D90 buying advice

[Xul]

Hey all.

I'm hopefully going to be a D90 owner at some stage in the near future and am looking for some advice on what to look out for when buying a second hand one.

At the moment there seem to be a total of Zero (0) 90's for sale within my Price Range. I'm basically looking for a truck that has done under 200,000k's and costs 20,000 or less (price sort of depends on how off road/touring ready it is as well).

Are there any specific problems I should be looking out for when buying a defender of this age? From looking at 110's my above budget seems decent for a 97-99 (year).

I'm hoping to find one in Adelaide, not so much a fan of buying from interstate after my last car came without a drop of oil in it.....

So yeah in summary are there any major problems that I should be looking for in 1997-1999, 90 or maybe 110 that has done under 200,000?

Cheers.

[Sleepy]

G'day Xul,
Welcome to the forum,

You will need a bit of luck finding a 90 of that era. They were not sold in Aus until 2003 to 2005. They didn't sell a lot of them then because of the limited size - and probably because the Jeep Wrangler was 10 grand cheaper.
I have a 2005 90 and wouldn't sell it for that money - yet.;) Most advertise in the low 30 grand and you could probably find one with higher kms for high 20's. It would have to be damaged or clapped out to get one cheaper.
Perhaps with the new PUMA 90s reappearing this year the second hand market will drop a bit. (For your sake - not mine:p)

Occasionally earlier 90's pop up on the second hand market that were personal imports. Although I have only seen a few in the last couple of years.

A 110 is probably a more realistic proposition for you and you will find plenty in that price range and era. Either an early td5 or a late 300tdi.
I quite like the 2 door hardtop, tdi's from the mid 1990's. But there are plenty of 110 Wagons to choose from. If you are not familiar with them it would be worthwhile paying for an inspection by an expert.

Don't let anyone tell you - "They are made of aluminium - They don't rust". It is a con. Whilst most of the panels are AL, they have steel firewall and chassis which will rust almost as quick as a toyota. :lol2:

Good Luck with your search

[Xul]

Ah cool cheers heaps mate that should make my search a bit easier. Was wondering why the seemed non-existent, lol.

110 It is then. I've seen a few decent ones advertised, mostly interstate though.

I'm hoping for a wagon of some description (even though I prefer the utes) because here in SA it's something along the lines of $200 extra a year to rego a "goods carrying vehicle".

[MacFamily]

Heres a 300tdi 90 which somebody has modified from a 130" wheel base to a 90". Good price low kays ruff but would get it checked out 1997 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=8344576&__Qpb=true&Cr=14&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7c1%7c%7cpCar_PriceSort_D ecimal%7c1%7c%7cpCar_Make_String%7c0%7c%7cpCar_Mod el_String%7c0&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294965541% 204294964692&silo=1011&__No=45&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=70&__sid=126C76A81312)

Not sure how you modify a 130 down to a 90 :(

[Sleepy]

Not sure how you modify a 130 down to a 90 :(
Chop out 36 and a bit inches?:p Looks ok too.

[Xul]

Cheers I spotted that one. I'm a bit suspect about it but definitely worth getting it checked out. Pretty cheap.

I found this 110, done about 150k. It seems a bit suss to be that it has a fully rebuilt transfer case at that age though. Can you guys think of any legit reasons for this? Also seems a bit TOO cheap for a dealer car.
Land Rover Defender 110 5 door Wagon 300 Tdi 1997MY 4WD (eBay item 190375862958 end time Mar-25-10 13:58:35 EST) (http://cars.ebay.com.au/Land-Rover-Defender-110-5-door-Wagon-300-Tdi-1997MY-4WD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ190375862958)

[rijidij]

Heres a 300tdi 90 which somebody has modified from a 130" wheel base to a 90". Good price low kays ruff but would get it checked out 1997 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=8344576&__Qpb=true&Cr=14&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7c1%7c%7cpCar_PriceSort_D ecimal%7c1%7c%7cpCar_Make_String%7c0%7c%7cpCar_Mod el_String%7c0&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294965541% 204294964692&silo=1011&__No=45&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=70&__sid=126C76A81312)

Not sure how you modify a 130 down to a 90 :(

I spotted that one down the Great Ocean Road yesterday. Just had a quick look, but it looked ok to me. If I knew you were interested, I could have given it a more detailed look over.

