Help with purchasing a TD5 110!

[Alex_hazard]

Hi there,

I am a LR newbie and am looking to purchase a 110. I've never had experience with the TDI/TD5 engine, but have found a car that is ideal for my needs. My only concern however is that it has done 480,000km on the original TD5 engine. I am yet to hear if the head or gaskets have been replaced, but according to the ad it does look to be well maintained.

It has a service record from land rover for the first 12 years of its life, and the following 9 years it has been maintained by an evidently fastidious owner who has done oil and filters every 7000km.

My question is, no matter how well the car has been maintained, would I be silly to purchase a car with an engine that has covered that much ground? What is the possibility of putting a reco TD5 in or maybe even rebuilding? I'd imagine a rebuild is $5k which is out of budget. I will post the ad below and if any LR buffs could possibly have a look for me, that would be fantastic...

1999 Land Rover Defender Wagon | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Alice Springs Area - Alice Springs | 1136230399 (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/alice-springs/cars-vans-utes/1999-land-rover-defender-wagon/1136230399)

Also if this is posted in the wrong area please could a moderator shift it!

Thank you kindly,

Alex

[Phil B]

It really depends on how much has been replaced/ rebuilt over its life. Gearbox, TC, diffs etc etc are expensive to replace and IMHO 480k km is end of life if they are original.
I would walk away.

[landy]

It really depends on how much has been replaced/ rebuilt over its life. Gearbox, TC, diffs etc etc are expensive to replace and IMHO 480k km is end of life if they are original.
I would walk away.

I love my Td5 110 (190k) but without receipts for engine, GB/TC , diffs front and rear so you can gauge condition I have to (unfortunately) agree with Phill.

Others may disagree.

[Alex_hazard]

It really depends on how much has been replaced/ rebuilt over its life. Gearbox, TC, diffs etc etc are expensive to replace and IMHO 480k km is end of life if they are original.
I would walk away.



As according to the ad, gearbox has been rebuilt 35,000km ago with a new clutch. Transfer case was replaced about 100,000km ago. As for diffs, I'm not too sure. But axles etc have been replaced and upgraded. Engine seems to be my main concern at this stage

[Phil B]

Ask for proof (receipts) for the TC and GB but even if you get those the whole vehicle is end of life, especially up there on bad roads
As you said the engine would cost $5k to replace/rebuild
That makes it a $20k vehicle that is 20 years and 1/2 million km old. You can find better IMHO.

[NT5224]

Hi Alex,

I'm wondering if the major costs associated with a vehicle of that mileage might be a an issue for you. I run an old Toyota of a similar age (1997) and with similar numbers on the odometer. The basic engine is good (touch wood!) but there are always ongoing and mounting costs to keep a vehicle of that age running. I keep mine going mainly for sentimental reasons, not economic ones.

A lot depends how confident you are with a spanner -although the TD5 is not the easiest motor for a tinkerer to work on.

Good luck

Alan

[REDTD5110]

So long as it's been looked after as well as you said the engine should still be good. A test drive would be the only way to tell about the rest of the car. Make the gearbox and tc shift smoothly, and so long as there's minimal backlash and driveline noise it should be good

[DeeJay]

I have a 1999 Deefer & it appears to me that the hard yards have been done on this vehicle with most of the running gear etc. It would have a Salisbury rear diff & rover front diff. I bought a good front diff for $100 & you can get them for less than that.
There are a few TD5's sitting in Discoveries around Melb wreckers, heck I have a spare almost complete TD5 in my garage that cost under $1k & it's good for a few hundred thou K's when put together.

15k is a fair price given it's location. I would say you need 20k plus to get a lower klm vehicle & it won't have all the add ons.
Another benefit is not having rust issues that go hand in hand with Defenders of that era ( & older) used in coastal area's.
David

[Phil B]

Dee Jay make a good point
At the end of the day it is your money
It does look good though.

[Alex_hazard]

So long as it's been looked after as well as you said the engine should still be good. A test drive would be the only way to tell about the rest of the car. Make the gearbox and tc shift smoothly, and so long as there's minimal backlash and driveline noise it should be good




I have a 1999 Deefer & it appears to me that the hard yards have been done on this vehicle with most of the running gear etc. It would have a Salisbury rear diff & rover front diff. I bought a good front diff for $100 & you can get them for less than that.
There are a few TD5's sitting in Discoveries around Melb wreckers, heck I have a spare almost complete TD5 in my garage that cost under $1k & it's good for a few hundred thou K's when put together.

15k is a fair price given it's location. I would say you need 20k plus to get a lower klm vehicle & it won't have all the add ons.
Another benefit is not having rust issues that go hand in hand with Defenders of that era ( & older) used in coastal area's.
David




Hi Alex,

I'm wondering if the major costs associated with a vehicle of that mileage might be a an issue for you. I run an old Toyota of a similar age (1997) and with similar numbers on the odometer. The basic engine is good (touch wood!) but there are always ongoing and mounting costs to keep a vehicle of that age running. I keep mine going mainly for sentimental reasons, not economic ones.

A lot depends how confident you are with a spanner -although the TD5 is not the easiest motor for a tinkerer to work on.

Good luck

Alan


Thank you all for your valid points. There is no doubt that a car of this mileage is going to be expensive to maintain, but it does appear that the major ticket items have been done. I have also noticed that there are many TD5 engines for sale on gumtree or equivalent for about $1500-$2500. I think if I could get it for $11,000, I would do it, as there would be some costs involved in getting it to Melbourne (would probably drive it), and also getting Vic road worthies/rego. There is also another clean one on gumtree that could be had for a very similar price, however this has done 350,000km and doesn't have the TD5... Food for thought.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/toronto/cars-vans-utes/1994-land-rover-defender-110-200tdi/1132685891

Alex