Thread: So no 2007 Defender 90 in Australia at all?

Originally Posted by gobrood

Hi everybody,
as has been said before, I thought the case for getting a 2007 model Defeneder 90 in Australia was to order one through the dealers, but here verbatim is the email response from Aus. LR.:

"The Defender 90 (Short Wheel base) is no longer available for purchase in Australia.
It was deleted from our Australian Defender range early 2005.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Land Rover
Land Rover Customer Service Team"

I guess that is due to previous sales experience here, I remember seeing an ad for a 90 in Brisbane that said something like "$55,000 on road", and I certainly don't think it was worth that sort of money. No wonder they did not sell many at that price. And we suffer for it now! Jeez, they are in virtually every paddock in the Old Dart.
cheers, robg

Actually... when we were buying ours early 2005 they were 39990 + on roads, so you could have one for about $45. I don't know where the $55k one came from.

Somewhere in my memory I remember they may have been more expensive at introduction.

Just had a look at a site in South Africa - quite a line-up of new fenders there!
The 110 wagon will set you back the equivalent of $60k and the 90 = $57k-ish..... add on GST and on-roads. Makes our prices look fairly tame
(these are prices quoted on the net and somebody somewhere will surely prove me wrong by a few $$$ )

G'day Gobrood

You could always order one through somebody like Foley specialist vehicles, or Nene Overland

www.foley-sv.com or www.neneoverland.co.uk there is also a company in Holland that specialises in specials O/seas spec vehicles but I can't find their name at the moment sorry, they do US,Canadian,S.E.Asia and NZ, and all other specs on single order, there would be an Aust specification as the 90 was ADR'ed in the early 2000's it is just that Mr Toymotor and Misan don't want them here and "It's all to hard for LRA"

cheers

But would you be allowed to bring it in through customs? Would they satisfy the ADRs?

Originally Posted by gobrood

Hi everybody,
as has been said before, I thought the case for getting a 2007 model Defeneder 90 in Australia was to order one through the dealers, but here verbatim is the email response from Aus. LR.:

"The Defender 90 (Short Wheel base) is no longer available for purchase in Australia.
It was deleted from our Australian Defender range early 2005.

Thank you for taking the time to contact Land Rover
Land Rover Customer Service Team"

I guess that is due to previous sales experience here, I remember seeing an ad for a 90 in Brisbane that said something like "$55,000 on road", and I certainly don't think it was worth that sort of money. No wonder they did not sell many at that price. And we suffer for it now! Jeez, they are in virtually every paddock in the Old Dart.
cheers, robg

I emailed LRA asking the same question ... they put me on to my local dealer but didn't mention it was impossible to get one.

Perhaps we should start a campaign, if 2000 aulro members send two enquiries each to LRA they might fall over themselves to re-introduce the 90.

LRA lost the plot when they introduced the D90 to Australia at 45K. I see the same future for the new Freelander.

yes, LR Australia did eventually bring the price on 90s down --but by then the publicity damage was probably done

When Landrovers first came into Australia, there was, of course, only the short wheelbase version. And even after long wheelbase versions were introduced they remained popular, but even before the end of the Series 3 short wheelbase sales were way down - it used to be common to see 2a 88s, but S3 88s seemed to be less common. Because of this, plus the fact that the 90 was not ready when 110 production started the 90 was not introduced into Australia when the 110 was. This was probably also influenced by the decision to restrict the engines in Australia to the V8 and Isuzu, coupled to Landrover's reluctance to use the V8 in the 90.

Over the same period other manufacturers in Australia have also dropped, at least part of the time, their short wheelbase versions of their four wheel drives, so it is not just Rover.

To some extent it is that smaller four wheel drives have taken the market of the swbs, but I think it is mainly that most buyers for Defenders (or similar) are at least thinking of "that long trip" and over the last thirty years, despite roads getting a lot better, the gear "needed" to travel has increased to where you "NEED" a 110 (or equivalent) to travel. The same does not apply in the UK, where distances are a lot shorter and there is accommodation everywhere.

John

My borther in law paid about $55k for his new 90 a few years back (can't remember the exact date) I thought it was a bit steep at the time and dissapointed to hear that the 07 model will not be on general sale in AUS. Suppose it means all you boys with 90's can expect good resale value

Rob, call me if you ever want to sell yours. I am 2 mins from your house so you can still visit it when you want to

Aye, Mick