Does anyone have any experience owning/driving a '90s Land Rover Defender?

[bling]

As the title stated. Do you guys have any problem with this vehicle? I've heard horrible story about Range Rover, HSE, Discovery and "other" Rovers. However, people have told me the Defender is pretty darn reliable (must be the old world/low tech design) and stays pretty strong with resale value.

My question would be is it practical/user friendly if I am living in a Metro area like NYC?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance :wink:

I always love the Defender since I was a kid. I am looking into something similar to this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars...d=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65:-2|39:1|240:1308

 

[ChopsJazz]

I've owned three Range Rovers and loved them all. Every last "quirky" bit of them. But I've never owned or driven the Defender. A friend had one and loved it, but he was an RR tech, so he had access to cheap repairs.

One thing about them, other than the drivetrain there are practically no moving parts. The windows are plastic, the seats are manual, I don't think there's AC, and IIRC even the door latches are pull tabs. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[gleibig]

I owned a '97 D90 soft top for about 6 years. It had 27k miles on it when I bought it and 68k when I sold it. Just routine maitanence. Awesome truck that I will own again one day. I foolishly traded it for some little silver two-seat sports car. :biggrin:

I must be lucky because I've owned 4 LR's and have never had a problem.

 

[H-carWizKid]

A friend of mine's Dad had 2 of them- a red vert, and a blue hard top. His family had a lot of land and we went off road quite a bit with them often to retrieve quads, and their Honda Pilot buggy (not the SUV) when they became mired, or quit running for one reason or another.

I could tell stories- like when we crossed a stream in the Vert, and it ended up being quite a bit deeper than it looked. Some water came over the doors, but it powered right through to the other side .

The Defenders took quite a beating, and nothing ever broke.

If you are looking for a prestige truck, or a daily driver the Defender 90 might be a bit spartan, but if you are looking to actually go off road the D90 is second only to the H1 in my mind.

They also have held their value exceptionally well- I looked at a 96 once that was still fetching in the 30's a few years ago.


P

 

[gleibig]

The cabin is very loud at highway speed (at least with the ST) and not very airtight. In the winter, I would sometimes have to brush snow off my front seat. Heater sucks, too. Oh yeah, and the heater sucks. :wink:

 

[Da Hapa]

As the title stated. Do you guys have any problem with this vehicle? I've heard horrible story about Range Rover, HSE, Discovery and "other" Rovers. However, people have told me the Defender is pretty darn reliable (must be the old world/low tech design) and stays pretty strong with resale value.

My question would be is it practical/user friendly if I am living in a Metro area like NYC?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance :wink:

The Defender is a fantastic vehicle for what it is. It's nearly unstoppable off road and a very simple vehicle. As a rule, they're quite reliable since there's nothing complicated about them.

However, be forwarned that if you intend to use it like most people use SUV's (ie on road) it's not the best choice. They get horrible gas mileage, aren't exactly quiet or comfortable on the road, and are drafty with compromised visibility with the soft top in place.

 

[White92]

It's probably the only Land Rover I'd ever touch. Here is one for sale here locally. It only has 2,000 miles on it. I know people who work there very well.