and can't enter. That's if you can fit under the mandatory height restriction to begin with.
LP670 said:
I bought my first defender yesterday, a 300 tdi in 110 station wagon form. i paid £4300 for it, its very original and has a solid chassis but its got an oil leak that needs sorting asap. after looking around at a few i deemed it the best i could get for the money i wanted to pay.
They leak oil as standard 
pja said:
OP, it's an itch I've had since I sold the last one 10years ago!
I've given it a good scratch this week & I'm picking up a very original 1989 ninety V8 CSW tomorrow
Needed for the same duties as you + taking the hound to the beach
Nice. That'll be a hoot to drive. V8, short wheel base and the smaller, skinnier tyres.I've given it a good scratch this week & I'm picking up a very original 1989 ninety V8 CSW tomorrow
Needed for the same duties as you + taking the hound to the beach
Looks good in white in a retro, '80s kinda way.
Simes110 said:
Receipts for quality parts (I.e not Britpart) are desirable.
Having been researching the last couple of days the vast majority of Defender online part sales site list Britpart. In fact I'm finding it hard to see anyone who doesn't.Would be appreciated if you can recommend quality part suppliers. Both manufacturers and companies that sell them.
Is Land Rover Owner International a decent mag to read to get myself gen'd up on a few things?
Search out OE manufacturers where possible. Too many to list really.
John Craddock or Rimmer Bros seem pretty good for standard bits. For everything else just shop around.
In terms of brands, Mantec is seen as the Rolls Royce of bolt-on bits for that Camel Trophy look, but can be pricey for what it is.
As for LRO....they're good at giving rave reviews for whatever it is they've been given for free that month.
John Craddock or Rimmer Bros seem pretty good for standard bits. For everything else just shop around.
In terms of brands, Mantec is seen as the Rolls Royce of bolt-on bits for that Camel Trophy look, but can be pricey for what it is.
As for LRO....they're good at giving rave reviews for whatever it is they've been given for free that month.
Agent Orange said:
Having been researching the last couple of days the vast majority of Defender online part sales site list Britpart. In fact I'm finding it hard to see anyone who doesn't.
Would be appreciated if you can recommend quality part suppliers. Both manufacturers and companies that sell them.
Is Land Rover Owner International a decent mag to read to get myself gen'd up on a few things?
You sound like you've not done much research on Defenders. LRs can require a fair bit of maintenance to keep in a good state. Go away and do some reading and lots of it! LRM or LRO are botha good source of info. Would be appreciated if you can recommend quality part suppliers. Both manufacturers and companies that sell them.
Is Land Rover Owner International a decent mag to read to get myself gen'd up on a few things?
Its also worth registering on Landy Zone. Lots of banter, but a fantastic amount of info.
Also, I've put Britpart kit on my Series and it hasn't turned to dust
LRO a "good" source of info? Do me a favour.
They just bolt the latest bits on that they've been given, or outsource to a specialist for some free work in return for a favourable review.
Advice like "force the bushes out with a hammer and drift - we used a 12 tonne press for ease" don't exactly endear them to the average DIY spanner monkey who doesn't happen to have a 12 tonne hydraulic press in their shed.
They just bolt the latest bits on that they've been given, or outsource to a specialist for some free work in return for a favourable review.
Advice like "force the bushes out with a hammer and drift - we used a 12 tonne press for ease" don't exactly endear them to the average DIY spanner monkey who doesn't happen to have a 12 tonne hydraulic press in their shed.
bakerstreet said:
You sound like you've not done much research on Defenders. LRs can require a fair bit of maintenance to keep in a good state. Go away and do some reading and lots of it! LRM or LRO are botha good source of info.
Its also worth registering on Landy Zone. Lots of banter, but a fantastic amount of info.
Also, I've put Britpart kit on my Series and it hasn't turned to dust
You are correct. This is the initial fact finding. Google has it's uses but there is no substitute for real knowledge.Its also worth registering on Landy Zone. Lots of banter, but a fantastic amount of info.
Also, I've put Britpart kit on my Series and it hasn't turned to dust
I downloaded the Jan 2014 LRO. Handily had a TDi buyers guide which was very useful. Struggling to find a TD5 buyers guide though.
I did have a look at Landy Zone - though I notice most "buyers guide" posts seem to respond with "**** off and use the ****ing search feature" and follow with a link to another thread that says "Do your research and buy the best".
If anyone can recommend or point me to a good TD5 guide that would be appreciated.
Yearly maintenance costs? Nothing I've read in the LRO guide particularly scares me aside from the chassis. Everything else seems fixable by a decent local mechanic. Granted I don't want to be fixing 90% of the vehicle!
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