Would you swap?

Hypothetical question 

Would you swap a mint 2020 Jimny SZ5 for a pristine old model Defender?
(2014 with 40,000 miles)

My missus has had her Jimmy for 3 1/2 years but mentioned that she would like another Defender.

Obviously both vehicles have their merits but we swapped the last Defender for the Jimny because it kept needing work doing.

But now l've no longer got my 2005 110 l suppose looking after one Defender, rather than two, wouldn't be so bad.

What do people think. Sell the Jimny (l've been offered £26,000) and buy the 90, which is similar money, or keep it. 

I guess it's an impossible question to answer, which is why l've put it on here for more opinions.

lf we keep the Jimny l will need to change the tyres because we've had a couple of moments in the bad weather and l think it's affected my missus's confidence in the vehicle.

I've owned a few Defenders myself, so a few thoughts....
1. If I remember rightly 2014 would mean its a 2.2 Puma, rather than a 2.4 - which means the later DPF etc - these tend to give a lot more issues, especially if you typically do short runs (my 2.2 would need oil changes every 3,000 miles if I used it for a lot of local runs). Personally I would be looking to buy a slightly earlier 2.4 (or even better the last of the TD5s). I wouldn't own another 2.2.
2. You mentioned having moments in the Jimny and needing to change tyres - if you mean on the road, then unless you're running very aggressive Mts currently, and swapping to road tyres, I'm not sure how you'll improve the on road handling in bad weather - or have I missed the point?
3. If your wife is getting jinxy about the Jimny then I guess a Defender would give her a.lot more confidence - it does feel a lot safer place to be. £26k would buy a really nice late TD5 with some money over...

As this is a Jimny forum most would probably say keep the Jimny but if she's fallen out of love with the Jimny then its time to get rid but do be sure as I've known many to get rid only to miss it and want their car back. I would also agree with the comment above that depending on what moments your having with the Jimny then tires won't make a real difference to the car. Whilst I like how defenders look I just cannot get on with them. The inside felt cramped despite being bigger, turning circle awful and difficult to see out of although this was a commerical one with no side windows. I did like its low first gear, difflock and the pull of the engine though.

"The heart wants what the heart wants, else it does not care."
So there is your answer

 

lnteresting about the 2.2 having issues with short journeys. My wife commutes in her car and it involves a drive of around 4 miles in stop/start traffic.

The Defender TD5 heater was just about working by the time she got there.

The issues with the 2.4 is the Station Wagons are in the highest road tax category. The 2.2's were all classed as Commercial so it's much cheaper.

lt may be that we'd have to have another TD5 if we did change.

But they're all getting on a bit now. l wouldn't want to swap a Jimny that's done 15,000 miles for an old Defender with 100,000 on it.

There's lots of low mileage 2.2's about, refugees of the ULEZ

wrote:

Hypothetical question 

Would you swap a mint 2020 Jimny SZ5 for a pristine old model Defender?
(2014 with 40,000 miles)

My missus has had her Jimmy for 3 1/2 years but mentioned that she would like another Defender.

Obviously both vehicles have their merits but we swapped the last Defender for the Jimny because it kept needing work doing.

But now l've no longer got my 2005 110 l suppose looking after one Defender, rather than two, wouldn't be so bad.

What do people think. Sell the Jimny (l've been offered £26,000) and buy the 90, which is similar money, or keep it. 

I guess it's an impossible question to answer, which is why l've put it on here for more opinions.

lf we keep the Jimny l will need to change the tyres because we've had a couple of moments in the bad weather and l think it's affected my missus's confidence in the vehicle.

Depends really.

I love my Jimny, but a Defender is nice too. The Puma's should feel quite akin to the Jimny in many ways, such as comfort and refinement.

The biggest difference would be a lack of mod cons like LED headlights, AppleCar play, etc. Making the Defender feel older or more basic.

We have 2 Puma's on the farm, as 12 plate that is sporting a full tilt, but started as a pickup and a 65 plate hard top. The 2.2 is quite a bit more grunty than the Jimny and if you remap them they feel seriously rapid. But the gear change is clunky compared to the Jimny or even a Td5 Defender.

I personally miss the older dash and vents of the Td5 and earlier models. But a minor gripe.

The Puma's on the farm have been owned from new, not big mileage only about 35k between the two of them. But no issues at all other than a wonky heater duct from the factory on the 65 plate.

Jimny prices are strong at the moment. But who knows if they will stay like it. I'd guess the bubble will burst at some point. Defender prices are strong too, but have good history of being so and of course they aren't making them any more (well not this model). So I expect the longer term money is probably better in the Defender, but might be a close run thing. I guess you are in a good position that you are probably making money on the Jimny and should be able to buy a Defender depreciation free for the most part.







BTW - I know you've mentioned it before. And while I don't have a real issue with the Jimnys 2wd mode. I do think the Land Rover is superior in that it offers full time 4wd.