Cheers, Murray

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/02/51.jpg

[Allan]

My wife and I have been looking to buy a 90 for the last 10 years, got one last month. Hold out till you find a good TD5 its a fantastic vehicle.

Allan

[Xul]

I spotted that one down the Great Ocean Road yesterday. Just had a quick look, but it looked ok to me. If I knew you were interested, I could have given it a more detailed look over.

Cheers, Murray



All good mate not looking at that one any more. Once I factor in getting it here (~900 on a truck), getting all the inspections done here (~1000 give or take a few hundred), getting it registered (?) it's not worth it. Especially considering it's likely it wont pass the inspections.

Will put up an ad in the wanted I think. Now I've realised that a 90 isn't going to happen I'm probably going for a 97-00 110 Wagon, around 150,000k's up to 20,000ish.

Also does anyone know the vic rego rules?
Is a ute classed as a goods carrying vehicle and hence has a higher rego?

*Edit*: Also, if possible could a mod please change the title to 110 buying advice. Thanks. (No idea why I can't edit myself)

[Michael2]

...Not sure how you modify a 130 down to a 90...

I believe they went something like this :

Grey Import 90 V8 + Damaged 130 Tdi

130 is re-registered with a new chassis no. The panels are not consequential, the chassis number is genuine Land Rover.

So now you have a 90 Tdi

[Michael2]

Also does anyone know the vic rego rules?
Is a ute classed as a goods carrying vehicle and hence has a higher rego?

Last time I checked a ute was cheaper to register in Vic. Less passengers meant less TAC Insurance. It's been about 20 years since I've owned a Land Rover ute, but it was much cheaper than a wagon then.

[Michael2]

Will put up an ad in the wanted I think. Now I've realised that a 90 isn't going to happen I'm probably going for a 97-00 110 Wagon, around 150,000k's up to 20,000ish.

I think a late 300Tdi would be a lot more reliable than an early TD5, plus you could get one cheaper / or with more kit.

Last time I checked, which was last year, the 300Tdi was still being made for military markets, both for NATO, and by ottokar in Turkey (under licence). Occasionally you can still find batches of surplus 2005 Tdi Defenders with no kilometers at NATO auctions (for export outside the EU only). Not that you'd buy these, but just to say that the 300Tdi is still a worthwhile engine.

I've got a '97 110 Wagon, and can only recommend them.

Typical improvements on the 110s include heavier duty shock absorbers and replacing the 65 amp alternator with the better build quality 100amp unit out of the 300Tdi Discovery.

Things to look out for are rust (as already noted) and cracked rear doors where the spare wheel hangs on. You can fit a one piece single rear door made of steel from a later Defender, or you can fit a spare wheel carrier.

Timing Belt replacement is critical in a 300Tdi, the later ones had the whole system re-done, but I think the failure of early versions has made people very wary. I've done (or helped do) 3 or 4 timing belts on 110s, and the later ones showed no signs of wear at replacement, while the early version was shredded (but still going). If you buy a whole kit, then you'll know that all parts will be the latest when you replace yours.

There's not a lot to break in a 110, so even if you get a broken one, there won't be a lot to fix.

[VladTepes]

Not sure how you modify a 130 down to a 90 :(

Gas Axe (or if you are a bit flash... plasma cutter)

[Xul]

I think I may have found a decent 90!

Very excited as it's an awesome car which is pretty special as well. Fingers crossed it goes through a pre-purchase test without any hiccups. Dream car here I come!

[VladTepes]

C'mon it's been a whole day we want an update.

[Xul]

Well the 90 fell through, as much as I loved it I think in the end I'll be happier with a car I can build up and love to bits myself.

There's a thread on my 110 TD5 over here ---> http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/104576-my-110-td5.html