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Get a good Defender and it will be fine, Trouble is, most are now at least 15 years old, sometimes double that.
ln that time they've usually had about ten owners, been used and abused, often not looked after and rarely serviced, probably stolen recovered twice, washed once a year if they are lucky, and then people say that their recently purchased Defender "keeps giving trouble"
l've had five Defenders, the newest a 2006, and done about 200,000 miles
l only ever had to call the RAC once, for a failed alternator.
And it wasn't recovered, we made it to my local LR specialist with a booster pack attached.
But you still end up with a car which is noisy, leaky, cramped and uncomfy. Unless you need to tow a lot, I can't think of any reason that I'd want a Defender over a Jimny.
lt's true the Jimny is like a Defender but much more refined and quieter.
ln fact it's made me start looking at the Jeep Wrangler as a possible replacement for the Defender.
I have always liked the concept of the Defender but the build quality the poor seating position and the poor choice of fittings has put me off. The towing capacity of 3.5 ton was a requirement of the British Army so Land Rover said it could and that was that.
The phrase "poor build quality" does make me laugh.
Most Defenders have had the kind of use that would see other vehicles long ago recycled into baked bean cans.
I would replace "poor build quality" with "lack of investment by Land Rover"
The Defender was not given the investment it deserved, by the end of production it should have been a larger Gen 4 Jimny.
Despite this, get a good one that hasn't been thrashed round a quarry every weekend/spent a decade towing an Ifor Williams full of sheep across a field/launched boats into the sea all Summer at a caravan park and it can be a reliable companion.
Mine certainly has. But they need regular love and maintenance, unlike a modern car that can survive quite happily on one service a year if it's lucky and a trip to the drive through car wash twice a month.
I'd never buy a Defender myself. We've had a few, both new and used. All have had their fair share of problems. Chassis needing welding for the first MOT was a good one. Gearbox output shafts breaking, drive flanges wearing out, many driveshafts UJs replaced, CV joints, corroded wiring harnesses, door trims pulling off, ignition barrels wearing out. And that's ignoring the other stuff like they are terrible to drive, the heaters are terrible, the stereos are terrible, the wipers are terrible, the steering wheel is huge, they all jump out of low range, the seat bases wear out, the floor mats wear out, the door catches wear out, they rattle, they are slow, they are uneconomical. I could go on. It's a poor design built badly with cheap materials. There is no excusing that.
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