snailracer Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 A mate recently test drove a new defender and was quite shocked at how basic the basic model is for £24,000 (ish), which got me thinking about how much land rover you could get for your money if you had 24 grand to spend on a rebuild. Would you end up with a better vehicle than buying brand new? So where would you start? Couple of hundred quid on ebay for a vehicle? How much would all the new parts come to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgnas Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Well, a friend rebuilt a 110 a few years back. Galv chassis New doors New paint Exchange gearbox New wheels/tyres New shock/springs So many small bits........ It all adds up and came to ~£9000 in the end + base vehicle + hundreds of hours labour It was nice but a long way short of a "new" vehicle. My estimate £15000-£18000 and you get a vehicle that still has >100000 miles on the major components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM-Sport Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Rebuild the engine and axles and you don't though Depends what sort of build your going for too I suppose. if doing something a little different or just a standard original build.Definitely could have an ideal Defender for alot less than what you'd buy one out of the dealers for once you had the time and facilities to rebuild it.It's the same for building any car really to suit somebodies desires for what they want from it as long as they know where to source OE quality new parts rather than buying from the dealers and bid their time getting used parts that they need in good condition and prices but much more so for a Defender I suppose considering you could get a donor vehicle 20-30 years old and it'll still look almost identical to a new one in a showroom and then the fact that LR parts are reasonably cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Well, the 109 rebuild cost me significantly less than that, although that is not counting the amount of time that went into it. I'd be torn between building a really good Ibex (like a defender, only longer-lived & more solid & no rattles) or building a proper classic looking Series with more modern drivetrain. It's all very easily done for under 20k if you are willing to use a few used bits or can find new-old-stock for cheap - the genuine parts list price of things like a new complete axle or engine are in the 5k region so it quickly wipes it out. TBH I have never paid more than £1500 for a car and could probably never bring myself to throw that much at something I wasn't building unless I'd just won the lottery or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soren Frimodt Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'd buy two Series 1, 107"s make one a very comfy dailydriver with a big thirsty V8 and Auto, low and wide with air suspension and Coiler axles. The other one I'd make a tow-rig out of for dragging the 80" too and from events, with a big oomphy 6 cylinder petrol, manual box and strong ENV axles. Then I'd have the perfect fleet of Land Rovers IMO Would probably end past the 24k£ mark though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I dont think you can compare the two; If you buy something new it is more about depreciation, how much will I loose if I sell it in 5 years time. Also, it is guaranteed for 3 (?) years, so no hassle. plus you can have it next week. If it is a project, you spend a lot of time in it and you probably want to keep it. It will be more of a personal thing. you might get something decent on the road with a galvanised chassis and bulkhead for half the price of a new car, but it would take at least a year (judging my own speed) before you can use it, and as mentioned, lots of little details will be secondhand and prone to go wrong. A good middleroad could be an accident damaged 1 year old car or something like that. Recently I bought a 1 year old car at an auction (ex lease), spending 10k on a car that was 15k new. still 2 years waranty left and 25 k on the clock. I reckon that is the most cost effective way to buy a good reliable car. It is the depreciation that puts me off buying new. Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpants Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 You'd also potentailly fall into the trap that affects the boy racers- spending loads of money on an old car, that then is still not worth the raw cost of what has been spent on it, let alone any cost for the labour. You'd therefore have to be doing it because you want to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 A mate recently test drove a new defender and was quite shocked at how basic the basic model is for £24,000 (ish), which got me thinking about how much land rover you could get for your money if you had 24 grand to spend on a rebuild. Would you end up with a better vehicle than buying brand new?So where would you start? Couple of hundred quid on ebay for a vehicle? How much would all the new parts come to? I wonder if they drove any other £24k utility vehicle if they would expect it to be more plush? Sorry, but it always baffles me quite how people misunderstand what a Defender is. Re: your question. Well I have been known to say to people - you could build a nice 90 for less money than a new one. All you need is something with ok body work and or dash. Then new chassis, upgrade drive train, Tdi it (or Td5/V8), new suspension/bushes and replace anything else that wears. Paint and trim the interior. The only thing it'd lack is TCS and anti stall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 You'd also potentailly fall into the trap that affects the boy racers- spending loads of money on an old car, that then is still not worth the raw cost of what has been spent on it, let alone any cost for the labour. You'd therefore have to be doing it because you want to! This is precisely the thing to remember: a vehicle is only worth what someone else is prepared to pay to buy it off you. OK, once a vehicle is into its second decade the whole issue of price/value becomes somewhat of a movable feast, but for anything younger than that "original specification" and "full service-history" will be worth a lot more on the open market than "assembled from parts some or all of which are not new". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I don't think ever anyone will ever (genuinly) be on the fence as to buy a brand new car or rebuild one from scratch. Plenty of people may ponder it but when wallets are to be opened I don't think there's ever any contest one way or the other. The kind of person who'd rebuild one from scratch wouldn't but buy a brand new one and vice versa. I'd love to build one myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snailracer Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Glad I posted this now, some interesting replies £24000 seems to be the most basic of basic 90 hardtops. If you want anything extra the price goes up and top of the range appears to be about £50000! Personally I'd love to have a go at a twenty year old 110 if I was able to (time, space, money) but I've already done that with my 109 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgnas Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I think Si White would be best placed to give you a cost http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=83040&hl=siwhite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 For an every day vehicle other demands on my time mean I'll just go out and buy another new one while they are still available. 3 year warranty and LR Assistance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 A mate recently test drove a new defender and was quite shocked at how basic the basic model is for £24,000 (ish), which got me thinking about how much land rover you could get for your money if you had 24 grand to spend on a rebuild. Would you end up with a better vehicle than buying brand new?So where would you start? Couple of hundred quid on ebay for a vehicle? How much would all the new parts come to? If I had 24k to spend and a new defender is too 'basic', its simple...I'd buy a yota twin cab! But then a 24k motor isn't just a Off road toy is it!!!!! And no matter what you do a defender is ALWAYS basic inside. If it was for Off road, then what the hell is he moaning about interiors for??????? Even then I'd probably buy 10k of merc g wagon and some choice goodies instead of a new defender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I wouldnt be buying a new defender period , they havent got better from the longevity point of view They are trading on a history that they lost long ago I am sorry to say , as i have owned landrovers for some 45 years . Over the years they have developed vehicles that were world icons, but there is always a downside . they seem to fix one problem but introduce another . The more modern a defender is the easier they seem to corode , thinning down the metal probably didnt help much JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJIbex Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 All interesting points - However if people didn't buy them new, how would everyone on here have their 2nd hand ones?!!! Even for a ground up restoration, somebody bought it new!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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