Complete novice, need help to buy 1st defender please.

Hey everyone,
I'm completely new to all things Land Rover related, the only experience that I have is that my parents owned a 90 and 110 county when I was a child. Went to a couple of rallies as a child but that was enough to get me hooked to want my own!
I'm not sure which model would be best. I'm thinking possibly a 110. I have a husband and 3 boys to fit in plus their friends/bikes etc (not got the obligatory border collie though).
I would like to do some off roading but primarily it would be for short journeys. School, nursery, work and home are all within 2 miles.
I've no idea about other options such as TDi etc or different engine types.
Ideally I'd like something that is as economical as a defender can be :lol: and something that is slightly less ventilated that the ones that we had in the 80's which were very well ventilated as I recall!

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post such a simple question, all of the other posts look quite technical to me!

u need to search on here its been coverd a billion times all the reading will keep you occupied for days

:welcome:
Lots of threads on this, but from what you say a 110 station wagon could be the deal as has all the seats, plus carrying space.
Economy...well not part of the deal. TDi around 28-30 ish if looked after, but if you wanted modern economy you wouldnt be considering a landy.
All comes down to budget too, be aware prices and condition vary loads, dont know ya budget so cant advice any further other than look carefully, try and get service history etc

you might want to consider a disco,i drive a defender everyday for work its not refined,its slow and its noisy,however it is comfortable enough,i get 30 mpg on a run,i would advise you try driving a defender or being a passenger in one before you buy and as WLM said theres loads of threads on here chuck it in the search box

THEengineer said:

you might want to consider a disco,i drive a defender everyday for work its not refined,its slow and its noisy,however it is comfortable enough,i get 30 mpg on a run,i would advise you try driving a defender or being a passenger in one before you buy and as WLM said theres loads of threads on here chuck it in the search box

Click to expand...

what he says

Disco is the thinking mans tratter.

Correct - the discovery mk 1 is a great car and is finally being recognised as such.

Values are firming up and good examples attract a lot of interest.

buy the best 300 tdi auto you can afford - XS or ES, try to avoid electric seats as the switches play up.

make sure the underneath is solid - get it up on a ramp. and get your local mechanic/independent specialist to check it over.

If there is no evidence of a recent cambelt change then get it done

Remove the EGR plate to improve economy and power - get you landie man to do this as he will set the turbo properly

remove the sunroof fuse so you can't open it.

If you must have a defender the get a 300tdi 110 and most of the above applies.

lastly, do not buy blind - take someone with you who knows a bit.

If you have a local specialist he may know of a decent car for sale - go and make friends with him.

Losing track of how often this has been posted now, but still useful

Defender Buyers Guide

Disco 2 is a much better car than a 1 less corrosion to worry about, although check the rear of the chassis as they tend to corrode there, more spacious than a d1 and more modern feeling. I have owned both.

Only thing about the 110 CSW is that in the 2nd row seats there are only 2 x 3 point seat belts and all the seats in the very back are lap belts as well (I am assuming you are buying an older tdi one) newer td5's and puma's will have more 3 point belts but you would need to check a few. . May be a factor pending on the ages of your kids. I think disco 2 had more 3 point belts but someone else may know more. Also disco has a smaller turning circle than a 110 so that may be a factor for you as well.

Yeah all forward facing and 3 point in d2

Thanks for the replies guys plenty for me to research there

.... but stick with your instincts and get a Defender, a disco might be 'better' but it aint the 'same'....! Just a biased opinion.... A