Hi! New to the site and in need of advice!

miktdish said:

Finding an original VIN plated, matching number car is rare and (if that was the case) would likely need a lot of work as it is nearly 20 years old.

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marjon said:

Hush your mouth our little 1996 mudball is matching numbers and is quite happy not dropping much rust

Granted the Italian police probably used reverse more than normal.

J

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miktdish said:

It gets difficult with Defenders, especially if they are heading towards being 20 yerars old as many of the original components are not original (to the vehicle).

Finding an original VIN plated, matching number car is rare and (if that was the case) would likely need a lot of work as it is nearly 20 years old.
There maybe one (or two) out there that have lived a life of ease, avoiding winter roads and mud that have been coddled in a garage and out of the rain .... but I doubt it, it's a landrover after all.

Galvanised Chassis is a good thing.
To fit a new chassis also needs a number of other bits. If the chassis was gone then likely the bulhead has either been repaired of replaced too.
@marjon has it right.

How old are you @lpm ?

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KISSMYAURA said:

I mean this in the very nicest way, it it was me i would wait until I move, or have off road parking or a garage.
It's not a case of if it will be stolen its when.......
so sorry!

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slomofo said:

Put the Registration into this link,

Defenders

defender.lrworkshop.com

it will tell you quite a bit about any Defender you are looking at….

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Latest spec​

Mileage at last MOT​

Average mileage​

Status​

Total similar vehicles​

On this day​

Quality control​

British military vehicle?​

Imported?​

ULEZ compliant?​

V5 issue date​

lpm said:

Well see this one point had me thinking buy a 'cheap' one that is in good enough nick, just to get the 'landy itch' off if you know what I mean. Then if it does get stolen its not such a big deal. Honestly dont want to resort to a 'pickup truck'....

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lpm said:

What about fitting a Ghost Immobiliser?

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miktdish said:

You need an OBD port and an ECU to fit a Ghost .... Defenders don't have them.
The only electrics in my 1995 Defender was the radio and I took that out.

If you look through the forum you will see hunnerds of post regarding electrical issues/failures and most of them on on TD5 engines (or later).

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miktdish said:

There are several ways to deter a poptential thief.
The FiP needs 12V to pass fuel, remove it and the engine stops (that's what happens when you turn the key), there are several immobilisers that will do that. But they can be defeated.
The thief can overide these things if he can get into the engine bay .... and he's clever enough ... most thieves aren't.

You can fit security hinges on doors and bonnet, security grills on windows, immobilisers and trackers, you can spend a fortune.
In some parts the thieves turn up with a lift truck and pick the whole car up.

Most thieves will be put off by using a visual deterrent (pedal lock etc).
Is your Defender that attractive to thieves ? aren't the neighbors Audi's, Mercedes and Astons a better bet ?

Just buy one and ensure it's in tip-top mechanical condition, don't fit super-dooper alloy wheels and low profile tyres or polish it so it looks a million dollars and enjoy the ride.

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miktdish said:

There are several ways to deter a poptential thief.
The FiP needs 12V to pass fuel, remove it and the engine stops (that's what happens when you turn the key), there are several immobilisers that will do that. But they can be defeated.
The thief can overide these things if he can get into the engine bay .... and he's clever enough ... most thieves aren't.

You can fit security hinges on doors and bonnet, security grills on windows, immobilisers and trackers, you can spend a fortune.
In some parts the thieves turn up with a lift truck and pick the whole car up.

Most thieves will be put off by using a visual deterrent (pedal lock etc).
Is your Defender that attractive to thieves ? aren't the neighbors Audi's, Mercedes and Astons a better bet ?

Just buy one and ensure it's in tip-top mechanical condition, don't fit super-dooper alloy wheels and low profile tyres or polish it so it looks a million dollars and enjoy the ride.

Click to expand...

miktdish said:

It gets difficult with Defenders, especially if they are heading towards being 20 yerars old as many of the original components are not original (to the vehicle).

Finding an original VIN plated, matching number car is rare and (if that was the case) would likely need a lot of work as it is nearly 20 years old.
There maybe one (or two) out there that have lived a life of ease, avoiding winter roads and mud that have been coddled in a garage and out of the rain .... but I doubt it, it's a landrover after all.

Galvanised Chassis is a good thing.
To fit a new chassis also needs a number of other bits. If the chassis was gone then likely the bulhead has either been repaired of replaced too.
@marjon has it right.

How old are you @lpm ?

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lpm said:

Hi Folks,

I'm Matt, new to the site and I'm in need of some advice!

17 years ago, I had a Defender TD5 90 StationWagon brand new out of the showroom. I loved it, it was my pride and joy. Sadly, due to 'Family growing' I had to give her up....childcare isn't cheap. I was absolutely gutted to see her go, but it had to be done. Since then all I've done is drive around in my crappy normal cars, long fully looking at the defenders as they drive by going 'thats a nice one' to the wife.....

Now, 17 years later, I have finally come into a position where I can afford to buy a new Defender.
What I want to ask is:

1. I live on a street with no off-road parking. Would you buy a Defender if you could only park on the road? It means no space for maintenance, I'd have to work on her in situ.

2. Security - What does everyone recommend? Immobiliser/steering guard/pedal guard/fuel cutoff/all of these!

3. My two trains of thought are, to buy cheap and restore, or buy slightly less cheap and restore less. But as I'm coming into this from a long break, what would be a better thing to do?

I have an offer on a 200tdi at 7.5k that is tempting but there is a fair bit of work to do, although chassis/bulkhead/engine are all very good.


Also, one last thing, where is best to look? I've been looking on Facebook Marketplace and Ebay, but half of them (at least) seem to be scams, it's terribly frustrating knowing who you can believe or not, to the point where I have a few times thought about scrapping the idea and getting something else.

Any advice welcome, and I hope Its been ok to ask these questions!

Thanks
Matt

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lpm said:

So do the normal deterrents not work? (Steering wheel off, Pedal lock, Immobiliser, tracker)

I really dont want to be put off buying one!

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Dover mike said:

hi Matt its not impossible i kept looking around for ages and came across mine on FB all the dirty jobs done and i only paid 11500 for it and mine also lives on the street i use mine every day and is our only car just my wife and i with seats in the back for grandkids who love it look at my post
good ones are out there just keep looking mate

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marjon said:

The more you invest into security the harder it is for some scrote to take.
If its hard they will move on, if they are the general scrote. If they are profession then sadly they will have it some how .

Making it all blingy and shiny makes it attractive, Ours gets washed once a year maybe or it gets to the point my hands get dirty opening the door.

Lots of things you can do but you must remember to use them. But little things like the doors and bonnet secure fixings, I think are worth deterring the opportunist scrote, as is are the methods you have mentioned.

Don't let it put you off but make sure your insurance covers its real value in case. A tracker will help if it does happen and needs to be well hidden. It seems many are taken a bit away and parked incase of trackers so there maybe a small window to find it.

I am not sure how many are driven off when stolen or dragged on a truck.
People see LRs getting put on trucks as "oh well its broke again" so don't tend to take much notice sadly.

Which reminds me I must go and get the keys out of the "mudball", Its been sat in the paddock since yesterday.

J

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lpm said:

Thanks again Marjon, I was getting a bit disheartened about buying one. I think it's doable, I just need to be on it with security and insurance.

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