Land Rover Defender (1948 To Date)
BY JONATHAN CROUCH
Launched in 1948 and still selling well, the classic Land Rover makes an unusual used buy. The original model was re-launched as the Defender in 1990. Still however, you find few who use the name. To most of us, this car will remain quite simply the definitive Land Rover; nothing more, nothing less.
The Defender has a growing cult reputation both as a new and used vehicle. Behind the wheel, you realise just how silly and ineffectual most trendy modern off-roaders are in comparison. They may look fashionable around town but get them out in the country and they flounder. This then, is one for the serious off-road enthusiast.
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Rugged, agricultural looks that are becoming as chic in Soho as they are unremarkable and irrelevant on muddy trails the world over. These are basic machines, sometimes in the extreme, depending on the vehicle's age. Not exactly ideal for motorway cruising, but then a Land Rover was never designed for quiet and smooth cruising quite the opposite, in fact. It is a vehicle that will take you literally anywhere and back. That's worth remembering if you're worried about whether something so rough and ready, if also dependable and strong, is your cup of tea.
With such a long list of engine and body combinations, produced over many years, prices vary enormously. You can pay anywhere between £500 and £16,000, though most vehicles tend to be in the lower to mid-end of that range. A car which has been used extensively off-road (and shows it) will be what you'll get for £500 to £2,000. Better to pay more for a Series III County wagon and avoid the tears an abused off-roader can bring. Upwards of £2,000 you'll find quite a selection in good condition and the £5,000-£10,000 bracket should contain a fine range of Defenders. Also worth seeking out are some of the recent limited editions such as the V8-engined 50th Anniversary model launched in 1998 or the 1999 Heritage version.
Build quality isn't exactly to Rolls Royce standards, as you would expect, but these are basically sound and well-built vehicles. Rust is not much of an issue, as body panels are aluminium, though the separate steel chassis needs to be checked. As with any 4x4, be extra careful that the chassis is straight and that the engine and gearbox have not been abused either by rough off-roading or by too heavy a tow-load (the County is a favourite of the horse-box set). Dents and bumps under the car and noisy diffs and smoky exhausts are the telltale signs.
(Based on a 110 TDi and approximate, excluding VAT) A clutch assembly will be around £170 and a full exhaust about £170 (without Catalyst). An alternator should be close to £85 and a radiator just under £300. Brake pads front and rear are about £40, respectively. A replacement headlamp costs close to £20.
Its not terribly appropriate to judge the car for its on the road performance or at least not terribly fair! Any Land Rover of this kind will be not nearly as much at home on the road as it is off it. The 3.5-litre V8 Series IIIs and Defenders are probably your best bet, if on-road ability is important while the diesel Defender pick-up is simply remarkable off-road. Like a Range Rover, the centre of gravity is high and a Defender will lean into bends a little alarmingly.
Fear not, they hug the road, despite what you may feel at the steering wheel. The pace will be slow but steady and a snowy B road is unlikely to slow you as much as other cars.
More than 1.5 million Land Rover vehicles have been produced since the original was launched in 1948, so you're buying something of a robust legend. Drive before you buy, to be sure you can put up with the somewhat agricultural nature of some versions, though. A bit of noise and a somewhat relaxed cruising pace will help to remind you you're the owner of a little piece of rugged British history.
