Reliability

Hello from the USA, my daughter will be moving to the UK this Fall to attend the RVC for training as a veterinary surgeon.
I've always admired the Defender from afar, however availability here in the States is very limited.
I'm entertaining thoughts of possibly obtaining a Defender for her to drive during her training.
Looking online, I believe I could find one no more than ten years old with less than 75k miles within my budget.
My concerns are how reliable this would prove for her? British automobiles have a reputation of unreliability here in the US, deserved or otherwise.
Ignoring the economics and practicality of such a decision, based purely on reliability would I regret such a decision with a relatively lightly used ten year old Defender?
Thanks.

Brad

Just my opinion; Many if not most Defenders have had hard lives working on farms, in quarries, pulling heavy trailers, military and public services. They lead hard lives and the survivors end up in the hands of enthusiasts who mostly know how to maintain them and get an extended lifespan for them. Any ten year old vehicle will need more maintenance than a newer one, Defenders more so as they have a habit of corroding. If you get one expect big and regular garage bills if you can't maintain it yourself. They are also getting stolen a lot in the uk. Not trying to put you off, just being realistic.

As much as I admire all my LR family (they get expensive from a distance, when you cant turn your own spanner’s)
And must say have been on the whole great cars(with the odd I hate you moment)

I also admire you wanting to buy your daughter a good “vets transport”.
But!!!! you knew it was coming.
Who’s going to check it out prior to buying?
Who’s going to fix it when it does go wrong?
How important is it as daily transport?
Have you checked insurance cost?
How does your daughter feel about driving one, has she ever?

Some people don’t enjoy them at all and asking on here if we like to drive them will get you a slightly biased answer
I am not saying there are not reliable 1s out there and certainly you are getting up in the rusty range of age, but this doesn’t always equate to reliability. Get a good one and it will be great
I am not fully up on the newer models but I am sure you will only need to do a quick search to find they have problems, but would add you never seem to read the good times.
I suppose what I am trying to say is be very carful what you buy, get from somebody very reputable and get some good warranty, and hopefully your daughter will have 5years ( don’t know how long) of falling in love with a great car.

But also be prepared you to open your wallet

I will not even suggest any other vehicles you know the choices

Lots to think through and very difficult from afar.

Hope this helps, probably just makes it more confusing

J

Are you sure it’s not you who wants the defender in your life?a defender has been my daily drive for many years and much as I love it, maintenance is never ending though done by my self.
I can’t help thinking if she doesn’t need (or want)a defender buy her a vw golf or similar.

Uncle STan said:

Hello from the USA, my daughter will be moving to the UK this Fall to attend the RVC for training as a veterinary surgeon.
I've always admired the Defender from afar, however availability here in the States is very limited.
I'm entertaining thoughts of possibly obtaining a Defender for her to drive during her training.
Looking online, I believe I could find one no more than ten years old with less than 75k miles within my budget.
My concerns are how reliable this would prove for her? British automobiles have a reputation of unreliability here in the US, deserved or otherwise.
Ignoring the economics and practicality of such a decision, based purely on reliability would I regret such a decision with a relatively lightly used ten year old Defender?
Thanks.

Brad

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They are quite reliable. But like regular maintenance. And all jobs are nuts and bolts.

To give you a comparison. They should offer similar durability and dependability as an XJ Cherokee. And similar comfort and driving appeal as a YJ Wrangler. Only slower, more noisy, and less creature comforts.

Wimblowdriver said:

Just my opinion; Many if not most Defenders have had hard lives working on farms, in quarries, pulling heavy trailers, military and public services. They lead hard lives and the survivors end up in the hands of enthusiasts who mostly know how to maintain them and get an extended lifespan for them. Any ten year old vehicle will need more maintenance than a newer one, Defenders more so as they have a habit of corroding. If you get one expect big and regular garage bills if you can't maintain it yourself. They are also getting stolen a lot in the uk. Not trying to put you off, just being realistic.

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This may have been more true decades ago. But many many Defenders from the Td5 onwards have been bought and used as lifestyle vehicles from new.

Get her something japanese.

300bhp/ton said:

But many many Defenders from the Td5 onwards have been bought and used as lifestyle vehicles from new.

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True. I own such a vehicle. But it wants to corrode same as any Defender and needs regular maintenance to keep on top of things to keep it reliable. I am fortunate to be able to do what is necessary myself, I would not like to have to pay big garage bills if I could not do it. Above all I am an enthusiast lucky enough to have got a good unabused example.

Bit left field here, why not hire one for a trial runner for a month if experience is needed. Exported Land Rovers will be expensive because of the import restrictions imposed on genuine vehicles. A few reports in many LR Mags told of horror stories of Modified Landies being scrapped. This makes the import market tight. Defender are rugged and so are Discoveries too but cheaper alternative with more comfort. Freelander are ideal for mobile Hairdressers and E'Joke are??????????

Hi Uncle STan,
My 110 Hard Top is of 1989 vintage, with a 2.5l normally aspirated engine, and until recently all maintenance and tuning was done by me at home, in the street, and have even had people queueing up in the street to have their N/A engines tuned.
I paid to have a galvanised chassis fitted by a garage, and since they got their hands on her, she has had all sorts of very expensive things go 'suddenly wrong'!
The only thing thay they were not allowed to touch was the engine, which I rebuit around 12 years ago, and she runs like a sewing machine, delivering 30+ mpg with a top speed of around 85 mph, and she will cruise all day on the motorway at 70 without missin a beat, returning 30 - 32mpg. She isn't noisy as a normal conversation can take place without shouting, and the stereo CD/radio doesn't need to be up higher than 20/90 (whatever that means!)
Her rubber is 750x16's on standard steel wheels at 28psi front and 32psi rears.
So if your daughter is introduced to and gets to know her neighbourhood Tratterers, she will learn to not only spanner and fix anuimals, she will learn proper spannering on her Tratter, and soon find that she loves them equally as much ... but the Tratter is loved a little bit more equally than the others!
Yoiu may gather that I am NOT BIASED in the slightest

Get her a Suzuki Jimny, it will be ideal if she likes the boxey looking 4x4 type vehicles.

Col

I like my land rovers BUT and theres always a but they always need somehting doing to them, now on the other hand the wife is now on her 4th Audi A6 3.0tdi quattro which will do most if not all things a vet will need and her cars have so far never needed anything apart from normal basic servicing all done by me.

I dont know what a 10 yr old defender costs? but her latest Audi is a 2013 model with 70k and cost 16k.

Uncle STan said:

Hello from the USA, my daughter will be moving to the UK this Fall to attend the RVC for training as a veterinary surgeon.
I've always admired the Defender from afar, however availability here in the States is very limited.
I'm entertaining thoughts of possibly obtaining a Defender for her to drive during her training.
Looking online, I believe I could find one no more than ten years old with less than 75k miles within my budget.
My concerns are how reliable this would prove for her? British automobiles have a reputation of unreliability here in the US, deserved or otherwise.
Ignoring the economics and practicality of such a decision, based purely on reliability would I regret such a decision with a relatively lightly used ten year old Defender?
Thanks.

Brad

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Would be fine accept a Land Rover is NOT a good choice of vehicle for living in London, especially not in Camden/Mornington crescent where RVC is. Get her a bike and a Toyota Aygo and she’ll thank you for it. Or don’t get a car at all if she’s staying in London. Maybe useful for out of town placements in later years.