Thread: Buying a Defender

They're probably all of a muchness Kanga. If you do lots of reading on this and other sites you'll read of weak axles yet many have never suffered breakages, electrical problems plague all LRs yet I and many others haven't suffered and of course if you do break down you'll be stranded and die in the desert.
Actually remembering back we did have a malfunctioning (sounds so much nicer put that way) throttle pot. about 7 years ago on our Td5 but out of 4 vehicles (1 Disco, 3 Deafeners) that's been it.
At least here you'll get the real story not some bull heard in the public bar of a run down pub somewhere which serves only out of work alcoholics.
Cheers.
AlanH.

I guess the major difference would be that the older they are the less electrics they have. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your preferences. For example, the 300Tdi will pretty much run under water with a snorkel and exhaust.

Never had a problem with my TD5 defender. Driving a heavy camping trailer anywhere and everywhere right around Australia I had absolutely no issues. They are getting a bit long in the tooth now, so reliability may start to be a problem - but my brother recently sold his at about 260,000k still with no mechanical problems.

2.2 has a few imindful improvements over 2.4 including single mass flywheel... If its a choice between second hand or new puma.... I would go Go with a new 2.2

Thanks Manic, was a bit hesitant about brand new design motors until they have proved themselves a bit, and ironed out any bugs, ZD 30 Patrol comes to mind. I was sort of leaning towards getting one of the last Puma 110's, but will see what develops in the thread. Cheers, Kanga.

It comes down to your budget, as well as preference for "newness", comfort and tolerance for faults. Given your choice, I would probably opt for a low km and/or well maintained 2001 or 2002 Td5 for extended remote area travel. They've been well and truly "shaken down", have a Salisbury rear axle and a flashable ECU (for potential chipping down the track if desired), but may need checking and replacing some worn out components. New vehicles on the other hand, are well, new, but have a higher probability of having unresolved faults from the factory which may take a while to sort out.

Then again, to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, I drive a mechanically injected Isuzu 4BD1 powered landy from the mid 80's that's known for its reliability, deafness inducing ability and a penchant for destroying gearboxes. It's also not my primary car, and I like to tinker in my spare time. So my preferences are likely to be different from yours.

TD5's have been in Defenders for a while, so all their potential "faults" are reasonably well known, as are the preventative measures. The same may be true for 2.4 Pumas (I don't know), but they've also changed gearboxes, some of the body (steel instead of aluminium) and most of the interior
at the same time, some of which is of lesser quality I'm told. On the other hand, I understand the 2.4 engine and gearbox are more refined and have considerably improved on NVH (Noise Vibration & Harshness) characteristics over all predecessors. I also hear Pumas come with an air con that actually works. Perhaps someone with a Puma can give you more details. Also, if you search the forum, you'll find a number of "which defender model is best for XY&Z" discussions, which outline the pros and cons of each.

- How much time do you have for a "shakedown" before heading off on an extended remote trip?
- How long do you plan to keep the vehicle? Do you want to work on it yourself, or are happy to have someone else look after it for you?
- How close are you to the nearest dealership?
- Is it going to be your primary vehicle, or used mainly for remote area travel?
- Who will if cater for, just you, you and your better half, or the whole family?
- How budget sensitive is your purchase?

Answering those may give you a better idea of what might be most suitable.

Which way are you leaning so far?