Which Defender as long-term touring vehicle [Archive]

DiscoMick

5th October 2014, 02:29 PM

Hi guys, I don't know a lot about Defenders, so I'm seeking some advice on which Defender to buy and set up for long term touring and towing our camper trailer.

Long story short, the wife has agreed that we ought to look at a Defender to prepare it for when we quit work and wander off indefinitely, probably in about 3 years.

While our D1 has been a good thing, by then it will be 22 years old. Also, Defenders have much more space between the rear seats and the rear door than our D1. The fact a Defender would be more basic than our ES Disco is an advantage, as we want a utilitarian, practical, reliable workhorse, not a city runabout.

So it has to be able to tow our camper trailer, cope with being loaded up with stuff, have a durable interior, survive being bashed around the worst roads in the country, not use too much fuel, have reasonable air con, be acceptably reliable and capable of cruising at up to 100 km/h for long distances. It should remain a viable vehicle for about a decade. It won't be used for commuting. In other words, we want a marathon runner, not a sprinter.

We haven't firmed up our budget yet, but I think a 3-5 year old vehicle might be possible, or we could go for something older and spend more preparing it.

So, which engine - 300 Tdi, Td5, 2.4 or 2.2?
Which body? I'm assuming a110 wagon, but should we consider a dual or single cab plus a canopy?
How much should we budget to buy and prepare it?
Should we buy privately or look for a vehicle which has been refurbished by a LR specialist?
What other factors should we consider?

Would appreciate your collective wisdom.

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LoveB

5th October 2014, 04:31 PM

Not sure if youre interested in one now, but i have a td5 tourer for sale anyway. lol

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/1613990_957942160888619_8160132973048935247_o.jpg

from what ive heard 300tdi's are good because of less electrics. but I think if td5's are maintained you wont have any problems. My technicians td5's have 400t Kms and still go strong.

I also have a 2.2 but have not owned it long enough to know how it will last lol

Iain_B

5th October 2014, 05:12 PM

Having lived out of a 110 Defender with a roof top tent for 3 months, and I think you would be better off with a 130 Dual cab, and a decent canopy. The 110 is just big enough, but we were loaded to the max all the time. Towing a trailer you might not need the extra 500kg, but it would be good to have it.

We have a Tdci, and with the BAS remap and uprated intercooler, we have enough power for cruising at the speed limit in most places, but generally stuck to the dirt roads running about 80-90kph. I had 255/85R16 on, and would recommend them as the extra inch of ground clearance over nearly everything else on the road makes a big difference on soft sand tracks. Tyre are not that easy to come by in that size, but nor were 235/85R16s in any of the places we stopped.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/10/1374.jpg

Psimpson7

5th October 2014, 05:15 PM

vnx205

5th October 2014, 05:20 PM

It sounds as if you already have a camper trailer and it may suit your needs.

Have you considered other possibilities, such as a cab/chassis with a slide on camper?

Different people have different needs, but my setup is vastly superior to a camper trailer for my needs.

Some of the advantages are:
No extra rego to pay.
No extra tyres, suspension etc to maintain.
Less total weight.
Most important of all is the fact that there are places I want to go where towing a trailer would be forbidden, impossible or a nightmare.

Of course there are disadvantages, but at the moment the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

I'm not trying to talk you into it. I'm just mentioning it in case the thought hadn't crossed your mind.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/general-chat/62001d1371723039-landy-trayon-international-travel-painted-hills.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/general-chat/62002d1371723081-landy-trayon-international-travel-davenport-r.jpg

PAT303

5th October 2014, 06:54 PM

If your selling your Disco because it will be 22 years old there's no point in replacing it with a Defender thats 22 years old.The 2.4-2.2 TDCi's are the only vehicles that suit your needs.Personally I'd sell both the Disco and towed camper and get a 130 with slide on as vnx has posted. Pat

manic

5th October 2014, 11:21 PM

If you are only going to tour around Australia and have a wife that needs to be kept cool, the 2.2/2.4 Puma is the way to go. Go for a 130 - take it all!

