Head turning D90 stories.

[Cyborg]

We all love our D90s for various reasons. Some love them more for the offroading prowess and others more for their looks. I think regardless of our main reasons for owning them we all appreciate the attention we get from people when we are out and about.

In the short time that I have owned mine I have several noteworthy stories.

One day I come out of a grocery store and there is a Jeep Cherokee parked next to me. As I approach a guy jumps out and asks me if the D90 is mine. I assure him it is mine as I am putting groceries in it. This guy spends the next 15 minutes telling me how much he admires it blah blah etc. He wants to know everything about it including how much it costs. i give him a ball park figure and he shakes his head. I guess his wife is driving a Disco and he just got himself the Jeep. He says if he had known he could have gotten a 7 year old D90 for the same price as his new Jeep he would have. He looked like he wanted to cry as I got in and drove away. Poor Jeepin Bastard. ;)

Another day i am in a different grocery store and as I come out a Jeep Wrangler pulls up with 3 teenage guys in it. Let me describe the vehicle as "Confused" . It apparently could not make up it's mind if it wanted to be an offroad vehicle or a bling-bling street rappers pimp mobile. Anyway, these guys jump out and circle the vehicle and are are telling me my vehicle is "Sick" and "Tight" not to mention "Epic"I tried to explain to them that I had just cured the waterpump "Sickness" it had and the new one was in fact on there tight.:grin You should have seen them practically dancing around it. Quite a sight for several minutes.

Cherokee and Wrangler drivers...are we starting to see a pattern here?

My favorite one though is a time I was driving by the front of a grocery store and I saw a dad walking toward the front door with his 2 year old son in tow. The kid may have been 3, I am not sure but he had that just learned to walk wino type stagger in his step so clearly a very young guy. Any how , as I approach this kid is staring at my rig as I drive by. Lil guy is practically breaking his neck as dad pulls him on. As I pass behind them the kid snaps his head around straining the other way to check it out. He then begins to fight against dad so he could keep looking.

It was very cute and if dad had stopped to look I probably would have stopped to offer the lil guy a ride in this amazing vehicle. Dad was oblivious.

That story makes me want to keep one of those shirts we have all seen that says"Future Land Rover driver" in the truck to give out to lil Rover nuts like him.

Land Rover Defender 90... The offical 4X4 of 2 year old boys in Zig Zag Oregon!!

There are a lot of other less significant stories..lots of people stopping me to ask about the snorkel etc. I had a guy in the new est Range Rover give me a thumbs up once. That was cool to have guy in a $65,000 vehicle showing appreciation.

So lets hear some other peoples stories......

Cyborg

[mhansen]

Larry-
Great topic--getting away from the flame throwing contests.

At a Land Rover Centerville (Utah) "wheels" event in Moab I got a "Nice Jeep" comment from a newbe Disco II owner.

Last month in downtown Aspen I got a "Nice Hummer" comment from an Ski bunny.

[rover4x4]

some dood asked me if it was a hummer once? I was at the bank once and this guy was staring it down and ran over the curb... but people always stare..

[OCD90]

At a gas station a few weeks back, a guy next to me asked, "Is that the new small Hummer?"

Around the same time, my girlfriend's roomate's new guy-friend was trying to be the "cool guy" when he met me for the first time and said, "Sweet Jeep, Bro. I used to own that one. It's a 1975, right?" At the same time, the girls responded, "It's a Land Rover!" He felt like a tool...definitely.

[Art Vigil]

Besides "nice Jeep" I've had:
"dat a Hummer?"
"Is that a Rambo-jeep?"
"Going on a safari?"

At a stoplight: "what is that?"
me: "uh, Defender, Land Rover Defender"
stranger: "zat a Tie-ate-uh (Toyota)?"
me: "no, Land Rover"
stranger: "yeah Tie-ate-uh"
me: "yeah" <smile and drive away>

I've also had a couple of people assume it's a much older restored vehicle. They look at me like I'm lying when I say it's a '97 model year.

[Nobrega]

I was driving on the highway back from cottage country with my girlfriend in the car. She doesn't appreciate the Defender as much we do(i.e.she thinks it's loud and uncomfortable). But as we are driving, this lexus speeds up behind us and starts honking. He pulls up beside us and the two guys in the car start waving and giving the thumbs up they REALLY were showing their appreciation. For the next ten minutes, they go infront of us and look behind them, they go behind us and look at the back of the D 90 and keep circling the car, looking from all angles. This is at 120 kph mind you. Then they gave the final wave and drove off. That's what it took for my girlfriend to finally realize how great these Rovers are. :grin



Another time, my Defender was parked outside my house. I was doing some work near one of the front windows and saw this white bulked up jeep drive by, slow down and back up beside it. There were I think 4 guys in the jeep all oggling at it. My sister was just coming in the door and said "Well those guys like your Car!". Then after realizing that we say them they drove off.

It's truely special

[Burke]

While in a very long check out line in the garden section of Home Depot yesterday I see this 20 yr old employee come racing around the corner from the parking lot with a frantic look on her face. She said "does anyone know whose yellow Land Rover that is out there?" I slowly raised my hand, picturing a mini-van smashed up against it... She said "dude, that is the sweetest thing I have ever seen!" With about 20 people in line listening and watching, she had me tell the whole history of the D90. She then said "about $85,000 right?" I smiled and said yep!

[Tawayama]

I love it! Hehe, those stories are classic.

Here's my best one.

When I had my 109 SW (alright, it's not a D90, but give me some leeway), I was living in Portland. I was shooting film at the time and had to go downtown to PhotoCraft (Portland's best film lab) nearly every day to drop off or pick up film.

There is a paid parking lot right across the street from their building and I would park there to run in and do my business.

One of the guys that parked cars there when he saw me pull in for the first time was going crazy. This guy was very very dark black, and said that he was from Nairobi and learned how to drive in Land Rovers.

From then on he was the only guy that got to park my truck. In fact, he was the only one that knew how to start it and drive it correctly.

It's the little things that count.

I can't tell you how many times I get the 'are you going on safari' comment (course the safari stickers don't hurt), or the 'is that a Hummer?' question.

My next plates will be 'NTAHMR'. Will be getting them this fall as we are moving to Utah, so I'm kind of looking forward to new plates.

I got waved at by a very enthusiastic RRC owner today going the opposite direction, andd about a week ago I had a Mini-Cooper full of HOT chicks from Utah down on spring break ogling the RRC LWB that's all tricked out, giving me the thumbs up.

People stare at the CrewCab so much I had to start pretending not to notice them. Every now and then someone will REALLY crane their neck aroud to check it out.

The guys in the jacked up F350's are the best. They pull up sllloooowwww and pretend not to care. Hehe.

:)

[Cyborg]

It is funny how I can get used to having people stare at the vehicle when I am driving it. It is so common now that I absolutely expect it. Sometimes I find that people are not looking and I get puzzled by this....I then realize I am driving my girlfriends Jetta.......Dohh!!

My girlfriend used to have a 4wd Ranger with a slight lift. We got her a Jetta for economy but she sometimes misses being "Up there". When she drives the Rover she is definitely Up there and she really enjoys all the looks from the guys. My Rover is pretty well equipped and I think guys find it confusing to see a cute little lady driving a big mean Rover.:confused

She did not have the slightest clue that this Rover was so special until she started riding in it and seeing all the looks we get. It is now a game we play, spotting the gawkers. (Ever play spot the gawkers??)

She then did not understand what a serious off road performer it was either. Until the day came when we were driving through a snowy mountain pass. I pull a full size Dodge truck out of the snowy ditch(with my lil'Rover) and then proceed to drive directly through his ruts he was stuck in without spinning a wheel.(She called me a show off.... why??)Did I mention that my cousin was in the back seat?? Yes he left his Cherokee back where the snow started getting deep.....Hahahahaaa!

