Swimboy Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Good evening all! I'm looking at getting my first Defender and already had a great discussion with a member on here. Can I ask your opinions on the Defender below please? 1994 Red Land Rover Defender 90 2.5 TDi County Station Wagon SWB for sale for £19,500 in TAVISTOCK, DEVON (autotrader.co.uk) Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 On a Galv. chassis with build history that is not bad . No interior pics ? Also evidence of patina on body work under the paint - not covered up so take from that what you will . Worth a look at if your budget is there I would say . Is the chassis stamped with the VIN? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Guessing its on a private plate, that will be removed & the 90 gets a L prefix plate, looks to have a Galvanised chassis which is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 (edited) 44 minutes ago, steve b said: On a Galv. chassis with build history that is not bad . No interior pics ? Also evidence of patina on body work under the paint - not covered up so take from that what you will . Worth a look at if your budget is there I would say . Is the chassis stamped with the VIN? Steve Yeah, they’re real positives. I’ve asked for some interior pics, but thought it was a bit weird… Ah ok, thank you. It’s 200 miles away, but willing to travel for the right one. That’s a good point - I doubt it but will ask. If it hasn’t, would this be an issue as such or could it be done retrospectively? Edited December 9, 2021 by Swimboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 28 minutes ago, western said: Guessing its on a private plate, that will be removed & the 90 gets a L prefix plate, looks to have a Galvanised chassis which is good. That’s right, yes. Trying to explain to my wife that an L reg vehicle is that amount of money… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Chassis number in the galv one missing is very common . If the change over was done with thought usually the original one is cut out and retained with the truck. Galv. chassis' are available stamped , but not from all suppliers . There are VIN decoders on line which will tell if it is built as a station wagon , not a deal breaker but something to bear in mind Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 2 minutes ago, steve b said: Chassis number in the galv one missing is very common . If the change over was done with thought usually the original one is cut out and retained with the truck. Galv. chassis' are available stamped , but not from all suppliers . There are VIN decoders on line which will tell if it is built as a station wagon , not a deal breaker but something to bear in mind Steve Ok, thank you - that’s really good to know. Sorry for the naive question, but is patina a bad thing I take it? Is this normal after nearly 3 years following the re-spray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Visible dents under the paint to my eye ? Not many and for me not too important , if anything it's better to see minor dents than have them covered by filler ? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 19 minutes ago, steve b said: Visible dents under the paint to my eye ? Not many and for me not too important , if anything it's better to see minor dents than have them covered by filler ? Steve I agree, but I do not like the way that replacement rear panel has been riveted. The ad seems short on photos, I would have thought they would major on more detail of the work that has been done ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 Agree , worth more questions to start as OP has said Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 10 hours ago, steve b said: Visible dents under the paint to my eye ? Not many and for me not too important , if anything it's better to see minor dents than have them covered by filler ? Steve I saw a couple, but my eyes aren't as well trained as you guys on here! l would say a few minor dents is better than filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 10 hours ago, smallfry said: I agree, but I do not like the way that replacement rear panel has been riveted. The ad seems short on photos, I would have thought they would major on more detail of the work that has been done ? I agree that they would've detailed more of the work (this was done by the previous owner who wanted it for a wedding car apparently) and that the ad is short on photos, although does Autotrader have a limit? Can I ask what you mean about the rear panel riveting please? Can I see some riveting above the wheel arch that then goes in front of the fuel filler cap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L19MUD Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 2 hours ago, Swimboy said: I agree that they would've detailed more of the work (this was done by the previous owner who wanted it for a wedding car apparently) and that the ad is short on photos, although does Autotrader have a limit? Can I ask what you mean about the rear panel riveting please? Can I see some riveting above the wheel arch that then goes in front of the fuel filler cap? The rivets I have ringed below should not be there. On an original rear panel there would be slight indentations where this panel is spot welded to the inner wheel arch box. This panel has been replaced at some point and riveted on. To avoid this people normally bond them on The marks you mention are actually also spot welds and totally correct to be there, in fact not seeing them normally means previous accident damage that has had some filler in it and then those small indentations are lost Here is an example of a factory standard panel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 3 minutes ago, L19MUD said: The rivets I have ringed below should not be there. On an original rear panel there would be slight indentations where this panel is spot welded to the inner