Living with a hard top

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ReadySalted

Active Member
Posts
444
Hi all,

On the hunt for a defender but with prices of different models, and their availability varying greatly, I've not got a particular model in mind.

Any of the variants (110 SW, 90SW, 90 or 110 hardtop), have their merits and downsides for me, but I am finding that at the moment 110 hardtops seem to be some of the cheapest. I only have my girlfriend and myself to worry about, and 2 dogs, so I'm not too fussed on numbers of seats. However the extra light, and visibility of a station wagon would be hugely advantageous.

Does anybody here live with a 110 hardtop as a daily driver in similar circumstances, and how bearable is it? Are sliding windows easy to fit (Saw them do it on that wheeler dealers show and it looked a piece of p1ss?)

The 110 would certainly have the advantage that I'd be able to sleep in it, without buggering about with taking seats out etc. and provides less plastic trim to bash about with logs, dogs, and other useless ****e. But then they are probably the least attractive, and have the least trim of all the defender variants.
 
I look after a nice 300 110 hard top
The guy goes away a lot and it's his base camp when he does
He fitted cupboards and storage down one side and a drop in floor to level the other side for a simple thick foam mattress
Then storage under that floor too
It's a nice solution and he can lift out his bed floor to provide a bit of usable carriage space when needed too
Vans are great but thinking long term if you had kids a station wagon would be the answer
I've had 90s and double cabs but my 110 utility set up works best for me my missus two kids and two dogs
 
Defenders are modular construction. You can always buy a hard top and convert it into a station wagon somewhere down the line.

Alternatively you might find you like the space and practicality of the van. You csn always fit windows, or if you fancy a pickup truck, bolt a cab on instead.
 
I personally like having a van (though it is a 90), the only things you need to think about is that you can't see when coming up to a junction. That and as it is classed as a van you can only do 60 on dual carridgeways and not go in the London LEZ.
 
fume curtain would be a must for me with a 110.

ive gone for a truck cab with my rebuild as the 90 hard top was just too much for the little heater to heat.

my mrs didnt like the fact she needed more clothes in the car than outside the car.
 
What I'd do personally is fit a couple of side windows in the back (sliding or fixed) and a pair of side-facing benches for occasional use. This allows you to seat either 6 or 6.5 (depending on whether you have a middle front seat) and gives you a fairly large cargo area behind the driver.

A truck cab might be a bit warmer in winter if you don't need the extra seating. You can always buy a hard top and convert it to a pickup later- it all unbolts. Conversion to a station wagon is possible but needs more bits :)
 
ReadySalted said:
Hi all,

On the hunt for a defender but with prices of different models, and their availability varying greatly, I've not got a particular model in mind.

Any of the variants (110 SW, 90SW, 90 or 110 hardtop), have their merits and downsides for me, but I am finding that at the moment 110 hardtops seem to be some of the cheapest. I only have my girlfriend and myself to worry about, and 2 dogs, so I'm not too fussed on numbers of seats. However the extra light, and visibility of a station wagon would be hugely advantageous.

Does anybody here live with a 110 hardtop as a daily driver in similar circumstances, and how bearable is it? Are sliding windows easy to fit (Saw them do it on that wheeler dealers show and it looked a piece of p1ss?)

The 110 would certainly have the advantage that I'd be able to sleep in it, without buggering about with taking seats out etc. and provides less plastic trim to bash about with logs, dogs, and other useless ****e. But then they are probably the least attractive, and have the least trim of all the defender variants.
Click to expand...

Most of my landies have been hard tops, I like the fact that people cant see what you have got in the back easily. If you are worried about pulling out of turnings cut a little window into the passenger side panel. It doesn't really need to open. they don't heat up too much in the sun, less greenhouse effect.
I have never had a 110, but several 109s, and yes, they are much more practical for sleeping in than swb.
I find 90% of landy mileage is solo, and the other 10% just one passenger, on the very rare occasions I take two the third sits on a cushion on the wheel box in the back, but it is rare. If you do fit rear seats, check carefully what the legal requirement for seat belts is.
 
ReadySalted said:
Hi all,

On the hunt for a defender but with prices of different models, and their availability varying greatly, I've not got a particular model in mind.

Any of the variants (110 SW, 90SW, 90 or 110 hardtop), have their merits and downsides for me, but I am finding that at the moment 110 hardtops seem to be some of the cheapest. I only have my girlfriend and myself to worry about, and 2 dogs, so I'm not too fussed on numbers of seats. However the extra light, and visibility of a station wagon would be hugely advantageous.

Does anybody here live with a 110 hardtop as a daily driver in similar circumstances, and how bearable is it? Are sliding windows easy to fit (Saw them do it on that wheeler dealers show and it looked a piece of p1ss?)

The 110 would certainly have the advantage that I'd be able to sleep in it, without buggering about with taking seats out etc. and provides less plastic trim to bash about with logs, dogs, and other useless ****e. But then they are probably the least attractive, and have the least trim of all the defender variants.
Click to expand...

I have a 110 hard top as my daily and it works for me. Don't think I would want anything else. My only complain is in winter. It's a large area to heat up and takes ages. I have a ceramic electric heater also which helps but still cold in the winter. Mine will cruise all day at 70 which it often does. Everything is standard other than the front axle which is now a Salisbury one. I removed the Viscous fan and fitted an electric one in the hope it would warm up quicker, but no real improvement noticed.
 
Well by the sounds of things, they seem like a good idea for me. I think the fact they are more industrial, and don't look as desirable as the 110 station wagons is a bit off putting when going from a sleek, user friendly car, to probably the most utilitarian variant of the land rover. That said, 110 vans are probably the cheapest of defenders to buy, and do in theory make the most sense for me, only needing it as a 2 person, with maximum load space.

Obviously I'm ideally looking at the tdi engined models, but having seen the tithonus ex mod landys up for sale (I've used plenty of these in the military), it has got my mind wondering the following. How easy would it be to put windows in that weird plastic hardtop? How bearable is the deathly slow N/A engine they have? How well would it take to be painted white or some equally normal colour?
 
1344344715004.JPG

Tithonus landy for the uninitiated.
 
Tithonus looks cool in green, can't imagine it in any other colour. And you could always fit a 200tdi and leave the n/a on the pavement for your local scrap merchant.
 
Discokids said:
Tithonus looks cool in green, can't imagine it in any other colour. And you could always fit a 200tdi and leave the n/a on the pavement for your local scrap merchant.
Click to expand...

I.e local pikey :p Infact I have a bloke on a push bike take mine, Not sure how he'd manage an engine though :eek:
 
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