Puma 'electrical wizardry' should not be an issue if you take a diagnostic tool, familiarise yourself with common issues and carry appropriate spares. Perhaps look at additional protection from bad fuel (water in fuel sensor, traps). ECU away from water etc.... plenty of puma folks on here to guide you.

cewilson

6th October 2014, 01:53 AM

You can narrow it down pretty quick...

Do pretty much everything on your list

tdi/td5/2.4/2.2

want to tow comfortably at 100

Td5/2.4/2.2

Good air con

2.4/2.2 :D

and out of those 2 to me, the 2.2 seems a better option as its newer.

Agree totally. And in reference to 110 vs 130 - there's no need to get a 130 if you are towing. We've been using a 110 for years and we tow with a family of 6. And once the kids grow up we'll still be towing, just with a lot more room in the cabin :D

Blknight.aus

6th October 2014, 07:29 AM

What you buy depends on your strengths.

Good mechanically, get a tdi
Good with electronics get a td5

But get a dual cab 130 if you have kids.

landy

6th October 2014, 07:36 AM

As soon as I read 'reasonable airccon' and '2-3 years old' I thought the decisions been made. It has to be a Puma 2.4 or 2.2. And I totally agree with 22 yo disco/22yo Defender reasoning.
However. I have a 99my Td5 110 and so far (touch wood) have had no issues and we use it to tour. But we don't have kids anymore. It does sometimes get a little packed if we use the RRT but no probs towing the camper.
I can't comment on the 300Tdi but they do have an excellent rep. But they (and the Td5) are too old for your needs.
IF you go the Td5 route get it chipped. It's the best thing I've done. I don't know why they weren't tuned this way from the factory.
There are some well set up rigs out there. Save some serious money and buy someone else's dream and go from there!

Cheers

Nino.

Wicks89

6th October 2014, 10:24 AM

Mick,

an interesting question! Everyone that has already posted is posing some very interesting points. I can vouch for one thing, the 130 is an excellent set up. As a vehicle it's very flexible with the 5 seats and the ability to carry a metric shedload in the tray, generally being simpler than the later model 110's gives it a very rugged quality, and to be honest it's not that big.
I'm fairly sure at last comparison my 130 was shorter than my mates Late model triton dual cab.
"So it has to be able to tow our camper trailer, cope with being loaded up with stuff, have a durable interior, survive being bashed around the worst roads in the country, not use too much fuel, have reasonable air con, be acceptably reliable and capable of cruising at up to 100 km/h for long distances. It should remain a viable vehicle for about a decade. It won't be used for commuting. In other words, we want a marathon runner, not a sprinter."

This sounds to me like you are describing a 130. ;) My td5 130 pulled 120km/h on the highway unladen in standard tune, but the remap etc was, as some have mentioned, the best thing I've done to it.
The 'electronics' in it are actually very robust and simple. I flooded mine, like water over the dash, water in the intercooler style and I can tell you, I just dried the ECU and some of the sensors, stripped the air intake, pulled the glow plugs and the injector loom, chuffed a little vapor out and I was back in business. I was exceptionally lucky, but jesus you wouldnt get away with that in some other stuff.

WRT the Aircon, Ive not got aircon in mine, but I reckon with the smaller cabin space of the 130 you might see some better results than a 110 in that dept.

The main question is money though. A quick search of carsales in QLD (as I see you are in QLD) turned up that most 2.4 and 2.2 110 or 130's are going for mid to high $30's, with some low km examples even fetching high $40's.
td5 models of either going for figures in the $20's generally. You get what you pay for I suppose but $10,000 will generally cover the list of 'Must have' accessories up to and including remapping with big intercoolers and exhausts.

Just something to consider.

