Defender 130 pre purchase advise

[gcl381]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking on the board for a while now trying to get an idea about 130's. I've had a look at a couple of td5's and have driven a mates td5 110 so that's all I've seen in person. There are 3 advertised on carpoint at the moment that seem within budget & there's a couple of questions that I'm hoping to get help with.

1) All older defenders seem to have rust in the hinge area - particularly the screws and other fixing points in the cabin. If I buy an older model, can I expect these to just hang in there for many years or should I look at and budget for replacing the screws/bolts or the whole hinge. Is this normal or a sign of lots of beach running?

2) The 300td engine seems to have a pretty strong following and from what I've read the td5 is a better highway/touring engine. How much low down performance do you trade off to get the better on road performance for the td5? I plan to do a bit of family travel in the defender so the td5 seems like a better option, just due to noise/highway driving - but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

3) Aside from air-con that works, is there any reason to favour a newer 130 (Puma) over the older ones? (other than the fact they will have had less abuse)?

General thoughts on any of these three would also be welcomed (if it's considered ok to do that on this forum). Given I'm new to the landrover thing I'm expecting that others might see obvious pointers that I don't notice :)

Thanks in advance!

Gavin

2000 LAND ROVER DEFENDER CREW CAB 130 Cars For Sale in NSW - CarPoint Australia (http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=1&R=11299750&keywords=&trecs=5&__sid=134626954C00&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|1|| pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__Qpb=1&__Nne=15&SearchAction=N&seot=1&__N=834%201216%201246%201247%201252%201282%2042949 64692%204294965541%204294964688&silo=1011)

1995 LAND ROVER DEFENDER TDI 130 Cars For Sale in TAS - CarPoint Australia (http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=4&R=11419630&keywords=&trecs=5&__sid=134626954C00&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Price_Decim al%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Make_String%7C0%7C%7CpCar_Model_S tring%7C0&__Qpb=1&__Nne=15&SearchAction=N&seot=1&__N=834%201216%201246%201247%201252%201282%2042949 64692%204294965541%204294964688&silo=1011)
2001 LAND ROVER DEFENDER CREW CAB 130 Cars For Sale in NSW - CarPoint Australia (http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/dealer/details.aspx?Cr=3&R=11740106&keywords=&trecs=5&__sid=134626954C00&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Price_Decim al%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Make_String%7C0%7C%7CpCar_Model_S tring%7C0&__Qpb=1&__Nne=15&SearchAction=N&seot=1&__N=834%201216%201246%201247%201252%201282%2042949 64692%204294965541%204294964688&silo=1011)

[Benz]

those 3 130's look pretty neat.
I like the one with the canopy.

the most important place to check for rust is the fire wall.
mostly because it's the biggest pain in the arse to fix.

pull the floor mats out all together and look where the fire wall meats the floor (fire wall is steel and the floor is ali) a little surface rust could be fixed no problem. have a look from the engine side too to make sure there is nothing nasty there.

I have only driven the td5's and they cruse along quite nicely.
I know they have more power then the 300 tdi, but how much and how that feels to drive i'm not sure

they a bit noisy when you get up to speed but i know someone who has soundproofing right through his 110 wagon and it makes a huge difference.

[gcl381]

Thanks for the advice benz - I'll definitely be checking out the firewall rust issues before purchase. Sounds like soundproofing might be an idea for family comfort.

Cheers,

Gavin

[rainman]

The visible rust around the hinges is generally just minor rust on the bolts. They are relatively easily replaced with stainless steel, although often the bottom ones are rusted to the captive nuts. Still, no massive problem.

As Benz said, check the firewall under the floor mats. There is a second/inner skin in the footwells. Water can sit in there. One of the best spots for it to enter is around the holes for the air conditioning pipes on the passenger side:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/10/1581.jpg

Also check the door bottoms. Look up from underneath between the frame and the inner door trim/card. The driver's door is less prone to rusting because it gets used more and the dirt and water gets shaken out.

If you're considering a 300Tdi, check when the timing belt was last done. They need to be done about every 70000km, although some will say less, some more. This costs about $700 - $800 to have done (unless you want to do it yourself ;)). The TD5 has a chain so it's not a drama.

The biggest plus with a Puma as far as I'm concerned is the six speed gear box. It has a lower 1st and a higher top gear.


James.

[Benz]

with the way defenders come apart it's not all that hard hey.
+ every panel is flat making them easy to lay
I should do it myself...

good luck

[gcl381]

Thanks Rainman - good to know the door hinge bolts are an easy fix. Sounds like if there's no structural rust and the firewall & doors check out then it's just service history and then a test drive. Getting closer.... :)

I guess the only remaining question is value & redbook guides seem to be only slightly better than useless.

