sontino Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Im looking at buying my first defender this weekend. I only have about £2.5k to spend so im looking at getting something old. Would it be best to pick up a rotter for as liitle as possible (say 1000) and then use the rest to work on it? Can anyone tell me what to look out for when im buying one of this age, only 19 so not much experience. picking one up this age will probably mean replaces outriggers and rear crossmember but what else is likely to need doing and how much should i budget for these? any advice is appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Buying one that needs a new chassis is going to eat away a majority of that £1500 - leaving little for anything else. I would suggest get the best one you can for the money. Good chassis and tidy bodywork being the main things. If it has the TD engine, then expect problems with it - especially if it's been neglected. The N/A engine is a real workhorse, but you won't get anywhere particularly quickly. People tend to replace the engine with a TDi or V8 item. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat_J Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Try to get a 200TDi if not then a TD. As long as the chassis and engine are good then you can work up from there, just don't get one with a knackered chassis as you'll have more work on your hands that its worth. Have a look in the foot wells too, you'll probably find most of its missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wozza35 Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 look in the for sale section there is one in there that would suit you down to the ground its got a tdi and a good chassis with mud as the number plate but im not at all biased ps and you would have £500 to spend on bling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat_J Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 £1300 http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=31353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Yep, that one in the Classified section of the Forum looks tidy. I would really try to go for a Tdi engine in this price range, bombproof engine & they go on forever if you look after them. Some of the guys on here are currently running at 400k miles plus, with no problems. You will find that Defenders vary a lot in price. If you were looking to buy a Fiesta or something like that, the prices would all hover around a certain mark, give or take a couple of hundred quid. With a Defender, prices can vary by thousands of pounds for the same model. The point i'm trying to make, is that try & spend as much as you can & try and get something good, as the less you spend, you will almost certainly end up with a bit of a pig, that will taint your experience of owning your first Land Rover. Generally, the more you spend, the better you get. If you can do without all the bolt on goodies for a while, then try and spend as much of that £2500 on the best vehicle you can find. Dont rush into something. If you have to wait a couple more weekends, then do, you wont regret it. In the £2500 price range, look for rot in the footwells & chassis. Dont worry about rotten doors (at the bottom), as all Defenders suffer from this at some point in their life. Also dont worry about minor electrical niggles like the rear wiper not working, or some dash lights not coming on, as these are easy & cheap to fix. Maybe you could try giving Mark Griffiths at The Land Rover Centre a call, as they have all sorts of Land Rovers in all price ranges. First class service, and they can deliver to you if you are a bit far away. HTH Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lansalot Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Best advice going: if you can, beg, bribe or borrow a mate who knows loads about them to come along with you. Save you buying a rotbox or disaster. If you don't know anyone, try begging on here for a local member to come and help you have a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Get one with solid chassis & bulkhead, everything else is spanners to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_a Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Purely practical note: Allow probably an hour to give the vehicle a good inspection. Make a list of things to look and try and stick to it (easier said than done). Quick list would be Chassis - start from the back and give it a good whack and scrape. Chances are that by starting at the back you can be done with the vehicle quicker Bulkhead - give the corners a good old prod, can be paint holding it together. Footwells. Gearbox & engine - check oil and then run it up in low gear through all 5 gears - means you don;'t have to break speed limit to make sure it engages ok in all gears. If you plan on driving away, check the wheel bearings as it could make for a bum clenching trip on the way home, although knackered bushes can make for a white knuckle experience too. As FF said - a lot of the rest is spanners and money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Wasnt there a buying guide in one of the magazines a couple of months ago, that had "what to look for" bit for every model?? check the wheel bearings as it could make for a bum clenching trip on the way home True. I had a wheel bearing collapse on me at speed, which sent me skidding across the road. It was a lovely 15 mile drive home in Low range at 10mph! Very white knuckle, very sore mouth from clenching my teeth!! Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Wasnt there a buying guide in one of the magazines a couple of months ago, that had "what to look for" bit for every model?? I'd take the comics with a pinch of salt, they're more likely to say "make sure you buy from one of the adverts in the back" than anything useful - they've also been known to quote ludicrous values for vehicles, I remember something like £1500 as the suggested price for a ratty old Range Rover classic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 I thought you would have had something to say about the mags Jon!!! Taking the valuations out of the equation though, the "things to look out for" seemed to be quite accurate. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wozza35 Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 Exactly what everyone has said so come round i will jetwash the chassis and even give you a hammer and car creeper to roll around underneath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirkthe1 Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 dont get anything with a turbo or you'll pay through the backside in insurance i paid 1300 last year 3rd party f&t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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