so, im thinking of buyin a defender

i'm not sure that you are comparing apples with apples, if you were considering a disco it would be a closer comparo as it fits the shopping trolly theme;):p

what budget do you have

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Originally Posted by nibbsy

im looking at buying a wagon type 4wd, a defender has popped up on the radar as well as a 80/100 series cruiser or GQ/GU patrol. No older than a 95 model really.
here come some ideas and questions:
ive heard the TD5 (i think its called) is the engine to look for, true or not?have had no experience, 300tdi has been good to me

how strong are the mechanical bits and pieces, do they take some punishment before throwing in the towel? i drive to the conditions and have not had any problems.....keep it well maintained is the trick...

what are they like on long trips, they look very simple and i know they are, what are the seats like and do they all come with with AC and power steering? seating position is good, aircon no good, power steering is good

do they develop many rattles and bangs as the km pile on, also what is n acceptable amount of km on a 2nd hand one? a few rattle, no bangs, mine had 180k when i brought i thought that was acceptable for a 95 model purchased three years ago, it now has 247k on the clock

i would be looking to raise it up 2 or so inches, will this fit 33" tyres or how high do they need to go up to fit them. How wide can a tyre go without major modifications too. i run standard tyres and suspension, other members will have the answers

is there plenty of aftermarket gear like bars, roof racks, drawers, suspension etc as that can be a big draw card to the nissan and toyota. any aftermarket gear you can buy for a toyota or nissian you would be able to get for a defender, what you mentioned is pretty standard stuff.

that is all i can think of right now, if anyone has any other helpful info of the pros and cons of defenders it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks heaps.
nibbsy

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Defenders are a great vehicle but are not main stream. Im saying that I love them and hate driving other vehicles now.
Any mod you could want is available.
I have a 2 inch lift and 33's fit with ease.

Thanks for the awesome replies peoples, most useful indeed.
Not really sure of the budget as yet, just sticking out some feelers.
I was thinking of using it for some good offroad type driving stuff like cruiser park tracks i guess you could say and also possible big trips like the cape etc.
I do really like the look a deefer with some muddies and barwork but!!!:p
Are the 300Tdi cheaper to buy than the Td5?
Are the 300Tdi able to be "tweaked" up so to get some more power.
Also how SECURE are they against break ins, dont want bad persons removing my belongings or worse!
thanks again guys
nibbsy

yep

yep

totally insecure. you can open the doors with butter knives... but like just about anything in on or around a defender you can mod it to be as secure as you need it to be.

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Originally Posted by incisor

yep

yep

totally insecure. you can open the doors with butter knives... but like just about anything in on or around a defender you can mod it to be as secure as you need it to be.

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Pad bolts??:D

The tdi300 can be tweaked up to about the point where the TD5 starts and then you can play with the Td5 urmmm Bloody lots. Ive got 1 mod so far and thats an ECU upgrade that gives me more grunt than the american infantry

as for reliability Im pushing over 120K Km and havent had any dramas that fit into the show stopper class though (Im a mechanic by trade and a rover nut by choice) Since Ive started doing all my own servicing (warrenty reasons for why I wasnt earlier) Ive picked up on a shedload of things that would have eventually resulted in catastrophic failure. Reliability in the rover depends on you being nice to it. They're tougher than old boot leather tho and In 20+ years of dealing with them I've never had one stop so badly that It couldnt be coaxed back to civilisation and I know personally of 2 series rovers with over 1million miles on the clock.

The tdi is cheaper to purchase in the beginning than the TD5 and its parts are a bit cheaper and it has one achillies heel which is its timing belt.

The TD5 looked after has a longer service interval but requires semi exotic levels of care, its not much dearer to do minor services on than a TDI till something goes wrong then you can be up for a fair bit.

Ive never had anything stolen out of any of my landrovers even when I was driving them round sans door tops and roofs and I carry some stuff.

