Top90

Very noble, but I think most of us would gladly except a free £27k asset. Even if we didn't need it and sold it on to buy something else... like a Tdi one.

I wonder if/when they are going to change this on the TFL system if it's true. Because my 5 seat 110 station wagon (5 seats from new) is still showing up as compliant for the new rules in 2012. 1997 300Tdi.

Defenders have always been cool. They don't need bling.

I'd love to see you argue that with TFL after you get a fine throught the post... assuming you use the vehicle inside the zone of course.

I'm sure anyone needing a mobile helicopter pad has joined the six month waiting list after watching Top Gear. That's probably the worst thing. Long, long waiting list.

That was the same shortlist we came to. But we got the 2wd Yeti as it was 16k with most of the toys. Bought a set of better tyres for winter as I said above. It's so good I've now sold my 2 year old Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE and bought a Skoda too. Yes, really. Saved a fortune!

This winter our Yeti (2wd) has been on winter (not snow, but assume people mean the same thing) tyres that work better than summer tyres under 7c. It has gone everywhere with no problem at all. On summer tyres in the snow we couldn't even get it off the drive. In most cases (here is where the flaming starts) it would be better than a heavy 4x4, as all 4x4 gives you is more traction to pull away/accelerate. A 2wd with winter tyres will corner and brake better than a heavy 4x4 with summer tyres on ice and snow, due to being lighter and having more bite into the ice/snow when slowing down/cornering.

This may not be what people want to hear.. but we knew this was coming years ago. People may not want to change their vehicles, but what is the option? £100 a day is not an option so I've not even considered a hardtop for some time, one of the reasons I got the Station Wagon over a year ago.

Provided there are a few petrol stations on the route.

I'm surprised the LEZ people allow 9 seaters (8 passenger seats) to be exempt, as if they chose 10 (9 passengers) instead it would fall into line with PSV regs, the congestion charge and the driving license category of a car threshold. This leaves the option of driving a 9 seat (total) vehicle on a car license and being Congestion charge and LEZ exempt.

The issue maybe making two claims with different policies on the same vehicle. Which is illegal. Not having two insurances because one overlaps another.

The Yeti is a surprisingly good car for the money. My wife's was 16k new with 7 speed auto box (and not a basic one). OK, it's a 2wd one, not a 4x4, but on all terrains it had no problems at all in the recent weather. Driving position is good, refinement is good, build quality is far better than non-Skoda owners would probably believe. It realy is solidly built. How they can do them for that price with parking sensors, cruise control etc is a mystery to me. I personally believe you have to spend a lot more to get a better vehicle than the Yeti. My wife thinks it's fantastic. Just remember that the boot isn't very bit though. Only downside. Having driven it I now believe 4x4 is not needed for most people here in the UK. A set of decent winter/snow tyres will do the job just fine on a 2WD unless you actually do go off road.

Yes, just post up a picture. We'll know.

Insurance is a funny old thing isn't it and very personal. I asked Sureterm for a quote at a Land Rover Show. Got told they don't insure vehicles with lifted suspension. Err.. why go to a LR show then and have a big stand? (IMO) Went to NFU and they seem OK. Easy to deal with but I've not madea claim yet.

If you can get 30mpg from a 2.5NA you'll be so bored driving like that that you'll not want to drive much, which will save even more fuel. Better to live with a few mpg less or fit a Tdi.

Good post Nic. But rather too subtle... and Cheesy.

Out of interest, is there much ground clearance or weight to be saved? While I don't know what winch you are using, most are about 30 to 35 kg (maybe) with plasma. Plus you'll need extra parts on the chassis to guide the rope and stop it drooping down and getting snagged somewhere when there is slack. You could possibly improve both ground clearance and weight distibution by just moving the front axle forward an inch or two... I like the idea of a 110CSW doing heavy duty competitions. Should surprise the 90s and special builds.

I don't think Land Rover fit suspension packages to allow more flex so this could happen either. Think we are talking 'modified' here.

Good to hear about one being found. Hope it's in fair condition still.

I may go IF it's better organised than Billing. No way am I wandering around for over an hour with no map given on entry until I randomly come across the LRO stand again, for a free map. Made it feel too much like a money maker as the show didn't care about the punters, just the income. Otherwise I'll go to Abingdon which has a nice charity/friendly feel and the London 2 Brighton run. Although I hear they are both on the same weekend now...

Congrats on getting it back. My first original series purchase turned out to be a series shell on a shortened Rangie chassis, with defender running gear and a transit engine... You live and learn!

I had nine at one stage... Three Defenders and six series 2s. But then I twigged that I could only drive one at a time. So now I have... A Range Rover for everyday, A Defender for fun, A Series 2 that needs work.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I disagree. I believe the VHF system used by TRACKER is better. I recently lost a GPS tracked vehicle and now know how easy it is to find/block etc... I wouldn't go GPS again.

Well, they do look nice. But then so do a lot of other things that people bolt onto their Defenders that are quite often not needed or used. I get the feeling a good old fashioned diff protector would do most of us non-extreme types. But there will always be those with plenty of cash that like a bit of bling. So the price looks OK. Having seen what people spend on their trucks I'm sure these will find buyers. At least being Devon 4x4 you know the quality will be good.

Good news on the recovery of the 110, makes a nice change. As for tracking... don't go GPS. Use them and they are not upto much. Sound good but it turns out they are very easy to beat if you have half an idea how. Also easy to find out if the vehicle even has one fitted, so you can pull over and look about for it before you get caught. I lost a minibus today with a GPS tracker. It's gone. I won't waste the money again once the GPS people told me how it was probably beaten. If you need to track, go for a top line product such as Official tracker. GPS is already easy to defeat, and tehcnology is moving forwards... don't save a few quid a month by buying something easily beaten and that sounds cheap. Your truck is worth more. Just a word of warning from someone that lost a GPS tracked vehicle today that I am unlikely to see again. Richard