300tdi Defender as a daily commuter (Honesty time).

Our defender was our only car for about 10 years. For quite a few of those my other half would commute about 200km each day. It was a part city/part country trip. She was happy mostly but got a bit tired of it being so noisy in the end. Reliability was not great.

I still use it to get to work some days. Thing I find most annoying is lack of ability to safely overtake slow vehicles. Stop start traffic is also hard work. Slow moving traffic is just fine. Lane changing is never a problem. :cool

I don't have a 300tdi, but an 84 110 V8 which is pretty similar, and our other vehicle is a 2004 Subaru Forester, so I’ll chip in if I may.

I am much more confident driving the 110 in the city than the forester. You have a commanding view of the traffic, and blind spots are less of an issue. Parking is easier as well because you can see all corners of the vehicle.

I find myself mentally exhausted after a big trip in the Subaru, especially when driving with other traffic. I think it is because you sit low and your visibility in all directions is poor in comparison. Whenever I go to overtake, or pull back into a lane, I don’t always feel confident. I find myself looking over my shoulders a lot instead of looking ahead. Blind spot mirrors help a bit, but it is still nowhere near as good.

I also feel safer in the 110. Sure the Subaru has airbags and ABS, but it feels tinny and I feel vulnerable sitting so low. I wouldn’t want to roll a 110 though…

The 110 has poor brakes and handling, however this teaches you to drive defensively.

The 110 is a vehicle that you actually have to ‘drive’. You need to think about the gear changes, braking early, getting a run-up for hills, etc. The 110 is hot, noisy, water leaks into the cabin, the demister does bugger all, the gauges fog up in wet weather, etc. While the 110 has a fantastic seating position, generally speaking it is not as comfortable as the Subaru. This can be a good thing though. After 2 hours of driving the Subaru I start to get tired – it’s too quiet and comfortable. I can drive all day in the 110 without getting tired. As my Dad says, all the rattles and annoyances with the 110 are ‘in-built safety features’.

The 110 struggles to keep up with traffic, but once you get going it is okay. It feels comfortable doing only 95 – 100km/h on the highway, but that doesn’t bother me either – it is a 2.5 tonne 4WD after all. I enjoy every minute driving the 110. Even the drive to work feels like an expedition. I can’t say I enjoy driving the Subaru, despite the good power and handling.

Just get a defender. You’ll probably always wonder and end up getting one later anyway.

Edward :)

I'd offer my opinion but first, let me provide you with a little context.

I'm currently using a unimog 1750 to buy groceries and pick up orders for our fishing club. The main reason I'm doing so is I can always get one as they aren't all aircondtioned. I'm perfectly contented to do so and think that the rigors of parking it inside the lines of a normal sized carpark space is not only easier than doing so in one of the 6x6 mercs, is something with a difficulty level no sane competent driver that believes that if you dont have 3 pedals under the dash you're not really driving, would shy away from and is completely and utterly worth the effort because no car door or shopping trolly is going to hurt the rims, flares, bodywork or take the finish off the wheel nuts, While the tow hitch is not ideally placed being under the tray and offers the tray little protection the height of the tray is such that most cars wont hit the gates. The winch at the front is more than capable of defending the front grill from people reversing into it.

Yeah, Defenders are an easy daily driver.

Have been using my 300tdi as the daily commuter for about a year now. It's brilliant. Just puts you in the right mood for the day.

Everything that's been mentioned about servicing is pretty spot on. Only thing I'll add is that soundproofing has helped make it a bit comfier for daily use.

We used a D1 300Tdi as a commuter for a long time. It was fine, mainly because it was an auto.
We don't use the Defender as a commuter for two reasons: it's not a great city car (parking can be challenging because of it's size and it has the steering lock of a cruise ship) and it's a manual. It will do the job, but it's not as comfortable in traffic as our Mazda 2.
Still, it can be done if you want to do it.


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Originally Posted by steane

I'll play the devil's advocate, but ultimately it will be your Deefer and you should do whatever the heck you like with it ;)

The handbrake, window winder etc will fade from being a potential issue after a drive or two. They really are non-events and the Defender is surprisingly comfortable thanks to it's upright seating position.

A good one will handle highway work okay. No race horse, but no Defender is, even the last of them. But...compared to a modern car on the highway, they are noisy and you have to drive them. There is a good chance that will wear you down over time. I think it would get to most (not all) people.

My other big concern with using one as a daily driver would be wear and tear and keeping it maintained.

If you will be relying on a workshop to service and maintain the Defender then running one as a daily driver will cost you. No 25,000km service intervals with a 300TDi.

Regular oil and filter changes, tappet adjustments and cooling system servicing is all required. Then there are two diffs, a gearbox and transfer case to consider.

You'd need to regularly check wheel bearings and lube half shaft splines etc etc.

Nothing is set and forget, not if you want a reliable Defender.

Good 300TDi Defenders are fantastic things and wonderful fun to drive, but there are hundreds of ****boxes out there better suited to the daily commute.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it though :D

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This.

I used a 130CC for about 13 years as my work vehicle, driven day in, day out.
Admittedly the vast majority were country miles as, surprise, surprise I lived in the bush.

The biggest, biggest annoyance is the noise. A 300Tdi is frikking loud, only a Perentie would be louder. I have tinnitus and the noise, especially on a trip gets to you. The Wright Off Road mat system and maybe even ear plugs are a considered addition.

I did the Sydney commute for three/four weeks last year, Shalvey to a construction site at Waverley and it's easily doable. If there's a gap you punch it through. If you're used to Sydney traffic just drive aggressively like everyone else and it's fine. When I arrived in Canberra however the more genteel public servants didn't cope with a Sydney driving attitude. :D
When I was caught in the F4 carpark I just engaged low range and idled along, saved the clutch.

In all honesty the current 3.2l BT50 isn't that much quicker around town (seriously !) and I prefer the driving experience of the Landy, but the by guess or by god steering with the 255/85 tyres and the big shove needed on the brakes when I've stepped back into the Deefer is a reminder of how things have progressed.

[edit] use a really, really top spec oil and aftermarket, eg Crane, Comp Cams, Manley or HiPo VW lash caps and the rocker adjustment interval can go out to many tens of thousands of km, but JC will probably shoot me for saying that as it is a pretty important service adjustment. :D

PROS to using a Defender as an everyday driver:

- Modern ones at least, are comfortable, air conditioned and a fine place to be.

- Vision is good

- You are making someone else's day. For men of all ages, seeing
a Defender passing by is like seeing your favorite boyhood truck
come to life. Or seeing a rhinoceros mysteriously wandering past
in your neighborhood. They bring a whiff of adventure and the
great unexplored to other people's lives. You can even see a hint
of longing or regret in other 4WD owner's faces.

- If you're on the highway and see an alien invasion or a meteor strike
in the distance, good to know you can trundle across the median,
down the embankment and head for home/safety/local camping
goods store.

- At least if you have a 110, you can put dogs, wet gear, purchases
from IKEA or Bunnings etc. in the back no problem, along with four
other people.

- Keep up with traffic fine

- Get to know the character and quirks of the vehicle a lot quicker