New forum member considering a 110

[Heathen]

Giday all, I'm new to the forum (been trawling about reading for a while).
Newish to Qld and am considering a 2002-2005 Defender 110 as our main travelling/exploring wagon.

I have a ton of question for all of the owners out there so dont hold back on the advice.

First off, what would you consider a good price for a 1 owner 2003 Defender 110 extreme, 200km, full service history from new...very tidy.?

Any things/problems I should be looking for or will require attention at these kms? any concerns?

In the really world, how comfortable is the 110 defender for a small family travelling long distances? I would love to say all off-road but in all honesty we would probably be doing 85% on road with the remainder off road.
We are both pretty short in stature with the missus bout 5'...would this pose any ergonomic probs with her at the wheel?

I look forward to hearing your opinions...dont be shy,lay it on me!

[greenextreme]

Price, for the type of Deefer you mentioned, I'd expect to pay $18,000 to $24,000 here in WA. Might be different in Qld.
There are a few common Td5 issues but there's plenty of threads on these elsewhere in the forum. Perhaps more important is whether you have the mechanical skills or the budget [helps to have one or the other] to keep a deefer running smoothly continuously. Having the RAVE manuals from Dave / AULRO has helped.
We've done many long trips [over 200,000km] in our 110 Extreme and found it comfortable enough to arrive and enjoy our destination without too much pain or agony caused by the agricultural interior. Helps if the passengers have a tough exterior.
Short stature shouldn't be a problem, there's not much leg room or head room for tall people so you might be perfectly suited to a Deefer.
I'd suggest list the usual / common issues with the Td5 Extreme and then check the status of the car in question.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

[billy57]

if I don't get a new job in the next few months my 2007 puma will be on the market, if ya can wait that long of course

good luck with your shopping

[Benz]

I'm sure you have already but have a look through Carsales.com (Defenders) and you should get an idea on price.
but yeah the asking price for those could be anywhere from 18 to 30K

make sure you check the firewall properly (pull out floor mats) for rust as well as the doors (frames).

the service record sounds good so you should be good on the mechanical side of things but a visit to a mechanic who knows land roves to give it a look over should bring any hidden nasties to the surface.

have a look through The Good Oil for Td5's. most of the common problems (and fixes) can be found here.
Googling should give you a few pointers too

[Heathen]

Thanks for the info so far chaps.

I took a look at an 03 Defender this afternoon. It seemed to be in very good cond dispite 200,000 highway kms. The only rust was a small amount of surface rust on the rear bumper, and a couple of small flakes on the bottom of the fromt doors.(all easily sorted if treated now)
The chassis was completely rust free and its easy to believe it has never seen the beach.

Interior was in great cond and its had Blue Duck covers on the seats from new.

I have made what if think is a fair offer and should know by tomorrow if I own it or not....still seems like a lot of money for a 10yr old vehicle with 200,000kms on it, but one needs a hobby i suppose....

[newhue]

Thanks for the info so far chaps.
snip
but one needs a hobby i suppose....

if successful you will be buying a life style, and suddenly have more mates than you know what to do with.