The other interesting thing is there is currently 23 110's for sale in QLD and 5 130's. If you are a peasant like me, your bank account may end up making the decision for you, irrespective of everyone's advice. But also don't be afraid to catch a plane to go view one interstate that has what you need.

vnx205

6th October 2014, 10:34 AM

... ...
Long story short, the wife has agreed that we ought to look at a Defender to prepare it for when we quit work and wander off indefinitely, probably in about 3 years.
...

I thought sounded fairly likely that there would not have to be room for kids.

You would probably be carrying a lot of unnecessary junk if you couldn't fit everything a retired couple need in a 110. :D

DiscoMick

6th October 2014, 09:18 PM

Thanks for all the replies guys.
Yes we have considered a tray-on, and I think the 130 is pretty cool, but we already have the camper set up. Agree there are some places we wouldn't try to take the camper - we've just come back from swagging it across the Simpson - but we certainly could have gotten the camper as far as Dalhousie.We have an awning with walls, swags and stretchers and could just chuck an Oz tent on the roof if necessary and arrange to store the camper for a bit.
I'm neither very mechanical nor electrical, but am learning bits slowly. Whatever we get is going to get a bumper to bumper going over before we go anywhere.
While the 2.2/2.4 option would certainly be newer, I'd consider a Td5 or even a good 300Tdi. Our 300 Tdi has been pretty good really, with some problems more related to general age or bad workshop efforts. Fundamentally, our Disco has proven itself a tough old bird, but its getting a bit tired and will need some money spent if we were to keep it. Cleaning the Simpson dust out of it today I reflected on how many memories are tied up with that vehicle. I'm just not sure if we could still be chugging around in it in 10 years time.
We wouldn't be travelling fast as we like to stop and look around.
I'd certainly go for the right older vehicle if it was well equipped and had a good history, as the money saved could be used in other ways.

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PAT303

7th October 2014, 10:19 AM

Think about it this way,you know your disco,parts from the UK are dirt cheap,you could make your disco sound with a few grand in cash,I would spend the money and keep what you have or go all out buying the newest Defender I could afford.IMHO having driven just about every 4wd in Oz I think the D1 Tdi auto is the best at everything,the L322 Td6 RR is the best wagon ever sold but the D1 just drives,parks,cruises and 4wd's so well. Pat

DiscoMick

7th October 2014, 01:37 PM

Yes Pat, I agree the D1 300 Tdi is a good thing and Plan B is certainly to hang onto it, spend a few thousand and we're away.
There are two main reasons why we're looking away from the Disco to a newer Defender:
1. The Disco has had a series of issues in the last year, some caused by workshop stuffups and some by just old age, which have caused us to lose faith in its reliability. This is probably unfair, but the wife just doesn't feel able to rely on it, and its already 19 years old, so in 10 years it could be a 29 year old truck, which is really getting on.
2. The Disco is quite short between the rear seats and the back door. We would like to install a permanent setup of fridge/freezer, battery bank, drawers for tools and some food-related items and maybe even a water tank.
A newer Defender could overcome all those drawbacks. At a personal level, I've always liked Defenders.

tyne

7th October 2014, 08:09 PM

Keep in eye on the market section,
My 08 130 is unfortunately going under the hammer soon.
Ben.

DiscoMick

9th October 2014, 06:27 AM

A related question is, how much fuel should be carried? We took 150 litres to go Mt Dare across the Simpson to Birdsville and only used 100, but it was nice having the extra. Most long range kits seem to be about 150-160. Is that generally enough, particularly if you have a couple of holders to chuck a couple of extra 20 litre drums on the roof rack if necessary?

PTC

11th October 2014, 05:37 PM

On my 130. I have a standard tank at the rear and a 70l diesel along the drivers side. On the passenger side there is 60L of water. I find that gives me 1200km range and is more than enough for most of the trips. If you wanted in the 130 as well you can place another fuel or water tank under the rear seat. 65l i think it is.

This set up works well as it keeps it down low and in the middle of the wheels. Rather than a 140l replacement tank hanging off the back of the car. Which will weight a ton. As it replaces the plastic factory tank with a steel one and double the capacity.