[rainman]

Thanks Rainman - good to know the door hinge bolts are an easy fix. Sounds like if there's no structural rust and the firewall & doors check out then it's just service history and then a test drive. Getting closer.... :)

Well.... :angel:... there are a million and one other things but we'd be here all day.

Oil leaks
Steering box leaks
A/C evaporator leaks
Heater matrix leaks
Clutch master cylinder leaks (fluid on driver's floor under pedal)
Cracked RF guard where the fuel filter bolts on
Drivetrain backlash
Second gear syncro wear
Chassis cracks on the tray mounts
Dirt/rust build up behind the chassis cross member just behind the cab
Rusty bolt on rear cab cross member (in front of above chassis cross member)
Rust in the rear chassis cross member/dirt build up behind fuel tank
Rust in the front "dumb irons" (the front of the chassis where the bumper/bull bar bolts on
Cracked/broken inner door cross member next to the lock button
Frayed front seat belts from being slammed in the doors
Sliding rear window felt rot (now I'm getting picky ;))

Can anyone add to this? I will have forgotten lots.....

I don't want to put you off Gavin! They are great vehicles. Every vehicle has it's fair share of problems and considering Defenders get "used" a lot harder than most they hold up quote well.


James.

[gcl381]

No - you're not putting me off. That's great. Quite a few of the things you've listed I'd noticed on other threads but you can never have too much info. I've bought old cars before & I know when you're starting out with a new brand that there's always stuff you don't know. Inevitably I look back a couple of years later and think 'if only I knew about 'x' at the time...' The cars I'm looking at are 10 - 15 years old so there will be issues but I was more concerned about the deal breakers. Some things are easier to sort than others so I'm trying to avoid structural stuff. Part of the appeal of these things is that they have character & I know that means time & a bit of money. We've got a modern japanese car as a household daily driver so I can afford to have a character car as a second car & these certainly seem to have plenty of that - along with the practical load carrying capacity that I need. Thanks again James.

[rainman]

Excellent! It sounds like you have the right idea. I've learned over the years that if you get angry you need to be able to walk away and come back with a clear head. You can't do this if you are soley relying on the vehicle or if it's taking up your entire garage and workshop ;).


James.

[gcl381]

Agree - I tend to think that an older car, as a solo car, needs to be in pretty much mint condition. It's nice, as you say, to be able to walk away and come back to them a day or three later.

Cheers,

Gavin

[Sitec]

I replied earlier today with a lovely long helpfull list etc but for some reason I keep needing to log back in after 5 min! Soooo very frustrating! Anyhow, White Td5.. Very similar to mine, kms the same etc. Look out for rear axle play, and rear axle shafts worn in the caps. How mine still drove I don't know. Pop the rubber center covers off and rock the vehicle back and forth looking for play between the shaft and caps. Shafts range from cheep chinese (avoid) to genuine.. $$$$. The britpart $200 ones did me fine! Look at the cooling system like a hawk. Mine had a 2 mm hole drilled in the back of the header tank to disguise the slight head gasket problem! We worked this one out 2 hrs south of Brizzie on our way back to Adelaide! One self tapper and a top up later and it did another 10000 kms b4 I had to change the gasket! Price is to high!

White Tdi. Good truck but lookin tired, needs a big price drop and TLC. Would come up well I think but budget for it. The Tdi has had to work hard in a vehicle of this size.

Red Td5.. This would be my choice. It's red.. It must be fast!! Jokes aside, it looks very clean, tyres are good, Kms are nice and low and the price is somewhere near. Test drive it (without the seller.. you'll relax not having to drive like an instructor so will be able to think clearly and test everything, listen for clunks, look for leaks etc etc). Good luck. Still love our 130 Td5, now with BFG 285's, alloys, new rear tray, roof rack, roo bar etc etc!

[gcl381]

Thanks for the advice Sitec and your opinion of the three utes. The red one certainly looks the 'cleanest' of the lot. I hate buying from dealers but if they've got the better car then I'd be silly not to...

Thanks all for the advice & have a great christmas!

Cheers,

Gavin

[Sitec]

And a Happy Xmas to you to! As for dealers, I'm not going to comment on that as there are good and bad. I made the mistake of 'having to have that truck' (first mistake), so flew up to Brizzie, had a ten min test drive (second mistake), got him to knock several grand off the vastly over inflated price by not worryin about a warranty (third mistake), and then basically drove non stop from North Brisbane to Adelaide! Apart from a few little probs I got away with that one! So, what I'm trying to say I guess is don't buy for the sake of it, be picky and stubborn. There are plenty out there and you are in charge! Happy New year too! Simon.