Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Landrover Defender 90 or 110  (Read 14704 times)

johnmac

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Perth
Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« on: March 13, 2011, 06:21:10 pm »
Hi all. I'm considering a Landrover Defender... Ideally a five or seven seat 110, but possibly a four seat 90??

Ideally very good condition used, sub 50k miles... 2006 to present.

Question is are they expensive to run?!? Road tax is about £420 a year?!?!

Let me know what your thoughts are!

Thanks.

Norfolk Newby

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • West Norfolk, UK
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2011, 09:34:21 am »
4X4s are not cheap to run.

If you could manage with anything smaller - say a Suzuki Jimny - it will be cheaper on fuel and probably parts as well but not so bomb proof, more of a shopping trolley with some off-road capability.

But if you are set on a Defender, get a diesel one. I think you are a bit optimistic on price. LRs have a cult following and even old ones still go for a high price. Look at AutoTrader or similar on a regular basis and you may find a bargain. Also there are sites which sell ex-army ones if you don't mind something quite basic.

I have a Toyota LandCruiser which is VG but big and only does 24mpg on diesel. Filling up 90 litres is costing £125 now and it's going up not down. However, it is a good on long journeys and copes well with muddy tracks. Toyota doesn't sell its Defender equivalent here in the UK (only in places like New Zealand and South Africa) but a Prado, Colorado or Amazon is nice if you want something more like a Range Rover.



Novice - growing fruit, trees and weeds

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2011, 10:08:00 am »
johnmac    have you had a landrover product before?
the age /mileage that you have indicated are expensive £11000 upwards
fuel consumption will be in the region of 22/28 mpg with a downhill and a gale blowing up your rear end 90/110 hold there price even when rotten a disco would be cheaper and gives you 7 seats also a freelander (5 seats) will give over 30 mpg and every bit as good
BUT YOU CANNOT RUN THEM ON A SHOESTRING THEY DO COST MONEY TO RUN AND MAINTAIN and will cost more longterm
independent servicing is cheaper and sometimes better than stealer's
crow enginering are good for servicing there is another near you but cant remember
just came back to me    strathearn enginering      BUT THEY HAVE ONE LESS TO SELL A 90 WAS STOLLEN IN THE NIGHT :o :o :o :o :o
« Last Edit: March 14, 2011, 10:18:57 am by lillian waddell »

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2011, 11:40:49 pm »
If you don't mind getting your hands dirty older land rovers are very cheap to run long term due to the ease of servicing and cheap parts. However they are not the most reliable of vehicles so you really need to want to own one. The age range you are talking about is a different story however. Modern electronics etc mean dealer servicing and much expense when breakdowns occur, which they will. Also the road tax on station wagons is a piss take, get a commercial it'll be a lot cheaper. Biggest thing to look out for on any potential purchase is rust. Even relatively new ones will be quietly rotting away.

johnmac

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Perth
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2011, 01:47:15 pm »
Thanks all for the info!

I think the Old Defenders gonna have to take a back seat! :-(

Road tax and mpg are just too expensive....

Looks like it'll be a Skoda Yeti instead! Oh well! ;-)

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2011, 04:17:56 pm »
If you don't mind getting your hands dirty older land rovers are very cheap to run long term due to the ease of servicing and cheap parts. However they are not the most reliable of vehicles so you really need to want to own one.

Absolutely Hughesy – everything you’ve said there is spot on! But let me share a wee story with you that I think sums up everything you need to know about Defenders:

I had to drive to Stonehaven and back last night in our 90 to pick up a trailer full of furniture. On the way back down the dual carriageway, at 11pm, and in thick fog, I reached for the ‘cabin volume control’ (AKA the ventilation fan speed slider) to turn it down a bit. Unfortunately due to the crap layout of the dash, my sleeve caught the headlight switch, and bumped it upwards...... which somehow knackered the switch, resulting in the total, and seemingly permanent loss of all external lights!!

