Talk me out of getting... a Landy Defender
- Thread starter MrM
- Start date
No, but you want it for odd jobs and not fussed on the odd scuff but still want it to be half decent - the Cherokee suggestion still fits. They aren't that big - in fact they are quite small inside. I can throw mine round Tesco car park without hitting anything 9 times out of 10
Good shout for London.
Very refined 4x4 definitely the smoothest road going fourby I've owned. No worrys about pot holes, speed bumps or even other motorists. Mine has a nice chrome bull bar on the front & a tough tow ball & frame on the back so if anybody hits me they will get hurt.
I've had a 90 & took it well off road including a full swim, As has been said they can be Awesome off road with a few mods but on road they are unrefined & awkward with very little space for the driver & ridiculous temps, You either freeze your nutz off or sweat them off there's no in between, I definitely would not want to drive in London in one.
My Shogun is SWB V6 3 Litre Auto btw.
Price wise as well you can get an Excellent V6 3 litre for about a grand where as you need to spend a fair few grand to get a half decent Landy.
Soldato
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you live in london and want a land rover with increased performance?! surely it's not the best thing you could buy for city driving...
I live on the outskirts of London, I dont purposefully cruise and go for a drive in central London and seek out congested traffic.
I want a weekend toy, and thought a Defender would be a laugh, but to make it more bearable, would need to do a little work on it so it wasnt sluggishly slow...
I could buy a Rangey Sport if I wanted one, but its a little big, and the main reason for the Defender was that it has massive bumper protection front and rear, in the form of steel, so the Italian woman that lives down the road from me wont do any damage when she uses her usual bumper to bumper parking technique to get in the space.
Im not looking for a comfy cruiser, nor a beater.
There are a few companies like this, IRB Development and Twisted Performance is another....
Check out the 420bhp Defender Zulu that JE Engineering do... silly...
I want a car I can still take some pride in, have a nice example, but that Im not going to be worrying getting hit in everyday parking mishaps....
I seem to spend a lot of time lugging bulky items around, in all of the above my S2000 is useless which would explain my lack of using it, hence the thread.
Soldato
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A '96 Jeep in dark blue or green would be a good shout - besides being tough they've aged very well and don't look out of place parked on a London city street, or axle-deep in snow in the countryside
Decent sized rubber-covered overriders, that are easily replaced and mounted on the chassis rails, means people who clip it or back into it will usually come off worse
Only frail bodywork bits are the bumper end caps, which are about £15 to replace if that, and easily removed for repair if need be.
Great cars, loved mine. 4.0's the one to have if you can live with 18-22mpg, the diesel's agricultural, slow and requires care and attention to live for long.
My favorite one:
I paid under £800 for that, with 8 months MOT and 3 months tax. Never needed anything in 10,000 miles barring an oil and trans fluid change. Oh, I lie actually, it did need one rear bulb. SHOCK.
Ace bit of kit. Most have (like the one above) central locking, cruise, air-con, ABS, PAS, electric windows, electric seats, electric mirrors, heated rear screen, transfer case system with various modes, leather and a few other bits and bobs.
Get a good one and they're great fun to drive as well, and extremely comfortable, even on the motorway. Good bit of grunt too from the 4.0
Superior to a Defender in every way
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Soldato
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My other old one, after I sold it:
Nice wheels
Nice wheels
Associate
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I have just sold a 4WD due to finances, & I absolutely loved it, although mine wasn't as good as a Landie, so I think if money is no object go for it! I do miss the bunging it up on the curb along heavily parked up roads (to let cars coming the other way through) I didn't have to worry about the pot holes. It was quality when it snowed! I didn't get stuck anywhere, obviously you still cant drive like a tool, but you can feel more confident you wont get stuck anywhere. And being slightly higher up is another bonus.
I also love convertibles though, so I envy you! I dont have a garage & the soft top would be slashed here, so cant have one anytime soon. Maybe one day.
