Thread: Which Defender to choose?

i would go the 300tdi with 190k on the clock

i have only ever owned a 300tdi and it has served me well. i have just recently had a new head fitted but apart from that at 330k its just normal wear and tear

Depends what you want to do with it man. The Tdi's are great because everything is mechanical where as the TD5 is EFi.

I'd take the 300tdi with less k's
Td5 be better for city driving & family (ABS) , also better for long haul.
These engines should be good for 300k+ (500k + if looked after), your early r380 g/box ('94 300tdi) may have some play on transfer input gear which was addressed on later models, I've a 94 tdi with similar k's and g/box fine
Tdi probably be cheaper to fix than Td5 ,but is older & if it's been near salt even with lower k's could lead to future rust issues
Also check with your insurance company what they'll insure a tdi for, my '95(94) 110 is below $7k now ,but can you buy a good one for that ? Don't understand this myself but that's 'market value'

Brett

110 300tdi

300 TDi, no electrics/electronics!!!!

I might be biased but ... County.

Tiki.

300Tdi - without doubt the best allround package built to date.

I own an Isuzu 3.9 Turbo County, County 3.5 V8 and a 300tdi 130.

All these vehicles are very different in handling and and economy.

The power from the V8 outdoes the other two, great for towing and overall a little better built interior than the Defender 130. Never had any issues with it having changed the cooling system, converted to electronic ingition. easy to work on due to no electronics if buying the carbie version which I have. These engines are great but are prone to overheating so make sure the cooling system is up to scratch, although replacement stock engines are quite cheap and affordable as opposed to the Isuzu or Tdi.

The Isuzu is the same vehicle as the County except motor an power. A little noisy and a little underpowered at times on the road but off road torque is magnificent, you will not stall it. Robust engine although components for these can get a bit expensive and hard to come by. Never had to touch the engine since owned except for oil and filter changes, very low maintenance.

The 300tdi 130 is a great meduim, it has the low down torque for offroading and the turbo works well while highway driving. Easy to repair as it has no electronics, you can pretty much diagnose any issues quite easily if you know a little about them. Be sure to change the timing belt normally every 70Kms. Great engine, great economy compared to the other two. The 1996 130 has the good combination with the R380 gearbox and Salisbury diff, great machine.

As asked above, what are you going to use it for?