My only slight disappointment is that it is by far mostly guys checking it out. Have had a few ladies show appreciation but it is not proving to be the chick magnet I was hoping it would be. I guess it is not fluffy--bling-bling enough??

Larry

[rover4x4]

long live the D-90........ my sorrow's to those that dont have one

[DJ Menasco]

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with a girl said my Defender was down right righteous! I was at 31 Flavors last night. :grin Just kidding Torrence! I just couldn't resist!

However..........I was quietly reading at Barnes and Noble a few Saturdays ago (the one by Janzen Beach Larry) when the store clerk reminded me in an "Apu-ish" manner that I was in fact not in a library and to put both the LRM & LRO down. He thanked me and asked me to "Come Again!" Oh well. After leaving I really wanted to go back in and get some closure on the anecdotal cartoon they run every issue. Man I wish I spoke British so I could grasp those jokes, but I laugh anyway in order to keep up the appearance as if I knew what I was reading.

Anyway, I walked out the front door to where I was parked and a father with his young son, about six or so, just exited their VW van. The two began to stare down the D90. The son asked, "Dad! What the hell is that?" The father replied, "Well, son that is the biggest piece of gas guzzling shit England ever squeezed out of it aristocratic ass! Do you have any idea what this instrument of death does to our environment son?�h He then proceeded to yell additional obscenities at the D90 and to the all-mighty whilst transforming his face to a tomato-like red. It was very obvious that I shouldn't interrupt his speech. Meanwhile, his son joins in by marching over to a tree where he firmly removed a switch and began to accost the tires on the D90. Luckily, he was too small to damage anything.

Nonetheless, I was baffled. I didn't even know how to approach this situation. Should I grab the kid? I didn't want to do that. That was his kid, not mine, plus his father was extremely irritated. By now a crowd had gathered and the father took notice. Still in his perturbed state he took advantage of the scene and demanded to know whose Defender this was or he was going to take his tire-iron to it. I thought to myself, �gO-explicative! How am I going to get away with this one without being on the receiving end of that man�fs fists or worse his tire-iron?�h For some odd reason I spoke up, �gIt that guys�h as I pointed to the clerk that had kicked me out of the book store previously. I could barely keep a strait face.

The father snatched up his son and bursted into the store yelling and screaming at the clerk. I wanted to stay and watch, but jumped into the D90 like my rear-end was on fire! I inserted the keys and firmly turned the cylinder counter-clockwise�c�c�cand nothing. It just kept burping and spewing black smoke from the tail pipe. I had to be on TV. This couldn�ft�f be happening. Well, by this time the father and the clerk were wise to me and the plume of black earth eroding smog pointed them in my direction. Both jumped out the door and began to throw books from the outdoor display at the D90. In the mean time I kept turning the starter and just as they were about to get to periodicals the D90 came alive!

I was out of there! I slammed it in reverse and that�fs when it hit me. To be precise his name was Officer Stark. But that didn�ft really matter because I just rearranged his entire passenger side for him. Murphy�fs Law in action. I told the officer that he didn�ft that much space anyway. He wasn�ft amused. Sigh. So, to sum up I had the officer ask me to step out of my vehicle and begin writing a couple of tickets for me, both the clerk and the father yelling at me (and to the officer about what I had done) and lastly the little boy whipping my legs with that damn switch, which amused the officer.

Just when that day was about to depress the �gFlush Handle�h on me an eyewitness stepped forward. �gOfficer, he exclaimed, �gthis father and son are to blame!�h It was none other than the Rev. Al Sharpton! At least I thought it was. I really couldn�ft tell because I was hitting the bong pretty hard before I got there. Anyway, it turns out I this short narrative is nothing more than pure bull-plop! That�fs right, bull-plop! I would have posted it on April First, but my wife and I were expecting a baby then�c�c�c�c�cthat parts true! Hope you enjoyed it! :grin

PS Slade! Hot chicks weren't waving at you! Those were leprechauns! You�fve just been in the desert too long! :grin

[Cyborg]

DJ,

ROTFLMAO!!!

You had me going, hook,line and sinker....Dohh!!

[DJ Menasco]

Glad I could help you laugh Larry!

DJ

[JohnnyK]

Found a note on the window of the XD:

"Love the Land Rover
- guy with a landcruiser"

Still have that note on the BB.

John

[TwisteD90]

ok, here is my list.
Toyota land rover
Toyota range rover
range rover
bronco
What the hell is this

[Burke]

I once got into an argument with two guys at a bar who swore up and down that my Defender was made by Nissan?????

[Doug]

Back when I owned a Disco, I parked in an empty lot on a sunny, hot Sunday to go for a bike ride. In order to keep the truck cool, I parked laterally across two parking slots under the shade of an oak tree.

When I returned from the ride, there was a post-it on the windscreen:

"Isn't it bad enough that you SUVs hog all the road, must you take all the shade too? You Pig-Dog."

I taped that post-it to the headliner between the sunshades and then forget to retrieve it when I gave the car back in to Land Rover. It was a treasure, shame to lose it cause it would be riding in my Defender today.

Doug W.
"Soon-to-be TVR-powered D110"

[Mike Hippert]

OK, this takes place last year on the way back from MAR. There were 3 of us traveling together on 95 north doing about 65mph because I had no rear brakes. We all had are CBs on, but I could not hear a thing because as normal I had the top off even though it was only 40 degrees out. If you have seen the MAR pics then you know my 90 was covered front to back in thick MUD. I did not learn of what happened until the next rest stop. On the same CB channel as us were a couple of truckers, they were talking about this muddy Disco that they just passed and how it must have come from a rally when one of them yells Holy $hit look at this guy! He’s got no top, no doors, and his truck is so muddy that even the dash is covered! They further discuss the crazy guy driving and his crazy vehicle.

On the same trip, we crossed the George Washington Bridge between NY and NJ. When I stopped to pay the toll the attendant just stared as his jaw dropped to the ground, now this guy is a New Yorker, and I though New Yorkers have seen everything. I had to get out and put the money in his hand! He was still staring as I drove away.

I received stares by every vehicle that was within 100 feet of me, hundreds of thumbs ups, tons of smiles, and not one disgruntled or pissed off look.

Even with my 90 clean at least once a week I’m told what a cool truck, I am very surprised when someone comes up and says nice Rover. And yes there are plenty of chicks that check it out, more guys, and most guys driving stock jeeps pretend I’m not there because they don’t want to admit that the 90 is a much cooler ride.

[Abrooks]

Of all the "Cool Jeep" comments and blatant stares, my favorite story took place a couple of years ago. I'm driving up a fairly congested street just outside DC and stop at a light. Hear a horn honk next to me and look over to see a middle aged guy in what I swear was a barbie jeep: pink with luau stickers going down the side. He's waving, I turn down the stereo, he says " 1994 Defender 90, looks like those are 35s with a couple inches of lift, right?" With a plaintive look on his face. Suprised at his accuity, I respond that he's correct on every count. His eyes light up, he say's "Awesome!" looks at the hood of the barbie jeep, punches the dashboard and says "I hate this damn thing". Light turns green, off we go.

[Glenn_Guinto]

Although those types of comments are great, my favorite is driving the 90 to an event/party where there is Valet Parking. After the party, the valet attendant that picks up the 90 is always bound to take at least 10 minutes to start the truck trying to find the ignition :grin

It's especially funny at night when the attendant finally makes it to the curb with no headlights on, but the blinker and the wipers are on..... LMFAO

[Doug]

I live in the land of valets -- Los Angeles. Valets LOVE the Defender. These guys, who park Ferraris and Porsches as a matter of routine, see the 110 pull up and their jaws drop. All grins. I guess they are so used to exotics that they usually have no trouble finding the wrong-side-to ignition tho!

