looking to buy my first Defender here in America

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Thor 1950 said:
Haven't seen 1 for that much. You got verification of any defenders selling for that much. Yes I'm calling you out
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Aggressive bell end. Look at a small company in Somerset called Arkonik. I am not linked to it but they prepare high spec export Land Rovers for shipping to your side of the pond. And yes, $200k is perfectly achievable. Why they send them to you when your country is run by a nutter and apparently on fire at the moment is a mystery to me.
 
goonarmy said:
I'll gladly answer, they. Are. Cack. Even from new.
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Defenders? of course they are. But they are are also totally unique, classless, etc etc. I am wasting my breath explaining to you I expect. I've had one for the last 12 years, (ever since I could drive) and will probably have one until I'm either dead or can't drive it anymore. It's a disease.
 
j930 said:
have been looking for awhile and I found this Defender its mid 90's. 200TDI engine showing about 80K on the odometer. lead down test on the cylinders is cylinder 1 385. cylinder 2 is 380 #3 is 385 and #4 is 375. appears to be in good shape. there is some rust on the springs and brakes. looking for any feedback on the condition.. I attached some photos

John
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The bits of the chassis you want to see are the rear crossmember and rear chassis legs to it. The front bulkhead and footwells. The pics you have supplied it looks ok, but there is no real way to tell. The springs look oddly rusty, but maybe there where cheap crappy springs and maybe the vehicle has been used to launch boats or something, with the springs going in the water, although the diff and chassis normally look worse in these situations.

I would say, I think you'll find a Tdi as being the wrong engine of choice. And this is coming from a Tdi owner. They are fine engines in the UK, but that is because fuel is expensive here, whereas historically fuel has always been much cheaper in the USA. Therefore most UK vehicles are either small displacement or diesel. This is purely for mpg reasons, not performance.

The Tdi's go ok on the roads here. But they are still pretty slow. On wide open US style freeways or pulling away from the lights with other traffic, most running way more powerful engines. The Tdi will feel like you are going backwards. Even more so in a heavier 110.

A Rover V8 powered vehicle will be much better and should be worth considering. It is an easy swap using an engine from a Discovery or Range Rover. It will be faster, smoother and a lot more refined.
 
I have a friend with a 200tdi, bigger intercooler, fuel pump boost pin, larger turbo, it goes like a stabbed rat. Will also tow the arse off a V8.
 
Huntinghicap said:
Defenders? of course they are. But they are are also totally unique, classless, etc etc. I am wasting my breath explaining to you I expect. I've had one for the last 12 years, (ever since I could drive) and will probably have one until I'm either dead or can't drive it anymore. It's a disease.
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Ive had use of old and brand new fenders (never gonna own one-that much is clear) for the last 15 years and been driving landys since before i could drive. Terrible as cars, good off road but not enough to make up for everything else, unsafe, uncomfortable, unrefined and worst of all, easily surpassed by the competition. If you want a defender experience but not the failings get a G class. People will think you are drug dealer but still..
 
Huntinghicap said:
I have a friend with a 200tdi, bigger intercooler, fuel pump boost pin, larger turbo, it goes like a stabbed rat. Will also tow the arse off a V8.
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Frankly that is utter bollocks and only shows you have never been in a good V8.

I'm a multiple Tdi owner, brother and Uncle also have Tdi's (plus know a load of people with them). As a family we have probably had around 15 Tdi vehicles or more. They are good engines and respond well to tuning, but even tuned are slow and under powered compared to a good V8. And when I say good V8, I don't mean a ****ing low CR 3.5 being strangled on twin SU's. A 3.9/4.0 or 4.6 with EFI or a 4 brl carb will wipe the floor with any Tdi, been there done it!
 
To be honest I have only used old Range rover classic v8s, one had carbs one was efi, my experience was that they sound lovely, drank like a fish (not an issue in the US unless they have burnt all their fuel stations), were okish on the top end but a bit gutless towing trailers, especially up hills.
However, everyone on here is an expert, I will happily bow to your superior knowledge. I ran a 300tdi for 10 years, it was no F1 car, but drove well, towed well, and was very easy to fix.
 
Huntinghicap said:
To be honest I have only used old Range rover classic v8s, one had carbs one was efi, my experience was that they sound lovely, drank like a fish (not an issue in the US unless they have burnt all their fuel stations), were okish on the top end but a bit gutless towing trailers, especially up hills.
However, everyone on here is an expert, I will happily bow to your superior knowledge. I ran a 300tdi for 10 years, it was no F1 car, but drove well, towed well, and was very easy to fix.
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My first car was a 300Tdi Defender in 1997. Currently own a highly modified 200Tdi pickup. But we've had Disco's and RR's with Tdi's in. They are good solid lumps, and make good torque low down. And respond very well to a few tweaks. However the op says they are in Phoenix Arizona. And despite being before 7am over there, it is already 30 degrees C.

