Thread: Who else is going over to the dark side?

Originally Posted by Deefa

G'day all,
After owning my much loved defender for 15 years (2002 td5 110) i am considering moving it on and replacing it with.... ? . I must not be the only one.
Our Defender s are now all getting on in age and getting less reliable. The amount of time I spend on the old girl is just getting silly. I will clarify that I always do my own maintenance from head replacement to rebuild the gearbox as well as all the other smaller service items. I am probably too fussy to own a defender as I like everything right.
Unfortunately landrover do not make anything new that would do what I want of it ,and they are justy to expensive. Don't get me wrong the new defender is a great car but not in the way that the old defender was. I just can't see what is the difference between a defender or a discovery anymore?

So what vehicle to buy new or near new that can do what the old defender was good at?

In my opinion the old defender was good at the following:

:Unpretentious ultalatarion looks that are timeless. Most people would not know the difference between a county built in 1984 and a 2016 model.

:Fantastic off road ability that was easily increased many times by modifications. And this was done mechanically not with tech.
My defender has lockers and long shocks for flex as well as lower low range gearing and I use it in the bush a lot.

:The ability to make stuff and bolt it to it easily. You could make anything you like from campers to military conversions of all kinds. I can't see a new defender being cut up and fitting a machine gun in the roof!

:Most things being able to be repaired with fencing wire and a bit of ingenuity, at least in theory.

:Room in the back for a few bails of hay or some bags of cement and your crowbar without worry about damaging the trim.

Yes we all know their shortcomings which are many. The biggest has always been they were underpowered, every model had small engines overstressed apart from the 3.9 Isuzu or the V8 which is still underpowered.

Anyway over to you guys what is the next best affordable replacement vehicle that does some of the above?

What about spending some dollars on the old defender
I’m sure the fifty plus grand you intend to spend on another make of inappropriate vehicle could turn the td5 Defender into a pumping 3.9 turbo lifted locked (and whatever else you can imagine) DEFENDER

And I believe you would enjoy it more over the next 15 years!!!


Gav

Originally Posted by Gav 110

What about spending some dollars on the old defender
I’m sure the fifty plus grand you intend to spend on another make of inappropriate vehicle could turn the td5 Defender into a pumping 3.9 turbo lifted locked (and whatever else you can imagine) DEFENDER

And I believe you would enjoy it more over the next 15 years!!!


Gav

Ineos grenadier or a 79 series cruiser, got a spare 100 K plus? that would make a Defender very reliable but best be quick if you want the Tojo with a v8....

Regards,
Tote

If I were in the market for a Defender (ish) vehicle, I’d be looking into the Grenadier without failure. They really impress me.

That being said, I’m also warming big time to the new Defender (wish it had a different name) 110. Comfort, capability and modern everything. Just ditch the fake internal bolts/rivets or what ever they are suppose to be!

Silly pretentiousness.

On a trip at the moment in western Queensland. Lucky we are out of lockdown. She has blown a head gasket so im not happy with her at the moment. I put a new AMC head on it two years ago so why that has happened I'm not sure. Hopefully I haven't ruined the new head.

Just sick of doing the same job over and over. Like freeking oil leaks , it never ends.

We looked for well over 12 months before replacing the D4 with a LC200,luckily we got in before the prices went stupid.
LR had nothing that suited us,the new Defender was close,but the rear load area was way to small,and i never buy the first of any model run.No proper Bull bars or cargo barriers was also an issue.
The 200 has been great no issues so far at all.

The son replaced his Puma with a LC76,its done around 60000km,and no issues,he loves it.
Huge step up from the Deefer in many ways,but the ride isnt as good,as noted by others.

Same as the 200,it doesnt have the ride or handling of the D4,not much beats EAS and IS on all corners.
But in many other areas its as good as,if not better,and suits our needs.

I love my defender - it’s interesting. Like all the best cars made they are not the most reliable but they are awesome to drive and look at. Alternatives just seem boring in comparison.

After driving land cruisers, patrols, hilux, defenders just have that ‘thing’ that makes you feel something.

However, it does have that worry - will it break down this trip. Always in the back of your mind. Will that rover diff be up to it this time? Will my fuel pump die? Will my head gasket blow? You don’t ask these questions in many other cars. That will be the reason I will sell. While any car can have failures, it is definitely less likely in a Toyota. I know people say it’s all down to maintenance, but I think it speaks for itself, go outback and most of the cars are Toyota’s. Land Rover really missed an opportunity to make the new defender a more reliable old defender similar to a 70 series but more interesting.

Looking to replace the tray back certainly is a thought provoking discussion. With the opportunity to test most of the offerings the only thing close was the Merc. at the time it was $105000 with an aluminium tray. Ouch.

The local parkies have both cruisers and mercs with strong views on either end of the spectrum. The local RFS have a station wagon ( 79?? ) but that is less than impressive on bumpy or windy roads.

Maybe a tray back amarok if they make one.

I went over to the dark side about 6 years ago when I bought my D2a