M005 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 So after 4 months of being back in LR ownership with the Freelander, the time has come to get a proper one. The Freelander is actually quite a nice drive, and I'll miss the auto box, but I'd rather be able to use a LR for laning, pay & play days etc. Due to the low mileage we cover and limited drive space (and lack of <£2k 90's) three vehicles aren't an option, so I'm looking to swap the Freelander in for a 110CSW. Convieniently enough my local LR specialist who has supplied a few of my LR's (including the Freelander) and serviced them all has a 1995 300TDI 110CSW, which would be a swap plus a bit of cash my way for the Freelander. Having had 3 defenders, I seem to remember being cold in the winter, occasionally getting a wet knee after it had rained, not being the fastest thing on the road but not the slowest, useless window demister, a tendancy to get muddy clothes climbing in & out, but ultimately an enjoyable experience, life at a slower pace Is there anything I'm missing? Happy New Year to all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
errol209 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 So after 4 months of being back in LR ownership with the Freelander, the time has come to get a proper one. The Freelander is actually quite a nice drive, and I'll miss the auto box, but I'd rather be able to use a LR for laning, pay & play days etc. Due to the low mileage we cover and limited drive space (and lack of <£2k 90's) three vehicles aren't an option, so I'm looking to swap the Freelander in for a 110CSW. Convieniently enough my local LR specialist who has supplied a few of my LR's (including the Freelander) and serviced them all has a 1995 300TDI 110CSW, which would be a swap plus a bit of cash my way for the Freelander. Having had 3 defenders, I seem to remember being cold in the winter, occasionally getting a wet knee after it had rained, not being the fastest thing on the road but not the slowest, useless window demister, a tendancy to get muddy clothes climbing in & out, but ultimately an enjoyable experience, life at a slower pace Is there anything I'm missing? - Feeling of towering over other mere mortals - Virtually complete freedom in choice of parking area - Constant stream of rewarding maintenance jobs which you can do yourself (like fixing the leaking roof, fitting better demister vents, and re-covering the seats ) - Low (if not negative) depreciation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 The bad: Cold in winter Hot in summer Slow off the mark Uneconomical by modern standards Rusty underneath British made Not-so-great crash protection The good: Endlessly modifiable Simple to repair Parts easily available and usually not too dear Excellent fun to drive You can go off-road British made Incredibly versatile I love mine to bits, only reason I don't have more is money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave K Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Just do it! Then you can curse us all when you've had it a few months.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalMagus Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I've had my 90 for just over 2 weeks now, and as a complete newbie to LR I can make the following observations. It leaks when it rains. It leaks when it's dry. Sneak attack down my right leg. It starts but only after tormenting me first. Going out after dark is an "experience" Braking required a lot of pre-planning till I adjusted them. I keep discovering new rusty bits. I could go on. Would I swap it? Hell no. Cos for all of it's faults it's more fun than any Euro box. It needs a lot of work but it's stuff I can do myself and eventually I'll have a sense of achievement from fixing it myself. I should of done this years ago. Cheers Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 When people ask what you drive and you say "A Defender" you either become some kind of lunatic or someone to be highly respected in most peoples eyes... Somehow people in your street will begin to ask you for help with things, simply on the basis that you will know "because he drives a landrover" Or people broken down in carparks will walk past plenty of other fine looking people to ask the guy in the Defender for assistance... Weird innit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Love it, use it when I want to or need to but not every day. The heater fan speed kit from simonb on this forum is a well worthwhile addition (there's a thread somewhere on it) and if I drove mine every day, I'd get two other things - the Mud Stuff Defendervent windscreen demister kit, and a VNT kit. As I don't commute in it, and use the Ranger for a daily drive (which already has a heater that works...) both items are still on the round tuit list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Mark, get shot of that toy and get a proper 90 Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Weird innit? Yes it is. Because it's very different to what happens for me. When people learn I have a Land Rover, the immediate question that follows is "Are you a farmer?". Hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blippie Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Commuting in the Defender is torment at the moment. The bloody locks are always frozen so I end up climbing through the rear door and into the front, getting soaked on the puddle of water that pools on the driver's seat. It then starts, first time every time to be fair, filling the house with fumes. I then have to force my way out again to defrost the windscreen, which being just 5'10" means I need to risk life and limb to scrape the windscreen by climbing on the bonnet. I strain my eyes through the misted up windscreen, though it hardly matters as I can't see a blooming thing thanks to the candlelight emerging from the headlamps. The heater then asthmatically farts at me for the whole journey, getting vaguely but ineffectively warm by the time I pull up at work, which is also when I notice the gearbox finally freeing up, just in time to park up for the day, ready to repeat the whole thing in thirteen hours' time. But if I have a bad day at work, I drive home "the long way", which takes in a few local greenlanes and it all seems almost worth it. Cheers Blippie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco tony Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Commuting in the Defender is torment at the moment. The bloody locks are always frozen so I end up climbing through the rear door and into the front, getting soaked on the puddle of water that pools on the driver's seat. It then starts, first time every time to be fair, filling the house with fumes. I then have to force my way out again to defrost the windscreen, which being just 5'10" means I need to risk life and limb to scrape the windscreen by climbing on the bonnet. I strain my eyes through the misted up windscreen, though it hardly matters as I can't see a blooming thing thanks to the candlelight emerging from the headlamps. The heater then asthmatically farts at me for the whole journey, getting vaguely but ineffectively warm by the time I pull up at work, which is also when I notice the gearbox finally freeing up, just in time to park up for the day, ready to repeat the whole thing in thirteen hours' time. But if I have a bad day at work, I drive home "the long way", which takes in a few local greenlanes and it all seems almost worth it. Cheers Blippie and thats why we love them!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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