Depending where you are traveling that is more than enough. There are a lot of service stations hidden out there to get fuel from. Though some you are paying a premium. And good idea too is to carry a spare jerry. Just keep them empty and strapped to the roof in case you find a great deal on cheep fuel to top up.

DiscoMick

13th October 2014, 09:22 AM

Yes, on our Simpson trip we had the standard 89 liters plus 3x20 jerries on the roof. We used about 100 litres from Mt Dare along the French and QAA lines to Birdsville, averaging 13.6 l/100km, so had plenty of margin.
But for a permanent arrangement I would like to get more fuel down low, and to be able to buy it at cheaper places and just top up in remote areas.
A Toyota with us had 160 litres in tanks, which seems a good amount, plus 40 in jerries on the rear bar.

Robmacca

13th October 2014, 08:07 PM

Wow, that's pretty good economy compared to what we got in our Prado150 back in 2012.... Went from Filling up at Birdsville to Coober Pedy - 154ltrs / 992kms.... (had to add some fuel at Oodnadatta just to make sure that I made it to Coober Pedy)

Yes, on our Simpson trip we had the standard 89 liters plus 3x20 jerries on the roof. We used about 100 litres from Mt Dare along the French and QAA lines to Birdsville, averaging 13.6 l/100km, so had plenty of margin.
But for a permanent arrangement I would like to get more fuel down low, and to be able to buy it at cheaper places and just top up in remote areas.
A Toyota with us had 160 litres in tanks, which seems a good amount, plus 40 in jerries on the rear bar.

DiscoMick

14th October 2014, 06:21 AM

Yeah I was pretty happy with the economy considering the weight we were carrying and the wind effect of the swags and other gear on the roof rack. It normally does around 11. A Nissan in our group with a canopy and gear was using 20 while a current model Triton did 14.

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DiscoMick

15th October 2014, 02:14 PM

I wish someone would release a TDV8 Defender 110 with a nine-speed auto.

PAT303

15th October 2014, 05:41 PM

If they did would you pay the $80,000 it'll cost the buy one?,a V8 is a **** for a tourer.Pat

Robmacca

15th October 2014, 09:25 PM

Well, I took my 1st drive of a Defender TD5 the other day.... They are certainly unique... bought back memories of driving some of old 45's Toyotas, but I did enjoy it, but probably not as a daily driver, but as a tourer - yes....
This one had a very heavy clutch pedal, not sure if that is normal, but one thing I did notice was the 2nd row seating.... not a lot of leg room, especially if the driver has their seat all the way back...

What year did they start installing Tachos as std in the Defenders?

PAT303

15th October 2014, 10:22 PM

The TDCi has better rear room,I think they were the first with tacho's. Pat

Robmacca

16th October 2014, 07:20 AM

The TDCi has better rear room,I think they were the first with tacho's. Pat

Hey Pat, if the Pumas have better leg room for the second row, does that mean the 2nd row seating was pushed further back into the cargo area to achieve this ??

The Clutch's are they light or heavy style of clutch ??

PAT303

16th October 2014, 12:41 PM

Robmacca

16th October 2014, 04:28 PM

The rear seats are pushed back about 40mm or so and they are angled back,a mate of mine has a son thats 6' and about 110kg's and he likes the TDCi seats better than any others.My TDCi is my partners vehicle,if she can drive it anyone can,actually I'd go as far as saying she's improved her driving since having it. Pat

Not that this matters as I wouldn't be sitting in the back seat, but when I did hop in to try sitting in the 2nd row, I was very surprised. I could feel my head/hair rubbing on the roof lining. I thought there would have been more head room but I guess when u look at the mounting of the seat it is higher than the front seats but with the same roof height....
BTW: I'm only 6 foot myself in height.....

Jeff

16th October 2014, 05:18 PM

Not that this matters as I wouldn't be sitting in the back seat, but when I did hop in to try sitting in the 2nd row, I was very surprised. I could feel my head/hair rubbing on the roof lining. I thought there would have been more head room but I guess when u look at the mounting of the seat it is higher than the front seats but with the same roof height....
BTW: I'm only 6 foot myself in height.....

