Thread: Defender 130 pre purchase advise

those 3 130's look pretty neat.
I like the one with the canopy.

the most important place to check for rust is the fire wall.
mostly because it's the biggest pain in the arse to fix.

pull the floor mats out all together and look where the fire wall meats the floor (fire wall is steel and the floor is ali) a little surface rust could be fixed no problem. have a look from the engine side too to make sure there is nothing nasty there.

I have only driven the td5's and they cruse along quite nicely.
I know they have more power then the 300 tdi, but how much and how that feels to drive i'm not sure

they a bit noisy when you get up to speed but i know someone who has soundproofing right through his 110 wagon and it makes a huge difference.

Thanks for the advice benz - I'll definitely be checking out the firewall rust issues before purchase. Sounds like soundproofing might be an idea for family comfort.

Cheers,

Gavin

The visible rust around the hinges is generally just minor rust on the bolts. They are relatively easily replaced with stainless steel, although often the bottom ones are rusted to the captive nuts. Still, no massive problem.

As Benz said, check the firewall under the floor mats. There is a second/inner skin in the footwells. Water can sit in there. One of the best spots for it to enter is around the holes for the air conditioning pipes on the passenger side:



Also check the door bottoms. Look up from underneath between the frame and the inner door trim/card. The driver's door is less prone to rusting because it gets used more and the dirt and water gets shaken out.

If you're considering a 300Tdi, check when the timing belt was last done. They need to be done about every 70000km, although some will say less, some more. This costs about $700 - $800 to have done (unless you want to do it yourself ). The TD5 has a chain so it's not a drama.

The biggest plus with a Puma as far as I'm concerned is the six speed gear box. It has a lower 1st and a higher top gear.


James.

with the way defenders come apart it's not all that hard hey.
+ every panel is flat making them easy to lay
I should do it myself...

good luck

Thanks Rainman - good to know the door hinge bolts are an easy fix. Sounds like if there's no structural rust and the firewall & doors check out then it's just service history and then a test drive. Getting closer....

I guess the only remaining question is value & redbook guides seem to be only slightly better than useless.

Originally Posted by gcl381

Thanks Rainman - good to know the door hinge bolts are an easy fix. Sounds like if there's no structural rust and the firewall & doors check out then it's just service history and then a test drive. Getting closer....

Well.... ... there are a million and one other things but we'd be here all day.

Oil leaks
Steering box leaks
A/C evaporator leaks
Heater matrix leaks
Clutch master cylinder leaks (fluid on driver's floor under pedal)
Cracked RF guard where the fuel filter bolts on
Drivetrain backlash
Second gear syncro wear
Chassis cracks on the tray mounts
Dirt/rust build up behind the chassis cross member just behind the cab
Rusty bolt on rear cab cross member (in front of above chassis cross member)
Rust in the rear chassis cross member/dirt build up behind fuel tank
Rust in the front "dumb irons" (the front of the chassis where the bumper/bull bar bolts on
Cracked/broken inner door cross member next to the lock button
Frayed front seat belts from being slammed in the doors
Sliding rear window felt rot (now I'm getting picky )

Can anyone add to this? I will have forgotten lots.....

I don't want to put you off Gavin! They are great vehicles. Every vehicle has it's fair share of problems and considering Defenders get "used" a lot harder than most they hold up quote well.


James.

No - you're not putting me off. That's great. Quite a few of the things you've listed I'd noticed on other threads but you can never have too much info. I've bought old cars before & I know when you're starting out with a new brand that there's always stuff you don't know. Inevitably I look back a couple of years later and think 'if only I knew about 'x' at the time...' The cars I'm looking at are 10 - 15 years old so there will be issues but I was more concerned about the deal breakers. Some things are easier to sort than others so I'm trying to avoid structural stuff. Part of the appeal of these things is that they have character & I know that means time & a bit of money. We've got a modern japanese car as a household daily driver so I can afford to have a character car as a second car & these certainly seem to have plenty of that - along with the practical load carrying capacity that I need. Thanks again James.

Excellent! It sounds like you have the right idea. I've learned over the years that if you get angry you need to be able to walk away and come back with a clear head. You can't do this if you are soley relying on the vehicle or if it's taking up your entire garage and workshop .


James.