Thread: Defenders on "Car Sales."

Considering their new list price was around $50k depending on options that's a margin of up to $20k. How long that will last is hard to say. If the new Defender turns out to be a dud or substantially different then the demand for good used 'real' Defenders might stay high for some time.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Considering their new list price was around $50k depending on options that's a margin of up to $20k. How long that will last is hard to say. If the new Defender turns out to be a dud or substantially different then the demand for good used 'real' Defenders might stay high for some time.

Yes exactly Mick ...and even more so if there is no new Defender, which is looking more and more likely IMO.

Originally Posted by MrLandy

Yes exactly Mick ...and even more so if there is no new Defender, which is looking more and more likely IMO.

I may agree with you on that, no more defender.
For them to sell 100k+ units pa they have to compete against the dual cab market which has already saturated the market so I don't see that happening. The other market will be the wrangler which I don't think they sell a lot.
So considering financial viability I don't see anymore defenders.
My 2c

I would like to believe you guys that there will not be another Defender,...but I don't, I say, there wll DEFINITELY be one, but I, like everyone else, have NO idea about what it will "BE". So remember, you heard it here first,...there WILL be another Defender.....2018 seems to be the most "popular" prediction at the moment, although I reckon we'll have a few clues about it before then.
Vehicles on carsales continue to list at ridiculous pricing,...but there are the reasonable ones,..a Puma 2.2 90 with very low Ks @ $39,500, the best one I've seen.
I love my cars, always have,...can't remember ANY other "ended production" vehicle where prices have shown increases similar to Defender.
Pickles.

When I purchased my 2014 Defender the sales guys at the dealership had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. They were only interested in how 'cool' Defenders were and had clearly never driven, let alone owned one. Every Land Rover dealer I've ever been to has been the same.

There is simply no interest by JLR in the type of vehicle that Defender is. The staff aren't even trained in how to use a 4X4 vehicle. The assumption is that you live in the city and you'll just cruise the streets. The service departments are incredulous when you want diff oils checked at every service for goodness sake! Seriously?

...Are Land Rover really going to build a new, pragmatic, heavy duty, work horse? I don't think so. The glitz and glamour of the show rooms, the yuppy staff, pulling dealers and service agents out of country areas, the whole elitist luxury approach by Land Rover has screamed 'end of Defender' for years.

Mr Landy,...That has not been our experience. I'll tell you what ours was.
When Wifey decided that she was interested in a Defender around April/May 2013, We'd never had anything to do with a Landrover before. We had to pick a Dealer, so we picked ULR, the oldest LR Dealer in Vic, and at the time still had its original founder as owner & Dealer principal,...we knew they'd been doing Landrovers for ever, so we went there.
When we entered the showroom, we were a little "overwhelmed" with all the Jaguars, RangeRovers etc on the floor & were a bit embarrassed about enquiring about a "lowly" Defender.
We didn't know anyone there, so were simply introduced to a saleslady, who, when we mentioned we were interested in a Defender, immediately smiled, and said, "Oh good, we love our Defenders",...which made us a bit more relaxed!!.. So, all options decided upon, & car ordered.
Then, 6 months later, when car arrived, we were introduced to the workshop manager who discussed with us the fitting of the Dealer fitted options, invited us in on a couple of occasions with a couple of ideas He had, & took pictures for my "records" of every step. AWESOME.
Problem is, ULR are very very busy, and I now sometimes can't get hold of the person I want, but I'd have to say that the Defender buying experience was exemplary. The sales manager is an enthusiast too, having bought one of the very last 90s for himself.
Pickles.

That's great to hear Pickles. Although I understand that ULR have just been sold to new owners. Hopefully this doesn't mean the care factor changes.

I recently took my Defender to ULR for a warranty service, because I'd had bad service from another dealer (where I purchased the vehicle). They were much better, but I had to return after the service because they hadn't completed properly. To their credit they they remedied this immediately and were apologetic. I will go back there for service under warranty if I'm in Melbourne at the time.

Some individual dealers may be great and given your experience I wish I'd purchased mine from ULR. But it's the overall culture of Land Rover that says 'end of Defender' to me. I think they're totally caught up in the luxury 'image of adventure' as a company, rather than the reality of what the end users (their customers) of 4X4 vehicles need. No doubt it's totally frustrating for the dealers who care about Defenders too, but sitting in the showroom at ULR, waiting for the service to be completed was an intimidating experience, no one in the showroom at the the time was remotely interested in Defenders and with nothing else available under $100K and most over $200K! and the magazines on the table were mostly for super yachts!

Defender is finished and prices will continue to rise for good examples. Unfortunately, I think they too will be beyond the reach of financial mere mortals like us. Icons are rare in the world and Defender is now a rare icon. I doubt that whatever comes next will be iconic, especially if as everyone keeps saying it must appeal to the mass market. Mass market = bland.

Mr LR I purchased from a dealer on the edge of a city and near the country. Lot's of Deefers sold and serviced. The sales guys drove Defender Extremes but preferred Disco 2 as their daily drives. Dealer P had the full fat RR of course. They often went out west or to the islands with a combination of vehicles. At the time the Defender was the same price as the D2 and I was tempted but they all told me the D2 stock form was so close to the deefer off road that it wasn't funny and better on the beach in V8 form but was much nicer on road... Plus I liked the D2 over the 110 in looks and feel to drive etc. They were spot on I came to realise. So not all dealers don't know Defender. Cheers