But I dont know anyone that regrets getting a 4WD, unless they cant afford the slight extra it costs to run one of course, but I remember my dads wife saying you wont want to go back to a normal car now after I bought it, my dad & uncle both had the same car, same year, only different colour. And if I didn't struggle with the cost being on my own, I would have kept it, too right. I haven't told them yet it's gone & I have a Focus now
I will always have good memories of the one I had though. And everytime I drive past one the same now I cant help smiling.
/soppy cow....
I also love convertibles though, so I envy you! I dont have a garage & the soft top would be slashed here, so cant have one anytime soon. Maybe one day.
But I dont know anyone that regrets getting a 4WD, unless they cant afford the slight extra it costs to run one of course, but I remember my dads wife saying you wont want to go back to a normal car now after I bought it, my dad & uncle both had the same car, same year, only different colour. And if I didn't struggle with the cost being on my own, I would have kept it, too right. I haven't told them yet it's gone & I have a Focus now
I will always have good memories of the one I had though. And everytime I drive past one the same now I cant help smiling.
/soppy cow....
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A '96 Jeep in dark blue or green would be a good shout - besides being tough they've aged very well and don't look out of place parked on a London city street, or axle-deep in snow in the countryside
Decent sized rubber-covered overriders, that are easily replaced and mounted on the chassis rails, means people who clip it or back into it will usually come off worse
Only frail bodywork bits are the bumper end caps, which are about £15 to replace if that, and easily removed for repair if need be.
Great cars, loved mine. 4.0's the one to have if you can live with 18-22mpg, the diesel's agricultural, slow and requires care and attention to live for long.
My favorite one:
I paid under £800 for that, with 8 months MOT and 3 months tax. Never needed anything in 10,000 miles barring an oil and trans fluid change. Oh, I lie actually, it did need one rear bulb. SHOCK.
Ace bit of kit. Most have (like the one above) central locking, cruise, air-con, ABS, PAS, electric windows, electric seats, electric mirrors, heated rear screen, transfer case system with various modes, leather and a few other bits and bobs.
Get a good one and they're great fun to drive as well, and extremely comfortable, even on the motorway. Good bit of grunt too from the 4.0
Superior to a Defender in every way
Cor takes me back to when I was 15 (1985) & mums boyfriend had a Cherokee, was a goldy colour, years ago this was, & we took it over to Jersey on the ferry. The roads over there, mostly country lanes, all skinny roads, was funny lol
So comfy though.
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Soldato
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A colleague just got one, 20 things lead to it failing its MOT the other week. And the diesel pump failed. That do ya?
As nice as the jeep above is, I feel its slightly too long to fit in most spaces left between cars on the street side.
With the Defender Id look to go for a 57 plate or newer so hope that would offer some form of reliability, as well as some mod cons. Ones ive looked at on the web (XS) model have air con, ipod dock etc, but then I think I must be crazy so spend another £20k more than my S is worth on a Landy. But then they dont depreciate as badly.
But the irrational part is the cost is not the issue, but that I feel this compulsive need to keep my S clean, and look after it, so knocks and scratches really annoy me. So despite the overwhelming price differential, Id feel like the Defender would look after itself, is cool in a retro way, and with a little more money spent on it, it can be made a little quicker, comfortable and more refined. Its the ruggedness that appeals to me.
With the Defender Id look to go for a 57 plate or newer so hope that would offer some form of reliability, as well as some mod cons. Ones ive looked at on the web (XS) model have air con, ipod dock etc, but then I think I must be crazy so spend another £20k more than my S is worth on a Landy. But then they dont depreciate as badly.
But the irrational part is the cost is not the issue, but that I feel this compulsive need to keep my S clean, and look after it, so knocks and scratches really annoy me. So despite the overwhelming price differential, Id feel like the Defender would look after itself, is cool in a retro way, and with a little more money spent on it, it can be made a little quicker, comfortable and more refined. Its the ruggedness that appeals to me.
