Thread: Defender vs 80 series reliability

Sounds like your looking at a 4wd with HIGH kms on it... So, no matter what it is, unless u get a complete list off the previous owner on what he has done to it maintenance wise u could end up with a money pit with either vehicle....
My good mate that I go touring with a fair few times has one of the last of the 80's Cruisers that u mentioned(80 Series TD 1HD-FT multi valve engine that was in a 40th aniversary, 1997). It's done some hard kms from the previous owner and he's owned it now coming up close to 8yrs now I think and has about 440kms on it. It's a nice vehicle and the interior is far better than a Defender but they also have issues too. The mate broke 2 CV's and a front half shaft axle on our 2014 Cape Trip and that was even with him doing a lot of maintenance to it before leaving. He also found body fatigue cracks in the inner guards as well.

So, no matter which one u choose unless your a mechanic yourself and u know what to look for u could end up with a big money pit if the previous owner can't give u some sort of history of the vehicle....

Also, a high % of Defenders leak when it rains and have poor dust sealing abilities, one thing that u more than likely won't have to worry about with the 80's....

Originally Posted by G.man

Thanks for the replies.

I was just thinking about cruising around Australia like strzelecki, Big Red, Gibbs River Road, etc.

Would you comfortably do that in a Defender, or too concerned stuff gonna go wrong, in which case the Land cruiser is the better option... or is this what you are saying, Land Cruiser is not a better option and no more reliable than the Defender, so both could do all of that without issues but both could also have issues doing all of that, you are not better off with one over the other.

I just dont want a money pit. Thats all.

I know the 80 Series TD 1HD-FT multi valve engine that was in a 40th aniversary, 1997, last made 80 series, that thing was reliable, solid, just general maintence and not hard to see land cruiser with over 600,000-700,000km still going strong and reliable (not falling apart like new cars).

I mean its a go forever type vehicle. The ones I seen are good anyway. Like a modern car. People say they are all getting 'old' now... but those 'old' ones will go further than new ones with 50,000 km only on them.

They were just built to last.

If the Defender is like that, go forever, wont have issues (if looked after) etc like the cruisers I seen, well, then no problem.

Last thing we wanna do is, go buy a defender, start going out and find out one thing after the other needs replacing. Then will forever feel like "stupid should of just got the LC, and not have had these issues" - if you know what i mean.

Agree with above, people say 80 series are so reliable, but half the ones i've look underneath have grease pouring out of the swivel hubs, LSD is flogged out, meaning you're running a 2WD basically, and suspension feels like i'm driving a boat.

Sure they keep going though, so i guess if that's your idea of reliability. . .

Nothing beats a 2 years old car when it comes to reliability. Basically new and all faults, if any, ironed out.

You are a bit of a collector if you drive a 20 years old car. Not to mention nearly impossible to check metal fatigue. And yes the metal Toyota used also fatigue and break.....

Originally Posted by Russrobe

Agree with above, people say 80 series are so reliable, but half the ones i've look underneath have grease pouring out of the swivel hubs, LSD is flogged out, meaning you're running a 2WD basically, and suspension feels like i'm driving a boat.

Sure they keep going though, so i guess if that's your idea of reliability. . .

Sounds exactly the same as any rover sans lsd

Originally Posted by Red90

Actually it is not. The suspension and axles are completely different. Many of the drivetrains are different as well. Most of the D2 problems are the complex electronics. That was a period I. Time when they had not properly matured.

Let's compare apples with apples.

02 Td5 Deefer.Extreme v 02 D2 Td5 base model = identical in almost every way. Same level of electrickery with motor, BCU, ECU, ABS Modulator and wheel sensors and the list goes on.

02 D2 Td5 v last of the Defenders. Defenders had at least as much electrickery but with weaker diffs, transfer case, transmission.

02 D2 V8 v 02 Deefer Extreme. Same as above except V8 has on one view of it less to go wrong if you keep it cool (very easy) ie no diesel heater, no oil in harness ongoing, no turbo, etc. Coil packs and leads last 100,000k so that's a no brainer.

02 D2 V8/Td5 versus 1980 County V8 3500...well yes Dana Diffs, no ABS, no nothing... so Deefer much simpler in that scenario.

So Trout spot on.

Cheers

No vehicle that’s done 500,000 km drives like new.

Reliability is all about preventative maintenance no matter which vehicle.

I’ve driven Toyota’s that have blown diffs, gearboxes and engine mounts within 3 years of new. A mates 80 series developed huge cracks across the rear corners above the doors. Toyota’s use a lot more fuel.

Defenders need HD drive flanges and newer ones need a couple of other driveline upgrades. But IME Defenders are tougher and more capable out bush than 80 series. They also use significantly less fuel, which means over long distances servicing is almost free, if you do most yourself, in comparison to Toyota.

Having said that, I’d drive either. But I prefer Defenders.

Just choose the vehicle you like more and look after it.

Originally Posted by Vern

Sounds exactly the same as any rover sans lsd

Happy to report that the 240K km old diff in my 2010 D4 has perfect LSD and no grease coming from any hub bearings. Admittedly that is still quite young. Besides this is 80s vs. Defender.

Originally Posted by Russrobe

Happy to report that the 240K km old diff in my 2010 D4 has perfect LSD and no grease coming from any hub bearings. Admittedly that is still quite young. Besides this is 80s vs. Defender.

Theres about 20years of difference there!