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Another Defender special edition fails to sell well new


SteveG

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In yesterday's Sunday paper, Inchcape had an advert offering £5370.60 + VAT off a new SVX 60th. Good news if you want one now, but not so good for those that bought at list last year.

So yet another Defender special edition fails to sell well when new. Makes you wonder if LR wanting to modernise the next Defender will work or not.

http://www.inchcapelandrover.com/special-offers/

Cheers

Steve

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I think the main problem is that the special editions are mostly a pile of extra dosh for something not that imaginative that can usually easily be re-created at half the price by anybody with a couple of accessory brochures.

As far as I can tell the SVX is a black Puma with a different set of side steps and alloys, clear headlights and some silver plastic tat screwed on the front which is not really something that blows my skirt up. I don't like any of the individual parts and putting them together doesn't make it any better...

I have a Defender in a strictly limited edition of one because I bet there isn't another exactly like it anywhere in the world - does anybody want to buy it for a million quid? :)

Now what would be interesting, and add credibility to the range, would be a "Rubicon style" limited edition with ARB lockers or LSD's, proper mud terrains (not the Michelin cheese cutters) a decent high mount winch, underbody protection, snorkel and proper waterproofing to everything electrical etc etc. I'm not sure what you would call it - Rubicon is clearly out - maybe the "Eastnor Edition"!

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This one may be an exception but many of the limited editions hold their value really well, the 50th for example are still £10k ish which isn't at all bad for a 10 year old motor.

the 50th is very understated model it just looks so right, not in your face like the 60th SVX.

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the 50th is very understated model it just looks so right, not in your face like the 60th SVX.

Totally agreed, however there is another generation of potential land rover owners who will have a diiferent idea of what looks good.

(apologies if I have wrongly assumed you are not in the first flush of youth)

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This one may be an exception but many of the limited editions hold their value really well, the 50th for example are still £10k ish which isn't at all bad for a 10 year old motor.

Difference is that the 50th is something genuinely interesting and different because of the engine and gearbox fitment, not just a styling exercise like the Tomb Raider, G4, SVX etc.

I'd love a 50th but I think four vehicles and a boat would prompt divorce :unsure:

landmannnn you are on safe ground as Ralph is an old git not in the first flush of youth :ph34r:

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Totally agreed, however there is another generation of potential land rover owners who will have a diiferent idea of what looks good.

(apologies if I have wrongly assumed you are not in the first flush of youth)

no need for apologies :D

but you are correct younger prospective owners will have a different view.

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Now i wonder what the difference in sales would be if the SVX had a V8 or the TDV8! or even just auto!

The difference is that it would have been interesting :)

Mind you the gearbox and halfshaft consumption might have been epic with a TDV8 :o

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does that make me a little odd then?

i'm 17 and peronally hate the look of the svx. You'd think with it being an extortionately expensive limited edition they might have put a sensible roof on it that you can remove inside 20 minutes. and those headlight panels *retch*. Other than that all i can see they've done is put a few bits of polished aluminium in places.

The 50th, now THAT was a land rover, a proper v8 (not these diseasels everyones raving about), not a fan of autos but they made an effort to make it different, it was bold but understated, it looked respectable but didn't have so many bolt on goodies that it looked messy and was just generally a fantastic vehicle, the svx is barely diffferent from production, other than a stupid complicated roof and some expensive seats.

Then you have the problem that nobody would buy one, if someone had money to spend on a fun vehicle, why would they choose a diesel that was designed for the rough stuff but has so many silly frilly extras like side steps that you can't take it into a slightly rutted field. Land rovers lost its sense of direction in recent years, they need someone to show them the error of there ways, turn them back to making them series style (wonder if they're looking for someone new to run the place :lol: )

anyway just my opinion, i'm sure there are people that like them, i wouldn't say no to one but those headlight grilles would be first to go and chopped into little pieces so they could never foul up the front end of a defender ever again

Dave

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Not odd Dave, just sane :D

I wouldn't say no to one either if it was given to me - but I wouldn't spend a few grand over the price of a standard model and I guess it's a common feeling by the sound of it :)

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Not odd Dave, just sane :D

glad someone thinks so :lol:

Also glad im not the only one that doesn't like it, lots of mates at college who know im a big landy fan have pointed it out in mags and stuff and asked whether i like it and can't understand what i dont like about the headlight surrounds. Sadly it's the way all cars are going at the moment, i mean look at the new mitsi l200, that's one hell of a kid scaring, ugly brute. I dread to think what the defenders eventual revamp will look like, i just hope and pray that tata inject some of their boxy simplistic styling similar to the old sheds they used to churn out.

Tata have the potential to do something good with the land rover brand, just need to shake off all of fords awful additions and go back to the utility vehicle the defender was/is. The discovery/range rover/freelander are the road biased suv and always were, the defender always was the utility model and should always remain so.

Anyway everyone's bored of listening to my ramblings so i'll leave it there :P

Dave

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OT but I actually like the Puma to drive, with two exceptions - the clutch is not strong enough and on anything with a truck cab you can forget driving it unless you are less than about 5'10 or have detachable legs. I got into a truck cab the other day and I honestly don't think I could drive one safely on the road never mind the fact I would be completely crippled after 10 minutes. I almost couldn't get my left foot high enough off the floor to get it onto the pedals because of the way my legs were jammed against the dash and I'm only 6'1".

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The SVX was about the epitomy of how not to do a special edition - a bog standard car with some horrible tat very clearly just nailed on as it rolled off the line, a truly awful rag-top and nothing of substance whatsoever.

I really don't know why LR do this sort of thing when they could do truly awesome stuff like use the RR/D3 engine & gearbox (OK they'd need to phone cadburys to order some special half shafts to go with it) or do a run of Bowler-style vehicles, even if they only had standard underpinnings - can you imagine the fight that would ensue if they started selling road-going Wildcat or Nemesis trucks?

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Difference is that the 50th is something genuinely interesting and different because of the engine and gearbox fitment, not just a styling exercise like the Tomb Raider, G4, SVX etc.

I'd love a 50th but I think four vehicles and a boat would prompt divorce :unsure:

landmannnn you are on safe ground as Ralph is an old git not in the first flush of youth :ph34r:

watch it sonny :ph34r:

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The difference is that it would have been interesting :)

Mind you the gearbox and halfshaft consumption might have been epic with a TDV8 :o

Would have to come with ashcrofts :P

I personally hate the look of the SVX (I'm 18), and mainly the fact that they didnt really put in any effort. They could have made it so much better :( less tat and something different. a Rubicon style would have gone down a storm I think.

I think it should have been a NAS style 90, with a v8 or TDV8 internal cage to replace the hood sticks, in something like Bronze green or cream or one of the old series colours.

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i've never understood why landrover have never made a 'ruffty tuffty offroader' edition of the defender,

factory fitted winch, decent offset alloys with 33" muds, HD suspension and rocksliders/steering guard and a snorkel. As someone else said - lsd or lockers to.

afterall, LR have happily fitted most of the above in single items to LR special vehicles - so why not appeal to those who genuinely want to use it offroad and/or the 'how hard am i' chelsea brigade?

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