When I sit in the back (I'm the same height as you) I can see only the roof trim, I have to duck to see out the windows or stretch to look out the alpine windows. They were great when the kids were small as they could see over the front seats and they hated travelling in other peoples cars where you sit really low. What I hate about sitting in the back is the lack of foot room.

Jeff

:rocket:

Robmacca

16th October 2014, 05:41 PM

When I sit in the back (I'm the same height as you) I can see only the roof trim, I have to duck to see out the windows or stretch to look out the alpine windows. They were great when the kids were small as they could see over the front seats and they hated travelling in other peoples cars where you sit really low. What I hate about sitting in the back is the lack of foot room.

Jeff

:rocket:

Yes, and that's where we are at too.... u need to be able to move your feet/legs and what not....

I'm a little paranoid these days due to our last family touring trip up to the Cape.... when we got back from our trip, a week later the wife was experiencing pains in the chest and after I finally talked her to visit the Doc's, it was a visit straight to the Emergency as the Doctor believed she had Blood Clots..... She was right as the missus spent the next 3days in hospital recovering and is still on blood thinning meds.... The Doc can only put it down to our long driving trip & possible dehydration as well..... The missus did have a lot of crap around her feet which prevented her from freely moving her feet around....we did make the usual toilet stops every 2-3hrs or so....

So, now I'm a little more cautious when it comes to leg room, etc....

PAT303

16th October 2014, 05:50 PM

Mate that happens regardless,grey nomads go down all the time in Newman because it's at least 6hrs non stop travel getting their from the south,7hrs from the north and days from the east,I've done more cardiac arrests their than anywhere else. Pat

MLD

16th October 2014, 07:09 PM

The Clutch's are they light or heavy style of clutch ??

The clutch in my old TD5 was measurably heavier than the clutch in my present Puma. The TD5 had a clutch replacement at 350,000 kms with a new dual mass flywheel and standard (not HD) clutch. I had to put the TD5 in neutral at the lights because after a few sets of lights in traffic i got a wobbly left leg. The Puma is still factory and is easier on the leg in traffic.

only drunks and kids sit (more accurately "can sit") in the back seat of a defender. I wouldn't subject myself to a trip longer than the local shops in the back of a defender.

MLD

cinders

17th October 2014, 05:07 AM

I opted for a TD5 110 a 130 purely due to the size and turning circle of the 130.
Td5's have good economy and once chipped sit on the highway nicely.
The TD5 Defenders are getting on a bit but providing they have been looked after all the usual problems should be ironed out and you can pick up really nice examples in the low $20,000 with most of the stuff on them that you would need. As someone said earlier, plane flights are cheap
I can't remember if kids were involved but if they're not, rip the back seats out and bang in some storage compartments, you get heaps of room then plus it's all locked up, dunno about dry though ;)
The good thing about these cars, Defenders in general, is you can do almost anything to them, within reason, and it won't look out of place.
Good luck

DiscoMick

17th October 2014, 01:07 PM

Yes, I already have a long mental list of additions and mods. in mind. The navigator wants to drive one before we buy, so that could be crunch time as she likes the auto in the Disco, so not sure how she will handle the manual.

Wicks89

17th October 2014, 05:01 PM

Hey guys just a handy info graphic on how best to deal with that "heavy" clutch pedal.
Some of my friends that have driven my car complain about it and my response is always the same:

stewie110

19th October 2014, 12:12 PM

We did the northern hemisphere in a 1986 normally aspirated 2.5litre diesel defender 90 that we purchased from the Ministry of Defence. After doing 86,000 miles I can tell you that it's not fast and not quiet, but it was absolutely rock solid. In the 86k miles we had only blown a rocker cover gasket and had to replace the wheel bearings apart from the usual service stuff (timing belt, brake pads, filters etc). The upside for the 90 is that it's easier to hide when you are camping illegally (we had a board in the back that we would lay out which made a double bed, although we could not sit up in it). All the luggage, tools etc would reside below the board in the back. For two people it was excellent albeit cramped. The top speed was 60mph unless you had a tail wind and a truck pushing you along the autobahn.

