Advice for a Prospective 90 Buyer

[Noob]

G'day all,

I was hoping I could hassle you all for a little advice - see I'm looking at purchasing my first 90 Series Defender, preferably MY10 or newer, but I have no idea what I need to be looking out for.

To be honest I'm not 100% sure if its Kosher to be asking this in this forum, but I figured who better to learn from than a forum of people mad keen on Defenders and who have probable collectively come across every pitfall a complete Defender noob like me would miss.

So yeah, basically if anyone has a few hints or tips for when I'm looking around I would be very grateful - it'll help me apply a little logic while falling in love with every Defender I come across!

Cheers and thanks in advance,
Noob

[Tomo]

Hi Noob,
Welcome,
I would make sure it has a good service record, I would pick something close to standard as a defender 90 is one of the most capable vehicles out there....

It seems you can get some good deals on carsales on a near new 90. i guess a number of people buy them and decide that it is not for then or they realise that they should have bought a 110 for the extra space.....

The defender is not without it's problems, mostly centred around quality control of what is essentially a hand built vehicle. Also Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves are known to fail.
Keep reading the forum as it has a wealth of info on these beloved vehicles

Cheers

[Wicks89]

Second that.
1. Read and learn as much as you can from this site. Common failures etc, a good way I found was find someone that had the defender you want and was modifying it etc. read their whole thread, they often encounter ALL the problems. Good ones for puma era deefers are build threads by: chook73 (defender110), Rickoz (defender90), Nugget(defender 110 and 130) and maybe Cal415(puma130).

These guys all go pretty extreme in terms of modification, tuning etc. and they all encounter and well document their dramas. So it's a good way to read about it and the fixes. Other than that the 'good oil' section is SUPER useful or just use the search this site function to find puma 2010 problems for example.

2. I personally wouldn't buy a 90. You may find it's too small. A defender 110 looks big but to be honest they are a small 4x4 compared to most jap 4x4s. They probably occupy less parking space that a Holden commodore. So try all 3 types of defender.

There's some cool defender 90 builds on here, so search them out and you will be well informed

[debruiser]

I have a 2013 D90. First thing I would tell you to do is find one in the flesh and see just how small the back is! The load bay is only 1200mm long! and that's being optimistic! Take out the 2 foldyupy seats and there isn't much room in there for much at all. Actually fold the rear seats down and put 2 people back there and all of a sudden you have a boot that is about a size 12 or maybe a 13. ;) It's my understanding that they are still bigger than the Jeep wrangler swb.

BUT! I love my D90! It's awesome. It's so small that it's easy to park in town. They go pretty much anywhere bog standard. A good fun truck to drive, but when you want to do some work they step up pretty well.

As far as problems go (I have the 2.2L) I've had a split turbo hose in 31000kms of driving.

O, if you are planning on lots of long distance travel get a 2nd tank under it, or something along those lines because they only have a 60L fuel tank - search the forum about this. A 60L tank in a 4x4 is ok around town and day trips, things like that. It's a bit restrictive on longer trips, towing my camper trailer I get about 13L/100kms so a 60L tank I only count on about 400kms to be safe. More of something to be aware of rather than worried.

After reading that I just realised that sounded a bit negative. You can't buy my truck because I wont be selling it come hell or high water. Would I buy another? If I had the money YES! :)

[OneEye]

Buyer beware! I have a D 90 which I bought new in Feb 13. Major problems include a clutch master cylinder replacement two weeks after I bought it, a jack shaft replacement at 21k and leaking transmission seals at 33k. That's the major stuff, then there is the falling off bits such as the plastic handle on the seat back adjustment and the odd nuts and washers I find hanging around. Oh, and the wiper blades that were torn and needed replacing soon after I bought it. That said, I love it. It's iconic and there is just nothing out there to take its place. The bland, boring Asian stuff just doesn't cut it! I would agree also to get a 110, especially if you have a dog and don't want it to mix with the camping gear. Also, you will definitely need a second fuel tank, but expensive and difficult to find to fit the D90.

