Pros/Cons Defender 130 crew cab

[jacksonmcmahon]

hey there, im new on here and im a young bloke from newcastle. I was just looking for some pros and cons with an older model defender 130. Stockton sand dunes are 15 minutes away so how do they go on beaches aswell? And also noise on the highway?
Cheers, hope you guys can help.

[beefy]

I have a 110. Out of all the cars I have had its the best dune car. Even better then a jimmy. On not too bad new the engine the better

[Sitec]

Pros, crew cab, space for all, length for stability (though you can get them sideways on dirt... Just ask the wife), huge tray on back, Tdi trusted and proven (even tho a little old and tired now)' big towing capacities, Salisbury back axle on earlier models (stronger), awesome touring truck. Love ours.

Cons. Length, turning circle of an ocean liner, heavy (not got the get up and go of a shorty)' Tdi and Td5 both work hard in the 130, gearing lower than 90's so 110kph is getting up there and 120kph is pure thrash! Salisbury back axle (lower by a few inches). Bigger tyres and a heavy right foot get round this... But not always. Aircon... yeah right! You'll pay upwards of $15000 for one that's tidy.... Oh and noise on highway. Sorry, what was that... Speak up man!!

Good luck!

[Benz]

I've got an early td5 130 defender.

It goes quite well on the beach with just the standard 235/85's aired down to 12-15 psi.

the turning circle is HUGE!
you learn to live with it though

as far as defenders are concerned sound deadening is pretty much non existent and the body is bolted straight to the chassis.

The noise doesn't bother me too much but I would suggest on taking one for a spin and see how you go.

[jacksonmcmahon]

Thanks fellas. There is one on carsales, located in coffs for 22500. Looks pretty tidy. Is it a car i could use for my everyday drive to and from work and around town?

[jacksonmcmahon]

2000 LAND ROVER DEFENDER CREW CAB 130 Ute Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/land-rover-defender-2000-14231501?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=19&eapi=2&__N=1622%20937%204294696630%201246%201252%201247%2 01282%204294965541%204294964692%201216&num=15&silo=Stock&sort=~Price)

This is exactly what im looking for, but this is a bit pricey....

[Greyfox]

Thanks fellas. There is one on carsales, located in coffs for 22500. Looks pretty tidy. Is it a car i could use for my everyday drive to and from work and around town?
You can use it for every day driving, you will get use to the turning circle, the noise, the Rain getting in, etc but hey these are the things that make a Defender a Defender wether it is a 90, 110 or 130.
Oh just watch the height if you every park in a covered car park, good luck and enjoy the ride.:D

[Sitec]

I use mine daily.... but ya gotta love them to do so! As said before, go and have a drive of one... a decent drive too. Bought mine in Brisvegas and drove it back to Adelaide! Even SWMBO loves it! Good luck!:cool:

Just had a look at the advert... Nice looking rig. He's wanting good money for it tho. Admitted its got the seats, Alli stuff, screens, etc but its still a 2000 130. You'd want to know the head has been off and had the plastic dowels changed for steel ones... Not a difficult job but one you don't need the cost of doing if you've just spent $25000... Good tyre size. Has the donk been chipped? Check the coolant, hoses and header tank. As I said give it a good drive at highway speed so you get it up to temp. Stop and check the cooling system is pressurised and check the heater is connected, something you forget in summer! The reason I say all this.. When I bought mine from a dealer in Brisbane (first mistake), I took it for a decent drive but I didn't check under the hood again.. Anyway, 2 hours south of Brisbane came the smell of coolant.. This is when we found the 2mm hole that had been drilled in the header tank (bulkhead side above water level) to hide the fact that the head gasket was on its way out! A screw from the grille rectified this. Topped up and got home and a further 10000km b4 having to replace the gasket and dowels! Carma tho, the dealer got flooded 6 months later!

[Greyfox]

Don't you just love shonky dealers.
So glad karma caught up him him. :twisted:

[Benz]

That is a nice one there.

Should have some poke with the power chip and bigger inter cooler + exhaust.
more so if the claims of 180kw are true. Is that like twice what they come out from factory?
and can the td5 sustain that?

The 130 is quite easy to live with everyday.
only place where the 130 would be a pain would be in parking complexes in the city.

[Brad]

The Coffs one is sold unfortunately. Got an sms from the owner a few days ago after my enquiry.

[manic]

2000 LAND ROVER DEFENDER CREW CAB 130 Ute Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/land-rover-defender-2000-14231501?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=19&eapi=2&__N=1622%20937%204294696630%201246%201252%201247%2 01282%204294965541%204294964692%201216&num=15&silo=Stock&sort=~Price)

This is exactly what im looking for, but this is a bit pricey....

Wonder how much it went for. Who in their right mind would pay $28,000 for a defender that has been vandalised with checker plate like that :o

[Sitec]

GreyFox, yeah, I do! Looks better spelt with the K too! Didn't think it looked right!!!:)

[newhue]

hey there, im new on here and im a young bloke from newcastle. I was just looking for some pros and cons with an older model defender 130. Stockton sand dunes are 15 minutes away so how do they go on beaches aswell? And also noise on the highway?
Cheers, hope you guys can help.

Can't comet on Stockdon, but there are a few regular users here on the forum who run 130's there and have complaints. I have had no issues towing cars in soft sand.
Think of it like the Hair and Tortoise story. A 130 won't zip around like Japanese twin cab, but it will carry a big load through soft sand slowly. The up side you and your stuff don't end up like a tossed salad and nothing breaks. The down side it doesn't look so wow.

