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stib

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Hi all,

Looking for advice on buying a Defender 90 station wagon. What things should I look out for? I'm mechanically minded and don't mind getting underneath for a root about..

What things so I be looking out for and checking?

we are looking to buy a 05 ish plate

Cheers for any advice 

 

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Unless you're after something very specific, then you're always best off going for something that has been well maintained and not altered or modified, even if it's a little older and higher mileage, but as Mav said, you should be able to find something very good at that price, especially private sales.

Overall condition is the guide, rather than mileage or age.  Check closely for corrosion, especially the chassis and bulkhead.  It's likely you'll find some cosmetic corrosion even on three year old Defenders, especially the windscreen frame and its lower clamps and around panel edges and rivets on the roof.  That can be dealt with later if needed, but is not detrimental to the life of the vehicle.

Engine tuning can significantly increase power or efficiency, but often at the cost of longevity of the engine or transmission.  It's a personal choice, but I'd be put off by tuning for that very reason; I think standard Tdi, TD5 and TDCI Defender perform well enough for most circumstances.

I'd be wary of vehicles on lifted suspension, too, because they often don't have corrected steering geometry and even if they do, it increases wear on some transmission parts.  Mostly, though, it just makes the vehicle harder to get into and a little less stable, and more expensive to insure.  But, if you want to go playing in mud and quarries, it might be exactly what you need,  so could be a bonus.  In that case, just check it has been done correctly.

Transmissions invariably develop a little backlash, so expect a few small clunks taking up drive.  But they should not be harsh.  Older Defenders had a design flaw that lead to shaft and gears wearing splines out, and the shaft is a major job and expense to replace, so try a few mildly clumsy clutch releases to see if it bangs.  A clunk from the back end is usually the A-frame ball joint, which is not terribly expensive to sort.  I did get a problem with a 2009 90 with only 27k on the clock which sounded like the rear door lock rattling above 20mph whenever I backed off the throttle.  It's not common, but neither is it rare, and is due to the rear diff cross pin moving.  A new roll pin does not fix it, so if a test drive shows that noise, plan for a replacement diff.

Check the swivel housings (big balls at the steering point of the front axle) for pitting, scrapes or rust.  It'd cost a few hundred pounds to replace a bad one.  Check the brake pistons for rust, as they're prone to seizing even on road-only vehicles when they rust and swell, and while replacement pistons aren't expensive, fitting them will cost a bit.

The best advice is, if possible, to take someone you trust and who knows Defenders well to check any potential buy over before you commit, even if that's only for a second inspection after taking a look by yourself.  There are good vehicles out there, but there are also a lot of sows' ears merely made to look like silk purses by unscrupulous traders, especially since the values shot up in the last 12 months.  Be patient in finding the right one!

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Ty for the advice, sadly I don't know anyone who knows Defenders inside and out near me but tbh most of the ones been looking at are 100 miles + no one sells them in Norfolk lol well have seen 3 but decided against them.

Been doing more reading than ever to understand what to expect for about £14k and yes I understand its not going to be a minter on a 02+ (TD5) model but its finding one close enough and what ever faults it may have be a an easy and not too costly fix.

Even doing mot checks has put me of some due to advisory's, same item being flagged up for 3 years, to me its not been well looked after, I could be totally wrong but that's my feeling.

 At the moment I'm debating if to go have a look at Landy the roof rack is perfect as we have kids and do like camping, plus were both taking up fishing next year, its a little blingy  for me but this is the wife's daily and she do like the look of it but will have too see...

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Wow, very tidy looking vehicle, if you're that interested get the seller to take photos of underneath and post them up here, we could scrutinise it for you, it looks pretty tidy, a slight sag in the roof linear, but they had a habit of doing this a bit, they can be stiffened up again by sticking some thick-ish wooden batons on the back of the board. Looks to be an original country station wagon which is a good positive. Reasonably high mileage, but td5 engines where designed for that, I'd be keen to know if the clutch has been replaced.

As far as the bling goes... unfortunately these trucks seem to attract unfavourable attention, I'd be factoring into the cost fitting some serious additional security features.

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Do check on putting kids in the back, side-facing seats aren't suitable for child seats/booster cushions, and some insurers won't cover vehicles with side facing seats at all -a pain I know...

