Defender 200TDi buying advice!

Hi all, I'm seriously looking into buying a 'nut & bolt' restored defender 90 with a 200TDi disco engine & 150,000 on the clock. I suspect its been converted into a station wagon but the job looks decent. It looks in mint condition with spot on bodywork etc.

I haven't had a chance to drive it yet but its sold as running perfectly.

It'll be my first car now dad wants his 300TDi back! As such I'm really keen to make sure I don't A) buy a pig & B) pay the correct price.

When I go and see it, what would you recommend looking for?

Also what sort of price? It may be in mint condition but its a 200TDi convert, LRO say £6500 - £7500?

Advice most appreciated!!

tom458 said:

Hi all, I'm seriously looking into buying a 'nut & bolt' restored defender 90 with a 200TDi disco engine & 150,000 on the clock. I suspect its been converted into a station wagon but the job looks decent. It looks in mint condition with spot on bodywork etc.

I haven't had a chance to drive it yet but its sold as running perfectly.

It'll be my first car now dad wants his 300TDi back! As such I'm really keen to make sure I don't A) buy a pig & B) pay the correct price.

When I go and see it, what would you recommend looking for?

Also what sort of price? It may be in mint condition but its a 200TDi convert, LRO say £6500 - £7500?

Advice most appreciated!!

Click to expand...

Hi,

This has been asked before, so a search should yield some good results. It is also customary to introduce yourself in the introduction area. Saves getting the trolls angry

When you say rebuilt, do you mean on a galvanised chassis? What age is it?

If it is an older 90 with a disco conversion I wouldn't expect it would be worth quite that, I would think £2500 with normal chassis, £5-6k with galv chassis. You can get a 300tdi with a galv chassis for £7.5-8k.

Things to check are:
Rust on bulkhead, footwells and seat and battery box, chassis if it hasn't been replaced.
Check the quality of the parts used for the rebuild, if a lot of stuff says Britpart on it, run away!
Check gears are ok, and that the transfer box goes into low box and diff lock ok.
There will be leaks, it is a Land Rover, but check that the steering box isn't leaking significantly.

Think that is probably it. If you are struggling to judge the quality of the rebuild, take someone with you and don't be afraid to get underneath.

I was always told to look out for the tell-tale "mist" of oil at the back end of the transfer box too... you'll see an arc of oil spray on the chassis & underbody if the seal is buggered.

rocker cover will leak oil.... I'm pretty sure it's a point of pride for most us landy owners now!

if it's a nut & bolt restore but it's not been done on a galv chassis, then I think my spidey-sense would start going off.... it may well be that someone did a nut & bolt job on it on a plain original-spec new chassis, but it's also possible that someone did a ropey home build on the only chassis they could afford... in which case, they'll have been willing to cut corners there too.

The debate will rage on and on, but £7.5k I think I'd be shopping for the best 300tdi I could find.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies!

It has indeed got a galvanised chassis & new bulkhead, and was the earlier '90' model from the late 1980s not a 'Defender 90' if this helps at all.

Im told the rebuild was done professionally but who knows! I'll be sure to get underneath it a check the areas you have pointed out!

The buyers guide on here is really good