"EVERYBODY" Loves The Defender?

[Pickles2]

Being a car enthusiast, We've had a few nice cars, but NONE have attracted as much attention as "Gracie", our MY14 90.
At breathalyzers, We've had Police wanting to talk about Gracie rather than the breath test, same on the fruit check point on the S.A. / Vic Border.
We've had people pulled up at traffic lights talking to us, & same today when I visited the Moorabbin Airport Museum,.....I was just cruising around, & this guy steps out from the footpath, motions me to stop,...wants to know all about Gracie, & that He used to own a Series 11A!
Then, when I get to the Museum, out comes the Curator, takes a picture of Gracie, & tells me his son who is an exec in some big company has just bought a new 110 S.W.!!
The amount of interest is extraordinary!!..Pickles.

[ProjectDirector]

Well it gets better with me, I was stopped at traffic lights in Pascoe Vale (Melbourne) and the guy next to me gets out and asked if he can take some photos. Another occasion I was buying some fish and as I was going back to my defender 4 guys were circling the car and taking photos which followed with 60 minute discussion, wife was a bit concerned !
It certainly attracts a lot of head turning when I am driving. [emoji41][emoji41]

[Ando_110]

I'm new to the Defender family and can't believe the attention these cars get. I knew owning one came with an obligation to wave at passing fellow defender owners, but I didn't realise a simple trip to the shopping centre can turn into a 1/2 hour Q&A session in the car park. Love it!

[DefenderSte]

Im getting that too. The good lady and i went on a bit of a ticky tour of the North Island and were stopped and spoken to be loads of people sone telling us their stories of the ones that they used to own several years ago its brilliant I love it.

So many so different and i get a wave from every defender driver that i see on my travels.


Just need deeper pockets for all the extra bits and pieces....:D:D

[jackdef90]

I live across the road from a hotel, I awoke one morning to loud Japanese banter, I walked out to my carport to find a group of about 10 Japanese men taking photos of the defer, one of them kept saying " it Isaa soo buutifull".
Was quite funny I posed in some photos with them and the car.

[PAT303]

I get it every other day with the X-Tech,I wash it and give it a polish and with it's dark tint and running 265/75 GG A/T's filling out the guards it gets the ooohs are aaarhs. Pat

[ozrob]

I went on a recent High country trip with a bunch of blokes, who had Prado's, Hilux, Patrol...but they all came over to Bluebell and commented "It looks the part built like a 4x4 should behttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/558.jpg"

[DiscoMick]

Yes, I get plenty of comments on 'George' too. Whenever I take him to work and put him in the secure parking area at least one staff person will comment on the 'big white box'. 'That's a real 4WD,' was the best comment, I thought.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[mekon76]

I'm new to the Defender family and can't believe the attention these cars get. I knew owning one came with an obligation to wave at passing fellow defender owners, but I didn't realise a simple trip to the shopping centre can turn into a 1/2 hour Q&A session in the car park. Love it!


I've been on the other end of this. I'm the annoying git that asks Landy owners about their builds in shopping centre carparks. Mind you most owners have passion so it's always a great chat.

[Pickles2]

I've been on the other end of this. I'm the annoying git that asks Landy owners about their builds in shopping centre carparks. Mind you most owners have passion so it's always a great chat.
You are quite right, most Landy owners are happy to chat, but we're not unique there, most owners of any sort of "classic", no matter what it is, are normally quite happy to chat about their "Pride & Joy".
Pickles.

[jimr1]

I agree , Land Rover do have that something others don't . I've had notes stuck under my wipers , asking to sell leaving there phone numbers more than once . I've been stopped and asked if I want to sell . You can guarantee if your in a caravan park someone will come and talk about your Landy . I just as bad , I have been to quite a lot of country's , If I see a Land Rover , I always make a point of talking to the driver , even if we don't speak the same language , There always happy to talk !!.. Jim :)

[rar110]

100% agree, it's a vehicle that attracts a lot of positive interest & enquiry. My silver perentie wagon got it constantly.

In contrast the only attention my RRV gets is the bird and tailgaters. Same driver, same manufacturer, different perception. It's been an interesting social experiment.

[Landi]

I've noticed this as well, and it's surprised me as It's certainly not a car I'd imagine anyone would buy purely for attention; there are too many inconveniences for someone to buy one just as a city show-off. We'll leave that for jeep owners. I think the thing with defenders is that there are so many logical reasons NOT to buy one, especially for those living in the city, and so maybe there are people out there who respect that and are happy to see some of us have taken the plunge.

[Pacemaker]

I live in Surfers Paradise. I often park on the esplanade. I get a lot of Asian and Arab tourists taking photos of my 130.
The Asians generally just give the thumbs up and the Arabs will sometimes want to chat.

