Hi there. New to this forum and joined to ask you knowledgeable people a question!
i have hankered after a defender for years. I have owned a few classics and am reasonably handy, and am looking to get one as my daily driver. My question to you guys is this; is 10k a realistic budget for a solid mechanically sound vehicle? I have noticed values creeping up and the handful ive looked at have had issues. i need four seats with three point belts to ferry the family around but open minded about fitting seats if required, although obviously price will need to be factored in, Am not stupid and realise i wont get a concourse show winner, i dont want one. just a functional car for ferrying kids, bikes, furniture, building materials etc around the doors. Am i realistic ? its a lot of cash but rough defenders are on the market for (what i think) is daft money! I welcome your thoughts.

Welcome

jewals said:

Hi there. New to this forum and joined to ask you knowledgeable people a question!
i have hankered after a defender for years. I have owned a few classics and am reasonably handy, and am looking to get one as my daily driver. My question to you guys is this; is 10k a realistic budget for a solid mechanically sound vehicle? I have noticed values creeping up and the handful ive looked at have had issues. i need four seats with three point belts to ferry the family around but open minded about fitting seats if required, although obviously price will need to be factored in, Am not stupid and realise i wont get a concourse show winner, i dont want one. just a functional car for ferrying kids, bikes, furniture, building materials etc around the doors. Am i realistic ? its a lot of cash but rough defenders are on the market for (what i think) is daft money! I welcome your thoughts.

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Hi and welcome. I suppose my response would be that £10k is a good budget, and you should get a decent motor for that. But you may have to compromise in some areas depending upon what your expectations are?
Have a look at the for sale section, some vehicles within your budget.
Good luck with your search.

Cheers. I thought i was being realistic but the ones ive seen have had chassis/bodywork/mechanical issues. The only criteria are four proper seats (or the ability to have four within budget). Not necessarily got to be a county, the kids can look out of the front or back windows! I will keep looking!

jewals said:

Cheers. I thought i was being realistic but the ones ive seen have had chassis/bodywork/mechanical issues. The only criteria are four proper seats (or the ability to have four within budget). Not necessarily got to be a county, the kids can look out of the front or back windows! I will keep looking!

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The kids don’t need windows, they are to busy goggling at toktick, whatsup and twitting.

Hello and welcome

Hi and welcome!

As mentioned, 10k is a decent budget. Be warned that buying a defender is not like buying a normal car. Buy on condition, not necessarily age or mileage. The important bits to check are the chassis and bulkhead, both of which rust and are expensive to replace. Also check engine and chassis numbers are present and correct as there are lots of stolen Defenders around. An HPI check is money well spent too.

Your budget should get you a decent Tdi model or an early Td5. A genuine station wagon with rear seats will command top price, but you can buy one with the windows and seats retrofitted or do it yourself. A galvanised chassis will make a defender more desirable but will add more to the purchase price.

There’s lots of buying advice online and good advice on here. One more point, if you haven’t driven one before, I’d suggest driving one first. Sounds obvious, but they don’t drive anything like “normal” cars too and aren’t to everyone's taste! And if you do get one, invest in some decent security measures too, they’re popular with thieves!

Let us know how you get on.

Welcome to the forum