Big reds never been broken into but Ive done a little searching and you can get an "armourglasss" which is several times tougher than normal laminated glass(with quite a few more numbers in the pricce) deadbolt locking mechanisms for all the doors and you can purchase lock boxes that are designed to replace the center cubby for additional security.

Odd thing about the deefer Its got a smaller foot print than a GXL cruiser or an 80 series yet you can still get more stuff in it than the cruiser.

hope that helps

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Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

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Odd thing about the deefer Its got a smaller foot print than a GXL cruiser or an 80 series yet you can still get more stuff in it than the cruiser.

hope that helps

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This is mainly because it is higher, it has more upright seating position, and a shorter bonnet. Also the doors are thinner and the sides and back more upright, giving more useable room.

Which raises one down side of the Defender - you need to keep an eye out for headroom signs on car parks etc - in standard trim you need at least 2.05m, and add to that with a roof rack, lift or oversize tyres. Whether this matters, depends on where you drive - I rarely find it a problem.

John

With regard to the big k's on tarmac i was alluding to the premise that if this is all you do, there are better tools for the job. A standard Defender doesn't have cruise control, air con struggles with a full cab of bodies, radio needs to be flat out to hear it, wind noise through the doors and bulkhead vents, water leaks and most non-landy persons bane the door pillar and hand brake. I personally put up with the former and the latter has never bothered me. I love the truck like seating position and can spin up 1400k in a session no prob and still feel fairly fresh, but in reality it could best only be described as adequate. I would hate to see a defender wasted as a Toorak taxi. Slide your bum in the leather seats of our subaru and you'll see what I mean, but that is comparing apples and oranges. That's why we have 4 different cars, 3 different motorbikes and 3 different boats. List isn't complete yet. Still want another 4 more Landies.

Alot of the "Old School" 200 / 300tdi people have responded here .. time for TD5!

There is 2 things wrong with the Td5,

1. Oil Pump Bolt may have not had Loctite put on it at installation
----> When you get your beast, at next oil change, drop the sump, remove bolt, apply Loctite and continue with driving. (30-40$ for new Sump Gasket, 2 hours of your time)

2. Oil in the Injector harness
----> Remove Rocketcover, remove injector harness, replace with new one ($134) clean contacts with CNC contact cleaner (24$ from Dicksmith) replace rocketcover, drive for another 200,000km, and check again. Job takes less than 40 minutes, including a beer.

These are the only two things I can fault on my td5, its quicker, uses less fuel, more powerful, and can actually leave the traffic lights easily.

I just kicked over to 200,000km, and the two things above is all thats been done, all the electrics they are worried about, are not in my td5, as mine is a 2001, non extreme, I do not have abs, or traction control, central locking, or a inbuilt alarm to go wrong.

If I was buying again, I would look for a 2002 > onwards, due to the ECU being able to be tweaked cheaply, but they do loose the nice big diffs (not a huge concern for most) and the extreme stickers are pretty erk ;)

Also agree with everyone else, seats look / seem to be unconfortable, but they are set up like truck seats, they keep you straight up, and never have I got out feeling sore.

And, regarding long trips, I did Sydney to Karratha (7,500kms in 3 days) 19-20hrs a day driving with 3.6 ton of D110 (loaded) and sat at 110-120 and got 10ltrs per hundred for the full trip... it loved chewing up the kms.

Thats my 2.2c!!

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Originally Posted by rick130

Have to agree. I'm constantly amazed how well I jump out of the Defender after a trip.
Can't say the same for a Patrol, either GQ or GU. I usually can't walk when I get out of ours.

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I agree absolutely. I've driven all sorts of vehicles and it's weird but the Defender beats them all hands down (including our brand new Forester) for comfort. Everything you ever read about them says that they're uncomfortable, and it seems the only people who know that isn't true is members of this forum. If I had to drive to Perth tomorrow I'd definitely choose the Defender over the Subaru.
It helps to be the right size though.