Thread: Defender Purchase?

I had a 110 County. As far as seating goes, I found the seats better on a trip than the P38A Range Rover seats

However, the B-pillar is a real pain. My shoulder rested against it and in winter, my arm would ache from the cold. I don't know if a Defender would be be better.

The handbrake is commonly mentioned in the negative by 4WD mag testers (as are the seats). I never found the County handbrake (nor in current Defenders) a problem once it's released.

Would I own another?

Yes.

I'm driving a 130 crew cab trayback at the moment. I like it so much, I'm tempted to buy Edd's George130! Now that's worth looking at. It's had an auto conversion.

Nah, I can't afford it.

Ron

Having has a couple of series, a county and a D2 - and been from Woomera to Brissy in a 130 ute (sat in both seats for long periods) I can say that you definitely need to adapt to driving in a defender. Its different to anything else on the road really, but the advantages are many - the B-pillar and handbrake lock you into a nice driving position and stop you swinging around in the rough-stuff; being so close to the edge of the vehicle means you can see the front wheel quite easily - good for obstacles; and sitting upright is a much more comfortable position for extended driving.

Having said all that - the most comfortable of all the landy's I have was the SIII with standard seats!

Cheers

Have found nothing wrong with Defender seats, they are quite comfortable. There is a mob in WA (Black Duck - I think) that make canvas seat covers for these things. A great option as they stop the seat burning you on a hot day and provide much protection to the material.. look good too

Hello,

Just a few ideas and things that I have done to my Defender. The extension rails that raise the seat and move it back by 50mm are great on the passenger side. My wife does not like the air condioner condenser in the passenger foot well. This lift, and movement back helps with leg room there. I don't have any on the drivers side, as I have no problems with leg room. You do get used to the pillar on your shoulder, but I had to raise one side of the door closing handle. It would rub on my mid thigh, and cause bruises. Once raised, no problems. I do have a 20mm thick strip of closed cell foam from Clarke rubber on top of the door ledge, to give my elbow something to rest on. The hand brake has been replaced with an old Rangie one fitted between the cubby box, and drivers seat. No alteration of the cable was needed to do this, just drill a few holes, and move the cable to the new handbrake. I am currently waiting on some sound deadener from the U.S. This along with some of the sound deadening material from this site (Check out Daves online shop), should make it much quieter inside for long trips. I don't find it too loud, but notice how loud the radio is when I get back in and start it. Roller drawr in the back for some lockable storage is a good idea. Also helps with noise inside. I have some rock/tree sliders that act as steps, but don't lower the ground clearance.
What I would change:
Want to move the airconditioner to the back (minivan style) while retaining my compressor, and just running lines back to it. This would give a lot more room for the front passengers. Rear seats don't have headrests. Not good in the case of an accident. Plan on mounting some pads on the cargo barrier. Would like to have a reversing camera, as reversing is pure guesswork. Upgrade shocks, and springs once the winch is in place.
This is all I can think of at the time being.
Good luck in your search,

Ken

Still looking. If anyone finds one that is half decent let me know.