DW

[Tawayama]

Funny thing happened to me this morning in the 80-inch (it's my Defender 80).

Was taking it around for a test drive after 'tweaking' some things this morning. Two guys in a red CJ-5 pass me as I'm turning around in a parking lot and they both crane their necks around.

I caught up to them about 2 lights down and they were checking out the truck and giving me the 'peace' sign.

I said, "Hey hows it goin'?"

All they could do was smile.

I gotta drive that truck more. :grin

EDIT: Thanks for the new sig. DJ! Ha!

[Campbell]

MIKE...
"most guys driving stock jeeps pretend I’m not there because they don’t want to admit that the 90 is a much cooler ride."

That is absolutely true.....I thought I was the only one who noticed this. You are a riot!!

I also Valet at times and the same thing with the ignition happens to me. They also can't figure out how to get out of it. I LOVE MY d90!

[OCD90]

This cute young girl sees the D-90 one night outside a bar, and I heard her say to her grilfriends, "Oh my god, how rad! Those things cost like ninety-thousand dollars!" As I walked up to it, I totally understood why guys buy sports cars that cost a ton of money...I knew I was at least a foot taller, younger and better looking because she thought I dropped major $$$s on the D-90.

I also had a valet once say that mine was the first G-Wagon that he'd seen with a rack on top!

[newfD90]

One time I had a lady ask me if I had painted my "jeep" to match my dog (Alpine white D-90 w/surrey top)! :rolleyes

Another time I left the Wife and dog in the D-90 as I ran into the store. When I came out, my Wife told me how an older guy came up and said when he gets divorced, he's getting a truck and a dog just like that.

[Screehopper]

Not a D90, but in my DI.

I took a trip out to Death Valley a while back and everytime I stopped at a gas station or was getting back into my Disco someone would approach me and comment about my Disco. One guy even talked for a whole 15 minutes. Ended up being a Q&A session.

I had a MiniCooper incident once too. The four people in the Mini all turned their heads in unison to look at the Disco.

And the usual comments and questions:

"What kind of Land Cruiser is that?"

"What is that you are driving?"

"You must of paid a ton for your Ranger Rover!"

"WOW! You can get a Discovery in a 5-speed manual?"

[John_Karlsson]

I've noticed that my hybrid 90 doesn't seem to attract nearly as much attention as my Series IIA. That changed yesterday.

I noticed a guy watching me pull into a parking space, and when I got out, he commented that I was driving on the wrong side (RHD). I told him the effect is even better when I have a dog riding shotgun. Then he told me he used to drive Defenders in the Israeli army, using words like "awesome" and "go anywhere."

Later I was following a nice, shiny Disco into a parking lot, and I saw the driver craning his neck to look back at me as I drove behind him and parked in the next space. When I got out, he held out his keys and said, "I'll trade you." I wasn't quick enough to ask if I would have to take his wife and kids, too, so it was a simple, "No, thanks!" He said that he had a 1982 Series III when he was in Sweden, and he just loved the Diesels.

I drew a little unwanted attention a couple of weeks ago, as I was returning from Canada, where I had the 2.5 N.A. Diesel replaced with a 200 Tdi by Britannica Restorations. The U.S. Customs agent I dealt with just happened to own an 88 and a 109, so he was pretty suspicious about why I was entering the U.S. with a very British looking Defender. It's really a hybrid based on a 1975 Range Rover with a mostly 300 Tdi body, so, after verifying my registration, he let me go on my way.

[waveridin1959]

The waving and stares are great, but my fav. was when I parked beside a guy in a white jeep at Atlantic Beach and heard him say "that mother f*@#er" I get lot of stuff like that from Jeep owners.

[mhansen]

Gotta share this story--

Home Depot Parking Lot. I always park away from the crowd to reduce the door dings. Two spots beside me was a brand new Disco II, so new it had temp plates. As I get out, the owners of the Disco-youg couple 35ish- are walking up with their basket of weekend hell. I take a few steps their way make eye contact with the guy and give him the "nice car"comment. He says thanks. Then the woman just goes off! "IS THAT A DEFENDER!!!!.... We saw one in the lot!..... I JUST LOVE THEM!!!!..... Can I look inside?!!!". She completely drops the arm load of garden stuff and walks over. Hubby is then left to load the grocery getter by himself. She is looking at everything, asking about the jump seats, does it have anti-lock brakes?, the works. She waits until Hubby has loaded the car and deposited the cart, then says "Hey (insert hubbies name) come over here and look at THIS!.

He makes a half ass attempt to walk over, from about 10 feet he says "Yes its nice, we gotta get going"

The look in his eye was priceless. He just spent $40K on the Disco II and got neutered in the parking lot at Home Depot.

[Art Vigil]

:clap

:rofl Too funny!

[paulb]

My 4 yr old used to confuse every jeep she saw on the road with my D-90 (hey she is only 4) so I told her the Jeep was really a baby Land Rover waiting to grow up. One day we are just leaving the hardware store and a Jeep pulls up into the spot next to us. Quick as a flash she literally yells, "Look Daddy, that baby Jeep thinks your Land Rover is its Mommy." Now that was a dirty look I got from the driver.

[dmarchand]

Mike, that is priceless!

[Mike Hippert]

LOL! those are some good stories!:clap

[snuffer]

Great stories, I've got one and I can't decide if the joke was on me or the girls....

I was sitting at Blockbuster parked near the movie dropoff box, getting ready to leave. A black Mitsubishi Montero pulled in front of me so I had to wait for it move before I could get out.

A really good looking girl, about 18 or 19 got out to drop off her movies while her passenger stayed in the vehicle. Well this sort of got my attention even though I am 48. After putting her videos in the drop slot she turned around to look at me smiling real big.

She kept smiling until she opened her car door. I had my windows rolled down and as she got into her Mitsub I heard her say to her girl friend, " Oh! he's ooold! " after seeing my 48 year old head.

Surprise, ha ha haha!

Now every time I get it out on the street I notice mostly younger girls looking into my window as they drive by trying to see what "young guy with the big Jeep" might be driving. Since it is a hardtop I can hide behind the door post on my side, so that I can look out and catch them looking up.

Imagine their disgust when they see my old head with bags under my eyes looking back at them smiling.

It seems to happen more often since I have mounted 35x12.5 tires and lifted it about 3 inches.

People of all ages seem really intrested when I have passengers in the back with the 4 inward facing seats.


Hope it doesn't sound like my ego is getting stroked, although I guess it is, it's just funny to watch human nature.

[milli]

Palm Beach...Mind you, I had to put an ad in the paper to find someone with a pickup...
I pass a girl/lady outside the posho market one friday evening and she smiles after I tell her it's closed and offer her a little of my stromboli (seriously!).
She is double parked right in front and when I get around the corner she sees me driving, with like 3people parked in and 3 driving behind, gives me the "thats sweet" out the window of her 120K BMW...not even able to move.
I actually loaned off a piece of my truck today to pay off those CC's. The guy could have shit at the credit union when he asked, what year was my truck and then said forget it. It came up 24 and he just gave me the "whatever you know", "here's the $".
He did think no AC in south FL was a bit rediculous.
I think the roof tent adds a new complex to non-rover owners.
I get a lot about that.
About a 16 year old Oly, WA girl get's the cake though.
She knew it was a 95 when I told her and asked if that was the last year for mannual trannny.
Gotta end with tranny.....more wine.Peace Funny shit.

