Thread: 2012 defender worth buying?

Originally Posted by sheerluck

Any need for getting personal, Dobbo?

Not getting personal, just stating the facts.

or to put into a Douglas Adams quote

" I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I intended to be. "

there are good points from both sides of the fence. Regarding recalls, yes not the numbers of individual vehicles, but actuall recalls....in saying that, bottom line its $$$ these companies have bean counters doing analysis whether or not it cheaper to recall or not, this includes not just parts and labour but cost or image perspective from either recalling or running the risk of failurs, plus individuals or groups being able to sue for liability etc...its a complex world where $$$ rule!

If safety were truely a concern, then the defender would not be built in its current guise...it is only allowed due to the way the rules are and ties back to an older vehicle platform...there is a reason it is not sold in Nth America. Current LR are also know from memebers on this forum to have diff issues from new, Insufficant oil in diffs/t/cases and gearboxes, engine problems ie V high oil consumption in the odd ocassion. Nothing is perfect. What bugs me personally about the rovers is they have gone out of their way to change designs of items on the defender that would cost them money to make it worse, Silly silly designs of some items and the very inconsistant quality control.

In saying that I doubt them to be 5 x worse than anything else in the same range...

I like the all the talk,has anyone noticed that the people that have replied own defenders and spend time or live in the bush,as posted the hottest driest parts of Oz and we don't have issue's and speak highly of the puma were's the knockers don't own puma's and live on the east coast a thousand K's from the outback but they seem to know more?.I like the boundless electrical fault line,the only fault I've had is blown globes from corrigations and I've had three modern ''electrikiky'' LR's. Pat

yeah I live on the east coast Pat....pretty big state QLD, so what of outback or coast....Id take hot and dry over hot and humid for vehcile longevity. (hint watch your temp on a 27c day with 50% and then watch it on a 27c day with 85%...) and watch rust, corrosion and electrolisis...If you think owning a pre puma defender is no experience then think again...some commonality there wouldnt you say? and some of those components have got worse not better (trailing arms, diffs, alxes, cvs, driveline angles...steel doors etc etc etc ) some may have improved, but I would wager more on comfort than reliability.

I have been to the "out back" a couple of times, have put approx 200,000km TOWING on my truck, and read enough diff stories from "puma" owners on this board...or dont they count if they arent in the hottest dryest part of the universe....

im not saying its a heap of **** either...just I have seen some brand new rigs not live up to that, say, hype that may have been bestoed upon them

Well there will be no defender for me... test defender broke down on the main street and had to get towed.

Glad i had one last test drive today..... the hunt goes on for the perfect 4wd

did they say what broke down?

Hey Stickman, don't let a shot of bad luck get in the way. I had similar in a 1999 Deefer I test drove new 12 years ago [it wouldn't start]. I ended up buying a new 110 days later and being my first LR I can vouch for over 200,000K of extraordinary adventures - having only got bogged once!! Yes, the Deefer is a remarkable machine. Words fail most of us. However, after twelve years I've found it essential to have the skills of a handyman mechanic-eletrician-body builder because something is almost always needing attention. And yes, that might be because the Deefer gets driven for 100's of kilometres along corrugated tracks, rocky ravines, sandy beaches, flooded rivers/creeks, muddy goat tracks and everything in between - which is no doubt harsh treatment. My advice is take another test drive in 4WD conditions and then later ask yourself do you want to go places with extreme confidence of getting across/through hideous terrain and back again....and do you have the time or interest or capacity to tinker with a deefer to keep it humming along. If the answer is NO...keep looking....if the answer is yes...pay da money and go bush for a frolicking good time again and again. Good luck.

stickman you are wasting your time , the perfect 4wd does not exist , and I have worked on most and owned quite a few different ones (apart from all the landrovers) I have a 86 110csw V8 that I have owned now from 18 months after it was made . I have a 90 300tdi auto that I use as a runabout cos petrol and a V8 in UK are hard to keep up with i spent over 12 yrs in OZ and that included recovering vehicles from the bush in WA , and there wasnt one make that I didnt have to tow , so there you go , you have to decide what you want out of your 4WD and buy one that gets nearest to tiking all the boxes , but you are not going to get everything in one HTSH