After selling that we did an around the world trip on motorcycles and came to Aus where we have since done several road trips in a 2001 110 TD5. The TD5 is day and night difference to the previous engine. We have kept both serviced regularly and they keep running and running. On the Td5 we cracked the head which was an expensive exercise to fix.. (we checked the depth of the "puddle" first using sticks.. turns out the bottom was almost quick sand like and the whole car submerged while hot.. epic fail on our part and the car..). Although we are not unique a Patrol in our group also suffered a similar problem. We also blew the gearbox's 5th gear bearings while going along a motorway at 110 fully loaded for touring. That was less expensive to fix but we upgraded the gearbox and have not had any repeat issues.

Something that I will say, if you are doing many kilometres in extreme conditions (heat, dust, corrugations, etc) all cars will eventually fail. Something that I have learnt along the way is that the less complexity the car has the easier and cheaper it is to fix. Also when touring do a 5 minute check under the car, in the egine bay before you start each day.. seeing an oil leak or broken xxx.. before it becomes a critical problem can save you, and your budget.

With that in mind I currently have the TD5, and I am very happy with the engine performance, fuel efficiency, reliability etc.. If you do buy one make sure that you know the full history and see that it has been well cared for (as with any car).

DiscoMick

20th October 2014, 08:27 AM

Had a long conversation with a Defender owner at the Maleny growers' market on Saturday. His 04 Td5 had a few dents and scrapes, but he and his family love it for its versatility. "I had a foal in the back yesterday," he said. They had brought in a load of home-grown food from their farm to sell.

Got the wife to sit in the driver's seat and make sure she could see over the steering wheel. She seems hooked. She's on to arrange with a dealer to take one for a drive next weekend. There are several in dealers yards in Brissie, plus private ones. Thing I like is the adaptability of the vehicle, the panels riveted and everything changeable, like a Meccano set. There is also a LOT of room in the back behind the rear seats. I have already planned my drawers and luggage barrier and am thinking about gullwing side windows. There will also be a long flat roof rack with a rooftop tent, solar panel and other gear up there. Underneath will be a big fuel tank and water tank.

Money we're pulling out of savings should appear in our bank account this week so then we can start serious shopping. I want to have it for our two weeks camping this Christmas.

LoveB

22nd October 2014, 09:28 AM

PM sent back to you.

gusthedog

22nd October 2014, 09:49 AM

Which defender for a long term touring vehicle? That's easy. Buy a disco instead. Then you'll be comfortable as well as go anywhere ;):wasntme: I'd recommend a D2. Plenty of us on here that use them as tourers. But if you want to buy an overpriced, out of date, unsafe alloy box, then go right ahead :D:D:wasntme:
^ducking now in readiness for the replies....

TeamFA

22nd October 2014, 01:16 PM

Which defender for a long term touring vehicle? That's easy. Buy a disco instead.

Yes, but they might like to bring things with them. [tonguewink]

2stroke

22nd October 2014, 03:55 PM

gusthedog

22nd October 2014, 04:21 PM

Oh boy, looks like the Disco section is leaking again.:o

Not nearly as much as your defender does :Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

manic

22nd October 2014, 05:16 PM

But if you want to buy an overpriced, out of date, unsafe alloy box, then go right ahead :D:D:wasntme:

Lets do a head on crash test, my defender vs your disco - predicting who survives with the least injury would be like tossing a coin but for sure the defender would be worth more afterwards! :p

Seriously though ;), a disco is great for both getting around town and 'touring', so is a VW Transporter. But what I think gus is trying to say is that the defender costs more than a disco of the same age, which is annoying because disco's are clearly more refined. There are reasons for this apparent price anomaly; the disco is not an infinitely customisable 'expedition' vehicle that can be rebuilt and re-configured over and over again. The disco does not look better with some dents in it and does not appear to get any better with age. The disco is not an iconic vehicle, and the bodywork is still made out of that out of date steel stuff that rusts.