Tweaking the Tdi's will generally make them run hotter. Sure you can improve cooling, but there is no denying the EGT's will be higher. Therefore, I wouldn't want to run my own setup in the sort of heat they have over there. Which will limit some of the tuning you can do to them. We get away with it more so in the UK, as we don't see the same kind of constant and high outside temps, nor generally have the sort of mountains and long climbs you see in certain parts of the US.

As for the RV8, were they auto V8s you drove? Remember a torque converter will sap power and you only have 4 gears. If it was a manual LT95 4-speed Range Rover, they have tall gearing too. All of this will blunt performance. And an RR/Disco typically weighs more than a 90, again blunting the performance. Not to mention such vehicles are more refined, so will hide the speed more so than a raw Defender will.

We had a dyno day earlier in the year. My standard (bar exhaust) 4.6 p38 Range Rover made more power at the wheels than a standard Tdi does at the crank!!!

This is actually a Td5 90 and a tuned one too. It is making nearly 160hp on the dyno. The V8 Range Rover only has a performance exhaust and nothing else.

Now remember:
1. The 90 is a heck of a lot lighter, somewhere in the region of 500-600kg!
2. The 90 accelerated first and was in an optimum gear and rev range to do so. The RR was in D, had to wait for the driver to respond, kickdown and then go. And due to only having 4 gears, was not remotely in the optimum rev band to do this.
3. Imagine how this engine would go in a manual 5 speed car with much better gearing, no powered sapped from a torque converter and in a vehicles weighing 600kg less?

 
300bhp/ton said:
My first car was a 300Tdi Defender in 1997. Currently own a highly modified 200Tdi pickup. But we've had Disco's and RR's with Tdi's in. They are good solid lumps, and make good torque low down. And respond very well to a few tweaks. However the op says they are in Phoenix Arizona. And despite being before 7am over there, it is already 30 degrees C.

Tweaking the Tdi's will generally make them run hotter. Sure you can improve cooling, but there is no denying the EGT's will be higher. Therefore, I wouldn't want to run my own setup in the sort of heat they have over there. Which will limit some of the tuning you can do to them. We get away with it more so in the UK, as we don't see the same kind of constant and high outside temps, nor generally have the sort of mountains and long climbs you see in certain parts of the US.

As for the RV8, were they auto V8s you drove? Remember a torque converter will sap power and you only have 4 gears. If it was a manual LT95 4-speed Range Rover, they have tall gearing too. All of this will blunt performance. And an RR/Disco typically weighs more than a 90, again blunting the performance. Not to mention such vehicles are more refined, so will hide the speed more so than a raw Defender will.

We had a dyno day earlier in the year. My standard (bar exhaust) 4.6 p38 Range Rover made more power at the wheels than a standard Tdi does at the crank!!!

This is actually a Td5 90 and a tuned one too. It is making nearly 160hp on the dyno. The V8 Range Rover only has a performance exhaust and nothing else.

Now remember:
1. The 90 is a heck of a lot lighter, somewhere in the region of 500-600kg!
2. The 90 accelerated first and was in an optimum gear and rev range to do so. The RR was in D, had to wait for the driver to respond, kickdown and then go. And due to only having 4 gears, was not remotely in the optimum rev band to do this.
3. Imagine how this engine would go in a manual 5 speed car with much better gearing, no powered sapped from a torque converter and in a vehicles weighing 600kg less?

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Dunno about sap the powr but my rrc pulled fine. I felt it was better at towing than tdis I had cos they are a diesel and need to have the turbo kept on song to get them working. Probably only driving styles in reality but i know which i prefer
 
Interesting replies, though having never owned/desired a antiquated LR oil burner I can't comment.
Basically I'm struggling to understand why a Yank would want such a thing in a land of cheap gasoline & V8's o_O
 
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I have a 200tdi and a mate has a 4.0v8 in a 90

I have to say the 200tdi is fine and decent to drive and keeps up with traffic etc, but the v8 makes you smile more....

The v8 also feels like it has mor W immediate punch, as opposed to the tdi spooling up.

However both are fine engines, and the OP can swap out the tdi for a v8 if he feels so inclined once the vehicle is stateside
 
well its a month later and the US is still here boys.. and we are not fire.. just as messed up as the rest of the world at the moment.. I found a truck up in Canada that is a 95. trying to get the build date as the museum is closed.. you guys can make fun of all of us on this side of the pond but we would have that museum open to look up Vin #s.. I posted a thread earlier but does anyone know if there are other identifiers on a 1995 defender 110 on the frame other than the Vin #
 
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