Defender 90 Buying Guide

[A02 Defender]

I'm new to this forum so a big Hi to all. I am after some buying advice regarding a Defender 90.
I want to buy the newest car possible but the seating configuration in the post 07 models in no good to me. Also I'm not keen on paying £400 per year Road Tax !! So I've been looking for a while and found an 05 Defender 90 County Station Wagon. Its not at a dealer, but is through a Land Rover Specialist. The car looks in fantastic condition will full service history, etc...

Ive done a fair bit of research and there seems to be a lot of talk about the 300Tdi engine being a lot better than the Td5 (electrical problems, etc...). Anyway, I can't seem to find much discussion about Defenders of this age, it all seems to revololve around earlier models. What I want to know is am I farly safe buying a car of this age from a specialist who seems to sell decent cars, or should I still be wary. I just want a straight car that Im not going to have to constantly mess around with.

Any advice regarging what to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

[cpas]

Hi.

There's plenty about this age so a lot of people are obviously happy with them! I think earlier TD5s had some problems but all car companies have this issue - and most problems are ironed out on later production vehicles.

[Liszt]

Main problem is oil in wiring loom but is an easy fix. The TD5 was used for 8 years compared to 4 years for the 300tdi. The TD5 is less agricultural than the 300 but only by a bit. How big a speacilist is it? A proper garage or a sales outfit run from a farm.

In either case, history and condition are the most important things to check.

[Guy Torf Myland]

I've had 2 Td5s, one from new (55 plate 110 CSW) and one I bought at 3 years old from an independent specialist- I've still got the latter (it's an 01 plate, 90 CSW). The only engine related problem I've had is a delaminated intercooler hose (£20 DIY job). Combined, I've had about 110k miles out of these vehicles.

The 90 is getting a bit tatty, mind. 300TDIs will be getting seriously tatty by now unless they've been refurbished- expect to pay a heavy premium for a resprayed/refurbed 300TDI, that you'll stuggle to get back on resale.

Both engines are fine, though.

I'd have a look at the owners' forums for more detail but be aware that they contain a high proportion of Luddites who will reject any improvement (particularly with regard to engines) as the work of the Devil.

Many seem to think that the LR world stopped at the 2.5 N/A diesel. It didn't.

[isv]

TD5 engine is bullet-proof in my experience. Never had a single engine problem in over 100k miles in TD5 Discovery/Defender. My last Defender was a 04 TD5 - I bought the tidiest example I could find with a LR service history and got 100% reliability.

I have only one hard and fast rule - never, EVER, buy a Defender from a farmer.

[TWISTEDCHARLIE]

TD5? GO FOR IT, YOU WILL NOT LOOK BACK. BEST ENGINE GOING, VERY FEW PROBLEMS AND AS EVERYONE ELSE HAS SAID, TRIED AND TESTED.
ENJOY!

[dtmpower]

isv said:

I have only one hard and fast rule - never, EVER, buy a Defender from a farmer.

Can you elaborate on this statement ? Is it to do with servicing ? or red diesel ?