[chrisvonc]

My little additions, nothing fancy...

- We frequent the mall a few block away when ever we need something and the single most asked question I used to get with the Disco was "Hey you going on safari with that?" usally asked in jest in passing but after I replied with "Actually yes, I do" would turn into a 15 minute conversation of where we had gone with it.

- Parking the Disco and D90 side by side in our driveway have been the direct cause of 2 seperate accidents in front of our house from people rubber necking them and not noticing the people in front of them stopping to make a left turn.

[TwisteD90]

I love kids, they always say the funnies things and they get away with it.

Not a D90 story but once I was biking with my son and his trailer was attached to my bike, so I got behind this old lady so I had to slow down. As most kids like to go fast my son ask's me, why are we going slow dady? so I tell him quietly I'm stuck behind an old lady, and he goes HEY OLD LADY, MOOOVE :) He almost brought a tear to my eye

[Cyborg]

My latest story is concerning a night I was driving home late from work and wanted to stop at a Mexican restaurant for a bite and a beer. I notice the open light is off and they are apparently closing up. I know they are supposed to be open until Midnight but that is still 45 minutes away. I pull up braodside to one of the windows(Of course noticing how cool my D90 looks with the full cage and the bikini/Bimini top on for the first day ever:0) I see several of the guys inside motioning me to come in. I park go in and these guys say there is still time.

I eat a quick bite and two of the guys have to come out and check it out as I leave. They are making comments about how sweet the ride is and it is "tight" "badass" and several other comments in Spanish etc.

With all of the extra costs we incur to own one of these vehicles it is nice to get the ongoing shows of appreciation from people.

Larry

[rover4x4]

Some chick gave me free chicken today at Bojangles I was on the D-90... I think that had something to do with it.

[Buckon37s]

When I drive I have to keep the windshield wipers on constantly so all the panties that are thrown at me don't block my view.

[DJ Menasco]

LOL!! That's the best one yet Dave!

[jperakis]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[snuffer]

Yeah so for Dave takes the prize.

[OCD90]

SO...this Sunday, for Mother's Day, my girlfriend and I meet her parents at a nice restaurant, and I valet before they arrive. They've heard of my car, but they've never seen it.

The valet parks it right in front, it's spotless and looking good.

When we come out, we're saying our goodbyes, the guy pulls it up and opens the doors. My girlfriend's Dad says, "Wow. This is really nice." Before I could reply, the valet said...these EXACT words, "No, sir. It's not nice, it is THE most capable offroad vehicle in the world--and I drive them ALL."

I told him he sounded like a LR adversitement, and I asked him what he really knew about all of these cars, seeing as he got to drive them less than 100 yards...across a flat piece of asphalt.

He said, "Oh, I know." The reverence was funny.

[Doug]

Our club (SCLR) functioned as support vehicles for the Rim of the World Rally this weekend. I had a team of Rovers with me, sweeping the mountain stages for wrecks and disabled rally cars after each run. We pull into a station Saturday morning to gas up the caravan. Guys says, "Who do you work for, National Geographic?" ;)

[norros]

yes, Dave's takes the prize... priceless. I must say that I'm going to use that Dave... again and again... Thank you.

I get a lot of looks here in town, especially from the cutie pie FSU girls... and the sometimes "... is that there Jeep new... where I can I get me one ?..." (I'm a yankee <NJ!!!> so the southern draw always entertains me) ...

But the one that really stopped me in my tracks one day was from my 'girlfriend's girlfriend'.... who said very bluntly:
(mind you the D90's got the safari rack etc...)

"... You must have a really nice set of luggage to get a rack like that..."

I thought it was stupid, and it was, but it stopped me for a second then I got a laugh out of it.

Just my .01 cent

Nicholas

[OCD90]

A guy at work wants me to get the magnetic letters, "UN"...at least once a week he says it looks like a peacekeeping vehicle.

It might be a funny little thing...

[Cyborg]

Good luck getting those magnetic signs to stick.;0)

Larry

[BOMB334]

My Favorite line yet recieved as I was picking up a friend who hadn't seen the D90 yet "Where's the war?"

[whistler110]

Great stories.

I get totally different reactions to my 110. It's not very nice looking right now, in fact I think it's downright ugly. With British camo paint flaking off and having a noisey, smelly deisel most of the more respectable members of society ussually give me the scoul as I drive by; which is almost as fun as getting the waves and thumbs up. I love the look on people's faces when they find out how much my ugly truck is worth and what it's capable of.

The other day my wife and I were coming out of the local gym and three little girls were playing around my truck, when we opened the doors, I heard the girls yell to each other "oooo they own that ugly truck" and then the mother gave me the usual scowl. We had to laugh because they then proceeded to get into a Mazda MPV that had a good case of cancer around the wheel wells. I would have loved to tell her that my truck is worth twice as much as hers.

[Campbell]

I had a guy and his lady in a brand new(temp tags) Porsche 911 Turbo(170,000) slow down and give me a thumbs up on the highway on Saturday. Still no panties thrown my way damn it.

[Doug Young]

I'm a newer D-90 owner ( bought my '95 in 2001 from a rancher in California) and have been reading this great web site for years.

The one story that I do have is that just after bought my defender, I proudly parked in front of the fire station -right beside my friend's new jeep wrangler- this jeep was decked out to the hilt with all the bells and whistles too. No lie.... I had two women come to the door of the fire station that day and ask what really cool type of vehicle was parked next to the jeep. A third came by the next day and had to tell me all about her adventures in a trusty D110 in Africa and she was determined to buy either a 90 or 110 by the end of the year. The guys at the fire station could not believe it. We just laughed- ( even the guy with the jeep)! Too bad we were all married!

[MDNIBTY]

Once times i was sittin at a stop lite and this big new dodge was pulled up besad me. It was probly sittin on 38" swampers. Was reel big reel loud to. the dood drivin looked down and said nice little truck boy. when the lite turned green he stomped on it and smoked all 4 wheels. i didnt feel that good about my d-90 that day.

[DJ Menasco]

Once times i was sittin at a stop lite and this big new dodge was pulled up besad me. It was probly sittin on 38" swampers. Was reel big reel loud to. the dood drivin looked down and said nice little truck boy. when the lite turned green he stomped on it and smoked all 4 wheels. i didnt feel that good about my d-90 that day.

Hmm, not really unexpected coming from a local in Medford. I've had my share of "run-in's" with a few of them up at lost creek and hyatt. Jerks.

[Mike Hippert]

You should have said "to bad for you, my Defender is one of the coolest, vehicles on the road right from the factory; you had to put a lift big tires and all kinds of other stuff in your truck just to make it a little cool. Then point him to the Disco web, a few months back there were some pics of a stock Disco pulling out a monster of a Dodge!

Most guys around me either know what a Defender is, or the guy sitting passenger knows what it is, I get either a thumbs up and "hey cool Rover" or the jealous look of envy. Then you ask them what trails they have run, and then tell them all the trails that you have run in your Defender and they say no you couldn't have made it through that trail with that! Then you show them and really impress them! People are always amazed at how well the suspension articulates. They see it happen once and they stop what ever it is they are doing and watch!

I meet a guy in a jeep with 38s on the trail once, he let me go in front just so he could watch my 90, he thought it was quiet impressive, believe it or not but I could gracefully drive though the stuff he was bouncing all over.

So, go out on the trail, get some pics and next time you see your buddy in the big dodge show him what your Defender can do, you'll put him in his place!

