Land Rover defender would you buy one.?

[clyde]

hi was looking to buy my first land rover defender, not sure if i should go for the 300tdi or td5. are they expensive to run/repair should i just go for the reliable landcrusier

[tommer9]

The unreliability of landrovers compared to other stuff is one of the biggest myths around, purported by thise whio have bought knackered ones cheap, or havent looked after them properly. The thing is that landrovers are so much more capable than any other 4x4, so they get far more abuse, so appear to be unreliable. Now a load of people will now come on here and say I am talking crap, but I have had several landrovers, and also jap stuff, and I would NEVER go back to the flimsy japanese/ ford stuff again, because it is less reliable than my current landrover, and HIDEOUSLY expensive to repair.

In my experience, people who denegrate landrovers are often thiose who couldnt afford a decent one too, or have had one bad experience. Most of the jap crap is okay because it has never really done anything tough enough to break, or even dirty it.

Get the most expensive defender you can buy, there is no such thing as a cheap one, unless you buy an already knackered one.

[corylus]

The unreliability of landrovers compared to other stuff is one of the biggest myths around, purported by thise whio have bought knackered ones cheap, or havent looked after them properly. The thing is that landrovers are so much more capable than any other 4x4, so they get far more abuse, so appear to be unreliable. Now a load of people will now come on here and say I am talking crap, but I have had several landrovers, and also jap stuff, and I would NEVER go back to the flimsy japanese/ ford stuff again, because it is less reliable than my current landrover, and HIDEOUSLY expensive to repair.

In my experience, people who denegrate landrovers are often thiose who couldnt afford a decent one too, or have had one bad experience. Most of the jap crap is okay because it has never really done anything tough enough to break, or even dirty it.

Get the most expensive defender you can buy, there is no such thing as a cheap one, unless you buy an already knackered one.

 

:thumbup:

 

Have both TD5 and 300TDi.....prefer 300, simpler engine, cheaper engine bits (I am told)

 

AND

 

You can alter/mod a LR body to your requirements without a problem.

Edited November 30, 2011 by corylus

[smithers1603]

The unreliability of landrovers compared to other stuff is one of the biggest myths around, purported by thise whio have bought knackered ones cheap, or havent looked after them properly. The thing is that landrovers are so much more capable than any other 4x4, so they get far more abuse, so appear to be unreliable. Now a load of people will now come on here and say I am talking crap, but I have had several landrovers, and also jap stuff, and I would NEVER go back to the flimsy japanese/ ford stuff again, because it is less reliable than my current landrover, and HIDEOUSLY expensive to repair.

In my experience, people who denegrate landrovers are often thiose who couldnt afford a decent one too, or have had one bad experience. Most of the jap crap is okay because it has never really done anything tough enough to break, or even dirty it.

Get the most expensive defender you can buy, there is no such thing as a cheap one, unless you buy an already knackered one.

 

I,ve got to agree 100%

[pie eater pete]

I now wouldnt drive anything else. A Land Rover is as reliable as the person driving it..mines upto 170k and 20 years old next year and is the most reliable car i have owned.

[born2trot]

The unreliability of landrovers compared to other stuff is one of the biggest myths around, purported by thise whio have bought knackered ones cheap, or havent looked after them properly. The thing is that landrovers are so much more capable than any other 4x4, so they get far more abuse, so appear to be unreliable. Now a load of people will now come on here and say I am talking crap, but I have had several landrovers, and also jap stuff, and I would NEVER go back to the flimsy japanese/ ford stuff again, because it is less reliable than my current landrover, and HIDEOUSLY expensive to repair.

In my experience, people who denegrate landrovers are often thiose who couldnt afford a decent one too, or have had one bad experience. Most of the jap crap is okay because it has never really done anything tough enough to break, or even dirty it.

Get the most expensive defender you can buy, there is no such thing as a cheap one, unless you buy an already knackered one.

 

Brilliantly put.

I've taken the advice of the last sentence and hope it pays off.

I traded a golf tdi and a really good isuzu trooper in for the mitsi warrior and it was a massive mistake.

Wouldn't get the defender though unless planning to use it for what its built for.

[WorcsWuss]

Without question, if you need a versatile working vehicle which makes good sense as an asset on the books [depreciation is lower than virtually everything else on the market] a Defender is a stunning vehicle.

They sure do have shortcomings but they're nowhere near as bad as usually made out.

 

And I'll back up the claims that LR's are reliable.

I have a 1994 Disco V8. I paid 900 quid for it unseen off eBay. I use it hard, every day, in forests, up motorways. In the 2 years I've had it I've had to replace an oil pressure switch [fiver] and it's just failed the MOT on 1 headlamp beam pattern, brake pedal rubber & intermittent ABS lamp fault. It's costing me 250 quid to get all that, and the advisories, done and a service [not had it done yet!], front CV joints, wheel bearings / hub seals & brake fluid while we're at it.

250 quid in repairs over 2 years seems pretty good to me.

My brand fire new BMW gave me more trouble....

 

Had a TD5 engined Disco 2, lovely engine, my favourite LR diesel I think, hugely tunable but TD5 Defenders are getting very desirable, particularly as the motors in new Defenders are getting smaller... there ain't no replacement for displacement as they say! [beware of early TD5's, throttle response was poor, improved on later ones]

 

300Tdi's are a great engine [had a Disco 300 a while ago too - we like Discos!] very simple and reliable. Still based on the original 2.25 petrol I believe!

 

Buy a good one, look after it [rot is the trickiest thing to remedy, oily bits are cheap and easy to change out] and you should be very happy.

[You'll get used to the poor driving position, crap heater, noisy cab, slow progress and slightly wayward roadholding in the wet....]

[PeteB]

what is that statistic? 75% of all Landrovers made (since 1949) are still working.

 

I think that says it all.

 

I love them but understand why people like other stuff too.

[corylus]

Quote.

[You'll get used to the poor driving position, crap heater, noisy cab, slow progress and slightly wayward roadholding in the wet....]

 

I love the driving position.................whats a heater?................what did you say (although thats cos I have the stereo on!).....................not slow at all, just not as fast as some others, but then I do like to 'smell the roses'.................mostly down to tyre choice and expecting a tall vehicle to behave like a sports car!

[NI Tree]

well said tommer i would agrie with most of it excpet that landcruiser 70's are the expetion in the jap groupe, and are far more reilabe so much so that mines are inporting them, as they are cheeper to run, and they are tested in the bush in austraila and it is hard on them, when i was out there i was driving one with over 500000 km on the clock aprox 311000 miles, and probabaly about 1% of tht was on tar. in south africa a surfie park had landie and land cruisers and they said that the landie had to be rebuilt every 10000 miles so they were used for the guest only as they had better supison for that job.

 

in astriala

 

they say if you whant to see the bush but if you whant to come back take a landcruiser (70)

Edited November 30, 2011 by NI Tree