Soldato
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The Jeep's 50cm shorter than a Mondeo, 10cm shorter than a Focus.
It's 35cm longer than a (2000 on) Defender 90, but obviously offers considerably more interior space and significantly better handling and ride quality (comparatively).
The Jeep's 5cm narrower though, which gives it a tiny bit more breathing room on those city streets.
Oh - the Jeep will only cost you £205 a year to tax. A Land Rover around a 57 plate? £435.
Defenders are not cool in a retro way either, and people who drive them on the road tend to end up looking like massive berks because the things are so damned horrible on the road. We had a new 110 in recently and it was just utter dross Uncomfortable, too - no steering wheel adjustment, for example! What?! There's little you can do to improve them with regards to refinement and performance, too - why, anyway, it's a tool - not a luxury 4x4.
You'll only be AS annoyed by people putting dings in your 20k LR as you are by them putting dings in your S2000, too
Feeling very rantish. Excuse me for a while......
It's 35cm longer than a (2000 on) Defender 90, but obviously offers considerably more interior space and significantly better handling and ride quality (comparatively).
The Jeep's 5cm narrower though, which gives it a tiny bit more breathing room on those city streets.
Oh - the Jeep will only cost you £205 a year to tax. A Land Rover around a 57 plate? £435.
Defenders are not cool in a retro way either, and people who drive them on the road tend to end up looking like massive berks because the things are so damned horrible on the road. We had a new 110 in recently and it was just utter dross
Uncomfortable, too - no steering wheel adjustment, for example! What?! There's little you can do to improve them with regards to refinement and performance, too - why, anyway, it's a tool - not a luxury 4x4. You'll only be AS annoyed by people putting dings in your 20k LR as you are by them putting dings in your S2000, too
Feeling very rantish. Excuse me for a while......
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Go and drive one. Take it around town, on a dual carriageway and a motorway.
Take it into a car park. Do some parallel parking. Fill up. Make sure you drive it in the rain.
Once you've done that you will experience some of what makes a Defender a truly horrid car for a daily driver.
I had a 90 as my daily driver and whilst I fell in love with the car, it was utterly atrocious as a main car. 2nd car? Perfect. Daily driver? No.
They have bags of character but they will go wrong often. The only difference between old and new Defenders is the newer ones are shinier. New ones are marginally more reliable but they will keep needing work to keep them going.
They leak - both rain comes in and oil and fluids leak out. There is a commonly displayed sticker in the Landy community - 'Land Rovers don't leak, they just mark their territory'. It's true.
The comment above about driving with your right arm out of the window is spot on. Despite being able to fit three up front they are insanely cramped in the drivers seat.
I'd love another one, but only as a 2nd car.
I've now got a Discovery. It's still less than a refined car but bridges the gap between normal car and capable off-roader.
You need to drive one. Then decide if you can live with the myriad of issues they present.
Take it into a car park. Do some parallel parking. Fill up. Make sure you drive it in the rain.
Once you've done that you will experience some of what makes a Defender a truly horrid car for a daily driver.
I had a 90 as my daily driver and whilst I fell in love with the car, it was utterly atrocious as a main car. 2nd car? Perfect. Daily driver? No.
They have bags of character but they will go wrong often. The only difference between old and new Defenders is the newer ones are shinier. New ones are marginally more reliable but they will keep needing work to keep them going.
They leak - both rain comes in and oil and fluids leak out. There is a commonly displayed sticker in the Landy community - 'Land Rovers don't leak, they just mark their territory'. It's true.
The comment above about driving with your right arm out of the window is spot on. Despite being able to fit three up front they are insanely cramped in the drivers seat.
I'd love another one, but only as a 2nd car.
I've now got a Discovery. It's still less than a refined car but bridges the gap between normal car and capable off-roader.
You need to drive one. Then decide if you can live with the myriad of issues they present.