I managed to stick my hazards on, and ‘flash’ my main beams until I could get to a layby, and phoned the RAC. They didn’t have anything in the vicinity that could deal with a Landy plus trailer, so it was clear I was in for a looooong wait!  :-[

So...... necessity being the mother of invention, I found a pair of scissors in the boot, and used them to unscrew the plastic steering column covers (i.e. half the dash). After some pondering, I decided ‘what the hell’, and used the scissors to cut through the cables to the switch, stripped them back a bit and twisted the three wires together to bypass the faulty switch. Wahey!! Back in business and home in one piece (at 2am!!).  ;D

Anyhow, in a nutshell, this tells you everything you need to know about Landies:

1) On what other car could you dismantle half the dashboard, using only a pair of scissors?  :o
2) On what other car could you figure out what was going on, easily enough to be able to be confident in doing makeshift electrical repairs in a dark layby somewhere near Forfar?  :D
3) On which other car could you order the exact part off Ebay for a permanent repair, next day delivery, with a choice of 10 suppliers, and at a total cost of £12.80?  ;D
4) And lastly surely only a Landy could possibly have developed such a pathetic random fault in the first place?!?!?  ::)

It seems it's true what they say: “Lucas Electrics: Home Before Dark!!”  ;)

HTH!!
« Last Edit: March 17, 2011, 04:21:25 pm by Womble »
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2011, 04:58:21 pm »
womble did you ever work for land rover ;D ;D
now come on you broke the switch  lucas cant be held to account for  your actions ;) ;)
interesting point you have raised here how would the AA recover you, landie and trailor or take it a bit further if you had livestock in the trailor :wave:

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2011, 09:21:26 pm »
Nice one womble ;D  I used to have to get out and thump both headlights in turn untill they both came on at the same time on one I used to have. These days I carry the essential tools I'm most likely to need with me. A half inch spanner and a pair of mole grips. In over ten years of landy ownership I've never had to be rescued(touch wood).

Cinderhills

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • North Yorkshire
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2011, 10:15:12 pm »
We bought an 'M' reg 90 about 6 weeks ago, so I guess I have all these fun and games to come!  I absolutely love to drive it.  Can't hear myself think though, but love it all the same.

ser3dan

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2011, 07:29:50 am »
We bought an 'M' reg 90 about 6 weeks ago, so I guess I have all these fun and games to come!  I absolutely love to drive it.  Can't hear myself think though, but love it all the same.

Cinderhills, have you thought about fitting a soundproofing kit from Exmoor trim? They're pretty effective. You could of course go down the line of many, many Defender owners before you and fit a louder stereo and just overcome the noise that way!  ;D

Cinderhills

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • North Yorkshire
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2011, 07:34:56 am »
 ;D Thanks ser3dan.  Might look into it.  The soundproofing kit that is.  I love my auto reverse cassette radio.  Just wish I hadn't got rid of all my old cassettes now.  :D

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2011, 07:02:36 pm »
Trouble with those soundproofing kits is you can't slop the floor out with a bucket of water any more. Bloody expensive too. Pull your woolly hat down over your ears and turn the radio up. Problem solved.

ambriel

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Kinlochbervie, NW Sutherland, Scotland
  • Mad, bad, and dangerous to know!
    • Harbour Cottage
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #12 on: March 23, 2011, 10:35:29 pm »

Until relatively recently I used to drive a 1969 Series 2A short-wheelbase Landrover.

Awesome vehicle. Went anywhere (albeit slowly). Very noisy.

Cheap insurance (~£75/yr TPF&T).

Zero road tax due to it's age.

Will never forget driving it fully loaded from Northamptonshire to the Isle of Mull...

robate55

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Suffolk
Re: Landrover Defender 90 or 110
« Reply #13 on: March 23, 2011, 10:39:10 pm »
We have a 2A as well 1965 - sorned at the moment but still usable round the farm. For long distances ( when taxed etc) we tend to wear ear defenders. Also we wrap up warm as the heater is not effective but the ventilation is good.
Rose

 

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