[Em135eye]

Deposit paid on a 57 reg Land Rover Defender 110 XS (meaning it has a few "extras" like heated seat, aircon, etc that most cars have as standard!) with 30k miles on the clock.

So yes we have bought a vehicle with:

A mere 120bhp
That's crap on fuel
Pretty awful on the road
overpriced
a whopping 295g/km
Maxes out at 85mph

But we don't care - we FINALLY have a Defender.

My (limited and "realistic") perfect garage in now complete!

[davyk31]

Sounds good, any pics?

[rogerxp]

Does the 'XS' refer to it's weight

[F31-340i]

No I think XS refers to the VED - £435/year. Ouch.

I guess 110 means its a 5 dr - what colour? Pics!

[Em135eye]

XS means top spec - but in Land Rover speak it means you get wheels and windows.

Actually you get traction, ABS, heated seats, electric windows (yes this is only on the top spec model), aircon and a few other comically basic items!

Davy - being delivered in two weeks :



ajd - yep, over £400 a year tax - YIKES!!

It's a 5 door with 5 seats - you can get two more but we wanted loads of loadspace.

Oh and on the XS you get these two - the "convenience" pack - remote central locking and electric windows!
Cold climate pack - heated seats and windscreen - LOL!

[xenon]

Heated windscreen? Is it a 'hotwire' system?

[Em135eye]

No - you stick your hands on it and wait for it to warm up.

[JLR1969]

Just sold our 2008 Defender 90 XS it had 15k on the clock and we got £18,100 for it. Only lost £400 in the year we had it.

Everyone loves the looks (90 not the 110) but awful to drive and live with, not very reliable and leaked water, dealer tried to fix but failed. They go anywhere and never get stuck in most conditions.

Glad it's gone and Heather has got it out of her system.

I would guess after a year of ownership you will want out.

Good Luck!

[xenon]

Only asked.

[creepy coupe]

When I went with a mate to collect his new Disco, they had a defender in the showroom, with leather and metalic paint for £25k, couldn't see the point of either.

You've gotta want one bad.

[squeezebm]

think i'll stick with a vw caddy

[beemerbird]

First of all, the title of your thread is arguably wrong - the Defender is NOT a car, it is the original utility vehicle.

Don't ever think of them as a car so forget the extras and all those 'creature' comforts actual cars have. Bit like how some folks will never understand pure sports cars, just opposite ends of the scale lol.

A vehicle that holds its value better than any of our cars ever will, does exactly what it says on the tin, is seen in virtually every corner of the globe in the most bizarre and extreme places and is respected by millions.

Wonder what other vehicle can boast that 75% ever built are still running and operational!

Not my cup of tea being a car enthusisast but imo you've bought a vehicle that deserves its well respected image and boy how so many TRY and copy.

If I wanted such a vehicle for the purpose to which it was designed for and NOT the school run or mainly road work, then the Defender would be it.

Good choice IMO.

[Em135eye]

Cheers Beemerbird! And glad at least one person "understands!"

We need something to tow well, do fairly extreme off roading and be able to carry loads of kit.
Last week we were towing trees we'd chainsawed down across the garden and the Jimny struggled. It's also not got enough towing ability.

You are right to point out that they hold their value extremely well - far better than any BMW will ever do.

Anyway we like them - I've drive 1000s of miles in them for a Geotec Engineering job, wife's family have had three (one V8 110, two TDI 90 pickups - wife took her driving test in one) so plenty of experience of them.

Xenon - and I only answered in a tongue in cheek manner - is that not allowed?!

JLR - did you genuinely get it as a workhorse or as a big "people carrier?" If the latter, it wouldn't do the job well at all. If the former, not a lot beats them.

Come the snow (if it does), the Defender will do very nicely.

God some of you are miserable sods - barely a word of shared excitement. Just moaning and bleating. Cheer up some of you - it's terribly dull being so downbeat. Or is it not "cool" to be positive?

[beemerbird]

Oh I understand Matt! My other half Steve loves his Series Landies (now drive one of those and it's an experience you'll never forget lol), he's done up about 15 over the years, stuck Rover V8 engines in them etc and had a couple of 110 Defenders.

I've lost count of the number of times his Landies have been called upon to do all sorts of carrying, towing and generally mucky jobs. It really is mind blowing how many Landy enthusiasts are out there world wide, seriously we've met people from America to Iceland over the years. Those vehicles cross social boundaries and language!! And god knows how many businesses in the UK are kept going making spares and aftermarket gear for every single model ever made!

Without wishing to sound negative, in this months Land Rover Owners International mag there is a lengthy feature about the alarming number of Defenders being stolen, mainly for parts. We know of a bloke locally who had his knicked couple of months ago. Police found it at Thorne with the floor out ready to take out the gearbox. The magazine article pointed out that even nice rural areas are being targeted ie. Wiltshire, as the Police there are advising farmers to be more vigilant. One positive in the article is that a more modern Defender with a tracker fitted was traced by the chopper coppers to South Yorks (no surprise there!!) were a cache of Landies and bits were found - the bloke is now in jail! The tracker helped 'track' other peoples stolen Landies basically.

Not saying for one minute yours will be at risk but I thought forewarned is forearmed perhaps.

Love the colour you've gone for btw.

[squeezebm]

[F31-340i]

Originally Posted by 335diesel

God some of you are miserable sods - barely a word of shared excitement. Just moaning and bleating. Cheer up some of you - it's terribly dull being so downbeat. Or is it not "cool" to be positive?

I asked for pics - which I think counts as enthusiam.

I like em.

They always remind me of a holiday driving a hired 1980s Suzuki SJ410 with no roof across the sand dunes in Lanzarote. Agricultural - but FUN!

[Em135eye]

sorry ajd - you and davy were cool too - cheers!

Well the car it's replacing is a Jimny (sort of SJ410) which has done sterling work - amazing off road, just getting a bit small. Oddly enough, my family and I went to Lanzarote when I was 8 then 12 and hired an SJ both times!

Think running costs of the 110 will be a LOT more than the Jimny but we'll have to live with that.

Beemer - yep, you "get" it and then some. Splendid!

Pretty safe here (extremely hard to find, only access is up a 1 in 3 100 yard long driveway unless you have a helicopter!) but will be ultra cautious when out and about. Always handy to be pre-warned. Hmm - better get an insurance quote too - haven't even asked our insurers how much more it will cost!

[Dr Dave]

and it can tow 3.5 tonnes, yey!

Good vehicle, I like it. Good choice.

[davyk31]

If someone has found a vehicle that they clearly have wanted and been searching for then I'm excited for them. Just because it isn't everyones cup of tea isn't reason to be negative, its what 335d wants and needs and thats great.
Never worry about expensive tax, my X5 is £400 plus, you write the cheque one day in the year and for the other 360 odd days you love your vehicle.

[dxb335d]

How much was it?!

[Em135eye]

Carlos - £21k

They gave a fair price for the Jimny too - i.e. more than a quid.

The poor sales guy has to drive it from Surrey to Cornwall then take the Jimny back - not fun at all!

The cars are made for very short distances on road!

[v8 boy]

always liked the Defender, got any more pics?