I have definitely not experienced anything like that with other cars.

Cheers
Michael.

[Leyland1980]

I have lived with my 110 here (Brisbane), the UK and South Africa.

We have always got attention particularly when "overlanded up" with awning, RTT etc.

Surprisingly (given the number of landies around) attention was greatest in the UK I guess this is to do with the low number of kitted up 4X4s.

On one occasion we had a whole family staring at us for about 10 minutes from about 50m away as we ate our breakfast in a camp-site on the Isle of Mull. They eventually plucked up the courage to speak to us and said "ooo, you could drive round Africa in that thing", "we did!" was our reply.

Cheers

John

[loneranger]

We're currently in Denham and our site is right next to the toilets. We're getting lots of comments and people asking about it. We notice little boys always have to be dragged past as they want to stop and look. :D

[Chenz]

Seems to be a conversation magnet. Both the old and the young want to know about the Fender. I love the old guys who say "I had a Series 1 and it is still going on my mates farm. How does this one go"?

Why wouldn't you be impressed driving one of these
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/538/M8WfLp.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eyM8WfLpj)
Before all the extra bits
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/538/cmqrN5.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/eycmqrN5j)
Out in the Simpson with full running gear

[Didge]

I live in Surfers Paradise. I often park on the esplanade. I get a lot of Asian and Arab tourists taking photos of my 130.
The Asians generally just give the thumbs up and the Arabs will sometimes want to chat.

I have definitely not experienced anything like that with other cars.

Cheers
Michael.

Aakkhht - Mr Michael, I give you my prettiest 20 camels and Fatima for you luurrvvly car!

When a kid at my local Woolies saw my old Defender with the cheese cutter tyres on it he says to his dad
"Dad, that's the sort of car I want" - then he sadly gets in dad's late model Rodeo - hehehehe!

[Dopey]

Chenz, that 130 of yours is a nice machine, I drive past it a fair bit when I'm in Sydney, ( I live a few streets away from you).
Also I like the older Red 130 (think it's a TD5) with the camper on the back in the next street to you.
Regards,
Mike.

P.s. My girlfriend loves the skull you have on the front!

[Longtimer]

Everyone seems to check out my 90' when I am driving around. :) I seem to get heaps of thumbs up.

I stopped of at my Neice's house the other week to give a hand, and her partner couldn't believe what I had bought. He certainly looked green....
It seems that the perception of people is changing. At one stage, cruisers were seen as the ultimate by the uninformed. Now it seems that everyone sees Defenders as the ultimate.
As they should. :D :cool:


Cheers,

Phill.

[jimr1]

Aakkhht - Mr Michael, I give you my prettiest 20 camels and Fatima for you luurrvvly car!

When a kid at my local Woolies saw my old Defender with the cheese cutter tyres on it he says to his dad
"Dad, that's the sort of car I want" - then he sadly gets in dad's late model Rodeo - hehehehe!
Make It 22 camels , and you've got a deal !!..Jim :D:D

[Chops]

"EVERYBODY" loves the Defender

Thankfully not, otherwise we would just be like all the other 4x4 drivers,,,, just another one on the road.

I've been lucky to experience some of this too. Even had a couple of Toyota owners give her the big thumbs up.

[DiscoMick]

"EVERYBODY" loves the Defender

Thankfully not, otherwise we would just be like all the other 4x4 drivers,,,, just another one on the road.

I've been lucky to experience some of this too. Even had a couple of Toyota owners give her the big thumbs up.


Yes, our youngest son the tradie who has a modded Hilux has done a couple of jobs for me on 'George' and seems to be growing to appreciate it as a Meccano-style truck which is easily modified. One of his tradie mates has a 130 loaded up with carpentry gear which is a real beast - mini cars hide in fright when it comes down the road.

[Chenz]

Chenz, that 130 of yours is a nice machine, I drive past it a fair bit when I'm in Sydney, ( I live a few streets away from you).
Also I like the older Red 130 (think it's a TD5) with the camper on the back in the next street to you.
Regards,
Mike.

P.s. My girlfriend loves the skull you have on the front!

Its a camel skull I found out near Geosurveys Hill on the last Edjit adventure.

The Td5 up the road also has a Trayon and the guy that owns it has many mods on it as well.

Next time you drive past drop in and say hi.

[steane]

I was bailed up by a chap the other day at the local BP who told me the 300TDi was "champion" and that he'd never seen one like it. Chatted for a while about the Perentie he wants to get.

This is fairly common when stopping in a public place. The interesting thing is that young boys are drawn to them and can't take their eyes off them. I think its because they look like something from a Boy's Own adventure, which I have to confess was always what attracted me to them. They look like adventure on wheels.

