Defender Puma

[pommy]

Whats peoples advise on the new defender just had my 06 TD5 written off so iam looking for something else , do you think an 08 is a risk ? Seem to see quite a few of these for sale . Or you think go a new one and have the 3 years for the dealer to sort it all out . Will be a keeper as long as what happened to the last one doesnt happen again !Thanks

[dullbird]

I would say unless your good on the tools of modern engines, new and have the warranty....

[solmanic]

X2

Whatever you choose to get, at least make sure you have at least one year of factory warranty left to sort it out. They are only 90% finished when they come out of the factory it seems.

[one_iota]

I wouldn't buy one unless I could see all the service invoices....some have been flawless others have been problematic. It seems to me that the problem ones keep on being so.

Mine's not for sale BTW

[greenhornet]

x3 agree
If you intend to keep for a long time, then I would encourage you to buy new.
You get the warranty of course, but better than that, you know everything about the vehicle and don't buy anyone else's problems.
A 'clean slate' basically.
Go for it!

[Scallops]

X4 - another thing to bear in mind - if it's still under any factory warranty, you can purchase 3 more years warranty - that costs about $2400.00 - consider this when doing the sums and making a decision.

[alittlebitconcerned]

Mines had allot of issues and it has been frustrating trying to get them sorted. Being my first Defender I find I'm not impressed with the build quality or the inherrent design flaws with the puma.
Having said all this, I admit that it has grown on me despite the problems. I'm getting more positive about it as issues get sorted and the list of stuff to fix gets smaller. To my surprise I find I love driving it, and when everything is working smoothly I prefer it to anything I've yet owned.
I would follow the advice already given; If you get one try for one with warranty, and hopefully you live near a good warranty repair centre.
As much as I like it I will probably get extended warranty because of my experience to date.

[scarry]

The one my son has,has been great,had a small problem with surface rust on the chassis,which was fixed by LR,but nothing else.......touch wood

As said,I would go for the youngest one you can afford,if possible go new.

[solmanic]

X4 - another thing to bear in mind - if it's still under any factory warranty, you can purchase 3 more years warranty ...

Maybe - but check that you can get extended warranty cover if you are not the original owner.

[dullbird]

does the original warranty even transfer between owners? I didn't think it did