[jimmy salmon]

i was drving home on th 93 in the center lane,traffic came to a halt and the guy in a car on the outside lane was leaning over his passenger seat looking up trying to make out what the snorkel was on my D2,traffic started moveing and i pulled away he also pulled away, his lane wasnt moving
and he hit the car in front

[WCURoverD90]

I had a guy here at WCU tell me that his stock jeep would kick the shit out of my D-90 on any trail around here.....Still waiting on him to call for an afternoon trail ride....

I also had a guy cross 4 lanes of traffic while straining to look at my defender. Luckily he didn't kill himself or someone else...lol

Quite often instead of walking from the dorms to class i would just drive...One day i dropped my roomate off at his building and girl was standing outside with a professor and asked him the usual "is that a jeep". To my surprise the professor started going into a lot of details abuot what it was....

[chrisvonc]

WCU = West Chester Univ, Pa.? You be right up the road from me.

[WCURoverD90]

Chris,
WCU=Western Carolina University....

[Glenn_Guinto]

Okay folks, here's a new one that I've never heard of before. I've heard "Bad-ass truck", "Hard Core", "very industrial looking" and even "cool Jeep" before but quite frankly, am even a bit embarrased about this one but here goes...

I was at Home Depot last Saturday buying some stuff for my renovation project and as I get in the topless D90 to pull out, this Pathfinder pulls in the spot next to me. The driver was looking at the truck and signalling me to wait while he was trying in a hurry to get out. He gets out before I pull out and the conversation went like this:

stranger (heavy accent - sounds middle eastern): "Excuse me sir, what kind of truck is this?"
me: "Uh, it's a Land Rover"
stranger: "Ah, I see, Land Rover... who makes, what makes Land Rover....Toyota?"
me: (not wanting to argue): "Yes... Toyota...right"

Now here comes the bomb...

stranger: "Ah, Toyota Land Rover....VERY CUTE....CUTE CAR sir"

:eek: :blush

[rover4x4]

:stick

[dmarchand]

Glenn, I've been meaning to tell you your rig looks cute... :cool:

[OCD90]

On the way to work this morning, I was going at freeway speed 55/60 or so...and this little POS Korean car merges into traffic. She was in the lane next to me, going 40/45, and she turned on her turn signal...as getting a Defender going fast is a chore, I wasn't about to slow down to let her in just because it was flashing; let her get to speed first, I figure.

Without looking, she started to merge into my lane, saw A car, and abruptly moved back into her lane. Without really seeing my car, she throws up her hand and shakes a fist, and I could see her cursing at me inside the car. She still hadn't looked over, so she had no idea...

As I pulled aside, she turns her head towards my Defender ready to yell, middle finger half curled into "The Bird", then her eyes start at mid-door and slowly scan upwards...past the window and on up. She had that same look that someone does when they pick a fight in a bar, and the guy starts to stand up...and as he keeps rising you realize, he's not 5'8" or 5'10" or 6'0" or 6'2", but CRAP, he's 6'8" and 300 lbs.

She quickly rolled her finger back into her fist, closed her mouth, and stepped on it--not looking back.

I love my D-90.

[Mike Hippert]

:lol lol!

[WCURoverD90]

Torrence,
Thats a good one..... :)

[Hans]

Driving to work about a month a go, I had a Discovery come burning up from behind me and next thing I know the passenger is hanging out his window snapping pictures of my truck! I played along and they ended up getting shots from I think every angle front to back.

Of course there was also the guy at the gas station. "Nice truck, reminds me of a D-90". He had the funniest look on his face when I explained WHY it reminds him of a D-90.

-Hans

[rover4x4]

HAd the 90 out today some redneck said it was garbage and they stopped importing them because no one wanted them.

[OCD90]

To which you responded, "I challenge thee to fisticuffs?!" :angry

[WCURoverD90]

What a Dumb Ass......:(

[waveridin1959]

Gotta love rednecks.

[Eric Siepmann]

That happened to me in Michigan last weekend. Funny thing was the guys girlfriend pulls up and procedes to compliment the 90. I replied "Sure beats driving a beat up lifted toyota" Guy scowls at me and throwes his huffy in his toy and huffs off. Best part was the gun rack with no guns!

Rednecks gotta love them.

EwS

[KeithD]

Everyone is amazingly positive here - always getting interesting and approving looks - but maybe more as it's right hand drive.

Even all the die-hard Jeep fans are nice about it. And all agree that unmodified a 90 out does a TJ off road anyday - just there's so much more available for Jeeps to make them decent/excellent off road. A big difference has to be that the Land rover SW90 is a utility vehicle and the TJ is well, I am not sure really. You can't put half a ton of gravel in the back of a TJ. Or move 4 kids. Or 2 mountain bikes (with the wheels off). Unmodified TJs are not much better than a regular SUV off road, and a hell of a site worse on road. Rubicon excepted. Maybe Chrysler recognise that Jeeps will either be used by poseurs as is, or be modified by the off road nut. Come to think about it even Rubicons are too low to the ground.

Another right hand drive aspect is that at the traffic lights you can have chats with other drivers easily! One gag is to just act normally, say nothing, wait for someone to notice the wheel is on the right then exclaim "OH MY GOD THE WHEEL IS ON THE WRONG SIDE". Then act normal again. Anything to amuse.

Remember once stopping for food ont he way back from wheeling and me and about 5 jeeps pull into the car park. About six girls, all about 16, walk straight up to me and ask all sorts of things about the 90 (apart from the inevitable cool/awesome stuff) totally ignoring all the highly modified Jeeps. Made my day! Should have had the 90 30 years ago....

[Cyborg]

Keith....That is the kind of story I want to experience.....lots of young hotties ogling my Rover and ignoring the average Joe with his Jeep.

I have had similar things happen but not quite that good...did you offer to take them for a ride in a real mans vehicle?? I would have..(with appropriate chaperones of course)

Hahahaaaaa!


Larry

[norros]

and I quote:

".......That is the kind of story I want to experience.....lots of young hotties ogling my Rover and ignoring the average Joe with his Jeep..."



Larry, How old are you ?



Pass that will ya' ...


;)


Nicholas

[Chris Cox]

Jeeps are the biggest POS. I bought my wife a new 04 wrangler sahara. Tried to talk her into getting a 90, or atleast a disco, but she wanted a new ST. Anyway, they come with a 70,000 mile drivtrain warranty. Guess what, if you install aftermarket suspension on the truck, and the dealer doesn't do it for you, the warranty is worthless. Just another ploy to get $60/hour for something you could do yourself. I was going to put a long arm suspension and 33's on her truck till I found out about this BS. When I asked the reason for this, they said that alot of trucks had come in with leaking pinion seals. What a friggin' joke. Sorry to get off topic, just making sure none of you guys break down and buy a new jeep for the sig. other.

Chris

[rover4x4]

:eek:

[mlw911]

Lots of stares at the beach with my 270lb's of Swissy's in the back.

The best was one night at a nice, local restaurant where we had just sat down out front to eat dinner. The Defender was parker amongst the bmw's, mercede's, lexi, etc when a brand new Lexus/Toyota Landcruiser speeds by my D90 rather quickly and out of sight. Seconds later I hear the whine of something in reverse. Back into view comes the Landcruiser speeding in reverse, then stopping right in front of the defender. The guy driving hopes out, car running in the middle of the parking lot and proceeds to check out the car in and out for about 5 minutes before hopping back in and speeding off. Cool!!!

