Defender 90?

flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
Any one have any experience with Defender 90's? A buddy of mine wants one, and asked me about their reliability and stock capabilities. Whats your input?
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Capability is exceptional. They are long travel and have good torque. They also have 32" tires from the factory, and a 3.31:1 T/Case gearing.

Reliability is better than most Land Rover products due to the simplicity of the design and years of refinement. They will have reliability similar to a Jeep Wrangler, which is not too bad IMO.

But, you don't buy a D90 for reliability, you buy them because they are SAFARI! Nothing says adventure like a D90 kitted out.

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This white D90 is owned by an Arizonan, Leo. Beyond impressive on the trail.
 

datrupr

Expedition Leader
I love the 90's, but my all time favorite has got to be the 110. I may make one of those my next adventure vehicle........ If I can find one. :D
 

gjackson

FRGS
110s are the best. And I say that because I took one 30,000 miles through Africa. Exceptional vehicle, only matched by the 78 series TLC.

As for a D90, capabilities are very good out of the box as has been mentioned. Only drawback I know of is the cost of parts and maintanence. Can get pretty expensive unless you do all the work yourself, and even then, the parts are pricey.

cheers

Graham
 

flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
Cool. I have been drooling over the 90's since i first saw one in Europe, covered in mud. I never saw one growing up in Wisconsin, and still have yet to see one out on the trails. My friend is pretty well off (lucky bastard!) and the price is not an issue. He just wants one as a play vehicle, and he thinks I know all about off road, while in all actuallity I am learning and will be learning for the rest of my life. I will have to direct him to this thread and show him what you all think! Thanks for your input.
 

gjackson

FRGS
You're welcome to point him my way. I don't know everything, but I do know enough to get me in trouble. ;-) Which is why I have a 110 and drive it to strange places on the planet whenever I can find the money.

cheers

Graham
www.africaoverland.org
 

Scott Brady

Founder
gjackson said:
110s are the best. And I say that because I took one 30,000 miles through Africa. Exceptional vehicle, only matched by the 78 series TLC.

The 110 is my all time favorite Land Rover. They can bring a smile to a kids face, and stop a grown man in his tracks.

Your 110 is just awesome!

Maybe when you have a few spare minutes, please post some pictures and a little information about your truck for us.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Graham,

I just looked at your site... You are climbing Kilimanjaro too :arabia:

Oh man... That is on my short list.
 

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flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
gjackson said:
You're welcome to point him my way. I don't know everything, but I do know enough to get me in trouble. ;-) Which is why I have a 110 and drive it to strange places on the planet whenever I can find the money.

cheers

Graham
www.africaoverland.org


Cool will do! Thanks and great site!
 

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datrupr

Expedition Leader
Glad to know that I am not the only here that drools over the 110. I have been wanting one for years and years now. I will have one one of these days. :D
 

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pangaea

Adventurer
I've owned a few different Land Rovers over the years, with my current vehicle being a 95 Discovery. I've always loved the D90s (my first rover was an AAYellow D90 soft top), and think that they're amazingly capable. But I would caution your friend about a couple of things before he picks up a 90.

1. I think they're somewhat over priced. Since they were imported for only a few years in the mid 90's, people tend to ask silly money for 10 year old vehicles. There are bargains to be had, but he should definitely shop around.

2. They're probably one of the most capable factory vehicles ever made. A lot of fun to wheel and fairly easy to modify. But, the NAS trucks live and die by their service schedules, which are pretty rigorous for a typical vehicle. Almost every time my truck broken, it was because of something that was past its service interval and I meant to get to it eventually. Keep up with it, and it'll be a reliable workhorse

3. Don't know where your friend lives, but the factory soft top sucks. Usually by the time its cold enough to put the top on, its shrunk to the point that it's a major battle to put it on. Don't know why they're so difficult, since they're made by Besttop who makes a decent top for the Jeep Wranglers. When you do get the top on, there are usually sizeable gaps between doors and the top etc. Not that bad if you live in an area where the temperatures are mild or predictable, but here in CO it can be a huge pain (not uncommon to have snow fall and temps in the 70s or 80s in the same month). On the other hand, the hard top is a pretty decent vehicle to go with.

When it came down to it, I figured a Discovery would meet my needs better since its lockable, has more load carrying capacity, greater cruising range, and is more comfortable. But I still think frequently about what a fun truck the 90 was....

I'm not trying to talk your friend out of the truck, it's just that I'd like for them to go in eyes wide open. It takes a certain personality to tolerate a Land Rover. ;-)

my 2 cents (and a little more)

Nathan Hindman
 

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Scott Brady

Founder
Nathan,

Great advice. I just wish all of us could purchase a 300tdi Discovery like yours...

Thanks for stopping in :ylsmoke:
 

pangaea

Adventurer
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on perspective) I actually don't have a Tdi under the hood on my Discovery. When it was engine swap time, I stumbled on a deal that was too good to pass up for a 4.6L engine. So although my fuel economy still sucks, at least I've got about 275 hp under the hood.
 

pangaea

Adventurer
...and another thing.

One more thing that I forgot to mention the other day about the Defender. If your friend gets a soft top Defender, and has the cash and the patience a Badge Coachworks soft top is a GREAT investment. Its a high quality top made of german twill canvas if I remember correctly, that will actually make owning a soft top Defender a pleasant experience.

They are about $2k, and take a few months to get, but its money well spent.

www.badgercoachworks.com/
 

Scott Brady

Founder
pangaea said:
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on perspective) I actually don't have a Tdi under the hood on my Discovery. When it was engine swap time, I stumbled on a deal that was too good to pass up for a 4.6L engine. So although my fuel economy still sucks, at least I've got about 275 hp under the hood.

Ooops, I thought yours had been swaped to diesel.
 

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