Thread: Defender Purchasing Dilemma

I have got a 110 wagon on a novated lease and have been happy with it....

Tow bar - Genuine LR are the best. They have the best departure angle, however you cannot fit a long range tank with one......

Snorkel - Mantec is exactly the same as genuine one and much less.

front mudflaps - you can get brittpartt ones which seem exactly the same as the LR ones cheeper

Rubber mats - the genuine ones do look pretty good, however i dont have them...

Side rails - not sure

I have bought stuff direct from UK and been able to claim the $ back from my novated lease provider, however you may want to check with them......

specwarop you probably right there. I pay 960 per month for just he truck, but if I add my own 20K of accessories, and 17K retainer its all close enough to 100K in the end. Keep in mind too. It's very easy for insurance to write of a Defender, so respect the investment.

I seem to be one of the few who like the factory snorkel. It tanks a bit of modding with silicone, or a Nugget Stuff kit to make it water tight. But it has good anti leaf and rain design, and also has dust extraction tornadoes built in to the system. This doesn't mean however you will pulling it apart after original installation to make it a snorkel. LR wont seal it for you.

Buy a second hand tow bar. Triumph Spared SA will freight you one for $350ish. They know what fits, and they are not hard to fit. I've never heard of a warranty issue with a tow bar. I think I paid $800ish for my factory.

MR Auto have very good fitted floor mats for half what LR want. Standard are good but at 100K I have warn half through the mat from my drivers heel. Maybe I'm expecting a bit much there.

Not sure what a LR Bbar is worth. They are winch capable but don't have the cut outs done yet. They are made by ARB and slightly different to ARB's I think, but only slightly. Worth pricing.

Side rails, wait and see. Standard are too low for good 4x4ing. Sliders are in my mind more about side impact than sliding on any rock. I have however used mine as a pivot point to get the 130 through a patch of trees. I stand on them for roof loading for work more than anything.

lastly. Had a look over a LC myself one day. I fail to see how it can be any more than what it is if it were not for marketing. Chassis is small, and generally small components. The tray space on a twin cab seems to have more overhang then support. Piddly exhaust. Potential front diff, fire wall, oil issues. And those rear leaf springs. I once had a leaf pack LC, never again, coils are king in my view. Then there is poor internal console design, and no air con standard all for 20K more.

I admit my Defer has had plenty of warranty work, but all at minimal cost to me. Always had a loaner, and always no arguments from the dealer. But it also has done a 5000km high country, and two hard 7500km desert trips without an issue. And many many weekly or weekend trips, and I never lifted the bonnet or had a failure.

I think you have made a good choice.

I also looked in to the LC76 series and the engine seems to have injectors issues at the 180k mark and sometimes much earlier cost to fix 1k per injector.

Not to mention that it would have cost me about the same to buy as my defender but I would have had to spent another 20k to deck it out

Specwarop, Is a Defender for you?....well of course, only you can decide that.
I reckon you ought to get down to your friendly LR Dealer & take an extended drive in a Defender, & then do the same with a Landcruiser, or whatever else it is that you think may interest you.
To own a Defender, I think you really have to "Love" them, & be aware of how "different" they are, because there are lots of vehicles which will be more powerful, comfortable, & practical, BUT, they are not a Defender.
Defender is an Icon, Legend, Historic, Special, all that sort of stuff, but if you don't "Like" it, then something else may be best, for you.
Regards, Pickles.
(I did post words to this effect a few days ago, but my post appears to heve been "lost"?)

Do Land rover still offer the corporate pack? When I did my novated lease in 2009, ( finishes in November this year when I need to find 15k) they gave me 3 years/100k free servicing and the fitted mats front and middle as part of the pack, all I had to do was ask for it.

Cheers
Pat

Originally Posted by patclan

Do Land rover still offer the corporate pack?

Yes, they do indeed

What does the 3year/100k free servicing comprise of?
The warranty servicing? If so thatd be a good $5000 worth?