Defender Owners with 3+kids who go touring.....

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Originally Posted by PAT303

Thats why I keep on about the D3,they were designed by putting 5 seats on the factory floor with people moving them about till they had the seating right,they then designed the car around them,if you want the defender buy a TDCi,if not buy a D3.Reading back you didn't know what an L322 was,if had one,they can be had for a good price,they have interior space to burn and the Td6 is the best diesel engine sold in any 4wd in Oz IMHO.Both the D3 and L322 are in another league when compared to a defender,100,Prado etc. Pat

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Pat is right for comfort go the D3 or L322 Range Rover. If I had the money at the time I would have bought Pat and Tracey's and got rid of the Defender.
Not entirely sure of your budget but sounds it may be at the lower end. The issue is for a TD5 110 you will still be looking at $20k plus for a decent one with a heap of accessories, maybe $15-$20 for a reasonable one. We are starting to see D3 around this price recently for V8s and around $25 for TD6.
Dont get me wrong we love the Defender, but it has some major short comings for a touring vehicle with a family of 5. It has been suggested you get a side seat vehicle. The downside of this is you lose the load space which it seems is what you are after. The other issue is side seat injuries in accidents are significantly worse due to the inertia.
I have tried to be as honest as possible, without criticizing the Defender too much. You will either love it or hate it.
As also said different seats are available from Exmoor trim, but by the time you land them here will be a couple of thousand dollars. Then when you fit them the cargo barrier must be moved back so will take some mods and a standard drawer system etc will not fit.
Your kids may love it.
With 3 kids if you decide to go the Defender path I would go a 130 with a tradesman body on the back. That is what I would do if I was going down this path again.
Ideally if you can get hold of one for a day or two and take your kids for a decent drive on a warm day, this may answer a few questions for you.
If you let us know a ball park figure what your budget is it may help and if you have a budget for accessories.
The link below has a few for sale in WA and may help your search. There is a nice red TD5, a white Puma and a couple of others. If you scroll down a fair way there is a decent optioned up TD5 green, similar to mine, but IMHO he wnats too much for it and he will probablly keep it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1455848934628316/

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Originally Posted by Robmacca

This is mainly aimed at those Defender owners who do a fair bit of touring and who have 3+Kids &/or Teenagers.....
I'm slowly researching for our next touring vehicle and would like to hear from other owners who go touring with their kids, their experiences, etc,

Things I'm interested in is:

1. Comfort for the 2nd row passengers, especially when there's a least 3 kids onboard....
2. Leg room for the 2nd row passengers
3. Room between each child in the 2nd row (ie: Their not squeeshed together touching each other)
4. Overall room when touring into remote areas... I'm assuming there is enough room for all your gear + spare parts, etc
5. When not touring - how is the Defender being used as a daily driver to/from work?


Do others have any helpful advice or info that would help me in my research (ie: Reliability / Towing - Campertrailer &/or Caravan / Remote Servicing, etc?)

I'm mainly interested in the Defender (110 Wgn or 130 Dual Cab) comments and not any D3>D4 comments at the moment.....


I started out originally focusing on going back to the last of the Toyota Factory TD 100's as I thought this would best cater for both the remote touring & then also for the times we wanted to tow our Caravan, but since coming across a few Defenders now and reading some Trip Reports, I find myself a little bit hooked on them now and their icon status.....


cheers....
rob

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I have just purchased a 110 with the extra seats and plan on doing touring however my kids are young (under 5). So I asked a mate who has one and older kids (3 under 12, plus his niece and nephew come on holidays with them). He's bought all leather seats because he felt that they would be more comfortable on long trips.

His feedback is as follows
* feels that it is quieter when full of people and seats.
* he's had to up grade the suspension to a higher rating because of the luggage on the roof racks and 7 people so that it doesn't scrape over rocks etc
* the kids always have arguments as to who sits in the rear row. His 12 year old kid is about 5ft11 and says that's near the limit.

We have 5 girls aged 5,7,8,11 and 16 and I've just bought a 10 seater. I can see the front middle seat being used a lot as there is usually no shotgun when mum is in the car. The back side facers are going to be popular, at least at first. We will have room for two in the back and the fridge and some soft gear, plus lots of stuff under 2nd row seats.