They are certainly an adventure to own :D

[Didge]

I was bailed up by a chap the other day at the local BP who told me the 300TDi was "champion" and that he'd never seen one like it. Chatted for a while about the Perentie he wants to get.

This is fairly common when stopping in a public place. The interesting thing is that young boys are drawn to them and can't take their eyes off them. I think its because they look like something from a Boy's Own adventure, which I have to confess was always what attracted me to them. They look like adventure on wheels.

They are certainly an adventure to own :D

And never a truer word was spoken - we must have shared parallel childhoods :)

[gusthedog]

It is true that everyone loves a defender - even the nuffies. My wife got to the point of cringing and or hiding on our trip around Australia when someone approached us to talk about the 110. It seems that we got approached by every single nutter that "didn't get into the army because they failed a psych test" but love defenders coz that's what the army drive etc etc the whole way around. Deranged mall cops comes to mind - they went for the next best thing because they couldn't get into the police force. My wife still thinks 95% of landy owners are nuts :) Which if I'm honest does tend to be on the money :D

[DiscoMick]

Its a camel skull I found out near Geosurveys Hill on the last Edjit adventure.

The Td5 up the road also has a Trayon and the guy that owns it has many mods on it as well.

Next time you drive past drop in and say hi.


Talking about things on our trucks, mine has a plastic snake tied into the bulbar. Funnily enough, I didn't buy the snake. When our previous D1 came back from the workshop the last time, the snake was attached to the roofrack - I assume by a mechanic at the workshop who was having a joke.
I liked it so much I kept it when we sold the D1 and have added it to the Defender. The head pokes out of a hole in the bulbar. I have seen people walk past, do a double-take and start laughing. Kids love it.
Just an example of how Landy's are more interesting than ordinary trucks, I guess (or else that I have a warped sense of humour).

[TheYeti]

Well I must say I've wanted a defender for as long as I can remember, my dream finally come true when I bought my first new car in 2013. Somehow it got muddled up along the way because my wife has ended up with a defender :confused:. She is constantly asked questions about it at supermarkets, service stations and all over the place. If we get out somewhere and someone starts talking to me about it she makes sure they know it's her car. Sometimes she lets me borrow it and she also let's me clean it. I drive an 89 Volvo 240:confused:, it's ok though while I do 1200km a week she only does a couple hundred.(glass half full)

[noyakfat]

I agree whole-heartedly with the earlier post about the defender appeal to small boys. It seems I can't drive past a little boy without the poor Mum or Dad having their arm wrenched around by a small child craning to watch the defender drive by, a look of wonder on their face and often accompanied by arm-outstretched pointing and loud exclamations :D

My friend's three little boys absolutely love my defender. They call it "Sarge" after the character in the "Cars" animated movie. (And yes, I know that Sarge is actually a 1941 Willy's Jeep). However, I guess the green colour and the old school look is what they like.

They bailed me up in a shopping centre car park a few months ago and were stoked when I let them have a look through "Agnes". They were crawling all over the place, into the back and over the seats like little monkeys :) The ultimate was when I let them beep the horn. (Their mum was less than impressed).

Fifteen days ago my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. My little son, Jack, will certainly be getting lots of defender time in the future, and if all goes well I hope to teach him to drive in the defender :D

[Didge]

Well a HUGE congrats to you and the missus Nige, glad to hear of your little addition. I wish I'd had a Defender when my kids were little tykes - you've got years of excitement, fun and games ahead of you. I'm looking forward to doing the same with grandkids - if only my lot would move out of home and have some kids. Here is a video that I think epitomises fathers with Defenders and young kids- you've gotta do this sort of thing with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvC4EQvx5Mg

When my kids were young for a short while I had a MQ Nissan Patrol that was a total bomb (full of rust) and I used to take jumping off the highest sand hills (when they were still there)at Kurnell/ Boat harbour (Sydney) but the only really "exciting" thing that ever happened was when I hit a pedestrian with it and sent him flying.

[DefenderSte]

When I got my 130 and it appeared in the car park at work.Its pretty much stand alone as the rest of the car park is full of Ford,Holden or jap be it car or 4x4 and she stands head and shoulders above all the others....:D

I hear a few of the guys and girls at work chatting and asking each other who's is that good looking truck.Then I have a little smile to myself and proceed to tell them its mine. Several of them are like i wish i had one and did you bring it with you from the UK..? Im like no I moved to the other side of the world and bought a defender.

