buying a defender help

defenderdavie

New Member

Posts

1,981

Location

south east scotland

• Apr 4, 2007

• #1

hi im new to the forum ive driven lanies in the army and at workfor years but my wife has finally agreed to me getting rid of my car and van and buying a proper vehicle as long as i can use it for work this raises a a few issues as i sometimes need to sleep in van and then at weekends theres the trip to the country relatives with a baby and toddler,i dont know wheter to buy a hardtop and fit rear windows and seats or a station wagon and take out the rear seats when im working away any advice would be appriciated
dav

 

GRUNT

Well-Known Member

Posts

8,911

Location

On the lake Geneva shoreline.

• Apr 4, 2007

• #2

Hard top would be cheaper then get seats of Ebay You could get van sides with windows off Ebay too.

 

defenderdavie

New Member

Posts

1,981

Location

south east scotland

• Apr 5, 2007

• #3

my only resevation about a hard top is getting the kids and baby seats into the back when its loaded up i was thinking about removing the cubby box/mid seat and possibly removing the bulkhead and relacing it with a frame ive been told this is possible(though not from the most reliable source)

anyone know if this is possible/practical or would i be better buying a 110 sw and blanking off rear windows(i got 6 8x4 sheets off c/plate free from so this would be the easy option)
i have a budget of up to 7k and i intend to keep this 110 permanantly as a van/family car/occasional off roader any advice will be greatly appreciated although quite possibly ignored

ps im know of to dealership with tape measure and family to investigate my options will let you know my results

 

A

aussieron

New Member

Posts

69

• Apr 5, 2007

• #4

For the sake of matrimonial harmony,and the inclement British weather, a hardtop would probably be the best option, most women don't appreciate the wind in the hair like us blokes.
I remember years ago when I had an MGA roadster, I took my girl friend at the time to a drive in movie theatre, she got a bit ****ed off, because I didn't want to put the top on.
Kind regards...Ron

 

Griffdowg

New Member

Posts

7,194

Location

Somewhere in Bristol

• Apr 5, 2007

• #5

sounds like a SW would be your best option for a family. retro-fitting legal seats, belts and windows can be an arse-ache and cost more than just buying a decent SW. also, SW do tend to have an easier life than hardtops, which have usually been used extensively on farms, work vehicles etc... especially the 110's. a doublecab pickup prehaps? or just a 110 SW sounds like it would suffice.

let us know how you get on.

and welcome!

G

 

defenderdavie

New Member

Posts

1,981

Location

south east scotland

• Apr 5, 2007

• #6

made two decisions today re defender im getting a 110 station wagon and im not getting it from a main dealer!!!or a least not from my local one anyway. ive got 3 vehicles to look at all at about the 5k mark which should leave me 2k to do the bits and pieces ie 240v power,removable sink/cooker unit and some rear area storage since im only going to have 4 seats in it it wont be to much hassle to remove the back 2 to mount unit and bed when required although if i see a good deal on a cheaper one i might just spend more doing it out
any advice on converting to a camper ie websites etc would be appreicated
cheers dav