I was thinking of a DVD player mounted on the roof but the head rest ones might be a better idea. The car has lots of ciggy lighter sockets so recharging iPads etc won;t be a problem. Just need to make some cup holders!

I will buy a roof rack and put a ladder up the back, the kids will love climbing that, plus up the bullbar, across the wing and onto the roof from the front... but only when in low range, of course.

Thanks guys for all the replies..... I've taken the plunge and gotten ourselves a '96 Defender...... Just got to figure out which one of our other 4cars goes.....

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Originally Posted by Robmacca

Thanks guys for all the replies..... I've taken the plunge and gotten ourselves a '96 Defender...... Just got to figure out which one of our other 4cars goes.....

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An excellent choice. None of the electronics to worry about in the Td5 and Puma Defenders and all the same timeless elegance and esoteric charm. The wonderful thing about the Defender is you can do so much to it if you choose.

I will be paring down our camping gear to the bare minimum to keep mum happy. That means she has to have a decent folding chair and a table to work on. I'm considering setting up five day packs containing a small stove, mess kit and what have you, probably use ex-army bum packs or large ammo pouches. Let them do their own cooking and they store the packs under the seat or hang them off the spare wheel, whatever.

We stop every 2-3 hours and let them explore, run a round and so on. Then heard back into the vehicle, tie them down, increase sedation if necessary and check for any improvised weapons collected during the halt. Its all about having a routine, sticking to it, being firm and never, ever showing fear.

I think, in practical terms, the backseats of our 2009 Defender and our 1995 Disco 1 were pretty similar - that is, comfortable for two, a bit squeezy for three. That said, we managed last weekend to get two child seats and an adult in the back seat and they all survived. We also did long trips in the D1 with three in the back.
Our Defender has headrests and the upgraded aircon.
I got extended front seat runners from the Expedition Centre for the front seats and they go in next week when I'm on holiday, so I expect that to give more leg room in the front, which will be welcome. I also got the extended bolts so the rear doors can be opened to 90 degrees to make entry exit easier.
Visibility is good from the rear seats with the windows plus the opera windows, so that can reduce claustrophobia. Window tinting would also be a good idea and I will be getting it done early in the New Year. Something I also plan is to get a little drinks cooler to sit on the floor behind the cubby so cool drinks are available while driving, which could keep the passengers happier.
There is heaps of room in the back, particularly if you put in a single central drawer giving a flat platform extending over the wheel arches.
Make sure you budget to add a rear wheel carrier and take the spare off the back door so the door doesn't warp or rattle.
If the interior isn't enough, the roof is suitable for a VERY LONG roof rack.

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Originally Posted by perrygamsby

We have 5 girls aged 5,7,8,11 and 16...

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All the best mate!!! 😮

I'm hoping to be able to keep the standard suspension and just add airbags for when towing or if necessary with heavy loads.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

There is heaps of room in the back, particularly if you put in a single central drawer giving a flat platform extending over the wheel arches.
Make sure you budget to add a rear wheel carrier and take the spare off the back door so the door doesn't warp or rattle.
If the interior isn't enough, the roof is suitable for a VERY LONG roof rack.

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I'm lucky in that the Spare Wheel is already mounted to a Kaymar Rear Tyre Carrier

Yes, I definitely want to utilise the roof to its full extent, just got to find a 2nd hand one, but currently there's no rush as it's not registered and probably won't be until sometime next year....

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Originally Posted by Robmacca

Well, had the opportunity yesterday to take a '95 Defender for a drive for the 1st time..... My observations of the INTERIOR (only) from a person who is 6" in height are:

> Very different seating position with the Drivers seat appearing to be off-centre to the steering wheel - Did get use to it so not a real biggie I guess

> Sitting VERY close to the Drivers Door and now know why most times u see the window down so your arm can hang out the window. With the Window up, I felt a little cramped, but I guess this is something u get use to ??

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Being close to the door or "off centre" is actually a winning formula when you are off road. It allows you to look at your front wheel placement much more easily when your in the tough terrain. It does not work for people who are very broad shouldered etc..

A mate of mine used to be a Rugby Union Forward. He can't actually sit in the Defender because half his shoulder is still outside the car and thus can not close the door. If he sits back in the car his shoulder is actually against the mid beam. He has a similar problem in the Pajero.. not in the Patrol, Hilux or Land Cruiser.