Hi! ..& thoughts on Defender for everyday car, please?

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Highland

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Hi all,

I'm new to the forum as of today & would really appreciate any words of wisdom from Defender owners, please .... Some background ... I've currently got a Disco 4 HSE, my second Disco now, and while I've been really pleased with it, I've always had a real hankering for a Defender. While I do like the Disco, it just seems too tame and too much like a regular car to me. I've just loved Defenders since being a kid! Just love the looks & love the fact they're not a regular car.

So, my thoughts are along the lines of trading it in for a new 110 SW XS. This would then be my daily car. It would have to take me to work each day, 30 miles a day on roads, it would need to carry the family around at weekends including occasional long trip on motorways. Mostly road, with the off road part being when I go to the mountains for hiking & camping.

What do you all reckon? Am I mad (like the wife tells me)? Or should I go for it? How do you find the comfort on long drives? Do you find the gear changing tiresome after a while or in traffic? Or, do you just get used to it? What about the fuel economy? What should I expect from a carefully driven 110? Anything I should really watch out for?

I'm not into music in the car & don't really mind about the noise. I'm not into boy racer acceleration so no worries there. I won't miss the Disco electronic gadgets as I never use most of them ...

So, there goes, look forward to getting honest opinions, positive and negative!

Cheers!
 
Personally I don't find it a problem.
I have owned Land Rovers for over 26-years and had one as my daily drive for over 20 of those (current 90 for 14) and have never given it a second thought. My wife has a car (well Freelander) and I have a motorcycle as well but I stopped owning a second car myself 20-years ago.
Only you can decide if you are willing to "put up" with it, some would say that a Defender is too basic and cramped whereas others (like me) don't find it an issue at all. Of course if you want car comfort, performance & economy then you will be disapointed but you might just like it.

Gear changing? Never given it a thought, what made you mention that?
 
hello ,brought a 1999 90 td5 ayear ago mostly as a toy didnt think the wife would like it much because i also have a focus estate with all the gadgets and comfort. M ain reason was 4 dogs and mess was ruining car,since buying the defender the car has only done 2000 miles in the last year (mainly with elder parents)as it has a 2" lift kit and no steps.I find i get 30 miles to the gallon all the time and wife loves it we use it all the time.
 
Highland said:
Hi all,

I'm new to the forum as of today & would really appreciate any words of wisdom from Defender owners, please .... Some background ... I've currently got a Disco 4 HSE, my second Disco now, and while I've been really pleased with it, I've always had a real hankering for a Defender. While I do like the Disco, it just seems too tame and too much like a regular car to me. I've just loved Defenders since being a kid! Just love the looks & love the fact they're not a regular car.

So, my thoughts are along the lines of trading it in for a new 110 SW XS. This would then be my daily car. It would have to take me to work each day, 30 miles a day on roads, it would need to carry the family around at weekends including occasional long trip on motorways. Mostly road, with the off road part being when I go to the mountains for hiking & camping.

What do you all reckon? Am I mad (like the wife tells me)? Or should I go for it? How do you find the comfort on long drives? Do you find the gear changing tiresome after a while or in traffic? Or, do you just get used to it? What about the fuel economy? What should I expect from a carefully driven 110? Anything I should really watch out for?

I'm not into music in the car & don't really mind about the noise. I'm not into boy racer acceleration so no worries there. I won't miss the Disco electronic gadgets as I never use most of them ...

So, there goes, look forward to getting honest opinions, positive and negative!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Your partner leave you, the kids will hate you- on the plus side deafness it won't matter
 
Highland said:
Hi all,

I'm new to the forum as of today & would really appreciate any words of wisdom from Defender owners, please .... Some background ... I've currently got a Disco 4 HSE, my second Disco now, and while I've been really pleased with it, I've always had a real hankering for a Defender. While I do like the Disco, it just seems too tame and too much like a regular car to me. I've just loved Defenders since being a kid! Just love the looks & love the fact they're not a regular car.

So, my thoughts are along the lines of trading it in for a new 110 SW XS. This would then be my daily car. It would have to take me to work each day, 30 miles a day on roads, it would need to carry the family around at weekends including occasional long trip on motorways. Mostly road, with the off road part being when I go to the mountains for hiking & camping.

What do you all reckon? Am I mad (like the wife tells me)? Or should I go for it? How do you find the comfort on long drives? Do you find the gear changing tiresome after a while or in traffic? Or, do you just get used to it? What about the fuel economy? What should I expect from a carefully driven 110? Anything I should really watch out for?

I'm not into music in the car & don't really mind about the noise. I'm not into boy racer acceleration so no worries there. I won't miss the Disco electronic gadgets as I never use most of them ...