There is a reason they flog Jap cars through creeks and sand on the adverts, after the wow marketing, the other is so they can make it.

Pro's, You will get used to reverse parking, You will most likely find it the best car you have owned. It will be probably the most capable car you ever own for 4x4ing.

Con's
Tdi 300 94-98ish? need timing belts done every 80K. Water pump gasket can leak a bit as well.
Td5 99-06 have been covered.

Defenders tend to leak water. It's a design perimeter and hard to stop. They are also a bit noisy on the highway, but comparable to a 70 series cruiser me thinks.
Most 130's are well used. Defender drivers tend not to buy them to look good in the car park.
They are sort after and sell quickly.

[malsgoing130]

Hi Mate,

The only advice I can give is DON'T buy a cheap one!!! unless you have very deep pockets. You want one thats been maintained properly, looked after and loved-yes loved.

Most 130 I have seen have been used for purpose, so they have worked hard. They can take it but only if the owner has spent some coin making sure that what ever has failed is replaced with good parts. I had a 96 130 TDi that was not loved and ended up spending huge amounts on it just to get it running right ($25K plus) by the time I sold it. I knew it was a project but jeez it sucked up alot of cash.

Have it looked at by a good independat LR mech and let them advise you
I bought a 110 but really miss the space now.
Good luck

Mal

[jacksonmcmahon]

Thanks heaps fellas. Im still tossing up between a defender and a patrol ute. I do a fair few road trips for surfing and what not. Love going off road and on the beach, so i have brought it down to these to. Im heading towards a defender more for the space and capability, as well as the choices it gives you with what you want to use it for....
Thanks again blokes, been good help.

[jacksonmcmahon]

[QUOTE=Benz;1864127]That is a nice one there.





What do you reckon about these two?
1998 Land Rover Defender Other | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Rockhampton City - Gracemere (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/gracemere/cars-vans-utes/1998-land-rover-defender-other/1013040421)
Landrover defender 130 dual cab 300tdi | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Central Highlands - Ouse (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ouse/cars-vans-utes/landrover-defender-130-dual-cab-300tdi/1013085359)

Cheers

[newhue]

Well I should say the 18k one because I will have one to sell in due corse. But instead PM JC from here. Ask if he would be interested in looking at the second one and wock something out. Don't forget to get it from Tassie it will cost $ for the ferry, plus however you get there to pick it up. So factor that in to the apples. 370k is getting up, but if a Tdi has been maintained I don't think that means much.

[jacksonmcmahon]

Thanks mate, so you reckon the 18k one looks the better car? The tassie one looks in good nik but 10k for it, maybe it has been thrashed around a bit.
Thanks mate

[Brad]

It's going to be fairly hard to tell what condition a vehicle is in without speaking to the seller and then having it looked at by a competent third party. I spoke to the seller of the checkerplate vehicle. He seemed like an honest person over the phone, volunteering a lot of information which wasn't in the ad - "new" motor 30k ago (unsure if recon or new but it apparently looked new), recon gearbox and new clutch 2k ago etc.

Finding a pristine one (age and km taken into account) seems difficult. I think we'll both be looking for a while, unless we give in and go new.

[jacksonmcmahon]

yeah thanks brad, did the bloke on the phone say he had room to move with the price? because it isnt the original engine, and the 28k is a bit pricey i thought.
the thing is i dont want new, i want the basic engine with no electronics but the td5 has barely any electronics which i am willing to take a gamble with.

[redneb72]

Jacksonmcmahon!

I have a 130 TD5 2001 model which is nice, straight and at this time relatively original. By that I mean my project has stalled due to the missus (aka Bank of My House) putting the brakes on any further major developments. Basically, I live in Mackay and NOTHING is cheap here to get done! I had ideas of turning it into a top-notch tourer/hunting truck that will see me at least another 10 years or more.

I have toyed with the idea of off loading it, for this reason, however i have not made any movements to do so as I want to be sure that I want out of the Defender family as they are a good car. However, with most of my (or our) our time now spent with two kids under 5.

So, if you are interested in hearing about my ute, and obtaining some photos, send me a PM and I will give you my email address. For some reason, I have a sneaking suspicion that this will get me in trouble on the forum, but here are some quick snaps!

Ben

[dennisS1]

I have a TD5 110 and with 270K on it I think it is probably the best engine Land Rover ever used, But to say it has little electronics is a stretch, it is total fly by wire, every facet of the motor is controlled by electronics, the only mechanical cable is the bonnet release.
Dennis
PS. Does a wiring loom full of oil count as hydraulics?

[newhue]

Thanks mate, so you reckon the 18k one looks the better car? The tassie one looks in good nik but 10k for it, maybe it has been thrashed around a bit.
Thanks mate

To be honest a pic hides many things. So both vehicles could be well uses and also being white look as straight as they come.
Justin Cooper (JC) is a mechanic in the Hobart area and is as good a bloke as they come. He knows Land Rovers very well and could easily give you an honest view of the Tassie truck. Sorry JC if you are reading this and saying Noooooo.
There is a saying a cheap Defender is not a cheap Defender. But prices are also climbing high on some, it's like they are collectors items already or have become Toyotas.

[VladTepes]

I love my 130 and miss it already even if it's not going to it's new home til next week. Sigh.

I;m getting a Disco but WILL get another Defender in future and when I do it will likely be a 130 crew cab tray back.

Of all its foibles and shortcomings (interior noise, lack of air con etc) the only one that REALLY bothers me is the EPIC turning circle. And I mean EPIC in a QUEEN MARY sense.