[Glenn_Guinto]

Here's a new one that happened last week at my job's parking lot. Got the D90 with the top off and I was pulling out of my spot to go home and this idiot (yes idiot, you'll see) pulls his pickup truck in front of me... I had to hit the brakes hard. He gets down and walks towards me... he goes...

idiot: Dude, sorry I had to stop... couldn't resist seeing these things without talking to the owner.
me: Okay...??? What's up man?
idiot: I betcha this thing is tough as fu@%, isn't? (all giddy and bubbly)
me: I suppose so...
idiot: What year is this?
me: It's a 94
idiot: Oh man, mine is newer... it's a 1996.
me: A 96?!
idiot: Yeah... a 96, got it brand new from the dealer.
me: Cool man... good for you... :rolleyes
idiot: Yeah... I take it off-roading all the time.
me: That's great man... listen I gotta go.
idiot: Yeah...sure..., oh by the way..
me: [sigh]
idiot: Have you seen the new Baby Range Rovers?
me: Baby Range Rovers? :hmm
idiot: Yeah... the small rovers...
me: Do you mean the Freelander?
idiot: No, it looks just like the $70K RR but smaller, like the size of the Freelander.
idiot: It's also more expensive than the $70K RR because they're back-ordered for 6 mos
me: Okay....???!!! No man, haven't heard about them
idiot: Well, I just bought my wife one of them and she really loves it....
me: Good man... that's great... gotta go now.... would you mind moving your truck?
idiot: Sure man.... Have a good one...
me: You too.... :rolleyes

That is by far the strangest conversation I've had with another person regarding Rovers.

***Reminder to wannabes, please get your facts straight before you spout these kinds of B/S. LOL

[KeithD]

no doubt Mr Wannabee is referring to the Range Rover Storm. what an idiot.

[Glenn_Guinto]

Evidently, he's been reading too much Motor Trend magazines....LOL

[WCURoverD90]

what a dumb ass.... :(

[rustydefender]

I've got know comments except for my friends and the occasional glance in traffic but nothin special guess i have to give it more time but my friends were very impressed especially since i have been educating them about defenders for the past 5 years!

[Mike Hippert]

LOL how did I miss that one Glenn! You have to love the guys who think they know what they are talking about, I love it when I am told, NO man thats a Land Cruiser it's made by Jeep! And I am like no it is a Land ROVER made by LAND ROVER! I think I know about the car I drive. And they say no its a Jeep or whatever! WHY! Some people! I really don't mind explaining it, but when they argue with me is when I can't understand them!

[scubadanster]

someone today thought it was a NEW hummer-h3. omg. lol.

i just smiled....told him it was a jeep.

-dan

[rover4x4]

bad call man.

[WCURoverD90]

I thought it was funny....I took the rover back to school for the last few weeks and a guy that went to high school with me that graduated a few years before me has a wrangler with about 4 or 5 inches and 35's...The funny thing is i parked beside it the other day and it took all that lift and tires to sit just a tad bit higher than my D90.......

[JBurt]

Got a buddy with a set up TJ, we've had the measuring tape out in the parking lot before to measure who had more clearance at the diffs. He had 3 inches of suspension, still got 'em.

[WCURoverD90]

Damn Right...I love hearing how much better a Land Rover is than a jeep.....

[jimmy salmon]

can have 10in of suspension diffs stay the same

[rover4x4]

you need the big mud grips or you could grind away some of the housing


:evilfinge www.d-90.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1418

[sherpamike]

I got a call this week from some friends of mine from the lacrosse team a few years ago in high school. They had one of their new Jeep Rubicons stuck and couldn't get it out with the other YJ there. They buried the Rubicon and now I have a few pictures of the Jeep Eater pulling out a fully locked rubicon. A few of the local good 'ol boys came out to watch as they hadn't seen a defender before.....it was a good ego trip the rover and myself.

[JBurt]

post pics?

[WCURoverD90]

Mike,
I saw that in your profile...If you remember we have spoke before on AIM..my screename is JasonH88...Hit me up with some pics of that awesome adventure...my boss is a huge jeep guy, im sure he would love them.... ;)

[rustydefender]

This isn't a defender story but it is about a ramgie. When my dad first got his rr back in 97 they were doing some serious construction on our street, tore it to bits. There was a huge rain shower and the road became thick mud. A cement mixer truck got stuck pretty deep so they sent for a big rig tow truck, you know the ones with six wheels and a semi can anyway, he got stuck too, about up to his axles. My dad and I went out to see what all the noise was at 11 at night and the big rig semi guy was about to call up his boss to send another truck. My dad asked him if he minded if we took a shot at pulling him out. He said sure in a sort of mocking way. My dad pulled up his range rover and the guy who was probably was expecting a huge f-350 dualie looked dissapointed. All three of us wedged some bricks we had in our back yard under his wheels, hooked up the tow strap and sure enough out he came. He then proceeded to tow out the cement mixer. He thanked us over and over going on about how much grief from his boss we had saved him from and that he should pay us. My fad smiled and said no problem and we went home. The next day we pulled out almost every car on the block out of there driveways. the range rover was the only machine on the street that had enough traction in the mud.

[Campbell]

A guy in a 1994 911 asked me If I wanted to trade straight up. VERY Tempting but no thanks.

[JBurt]

I pulled into the Porsche place here and this lady came running out of the showroom before I even parked. She was asking all types of questions and wanted to look inside.
We were halfway inside the showroom before I figured out she was a sales lady. I then thought she was buttering me up before a sale, but she passed us to another guy as she went back to a couple she was dealing with when we pulled in.
By the end of it I found out she had been looking for one for a while but couldn't find what she wanted. I pointed her here since everyone seems to be selling their trucks.

[WCURoverD90]

I have another interesting story from a professor at school...
I am parking to go to work on campus and as im sitting there locking my console and so forth i notice this guy walking around my D90 and checking it out...Well i get out of the car and start walking to the office. (its not that uncommon at WCU for people to start walking around it and what not)...As i start to walk away the guy calls me back and starts asking me questions. He tells me he has the new disco thats a few spots down. Just the normal questions what size tires are those, how much lift do you have and all the normal questions.Then he took the cake-He asked me why the D90's cost so much when all it really is, is just a really big jeep. He then started to kind of put it down with jeep comments and everything and then i went on about my business...I dont' really even think that was his Disco he was pointing me out to....Probably just another jealous Jeep owner...;)

[sherpamike]

That's pretty funny jason. I can't recall a time where anyone was that negative about the rover. You need to come down to UNC sometime. I have run into a couple of professors who are into series rovers. I remember seeing one professor last winter when we were both wheeling in the snow. He was out in his series without a top in the snow. It was great to be in Chapel Hill and talk rover with someone.

BTW, I do remember your sn, and the pictures from my story (above) didn't really turn out. The guy with the camera was one of the kids with a Jeep. He got plenty of pics of the stuck jeep in the daylight, but he didn't have enough battery left to take pictures of the rover pulling out the jeep in the dark.

[rover4x4]

WHich disco was it? WHat color? I know a Jeeper at school that has a disco I think its epsom green with tinted windows, its an older model

[JBurt]

I passed a prof. on the interstate one day with the top off and the next time I saw him his response was, "Dude, your truck is awesome. What is it?"

[WCURoverD90]

Phil,
This was a professor that pointed out a new greyish silver one...Don't know if it was his after the way he was talking about rovers....

[WCURoverD90]

Well mike, at least you will always have the memories of that night pulling out the jeep...lol

[rover4x4]

hmm.. is it the westminister with the homo tri spoked wheels.

