Thread: is it a dud defender

With rust like that it sounds like it's been driven in the ocean.

Bloody hell! 90,000 k's in two years is a bit more than commuter use. 20,000 (or less) to 40000 would be believable. The corrosion sounds like it has been well and truly beached without precautions. Get it up on a hoist and have a good pick around the chassis with a geologists hammer and sharpened screwdrivers, and don't be gentle. Check the door frames and bulkhead likewise. You may need to bodgie it up if lots more corrosion found, and put it through e-bay or the internet used cars listings and get out of it.

Sounds like a dud to me. I'd say get out of it and start again. There's every possibility that as you fix one thing another will break and it'll end up costing you a fortune - of course there is also every possibility that once you fix everything now it'll work like a dream for years to come.

However as it seems to have severe rust problems and as mentioned earlier that 90'000km's in 2 years sounds excessive so it's probably been driven into the dust.

I agree, get out of it, it has either been for many swims in the ocean or owned by a miner or mine.

I don't think you would even see that much rust in it at this age if it was a UK truck where they salt the roads.

Rust sounds very suspect. I would agree it must have been dunked or similar for that much. I have been told that sort of rust is common up the cape. As for 90,000 in two years that's the sort of distance I do. I travel 160 round trip each day for work.

Originally Posted by Grizzly_Adams

However as it seems to have severe rust problems and as mentioned earlier that 90'000km's in 2 years sounds excessive so it's probably been driven into the dust.

Ok sorry to high jack
Stupid Pom question
But does the outback dust rust the car then

Originally Posted by Maggot4x4

I agree, get out of it, it has either been for many swims in the ocean or owned by a miner or mine.

I don't think you would even see that much rust in it at this age if it was a UK truck where they salt the roads.

You right you would not. My 90 is a 95 model and has been here for a year. So for 10 years it was in the UK. And does not have anywhere as near as much rust as yours seems to . Mine does however have more surface rust than a defender of the same age here. Even though in the Uk it was reundersealed ever two years.
The rear steps on 110 do however fall off after a couple of years or so in the Uk

Sounds like it might've been for a total swim at one stage, could've been under for a while, as Grizzy reckons, as one thing is repaired, something else will break. Let alone the electrical issues that may develop.