Thread: Do we have 15-20 year cars in the Puma

No vehicle bought today will last.Lift the bonnet on a 2.25 series then look under a puma,cruiser and patrol.Anyone can get a 2.25 going,it takes hours,and I mean hours of arm twisting,knuckle skinning work to doing anything on modern vehicles.It's not the basic mechanics that are at fault,it's all the rubbish they fit on them to pass laws etc that cause the trouble and they will make vehicles in the future unrepairable. Pat

As the part count goes up the probability of having a part fail also goes up. Simple probability says that a Puma is more likely to have a part fail just because it has more parts. That is without considering that there may be some design flaws which are yet to be sorted in the Puma.

Don't know much about the Pumas but are the faults being experienced things that second hand car buyers would just suck up and live with or simply repair versus the high expectations of new car buyers?

In the end it will be the availability of fuel that will be the end of all current generation vehicles.

Originally Posted by slug_burner

Don't know much about the Pumas but are the faults being experienced things that second hand car buyers would just suck up and live with or simply repair versus the high expectations of new car buyers?

A second-hand car buyer will suck it up (to a point) because it's exactly that - a second-hand car, complete with X amount of miles on the clock and the possibility that something may be on the way out. I don't think it's too high an expectation of any owner that they buy a new car straight off the production line and not want it in the garage one week in every four, having something repaired.

Too many of the complaints aren't from people that have been driving the vehicle for a few years before a problem pops its head up, but rather owners that have had the vehicle for mere months, weeks even. There's a thread here posted just today from an owner who has fond a list of problems, 70 something kilometres off the line. That's pretty shocking, in anyone's book.

Well one month out from handing over the hard earned and reading this makes me second guess myself as to whether I should be happy doing a $500 deposit and walk away from the sale. I am buying with the hope that I have a 15-20 yr ute, just like PC3.
But if I walk....to what.....a dual cab leaf sprung ute, with a maximum 1800L tray, 2250T towing capacity, 880kg payload (including accessories). With the only thing going for it IMHO is my mates would say you've done the right thing, you'll be happy with the Toyo. Only to read on toyota forum (newhilux.net) or complaints corner (COMPLAINTS CORNER - PROBLEMS WITH YOURS: TOYOTA*HILUX* - MOTORSM.COM) that there is a bucket load of problems with them too, and you don't get a real off road vehicle.

SWMBO always told me she would have painless contractions during birth....that certainly never happened....but I am sure they are not an urban myth.... a defender that comes straight from factory without an issue..urban myth...we will have to see. I will post back in 15-20 yrs hopefully with the same 130 I am about to get (perhaps broke).

Stace pointed out exactly the same things I considered when buying a twin can ute...... Really what are the alternatives. Anyway I have made my choice now and need to live with it. The concept of the 130 twin cab Puma is perfect......in thinking about it stronger drivetrain and clutch would solve 80% of Puma issues as from what I have read majority if issues reside here.

me thinks you fellas need to harden up :P

you think it's hard putting up with a 1 yr old land rover

have some pity for us guys that drive 30 year old ones and battle to keep them on the road as daly drivers.

look at the range rover, always railed as the most unreliable 4wd, yet time and time again they come up as the most capable in real life .

the capability comes at a price, always has, always will.

what makes you guys special [insert tongue in cheek smilie here]

Hi,
well I may be a bit naive mechanically, but all my vehicles have been 20+ years old by the time I sold them, and that is with me just doing oil changes and the odd head gasket with some help from friends.
I now have a Puma D130 ute and am so happy with it, I just love the way it drives.
My only real comparison for regular use now is a 3 year old Corolla, a 35 year old Toyota Dyna camper and a 35 year old BMW R75/6 motorcycle.
Will it last 20 years and will I still be driving it when I'm 85? (That last bit was scary to type.) Well I can't see any reason why not so far, it is in better condition and instils more confidence in its ability than any thing else I have owned.
I know we will never buy a new 'car' again after the car park nightmares we have had with shopping cart and similar damage to the Corolla, despite the Mrs being almost paranoid about where she parks it.
The Puma is not a daily driver either, which will add to its longevity for us at least, but it will be getting some very long runs on the mainland avoiding freeways where ever possible.
I could not find another vehicle I would rather own.
cheers

Logically, most of the bits on a Puma Defender should last as long as the bits on any other previous model Defender. The bits that mightn't (as others have pointed out) are engine, drivetrain & electrics. Which could leave one pretty much rooted if they failed and ready spares are no longer available.

I may never know whether mine lasts 10 or 20 years as I have a personal policy on motor vehicles... If you have one old car, then make sure you have one new car for when the oldie plays up. Since I already have my "old" car, the Land Rover will always need to be my "new" car so I will no doubt trade up again in three or four years (my longing gaze is drawn to the G-Wagen).

If (and this is a BIG "if") Land Rover manage to design a replacement Defender that somehow miraculously combines all the capabilities & simple good looks of the current Defender with the necessary safety & emissions requirements then I may well consider buying again.

I think most of the problems with the current Puma are that it is so obviously a stop-gap model which Ford merely used to shove some of their own spare parts into before they bailed out. Maybe if Land Rover had were using all in-house technology and didn't have the uncertainty of the company's impending sale hanging over them things would have been much different. I think this was the reason we missed out on a TDV6 Defender.