Defender Land Rover | The Iconic 4x4 Overland Vehicle

the iconic 4x4 vehicle

Land Rover Defender took explorers, filmmakers and adventurers to the end of the world and back. These offroad icons are reliable, easy to maintain and dont loose value.

Defender 90

Defender 110

Defender 130

Pick Up

Made for utility purpose and has a roof over head for 2-3 seats and open cargo area. Also available as Crew cab with open cargo area and 5 seats in the cab.

Station Wagon

Made for personal travel and can seat 7 to 12 people depending on the model. The most common are Defender 90 for 7 people and Defender 110 for 9.

Hard Top

The most basic Defender. Hard top has 2 doors and a rear load space, typically seats 2-3 people. Can be easily converted to soft-top roof.

2.5 DIESEL

2.5 NA DIESEL

First diesel engine to be used in a Defender is this 2.5 litre Naturally Aspired diesel. Design is same as the prior 2.25 litre from the SeriesLand Rover. This Naturally aspired engine has 51kW and therefore has issues to keep up with the modern traffic. As a result it is not a very good choice for daily use or overlanding. Most Defenders with this engine are considerably cheaper.

2.5 TURBO DIESEL

This 2.5 Turbo Diesel was with some small difference basically still the same engine as 2.5 NA, only with a Turbo charger. It produced 63kW and is therefore still quite weak for modern traffic. Most Defenders with this engine are considerably cheaper.

200 TDI

The 2.5 litre turbo diesel with direct injection was a big step forward for the Land Rover. The engine is still basically the same 4 cylinder design, as the engine from 60s, but on the contrary has direct injection, thus more torque, better response and is reliable.
Again, it has the older type LT77 transmission, hence has a more mechanical feel to it.

300 TDI

Whole new 4 cylinder engine designed by Land Rover. Produces 83kW of power and with the new R380 manual 5 speed transmission it is the best option a diesel Defender can offer. The 300tdi has plenty torque on low revs and good cruising speed in high revs. Therefore most over landers pick this engine as their number one choice. At the same time, the engine is still simple, reliable and easy to repair. In addition it can be easily tuned and produce more power if necessary.

V8 Petrol

V8 Petrol 3.5 litre Rover engine is with its 100kW is the most powerful engine used in a Defender. The v8 Defenders are very rare. Only few of them were sold, due to bad fuel economy. The big petrol engine though makes it a popular choice for collectors and for America import.

2.5 Petrol

2.5 petrol is basically the same 4 cylinder as the 2.25 used since the 60s. It’s a reliable engine, easily maintainable. Usually can be bought for less than the diesels, as it lags power (63kW) and has a bad fuel economy.

What price can you expect

200tdi, 300tdi and V8 engines are valued most. Price for an unrestored well maintained vehicle can raise up to 20 thousand Euro. Restored vehicles vary from 40 000 to 200 000. Workhorse and project vehicles can be bought from 5 to 15 thousand euros. You have to consider what you want from a vehicle, to make a good purchase which will meet your expectations and save potentially tens of thousands euros. Choose wisely what you expect from the car

1
Condition of body and chassis
Dents, rust, scratches, paint job
2
Mechanical condition
Noises, vibrations, rattle, clanking, oil leaks
3
Accessories
Roof rack, spare wheel carrier, lift, bumper, winch and other..
4
Service history
Owner count, origin, service history, maintenance and other..
5
Type and model
Model, engine, wheel base, special vehicle, and other..

Defenders arerustyleakingloud...but millions love them

Water leaks

Rain leaks from doors, windows or roof.

Oil leaks

Leaking differentials, transfer box, engine or gearbox

Loudness

Drivetrain noises, clanking, vibrations or steering wobble

Dents and scratches

Imperfect body work and paint-job due to utility purposes

Some rust

Rusty door frames, footwells or c-pillar

Easy to maintain

Older Defenders are DIY serviceable with basic toolkit.

Big community

You will become a member of strong world-wide community

Value

Defenders do not loose their value over time like other vehicles.

Passion

You and your family will love the Defender

Adventure

You will experience lifelong memories and great adventures!

Working with Defenders has taught me, that big issues can be avoided by taking your time to fully inspect the vehicle and also know what you are looking for. Our Scouts use precise inspection methodology which helps us identify most of the major issues prior purchase.

Vlado

@DefenderScout

CONDITION

Take your time to understand your needs, consider choices and choose wisely.

Its good to know what you are looking to get from your Defender, because it is common that people spend literally tens of thousands for renovating their Defenders only to find themselves with a slightly better car than prior renovation. Therefore if you want a realy good vehicle which runs smooth and looks good it is very important to buy a Defender in as good condition as possible.
If you don’t care too much about the outer look and want the vehicle mainly for utilitarian purposes, for example for work, towing and carrying stuff, there is more than few vehicles which can be bought for a really good price. This being said, there is only one important criteria here, which is minimum rust. Remember that repairing rust can become a real issue over the next few years.

DefenderScout driving home after buying a Defender in South Europe

A1 condition

Factory like condition

Unrestored Defender, with no dents, no scratches and no rust, minor or non mechanical repairs to be made, well maintained with full service history. factory like condition is hard to find these days.

Workhorse

Over Land vehicle / workhorse

Reasonably priced vehicle in good overall condition. Dents, scratches and mechanical repairs are expected. Body and chassis rust is better to avoid.