[WCURoverD90]

Phil,
I don't think it was a westminster.....I don't know, i really don't think it was his anyways.....lol

[yellowrover]

I was going through the drive-thru at Mcdonalds today and when i pulled up to the window i had to slide my window open. After doing that the girl working there goes "Wow, i've never seen a jeep with real windows." I knew there wasn't even a point to tell her it wasn't a jeep b/c one, she was ugly:), and two, if you think d-90 windows are more "real" then jeep windows, then what the hell is your idea of a window? i guess thats why she was working at Mcdonalds

[rover4x4]

Lmao

[WCURoverD90]

Thats funny as hell

[rustydefender]

I was out wheeling at our property on the st. mary's river on the florida georgia border. Got her covered in mud on the way home some guys coming out of a muddin' competition gave me a honk and a thumbs up. I was honered because they were driving jacked up versions of three of my other favorite vehicles an international scout, a cj7, and a 70's bronco

[WCURoverD90]

Thats awesome...its always good to get respect from the jeepers....i too like the scouts and the older broncos

[rover4x4]

I just get the deer in headlights look when people see the D.

[jvelador]

Here are my ego-boosters:

In my topless, RHD '66 Series on the 101 freeway, doing 50MPH on the slow lane. I heard honks coming from behind, I looked there was guy in a Ford Ranger slowing from 80 down to 50 on the fast lane. As he reaches me, he starts waving and giving me the thumbs up. My wife thought he was just crazy when I told her.

In my '94 Disco at a local Ralphs, another Disco I pulls up and parks in front of me. They start looking at my truck as I'm putting the groceries away. His wife asked, "Is this the bigger version of the Discovery?" His immediate response was, "No, it's just lifted and has much taller tires." They were nice, wanted to doing mods on theirs.

In my ST '94 Defender on the very busy 405 fwy, a lady in a Disco II drove around me from either side, from behind for about all of 5-10 minutes. I felt like I was driving a UFO. Another nice looking blond at an Al n Ed's commented what a cool truck I had, I was with my kids so I could't say anything but "Thanks!"

I my gas guzzling, ego tripping trucks :)

javier

[DJ Menasco]

I just get the deer in headlights look when people see the D.

Or maybe they've never seen such an ugly little-pre-pubscent-geologist? :cool:

[Buckon37s]

This is a good story, and happened last weekend. I was on a 4+ trail having a blast as second vehicle. Well, the trail leader in front of me blew out his d44 u-joint and a couple shafts. He asked me if I could get around and pull him out of the rocks. The only way was up a boulder over 3 feet and then a funky off pitch portion that put me on a thin ledge that threw the rear end all funky. I look at it, say, "I got this, but I am going to roll over on top of your Jeep." The guy thinks I am joking and also says there is no way to get over the ledge, but if I am willing to try, he doesn't care. Well, I get over the rock and jam on it and make it up to the top of the ledge, of course. I proceed about 4 feet and a rock on the front right of the car lifts up the front end and the rear tires slide over and BAMMM, I am on my side laying on top of the Jeep! My wife has a camera, but she is so frieked out, she never snapped a pic!! The guy starts frieking out pretty good, but I just sat there because I thought it was too damn cool to rush it. About now a random panty hit my front windshield, it was pink. Well, the guy called over 6 guys and with all of them pushing, I got off the truck and down in front. Needless to say, the jeeps hardtop was fuuuked. To be fair, my rollcage did have a scuff in the paint :pimp

It was a totally fun trip. In total, I layed it on its side 1.5 times, tore up both rear fenders, tore up the front right fender, and gave my skid plate some serious love. But, no drivetrain brake! Thank you beef!

[WCURoverD90]

Now DJ,
Don't bash Phil b/c hes a young geologist.......

hell i don't even know what im taling about...its 5 in the morning and i have been drinking for like 9 hours straight...lol..................Gotta love= the college life......it will end soon enough...

[rover4x4]

haha I have a keg suckers.

[WCURoverD90]

I was out in the snow in charlotte the other day and i pulled up to the stoplight. Had 2 of the hellas on to bring more attention...hehehe....a guy in a brand new rubicon was pointing to my D90 showing it to his wife. He was looking as hard as he could and i could see him turning around in his seat after we passed each other at the stoplight.


Something made me turn my head in the snow....This dumbass in Charlotte was in his expedition and he was driving beside me on a snow covered road. I just happened to glace over and he was reading a book while driving in the snow and ice and trying to drink something....I def. turned my head on that one...Maybe that should go under a new section-something like "dumbasses on the road who will damn near kill you if you don't watch out"

[JBurt]

I'm afraid that would overload the server.

I met this chick with a Rubicon in my parking lot and I asked if she ever took her truck out (A little joke I like to do with Jeep owners - But sometimes you find a good wheelin' partner). She said, "No, it's just my city truck, my boyfriend and I take his H1 out when we want to go wheeling." My response, "Cool, here's our number (My fiance` is right there too) let us know when you take that out if you want company." Her response, "It's a slant back H1." Me, "Great." Her, "An H1, not an H2." Me, "Great, glad to hear you take it out. Hopefully I'll see you on the trail." Her, "Oh, well yeah, if you can make it." Her friend next to her (My neighbor), "Ummm, that Defender is his." Her, "Oh."

[Mike Hippert]

LOL Jesse! If they only new.

And Jason, We could start a dumb driver thread! I almost ran into one and rolled the truck this morning trying to avoid hitting one!

[WCURoverD90]

Yeah i think if we had a dumb driver section they would require serious IT upgrades....

[rustydefender]

I have a south african friend that moved hear to the states a couple years ago b/c of the instability down thheir. He told me they took safari's off road all the time to avoid landmines on some of the main roads. They always drove in large convoys for safety in which their were jeeps, fj40's, fj60's, jeeps, raiders, troopers and pajeros but he said at one time or another they would all break down or get stuck all except for one. You guessed it a Defender a d-110 to be exact. He said it was the one every one relied on to pull them out. Never broke, got stuck or broke down. He said he would never be caught on safari in anything else. This story was really true, no exagerations, no lies. Why doesn't land rover get ahold of stories like this? Made me feel good about owning a landy.

[WCURoverD90]

Russell thats awesome. Thats a damn good story and it does make you feel good to be a Landy owner....

[WCURoverD90]

Had something funny happen a while back to me while driving back to school from home. I was on I-40 around the black mountain area. My buddy was in his mustang and of course left me up the side of hte mountain. I finally got to the top and he called me and said he was slowing down so i could catch up with him. Let me tell you one thing-Do not ever try to run the D90 at 90 mph. I got it up to around 85-90 mph and i noticed the top was flopping more than usual. So i started looking around and snaps were popping off left and right. I think it was more of a head turner for other people watching me trying to drive at 85 with my knee and trying to put the top back on in the process.....Needless to say my 90 did catch up with the mustang, but i learned a valueable lesson regardless of my love for speed....D90's are not made to go 90 MPH....

[JBurt]

I had the same type of thing happen. I was on 64 with my busted ass top and just trying to get home. All of a sudden the entire rear corner of the top pops up and it's just flapping in the wind. The plastic piece that goes under the bracket on the truck totally ripped off on that side.

I pull off, so does my fiance` who's following me, and she's just rolling laughing. We duct tape it down:idea and I swapped my busted windows for the less busted windows I was gonna put on "when I found the time" that night.

As my fiance` says, "You were haulin' it then all of a sudden you sprouted wings and I thought you were taking off. You should've seen the car you were passing swerve when it happened."

[WCURoverD90]

Well its good to know im not the only one that this has happened to....

[Doug]

Soft Tops. ;) In the Nevada badlands, with no traffic on the roads, I clocked the 110 at 107mph on the gps. True story. With the Konis, she tracked like it was on rails.

Doug W.

[rover4x4]

I was talkin to Luke at rover clubhouse and they had a 110 in with a "hot"4.6 from ECR, he said the owner had it to 100 (somewhere out west) on the GPS.