OneEye

[Larry]

Buyer beware! I have a D 90 which I bought new in Feb 13. Major problems include a clutch master cylinder replacement two weeks after I bought it, a jack shaft replacement at 21k and leaking transmission seals at 33k. That's the major stuff, then there is the falling off bits such as the plastic handle on the seat back adjustment and the odd nuts and washers I find hanging around. Oh, and the wiper blades that were torn and needed replacing soon after I bought it. That said, I love it. It's iconic and there is just nothing out there to take its place. The bland, boring Asian stuff just doesn't cut it! I would agree also to get a 110, especially if you have a dog and don't want it to mix with the camping gear. Also, you will definitely need a second fuel tank, but expensive and difficult to find to fit the D90.

OneEye
Sounds like you got a Monday after a big weekend build.:angel:
My '12 90 has 40,000 trouble free kms on it. Re the space, depends on what you plan on doing with it. It's my daily drive, there is enough space for 2 for camping. If the four of us go we have the camper on the back, so again no problems.
We used to have a 110, but the kids out grew the back seat. There is more leg room in the back seats of a 90 than a 110.

[tequesta]

Go for a test drive, and then decide.

With 30,000km on a MY12 D90, I've had it flat bedded once due to a turbo hose failure. Also, have managed to survive on the smaller fuel tank, just means I need to think about how I plan my trips. Else I just carry a spare jerry can.

Space was initially a problem, but I've learnt to pack lighter.. Having a family of 4, it's lotsa fun getting us all in.. You are limited, but it was NOT a show-stopper for us.

A 110 is definitely the sensible choice, but then again, so is buying a toyota/ nissan/ discovery.. Best of luck with the purchase.

[AndyG]

A 110 is definitely the sensible choice, but then again, so is buying a toyota/ nissan/ discovery.. Best of luck with the purchase.

I think I was just insulted by the comparision:p

Go 110 unless you a inner city trendy or a serious technical driver.
Mind you I am already pining for a 130 :o

[JayBoRover]

Go for a test drive, and then decide.

This is an interesting one. I absolutely love my D90, make no mistake, ... but I have to admit that if I had test driven it before buying it (brand new) I quite possibly wouldn't have bought it! The good thing about this though is that the more I drive it the more I enjoy it. Now, after 32,000 kms it's still growing on me and I still enjoy it more every time. (It's still not a patch on either of my other running Landys for truly rewarding and enjoyable motoring though;)).

[Trout]

I love my 90 too. It's great fun to drive. Mine is a 2010 and has 76 k on the clock. Only problems since new have been aircon not blowing cold which was fixed under warranty after a few goes and a rear diff failure. This was not the common 110 diff failure as the 90 diff is not the same. It was replaced under warrenty and no problem since. I reckon it was just one of those occasional manufacturing or assembly defects. Nothing else has not worked as advertised. It really is a nice change to drive a landie that I don't have to fix every time I drive it ..unlike my 300 Tdi!

Yep it's small but perfect for two. It was also fine for 4 of us camping but only with a trailer. We now have three kids so sadly it must go. I plan to keep my 110 300 tdi because if I am honest it is definitely more practical and I actually like driving it more than the 90 despite its flaws.

Another thing to think of is the lower resale value of the 90. Not so good for me :( but good for you;) perhaps?

Rod

[debruiser]

Another thing to think of is the lower resale value of the 90. Not so good for me :( but good for you;) perhaps?

Rod

They are also cheaper to buy new... so maybe this accounts for the difference in resale?

I'm not concerned with resale values - I'm not going to sell it :) I think I may just be burred in it yet....

[Trout]

They are also cheaper to buy new... so maybe this accounts for the difference in resale?

I'm not concerned with resale values - I'm not going to sell it :) I think I may just be burred in it yet....

Sadly when I bought mine the were almost the same price as a 110. From memory a few hundred difference. I was a bit miffed when a few months later you could get them for a lot less.

[debruiser]

Sadly when I bought mine the were almost the same price as a 110. From memory a few hundred difference. I was a bit miffed when a few months later you could get them for a lot less.

O really? wow. I stand corrected then.... I must have gotten a pretty good deal on my 90 then :D Shouldn't complain at all :)