So, there goes, look forward to getting honest opinions, positive and negative!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Go for the utility version, same standard/comfort features as a CSW but you save 200 quid on car tax. Believe you can get them with a auto now
 
Thanks for the quick replies. Litch: my question re gear change arose from the fact that I know the manual gearbox isn't quite as slick as a regular car. Thor: I think the tax is now £220 for all current models with the 2,2 engine, but of course, I could be wrong?
 
Highland said:
Thanks for the quick replies. Litch: my question re gear change arose from the fact that I know the manual gearbox isn't quite as slick as a regular car. Thor: I think the tax is now £220 for all current models with the 2,2 engine, but of course, I could be wrong?
Click to expand...

480 quid on the new ones after certain model year, we had that discussion 3-4 weeks ago. And with a utility, tax is 220-240 quid. Double check then would be worth it
 
I drive an 1988 90 25 miles to work everyday and i love it. And like you my last car was shear luxury a 530d bmw but i just felt bored everyday in it you need to drive a defender good luck in whatever you choose.
 
I would drive one everyday if only it was faster, if I could take the engine and seats from my 3.0tdi a6 and stick them in the landy I wouldn't look back

Maybe I should get some new seats and a tvr lump lol
 
I used to drive my old Ninety 150 miles a day commuting and loved it. But then I don't care too much when the rain pours in and that when I open the window I get better heating from the air dragged from the underside than the heater generates. Still got her and about to put her back on the road as my daily car.

I've never used a new one like that but I can only assume it's better as a daily driver than my old shed.

On the gear change, these things aren't built for slick gear changes. You're meant to take your time changing from one gear to the next, there's no rush.
 
SteNova said:
I would drive one everyday if only it was faster, if I could take the engine and seats from my 3.0tdi a6 and stick them in the landy I wouldn't look back

Maybe I should get some new seats and a tvr lump lol
Click to expand...

Lol thats why I binned rv8
 
Yes I drive mine every day and its fine, more fun than a normal car.

If I was doing 60-70 miles a day on the motorway I might change my mind though.

My wife and I fight over it though ! ( she has a freelander 2)
 
I have a 110 CSW 300 TDI owned it since May and it is our 'family' transport (my wife has a small car for her work and use a motorbike for work) so it does all out trips to the beach, camping etc with dog, bikes and all the paraphernalia that the kids and wife need to drag around with them.
It has worked out really well. Yes I have slowed down a bit but I quite enjoy it now. I wanted something to fix and it hasn't disappointed there either. Should have bought one years ago so take the plunge. Don't forget residuals are strong so if the wife threatens to divorce you and kids threaten to leave home you will probably get your money back:)
 
I've got a 1984 200tdi and use it everyday but I only commute about 30 miles. It's great fun to drive and really turns heads, more than a car costing 20 times as much.
I changed the clutch recently to a valeo 130 HD and I was expecting a heater pedal but its light and gear changes are smooth.
Long motorway journeys are a bit slow but doing something like a 120 mile journey takes me about 30 minutes longer than my golf, just get to see more scenery on the way!
 
Highland said:
... I've currently got a Disco 4 HSE, ...
...trading it in for a new 110 SW XS...
...What do you all reckon? Am I mad?...
Click to expand...
Yes yer mad. If you have the funds available to own and run a D4 then keep it. A rusty ole tratter is a completely different world to a D4. I've driven both. A tratter can't get anywhere near the luxury and comfort you have in your D4. You'd be betterer oft with the flint stone's rock car than a tratter. Although both are similar in design. The rock car doesn't have a leaking roof.
 
I've had my 110 on an 03 plate so nothing as plush as your looking at since May and its been our main family car since we bought it, we've put the thick end of 5000 miles on it.

Its been used daily, my drive to work is currently 80 miles round trip a day and we're just back from a family camping trip from the West Coast of Scotland that saw us put a good chunk of the miles we've run up on it and picked up 5 new tyres whilst visiting Skye, but thats another story!

I get a shade under 32mpg at the moment.

I love it and more importantly as a family, the kids love it and even the wife likes it despite the leak above the passenger seat that needs fixing! Our whole pace of life has slowed down as a result, we trundle to our destinations rather then speed, but we're loving it.

Only problems we've had so far are;
- A leak above the wifes head on the passenger side as mentioned.
- Had to swap out one of the kids car seats that was suitable for 0 to 4's (he's 3) to one slightly thinner one for older age groups to elevate the pain in the back from jabbing feet!
- We need to swap out the middle row of seats for the more modern seats with headrests for piece of mind with the kids as they get older and we swap out there kids seats.

But I wouldn't be without it now, love it, I find getting stuck in traffic to be a pig, its no different in my 110, not had a problem with gear changes etc.

Good luck if you go ahead and get one.
 
Really appreciate all the comments, guys. Seem to be very positive overall, with watch outs for long motorway drives and traffic ... but then I expected that!

Time to take the plunge ...
 
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