Thread: Anyone know this Td5 Defender?

I've being weighing up offloading the 2.4 Puma 110 Defender and embarking on a project Td5 Defender. Spotted this on Gumtree: 1999 Td5 Defender 110

Anyone know, or have inspected, this car? I'm in Sydney (car in Vic), so I figured I'd reach out before committing to flights/travel.

Thank ya all.

G'day Rob

I've had the 2.4 Puma for six years now (second owner - picked it up with 35K on the clock). I use it as my daily driver and have done trips up to Moreton Island, down to Tassie, out to the mountains, as well as towing a boat up and down the coast chasing waves and fish most weekends.

I bloody love the truck, possibly a little too much - don't know when to roll and when to walk away.

I believe the driving experience is good, and while not having as much guts (torque) as the Td5, it still pulls very well, having retrieved other vehicles from serious mud holes and pulling my boat comfortably at 110kmph.

What has been disappointing is the general wear and tear on a vehicle that was relatively new when I purchased it (two years old) and the bloody lousy clutches on early Pumas. Forums are literally peppered with stories about their failure - also LR's infuriating denial of any engineering fault. New clutches do seem to be better and I'm about to drop a prototype upgrade from Exedy and Ward and Graeme Cooper in mine.

Would I recommend the 2.4 Puma? Yes. I've actually experienced far less problems with mine than a couple of good china plates have with their 2.2s (up to 2015 models!).

Specifics I'd be checking over if purchasing:

(Mechanical/Design)

• Clutch
• Driveline (axels and rear output shaft - upgrades from Maxidrive and Ashcroft available)
• EGR valve (a lot have been blanked and turned off with remaps etc, which is good)
• Position of DT breather hose (prone to water ingress and tank contamination - can remove and run new breather kit up to engine bay)
• Steering box (often wear)

(Bodywork & Interior)

• Rust (rear cross-member, bulkhead)
• Paint oxidation
• Leaks (front doors)
• Heat from gearbox driver's side footwell

A few things listed above appear to be native to all Defenders. Also being pretty picky, mate - most of the stuff is totally manageable/tolerable.

Only other suggestion is to invest in an on-board diagnostics tool like Nanocom, Gap or BAS etc. Crucial to helping troubleshoot issues on the road.

So why am I looking at offloading mine? To be perfectly honest, it's more to do with freeing up some capital from the car to plug into a business venture. Also the journey of a project Defender (as per this thread). Project and new business probably not the smartest idea.

We'll see. Still running around upstairs.

Jethro