Also my other half wasnt that keen to start with as she had just retired from doing 22yrs service in the Army and had spent quite alot of time over the years in and around them and to say she wasnt a massive fan....:eek::eek:


I kinda convinced her to test drive one and origionally we test drove a 110 twin cab.She gets in and drives it and it was music to my ears ooooh she says i like this you can have one.....:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Then within a week our 130 twin cab appears onthe dealers website we chat then the deposit gets moved from the 110 to the 130 or as we now affectionally call her "The Beast". Its great I love driving her.....:D:D

[Wheatos]

Fifteen days ago my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. My little son, Jack, will certainly be getting lots of defender time in the future, and if all goes well I hope to teach him to drive in the defender :D

Congrats Noyakfat! Awesome to have your first child- exciting times ahead!

I collect my new, and first, 110 next week, and my eldest son gets his L's shortly, so he'll be learning between the wife's little Honda Jazz and the big D.

He's as excited as I am!

[Didge]

Excellent Wheatos, I taught my son in the old defender - he's a demon on hill starts after we got to the bottom of a long hill and I made him do them every 5m or so. After he'd done the first one and was off he thought he'd just drive to the top - STOP! Why? Do another one and another and another - now he smashes them every time - have fun :)

[Longtimer]

I grew up in a Series IIA & III 88. I loved it. We went to alot of places. :-) And back then they were mostly in pristeen condition, (many places are now ruined in my eyes..... ), so the tracks was almost virgin bush.

My oldest 2 grew up in both my Series IIA and III 88's, until their teens. They loved it. :-)

Then I was talked into geting rid of them because they weren't getting used except by me to get to work, and were therefore an unnecessary expence. The ex' decided not to let the kids in there because there were no seat belts for them.... :-(
So then it was a Disco' only at my place. :-(

Now with the Defender, I have yet to do any creek or river crossings like in my Series vehicles, But my youngest loves being in it. He's only 7. :-)

Before I get too carried away, I need to check my air intake is completely sealed. And I wonder what i can do about my computer and it's sensors.... :-(


Cheers,

Phill.

[jimr1]

I've got a mate that has a P38 , how this his pride and joy . He would have spent a kings ransom to get It the way he wont's It . It's lifted ,big wheels , front bar winch , the list does on and on . When I pop around to see him in my Defender , the kids from across the road always come and look at mine . He has said more than once , those kids never look twice at my truck , when you drive off they watch you until you have gone before they move !! Also when I pass the lollipop man up the road , in the Defender he always , watches me coming , then turns to watch my pass . Now if I'm in the wifes car , a ford . He doesn't take any notice at all !!.. Jim :D

[100inch]

Medical in Perth last week. Me wearing one of those retro Long Wheelbase Land Rover T-shirts with a 107 on the front. GP was so excited to talk about her childhood on a farm in NT, showing me family pics on her desktop including the Series 1...... Did I mention this was my easiest medical ever? m

[loneranger]

Well a HUGE congrats to you and the missus Nige, glad to hear of your little addition. I wish I'd had a Defender when my kids were little tykes - you've got years of excitement, fun and games ahead of you. I'm looking forward to doing the same with grandkids - if only my lot would move out of home and have some kids. Here is a video that I think epitomises fathers with Defenders and young kids- you've gotta do this sort of thing with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvC4EQvx5Mg

When my kids were young for a short while I had a MQ Nissan Patrol that was a total bomb (full of rust) and I used to take jumping off the highest sand hills (when they were still there)at Kurnell/ Boat harbour (Sydney) but the only really "exciting" thing that ever happened was when I hit a pedestrian with it and sent him flying.

What's with the music?

[noyakfat]

Here is a video that I think epitomises fathers with Defenders and young kids- you've gotta do this sort of thing with him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvC4EQvx5Mg


Future sub-mariner perhaps?

[DiscoMick]

We were in the Mazda dealership yesterday doing a finance application for the Navigator's new Mazda 2 and when I listed the Defender as our second vehicle the salesman got all excited and talked on about how he used to work for Land Rover and so on. Also discussed how a Jaguar Land Rover dealership is setting up not far away and its a good thing because it will bring more buyers to the area, but its a different market to the Mazdas.

[RVR110]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvC4EQvx5MgGreat clip Gerald! My missus learned to turn the air vents from "fresh" to "recycle" when the water is likely to go over the bonnet. It saves her (deepish) / us (deeper) getting cold, wet feet! Kinda makes me wonder about getting a snorkel to go on the passenger side... perhaps one like the perentie: https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/04/40.jpg

[Didge]

Yeah cute kid eh John. Is that a snorkel? I wondered what they were. Looks like an external rifle holster. There's another video floating around of a 110 in Borneo or somewhere when the guy drives into a river or flooded road with open vents - its like a waterfall coming in.

[RVR110]

Yeah cute kid eh John. Is that a snorkel? I wondered what they were. Looks like an external rifle holster. There's another video floating around of a 110 in Borneo or somewhere when the guy drives into a river or flooded road with open vents - its like a waterfall coming in.
Getting wet feet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVKtL-V2rmQ