Need advice choosing please!

crowmann said:

I know nothing of the spring assister but the stock return spring makes no difference to the weight of the pedal. Its purpose is to return the pedal to the 'home' position and is no effort to push.

With or without and you could not tell.

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crowmann said:

I know nothing of the spring assister but the stock return spring makes no difference to the weight of the pedal. Its purpose is to return the pedal to the 'home' position and is no effort to push.

With or without and you could not tell.

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becstar said:

Hello Landyzone forum members. I was hoping that I could get some advice on some questions I still have after having researched buying a Defender 90. Firstly though, let me introduce myself. My name is Becky and I live in Dudley in the West Midlands. I have always wanted a Defender and now I am in the position to buy one with a £7,000 budget (although I could stretch to 10K if I absolutely had to).

I live with my husband, our Rottie, Loki, three chickens and two cats. I don't live in the countryside but we often take dog out on jaunts to random countryside locations and my job means that I need a vehicle that I can chuck loads of stuff in the back of (bales of straw, animal feed, logs, etc) and not worry about scuffing interior fixtures and fittings or the odd scratch on the paintwork. I am rubbish at keeping vehicles clean and tidy and want something I don't have to be prissy about.

On paper, I realise that many of you may be thinking 'just get a disco' and don't get me wrong, the argument for a disco over a Defender when I won't be using it as a daily off-road workhorse makes perfect sense. However... I just love defenders and my heart has taken over!

Firstly, engine type. 200tdi, 300 tdi or td5? Here's my usage:

It would be my only vehicle.
My commute to work is only 5 miles each way, five days a week.
Infrequent motorway drives.
Infrequent towing.
Lots of weekend use to parks, rural locations but nothing I would class as 'off road' particularly.
I am not handy with a spanner and will not be servicing it myself (yet).

So, bearing in mind this kind of usage, what would I be best off with engine-wise?

Secondly, the chassis. Despite my research into chassis condition, I only seem to be able to find advice on how to identify a complete rust bucket that should be avoided or, in contrast, a gleaming example of well looked after steel. Consequently, I wouldn't know how to judge everything in between and therefore, how much more life it has left. Therefore, should I wait for one that has a galvanised chassis (which, if what I have read is accurate, will last for 40 years before starting to show signs of wear)?

Thirdly, despite at the moment me being inexperienced, I would, in fact, like to learn how to maintain and work on my Defender. Are there any clubs I could join who could help 'train me up'! It's hard to learn from scratch via forum only ( although a fantastic starting point and source of an amazing amount of experience and guidance). I would like to meet up with other Defender owners and try to learn via hands-on experience.

Lastly, I have read about people using veg oil to cut fuel costs on 300tdi's. How worth it is this route and has anyone got any further info on this?

In conclusion, I would like to say a huge thank you in advance for any information or guidance anyone is willing to take the time to give me. I very much appreciate it and look forward to your responses and becoming part of the Defender community! ☺��

Oh, I am going to look at these defenders on Tuesday. Any comments?

Land Rovers quality land rover 90 models, Land Rover sales

Thank again. Becky.

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mikescuba said:

I would strongly suggest two things. Take someone with you who knows Defenders. They will know what to check. And take a couple for a test drive to get a feel for them.
I would think a TD5 would be more suitable for you as they are a little more refined on the road. Be prepared to freeze in the winter, the heaters are lousy. A 5 mile commute will not get your engine up to temperature. I do at 15 mile trip and the engine only warms up when I'm almost there. Be prepared for water and drafts coming in around the doors. I have to adjust mine everything I give it a servicing. Servicing is fairly straight forward and if your a DIY type of person simple jobs can be done. I love mine and it works well for me here in the French countryside. My wife has a car but on the weekends when we go shopping etc she likes going in the Defender in spite of it being not as comfortable as the car. They are addictive. I have had mine for almost 6 years. Defenders look fashionable, it doesn't seem to matter if its and old one or not. Doesn't seem to matter if they get a few battle scars on them.

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crowmann said:

I never understand the 'heaters are lousy' issue.

I agree that if they are not 100% correct they will be feeble but if set up right they work well.

My own vehicle will blow warm air through after 3 miles in winter and be hot in ten. A lot of modern diesels are far slower to warm through.

Once you have set up the heater the biggest issue is draughts and insulation - get them sorted and a Defender heater is more than up to the job.

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