newbie questions

Hi I'am new to this forum but would like toast a few questions if that's oK?

I have a budget of about 10 or 11 grand maybe a bit more and I naively thought that it would be quite a simple process of looking on the internet and choosing a few to go look at but its just made me more confused. My original thought would be to buy the newest vehicle with the least amount of miles. but have been told to give the puma engines a miss by some one with a TD5. I like the apparent value for money on the ex utility ones does anyone have any recommendations Puma or TD5 or is that opening a can of worms?
Also is it appropriate to ask about a vendor who has 3 for sale but can't find anything about him on the internet. He sound nice and legit and has sent me emails with details etc.

Mike

jboo1111 said:

Hi I'am new to this forum but would like toast a few questions if that's oK?

I have a budget of about 10 or 11 grand maybe a bit more and I naively thought that it would be quite a simple process of looking on the internet and choosing a few to go look at but its just made me more confused. My original thought would be to buy the newest vehicle with the least amount of miles. but have been told to give the puma engines a miss by some one with a TD5. I like the apparent value for money on the ex utility ones does anyone have any recommendations Puma or TD5 or is that opening a can of worms?
Also is it appropriate to ask about a vendor who has 3 for sale but can't find anything about him on the internet. He sound nice and legit and has sent me emails with details etc.

Mike

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Don’t pay for anything without going and looking at it.

Personally, I would be looking at a sorted TDI rather than either TD5 or Puma, but like I said, that’s my personal choice.

Look in the sales section here. There’s a very nice 110.

Get someone who knows defenders to go with you to look. There are one's that look great on first view but are poor in other areas and then there are others that look a bit tat but are solid vehicles.

My tuppence is this: Do a briggs myers personality test online first. Know what type of person you are first (I'm not joking here). You might be the type who spins out when a few things go wrong with it over the space of 6 months, coupled with tendency to think in black and white terms, in which case you won't recover from the initial souring. You might be the type who only needs a solid chassis like Fred Flintstone's to feel great in your tratter (a bit like someone who is happy as long as the Christmas tree is great ... because the baubles and lights can be changed). If you're a perfectionist, you're pretty much f&^ked for 10k. I'm ruled my heart, fall in love, then (for a few weeks) panic, wondering if I've done the right thing. Then emotionally I become loyal, in sickness and health (but you can still drive other cars if you want). I'm not a soft touch, watch my pennies, look for the best price ... but I'd do anything for my tratter. I'm being buried in a field, sat in my tratter entombed in a cargo container which will have air in it and no soil but it will leak. Pay the ten 10k, forget you've paid the 10k once you've bought it, then spend whatever the tratter you've bought needs to keep yourself in love with what you'll love forever (if a tratter is indeed for you).

Mackerel is right, lots of people love the look and ethos of of a defender but living with one is another thing. It's nothing li,e owning a mondeo for example. Remember all Dealers will be lovely people right up until the moment your cash is in their bank account. Buying any vehicle is a risk, you only have to spend half an hour reading the rangerover section on here to realise that. The amount of money you spend doesn't always guarantee a good buy.

Col

jboo1111 said:

My original thought would be to buy the newest vehicle with the least amount of miles.

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I would completely disagree with this. On a defender (unlike nearly all other vehicles) age and mileage is irrelevant, and it is condition which is paramount. Other than the engine choice which is age dependent and personal preference, there is no meaningful difference between the original and the newest. As an extreme example you would be better off getting a 35 year old defender with 350k miles on the clock which has had a tdi transplant, new chassis, full rebuild etc (like mine), then a 4 year old puma the 30k on the clock which has spent its entire life on a farm by the coast launching boats, has never had a spanner put to it, needs a new chassis, and all engine/gearbox oils are milky sludge.

You do not say if you are looking or a 90 or a 110, but I assume 110 as you say you are looking ex utility, at that budget you may be able to get an older vehicle which has a galv chassis, and if you can that is what I would be looking at. Chassis and bulkhead condition are paramount because everything else is easy to change and replace.

Theres a good few completely rebuilt old landies out there for 10k. Probably had 15k put into them but they'll never get that money back. That's what I'd be looking for. Galvanized chassis and possibly bulkhead.