Land Rover Defenders

Llewllyn thank you! I have been keeping a eye on the MOD site.

I hate to tell you but that Landy looks like that all the time! It gets cleaned every weekend!!
 
I think that the Land Rover Defender is a great vehicle, I have an 08 plate defender, it has 6 gears, a Ford Transit engine and best of all my tax was only £180 for year because it is classed as a commercial vehicle. It is still very basic and not the best of vehicles to travel any distance, I use mine as an every day car/dog wagon/tower and find it more than adequate. As for safety, last Saturday I hit a sheet of black ice (I was driving slowly), toppled over and skated along on my right side for about 20 foot, bounced off a hedge and landed back on the wheels. Once I had checked it over I hopped back in (via the passenger door as drivers door had jammed shut) and drove off to a layby to await my husband to pick us up. I don't think that I would have come off quite so well in any other vehicle, all I had was a very shaken up spaniel, a bit of whip lash and bruised elbows, any other vehicle I don't think would have been driveable, admittedly the repair estimate is approx £9,000. I would always recommend a land rover after this.
 
Another vote here for the Defender. Had 2 range rovers before and didn't like them. Not practical enough and expensive if they need to see the doctor. Now have an 02 defender and love it. I treat it like a wheel barrow, it is FAB for towing, brilliant in the snow, and cheap on parts. BUT, make sure you get a turbo engine otherwise you will be crawling up hills slower than a juggernaut.
 
I love my Landie. My first 110 was 20 years old when I swapped it (and I got £500 more than I paid for it eight years ago) and had the usual Landie leaks etc and I did have one or two problems - eg the power steering went. Find a good Land Rover mechanic and use them as the parts are fairly cheap and if someone understands how they work, labour doesn't cost too much either.
I was hit from behind by someone who wrote off their car. No apparent damage to my old Landie at all, although it later transpired that the towball had been pushed in far enough to crack the diesel tank a tiny bit.
I've had the new Defender 110 with the Ford Transit engine for nearly three years and still adore it - does 30 to the gallon and has heated seats which is the best thing ever when you are driving soaking wet from the yard. Never been stuck in any conditions - mud, snow, floods etc. Go for it!
 
Its a pity that the Defender will be going out of production in Britain in 2012 as it cannot meet EU safety legislation on pedestrian impact.

Its achilles heel offroad though is that it will get stuck if you loose traction on a diagonal pair of wheels as the diff-lock is only on the transverse shaft (so diagonal pairs of wheels are locked together, not all 4). My Disco 3 has computer-controlled individual diff-locks, so can move with traction under only 1 wheel.
 
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