Interested in Land Rover Defender

[Wynandsc]

Hi Guys

Defenders have been a real thing of beauty and symbol of toughness for me since childhood. And owning one is a renewed itch that feels the need to be scratched.
But how are they in the real world to live with everyday in terms of maintenance (costs and availability of parts), reliability, fuel consumption,
4x4 track capability?
And which model to go with - 2.2D, 2.4, 2.8 or TD5? (Talking specifically about the previous generation Defenders up to 2016).

Thanks in advance for the input.

[BruceT]

I have been fortunate but I think its mostly to preventative maintenance. For example I replaced the water pump, coolant reservoir, boost pipes etc on mine at 120k km as a safety precaution. I also monitor temps when traveling and drive accordingly. I have also redone things like suspension, sub standard dual battery wiring etc although none of it really needed to be redone - im just fussy and prefer to redo it before it becomes a problem.

I would suggest you take one for a longish drive if you haven't already. Some consider them noisy, slow and very uncomfortable especially if you are tall. You will either love it or hate it and I think many people's fantacy about exploring Africa in a Old Defender gets shattered once they realise how much of a no frills 4x4 it is. Its also really not nice for JHB traffic and if it will be your holiday vehicle that would be perfect.

I would suggest going to a company like Auto Excellence in Centurion. They have been in the business a long time and provide top notch service. I use them for all my maintenance and purchased my 130 from them. Absolutely brilliant service and people.

Good luck.

[Wynandsc]

I have been fortunate but I think its mostly to preventative maintenance. For example I replaced the water pump, coolant reservoir, boost pipes etc on mine at 120k km as a safety precaution. I also monitor temps when traveling and drive accordingly. I have also redone things like suspension, sub standard dual battery wiring etc although none of it really needed to be redone - im just fussy and prefer to redo it before it becomes a problem.

I would suggest you take one for a longish drive if you haven't already. Some consider them noisy, slow and very uncomfortable especially if you are tall. You will either love it or hate it and I think many people's fantacy about exploring Africa in a Old Defender gets shattered once they realise how much of a no frills 4x4 it is. Its also really not nice for JHB traffic and if it will be your holiday vehicle that would be perfect.

I would suggest going to a company like Auto Excellence in Centurion. They have been in the business a long time and provide top notch service. I use them for all my maintenance and purchased my 130 from them. Absolutely brilliant service and people.

Good luck.

Hi Bruce

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.