For the record, I'm having A LOT of fun plodding around Australia in a Defender. I've driven long distances in all kinds of new vehicles over the past 5 years and all of them have required frequent stops to shake off the boredom. I can drive my defender for hours, grinning all the way!

For a purpose built tourer, something that is not going to be used to commute or do the shopping in, the defender is a good upgrade from a disco 1. More space, lots more possibilities to customise it to your needs.

2stroke

22nd October 2014, 07:06 PM

Not nearly as much as your defender does :Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

My Deafener currently does not leak :o no really:D
Seriously though nothing wrong with a disco if you can fit everything in... Though the OP did say "long term tourer".

DiscoMick

4th November 2014, 09:01 AM

Thanks for that.

I thought I should update this thread by advising we have bought a 2009 Puma 2.4 110. The main reason we went for this particular vehicle is it has only done 53,000 kms, which is very low for a five year old vehicle.
It is very white and very long compared with the D1.
Its in very original condition, including the original tyres, but it has had a bulbar with winch, snorkel, Steinbauer chip and Long Ranger tank fitted, so its a good basis for building up a long-term tourer.
Plans include a rear wheel carrier (to stop the rear door rattle), cargo barrier, electric brake controller, drawer, dual battery system, extended seat rails, rear door stopper and side door extended bolts. The budget won't cover all that, so its going to take a little while to get there.
For now, I'm just focused on transferring the rego. and getting used to driving a manual again.
I'll post some pics later in the best place.
Very happy at this stage, although sad to see the D1 go, as so many memories went with it. Gone but not forgotten.

Robmacca

4th November 2014, 12:28 PM

Disco_Mick,

Will be very interested to hear how u find going from your D1 to the Defender as your touring vehicle & I assume your daily driver?

We will be in a similar situation in a few years time when we will have to change our current touring vehicle to something that will give us more space for our 3 kids + more cargo space as well..... Just not sure how a Defender would go as my daily driver though.....plus, then there's the lack of outback dealers/mechanics if anything ever went wrong......

When the time comes, I'd probably like to get one of the Puma versions myself..... if we end up going down that path.......

DiscoMick

4th November 2014, 12:50 PM

Its not my daily driver. We use the wife's Yaris for commuting. You could commute in a Defender, but parking stations could be a tight fit. Mind you, plant the right foot and, with the chip, it can certainly accelerate at a good rate when required. And, as it is only ticking over at 2000 rpm in sixth at 100 km/h it is certainly economical. WIth the big tank we should be able to do about 1000km between refills.

The D1 was and now the Defender will be parked for most of the week and built up for touring and towing our camper trailer. We are setting ourselves up to hopefully stop working fulltime and wander off in a couple of years (while spending the kids inheritance!).

landy

4th November 2014, 08:10 PM

Do we hear a name change to 'Defer-Mick'?

Congratulations on your new car. I think you will be really pleased you chose it. It really is an iconic vehicle, and great fun!!

Oh, and welcome to the Defender club. Remember to wave :D

Cheers

Nino.

DiscoMick

5th November 2014, 08:48 AM

Thanks. Yes, I'm very pleased.
No, I think I'll stick with DiscoMick for the moment, just to keep my history intact. The Disco is gone, but not forgotten. I changed my signature to show the history.
Funnily enough, Plan B was always to keep the Disco and spend some money to really bulletproof it for touring, but the wife (what a woman!) said she wanted a Defender. How many wives would say that? She's a keeper. Now we've got it she's right into finding the accessories we want for it.

We're going to keep it standard height and retain the original suspension for now, but might add rear airbags if it drops too much when towing.
Today I'm off for a safety inspection this arvo so the rego can be transferred to Qld. Once that's done I'll start ordering accessories. This is gonna be fun!