I get will get the details

[Mike Hippert]

I had the same type of thing happen. I was on 64 with my busted ass top and just trying to get home. All of a sudden the entire rear corner of the top pops up and it's just flapping in the wind. The plastic piece that goes under the bracket on the truck totally ripped off on that side.

I pull off, so does my fiance` who's following me, and she's just rolling laughing. We duct tape it down:idea and I swapped my busted windows for the less busted windows I was gonna put on "when I found the time" that night.

As my fiance` says, "You were haulin' it then all of a sudden you sprouted wings and I thought you were taking off. You should've seen the car you were passing swerve when it happened."
I love it when people swerve to avoid rover related stuff!

Soft Tops. ;) In the Nevada badlands, with no traffic on the roads, I clocked the 110 at 107mph on the gps. True story. With the Konis, she tracked like it was on rails.

Doug W.
Doug your sig should be Fastest 110 in the West!

[Doug]

I think it may be the fastest 110 in the US. There's a 4.6 in Qatar that is certainly faster, but that's a 100% competition truck.

BTW, the 107mph was with 5 external jerrys strapped on and an external co2 tank as well (as pictured in the avatar). :))

[WCURoverD90]

damn it....i thought maybe 90 mph in a D90 was like some kind of speed record the land rovers....lol...

[D110XD]

Wow; 107 are reealy awesome for a "normal" one.

Another fast one:

http://www.bowler-offroad.com/

0-60 4.9s
115Vmax

...

regards

michael

[WCURoverD90]

4.9 seconds....are you kidding me...hell, he needs to call me when he can get it under 4....I have to watch out because if im not careful ill pop the front tires up off the ground if I punch it to hard.....LOL

[Doug]

Can't say that my 110 is 'normal'. The engine is a modified Rover V8, built out to 5.0L by TVR in the UK, ported, oversized valves, etc, etc.

Doug W.

[D110XD]

Can't say that my 110 is 'normal'. The engine is a modified Rover V8, built out to 5.0L by TVR in the UK, ported, oversized valves, etc, etc.

Doug W.:grin With this engine...of course it's not "normal".
What kind of suspension do you have?

This Bowler Wildcat is also available w. a 5.0 liter Rover V8....
In this year's Dakar Rallye the best Bowler finished place 13!
This car is absolutely incredible.
I've got a video by Topgear. The bbc topgear broadband portal seems to be dead....
If anyone wants it? ~15meg or 110meg...

The only thing you see from this topgear guy at the end of his test drive is his biiig grin.
After a ride with a guy from bowler his face was green....Unbelievable how fast this car is off road.:eek:

MODEL YEAR 0-60mph
BOWLER WILDCAT SIGNATURE 2000 4.8
LAMBORGHINI DIABLO VT 1994 4.9
SUBARU IMPREZA 2.0ltr TURBO 2000 5.3
ASTON MARTIN DB7 6.0ltr 1999 5.2
LOTUS ELISE 2001 5.8
CHEVROLET CORVETTE 5.7 1993 5.5
PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM 1992 6.3
RANGE ROVER 4.6ltr HSE 1994 10.5
JAGUAR XK8 1998 6.6
DATA BASED ON 5.0LTR UK RACE SPEC

[Doug]

My suspension is pretty light -- OME HD springs and Koni HeavyTrack shocks.

Here's a real Defender racing machine, 4.8L, engine new this year. There's some videos buried in the site:

http://www.teamsaluki.com/home.htm


(Maybe we should port these last few entries into a new thead called 'Fast Defenders'. Chris? ;)

Doug W.

[Rover- Girl]

YES...and you should see the faces of those JEEP and H2 wannabees
when they see a petite blond in a mud covered Defender pulls up next to them...
AHHH...sweet ...I dig it!!!!!!!!
XOXO Christine

[Campbell]

PETITE BLONDE! IN A D90!
two words,
NICE

[Doug]

This thread is worthless without pics.

DW

[rover4x4]

Roverchic got some competition

[neo812]

I'm backing out of the shop today to go next door to the carwash and wash my D-90. There is a stop sign right in front of our shop,as I back out there is a car stopped at the stop sign and a guy riding up on a Hyabusa. He starts rubbernecking the 90 and never sees the car or stop sign and runs right into the back of the car and just about destroys his bike. He's ok except for being all scraped up and a split chin. I believe this to be the first time my truck has been the sole cause of a wreck. The moral of this story is that with great power comes great responsibility............Oh,yeah,you should also watch where you are driving........

[WCURoverD90]

Thats awesome....Keep up the good work....:grin

[WCURoverD90]

My buddy was looking at my pics of my Defender 90 on my webshots and his girlfriend came up and was talking about how much she loved D90's. Shes about the first girl that i have come across that knows what they are. All the girls around campus (and most of the guys) think its a big jeep.....

[WCURoverD90]

A guy here on campus came up to me and said is that your Land Rover Jeep today....I didn't even begin to try to explain to him about it.....

[DJ Menasco]

A guy here on campus came up to me and said is that your Land Rover Jeep today....I didn't even begin to try to explain to him about it.....

Good for you buddy! Its nice to see people like you snubbing others so that you can pack your 500-lbs of pride into a 5-lb bag! Don't be such an elitist. You’re in college for Christ’s sake! If anything you should be grateful your daddy bought you a D90!

If you're going to tell a storie about you're D90 make it interesting.

[WCURoverD90]

Well this is the stories section and that was a story....As for my dad buying it...Yeah he paid for the whole thing....As for "snubbing" thats hardly the case since i have to explain to people what it is probably 4 or 5 times a day. As for you reading the story. No one forced you to read it........

[Chris Cox]

Hell, atleast he knew it was made by Land Rover. Most people don't even know that. My favorite thing when I had my 97 LE, was to pull up to Bojangles drivethru, and hear all the guys in the back saying "oh shit yo, oh shit, hummer yo, hummer". I then had to explain to them it wasn't a hummer, it was a land rover defender. From then on, everyone of those guys remembered Land Rover Defender.

Chris

[Glenn_Guinto]

My neighbor asked me just this weekend if my trucks are the Japanese made "Land Rovers" or the british made "Range Rovers". He said he doesn't understand why Toyota stopped making the "Land Rovers" as they were/are cool trucks. And Range Rovers are just for snobs... :grin

[WCURoverD90]

My favorite thing when I had my 97 LE, was to pull up to Bojangles drivethru, and hear all the guys in the back saying "oh shit yo, oh shit, hummer yo, hummer". I then had to explain to them it wasn't a hummer, it was a land rover defender. From then on, everyone of those guys remembered Land Rover Defender.

Chris


Thats awesome....

[whistler110]

I have a staff member that always asks "how's that Hummer of yours running" :angry . Grrrrrr that gets me every time.

[JBurt]

The guys at work call it a Jeep just to try to get a rise out of me. One of them calls me a 4x4 snob because I drive a rover. One day he and I are out in town driving back from a meeting and get caught by the train as it comes through town. He wants to get back to the office ASAP and starts making comments as such. I look at him, tell him to check his seatbelt, and proceed to drive over one curb, up an embankment to a parking lot (decent incline I must say, I thought I might scrape at the top), over about 5 parking block railroad tie things, and back out to the road around the train.

He looks at me when we get back and says, "Okay, so that things pretty cool." Haven't heard anything negative out of him since.

[Mike Hippert]

Cool Jesse, thats why my non wheeling friends call my 90 curb hopper, for all the little short cuts I take around town that are only open to ME!

We were in one parking lot and there is a 60* 4 foot bank going into the next lot, traffic was backed up on the street, so I start over toward it like I am going to go up it (I wasn't going to as there are allot of cops in the area, was just fooling around). