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Am I being mental?


JTaylor91
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Well after Christmas it will be time to change the motor. I’m sure everybody has had an itch for a defender and I’m contemplating scratching mine. Problem is I have a 50 mile commute for work.......each way. 4 on 4 off so not terrible. Would I be mad commuting that much in it? 

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buy a defender and enjoy it..........but as your daily no-brainer daily drive ...go out and buy a suzuki swift £2500 will get you a gooden...it dosnt have a timing belt and the brake lines are dipped in plastic...and they are a joy to drive and do a million miles to the gallon

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2 minutes ago, JTaylor91 said:

Well you’re all dashing my dreams. I was looking at getting a 2012-2013 model. The mrs has a car I could use for the commute now and again.

Scratch that itch.  Assuming you're talking about an old-style Defender (not the upscaled Lego Technic thing), it has about the best depreciation curve of any vehicle out there, assuming you don't over-pay to begin with...

I have a pile of parts waiting to rebuilt into a 110.  I'm currently trying to get some time on rebuilding it, but it appears this shooting lark is quite a time-consuming hobby too! One day i'll finish it and it'll be my 'toy' - though by then I suspect internal combustion engine cars will be a rarity.

Anyway, I've just bought an L200.  Very comfortable on a commute.  I'm also really starting to appreciate the separate load bed and passenger compartment - not something you get on a Defender(hi-cap pickups excluded).  As for off road, well it has a locking centre diff, and high and low range, same as a Defender.  So with some decent boots on it, I'm sure it'll do whatever I want (rutted forest tracks to check on birds, not off road competitions).

What I'm  saying is, drive a modern Jap pickup, at least once, before you jump into the green oval.  It might not raise quite the same smile as a Defender, but it will probably do 80% of what you want in more comfort, for less money than a recent 110.

 

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1 hour ago, JDog said:

Your real issue is whether you are going to assemble enough land to go pigeon shooting to make a 4wd an essential piece of equipment. 

Ah morning Mr JDog. It isn’t just my endless attempts at a land grab that it would be for. The mrs would use it for her horse stuff. I think I will put it to the back of my mind until after Christmas so I don’t make a rash decision. 

Edited by JTaylor91
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18 minutes ago, JTaylor91 said:

Ah morning Mr JDog. It isn’t just my endless attempts at a land grab that it would be for. The mrs would use it for her horse stuff. I think I will put it to the back of my mind until after Christmas so I don’t make a rash decision. 

we love "rash desisions" on pigeonwatch ..:lol:

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I have owned a 1984 90 for 7 years and I am a lover of landrovers. My wife had a 1998 discovery as well. So Landrover is a passion of mine really. However here is my best advise. I also own a 2012 Mitsubishi l200, which is generally a spare car and we use it when going some distance, pulling the caravan etc. Before this I had a 2010 Landrover 90, this looked lovely and my plan was to keep it. You will read a lot of bad about them leaking etc but obviously I'm pretty used to this so no bother. Owned this 90 for 8 months and it was great at first but the engine was ****. Used oil like mad which I did hear was a problem with those engines, had diffs start leaking, gearbox chattering like mad. It was not a car I enjoyed owning. Add to this the worry of it being stolen or stripped all the time. I took it back to Landrover a few times(bought from market rasen Landrover and it was only 4 years old with 32000 when I sold it 27000 when I bought it) 

We wouldn't both own landrovers if we didn't have a spare car because they will break down and leave you somewhere in the ****. 

My best advise to you would be to buy one as a second car, tdi or maybe even a td5. I wouldn't bother with a puma engined one personally. Don't rush and watch out for the over priced ones because they have big tyres or a pretty paint job. Get ready to be fixing problems and often in the winter when it's cold and wet. 

After all this though I wouldn't get rid of my older Landrover and it was my wedding car. I couldn't be without a Landrover and I do drive it every day to work and back all year round. For a car for doing distance and going off-road, towing and being able to load up the foreign pick ups can't be beat I'd say. They just don't have the Landrover look or style!

IMG_6241.JPG

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11 minutes ago, London Best said:

And don’t forget, £3,000 can buy you a nice secondhand car but for that price a Land Rover is scrap or near scrap and needs a total rebuild.

But also don't forget that the defender roughly holds its price l, where as the 3000 car just keeps on dropping. The only positive with a defender, although don't be fooled by how much some of them are advertised for to think yours could be worth the same. 

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Happiest days as a defender owner are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

It may hold its price but my mate has just bought a 2014 for £27k. Road tax is £570 a year and fuel is 24 mpg. Compared to my Lux its a bag of ..... but they are also as cool as they are ......

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The biggest things are 25mpg (100 mile round trip and that's quite a chunk on fuel every day), a distinct lack of visibility when driving, a lack of comfort if you're spending that long driving it every day, high road tax, you putting 20k+ miles a year on it meaning quite a bit of depreciation, and a general lack of reliability.

If you're commuting 100 miles a day, buy a 2016-ish diesel hatchback, get 50mpg, and save the thick end of £60 per week on the fuel bills.

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11 hours ago, ditchman said:

buy a defender and enjoy it..........but as your daily no-brainer daily drive ...go out and buy a suzuki swift £2500 will get you a gooden...it dosnt have a timing belt and the brake lines are dipped in plastic...and they are a joy to drive and do a million miles to the gallon

Or an old Nissan Micra or Honda Jazz

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I used to have a series three when younger and loved it. Drove numerous defenders over the years. Had discos and other 4x4's. 

Other year got asked to drive a friend's nearly new defender after over a decade not having driven one.  Hated the driving position and how it drove. I've driven tractors , JCB etc that were more comfy with a better ride. 

As London best has had them for decades he is used to them. Steer with only left hand and hold wheel still with right whilst changing gear as not enough elbow room to use your right arm.

I'm getting old and like comfort warmth and room to move, only thing I miss is just hosing the insides out.

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I think Figgy is maybe at least half right.......I have become Land Rover shaped! But I have to say I don’t find the seating position in the slightest uncomfortable and what I like most of all is the way they drive. You have to realise they are not a car and should not be compared with one.

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58 minutes ago, London Best said:

 You have to realise they are not a car and should not be compared with one.

Indeed, the construction is more like a light truck

Personally, the elbow room thing has never been an issue for me, and changing gears on the older Defenders was always a bit 'stirring the porridge' - The LT77 box is not the masterpiece of engineering it could be.

 

24 minutes ago, JTaylor91 said:

Well the mrs has put her foot down and a defender is a definite no go.

Shame, towing 'oss boxes out of wet grassy fields is where they shine 🙂

That said, a well sorted Discovery 2, will do everything a Defender does for a lot less money, and less than a recent model Jap pickup.  Maybe add that to your search....

Edited by udderlyoffroad
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The disco is a much better place to sit and has better on road manners.

I'm not small so the defenders are too tight for me. Great for off-road as you can look out the door as it's hard up against your shoulder.

Odd as our little Jimny feels more room in the driving seat for legs and elbows.

I do still like the look and capabilities of a defender.

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