It is a very nice looking truck, on the surface, as Mav says, get underneath and take about 20 photos and post them up.

At that money I would expect only very light surface rust, which is possible as it looks to be a motorway or town vehicle.

High miles on a TD5 are not that much of a worry, if service history is as it is said.

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Only drawbacks with TD5 is shocking fuel economy (if you care about that) and earlier ones (10p I think is the engine code, 15p is later) had some sort of common issue, although I know very little about years/models affected.

As others said, condition is worth far more than age - a galvanised chassis and/or bulkhead will save you a lot of expense down the line, everything else is fairly easily fixed. For some reason, good Defender seats and doors are insanely expensive so if they're less than perfect bear that in mind. Doors rust along the bottom and are a faff to repair.

Avoid modified vehicles, especially engine swaps, and remember that accessories are worth almost nothing extra on the value of a vehicle - so many people will bolt £1000 worth of stuff to a Defender and then try to charge £1000 extra, it doesn't work like that - if the bits are ones you'd definitely buy anyway then maybe pay a bit extra, but otherwise I'd allow maybe 10% of the value of the bits as you either have to live with bits you don't need or spend time & money removing them & putting things back as they were, and hope that flogging the bits you removed will cover it.

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As for the TD5 engine I think pretty much anything after 02 has the 15p engine, earlier ones had fuel gully issues in the head.

I'm going to have a look at it tomorrow, the guy is happy for me to do what ever I like inc get underneath with a hammer, the bonus item with this one it has a roof rack which is perfect as either we would have to buy one or buy a small box trailer for when we go camping.

But will see tomorrow, I just got to make sure I take my notes with me to test/check what I've written down..

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Well I'm now the new owner of her, I'm almost positive she's had a remap, its the quickest one I've driven really don't hang about but that was the 120 mile test drive home on the motorways lol

Wife is very happy and the comfiest one she has driven :)

Roof rack is alloy, just need to buy some bungee straps to hold the camping and fishing gear down :D 

One annoying thing is never noticed one of the alpine windows seal isn't fully on the window, it was by pure chance when I got to work an parked on the weighbridge and stood on the barrier I noticed it looking odd but looked fitted closer inspection its not, so that's the first purchase, new alpine seals >.< the ones on there look quite tired if replacing 1 may as well replace both.

Maybe my mk1 golf will have to be put on the back burner and gather more dust in the garage while my motor fund is spent on the landy lol

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1 hour ago, stib said:

Well I'm now the new owner of her, I'm almost positive she's had a remap, its the quickest one I've driven really don't hang about but that was the 120 mile test drive home on the motorways lol

Wife is very happy and the comfiest one she has driven :)

Roof rack is alloy, just need to buy some bungee straps to hold the camping and fishing gear down :D 

One annoying thing is never noticed one of the alpine windows seal isn't fully on the window, it was by pure chance when I got to work an parked on the weighbridge and stood on the barrier I noticed it looking odd but looked fitted closer inspection its not, so that's the first purchase, new alpine seals >.< the ones on there look quite tired if replacing 1 may as well replace both.

Maybe my mk1 golf will have to be put on the back burner and gather more dust in the garage while my motor fund is spent on the landy lol

If you've bought it from a Trade seller, I'd be wanting them to cover the costs :).

As for the camping gear get some proper ratchet straps bungees are horrible things.

As mentioned above by Maverik make sure shes secured. X-Eng do a great range of visible and easy to use deterrents like the pedal lock (saved a mates 110 on a couple of occasions) and also the gearstick lock. Both of which take seconds to put on.

 

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We are looking at buying a Disklok but is it also worth upgrading the alarm/immobiliser? not entirely sure how good the landy ones are.. If i was to upgrade, i would only use Toad Ai606, never let me down and been fantastic on my Mk1 golf gti's over the last 15 years ish

Wifey got her first wave from another Landy driver tonight lol and she is proper loving the drive :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Captain Tolly's Stop Leak is a thin liquid that you pour into leaking seals or joints to seal them up.  It is a common product at boat chandlers.  That will sort any new Alpine Light seals.  Personally, I'd replace any damaged seals as soon as possible, rather than waiting for them to leak.  You will need the seal insert tool.

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