wheel arch box. This panel has been replaced at some point and riveted on. To avoid this people normally bond them on The marks you mention are actually also spot welds and totally correct to be there, in fact not seeing them normally means previous accident damage that has had some filler in it and then those small indentations are lost Here is an example of a factory standard panel Thank you for the information - I'm learning! So are panel replacements needed to be carried out quite frequently? During the refurbishment, I now know it had a panel (is this the part code? LDB0710030). It also had right and left rear end panels, sill panels, front and left wheel arches, suspension and poly bush kit for example. There is some bubbling to the door handle, is this normal / consistent with a refurb that was completed nearly 3 years ago? (they had just washed it in the pic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landy7 Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 It all depends on who did the rebuild, I don't know the company or person who did it. It appears they just resprayed it and left the rotting (bubbling) unhandled. But to be honest, it's a Defender, not a Range Rover, a few bubbles won't hold me from seeing it live and considering a buy. I know it's a long trip but you really have to inspect the vehicle live because these pictures just show a shiny resprayed washed vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 3 hours ago, Landy7 said: It all depends on who did the rebuild, I don't know the company or person who did it. It appears they just resprayed it and left the rotting (bubbling) unhandled. But to be honest, it's a Defender, not a Range Rover, a few bubbles won't hold me from seeing it live and considering a buy. I know it's a long trip but you really have to inspect the vehicle live because these pictures just show a shiny resprayed washed vehicle. Sure, the seller said it was a man well-known in the area and was trained by/used to work for LR. That's what it looks like to me too, but like you said, I'm not expecting concours condition. I agree, despite the 200 miles it would be best to view it in person. Just gauging I guess whether you guys on here don't have any alarm bells ringing or think it's overpriced as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 My personal view is that if you are prepared to wait and shop around you could get equal for less. Just depends how desperate you are to get one quickly. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rednaxela Posted December 13, 2021 Share Posted December 13, 2021 The best 90s/110s/Defenders are the ones which still look as they were when they left the factory. Proper wheels, lights, correct paint colour and so on. That's what people will want to buy into in the future when these vehicles become more and more classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon W Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 £20k is a lot of anyone’s money. I am not saying it isn’t worth it but a few things to think about. what are you using it for? is it a daily car? do you have a budget for repairs and maintenance? Drive a few 1st, I would probably go for a Td5 as a bit more refined and quiet. Nothing wrong with a tdi, I have one myself but they are more agricultural. you are doing the right thing looking at galv chassis and if you can galv bulkhead as it will save a lot of work in the future I’m sure there are some willing volunteers to come and have a look at any potential candidate and give you some tips in exchange for a beer or beer tokens good luck with the search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 On 12/13/2021 at 8:13 PM, rednaxela said: The best 90s/110s/Defenders are the ones which still look as they were when they left the factory. Proper wheels, lights, correct paint colour and so on. That's what people will want to buy into in the future when these vehicles become more and more classic. Don't confuse "best" with "highest collector/market appeal". I would collect a car that's factory spec for its year, but I would drive one that's had every comfort/usability upgrade that could be fitted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 19 hours ago, ThreePointFive said: Don't confuse "best" with "highest collector/market appeal". I would collect a car that's factory spec for its year, but I would drive one that's had every comfort/usability upgrade that could be fitted. Also I would take a ratty unrestored lump for low money and restore it properly to my own spec than pay 3x the price for someone else's work which may or may not be done right just because its shiny. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallfry Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 1 hour ago, FridgeFreezer said: Also I would take a ratty unrestored lump for low money and restore it properly to my own spec than pay 3x the price for someone else's work which may or may not be done right just because its shiny. Me too, every time. I am always very suspicious of other peoples work, even more so with relatively major mods. However, you can normally tell what its like by how it has been finished off, and I dont mean if its shiney or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreePointFive Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 I suppose that's why I react that way, deep down I know I wouldn't buy mine from someone else. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightning Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 That Landy is still for sale, so doesn't look like the O/P bought it. lt looks expensive to me, you can get a nice TD5 SW for that money, which would make a much better daily driver. While it looks tidy, it also looks like it's been quickly done up to cash in on current market values. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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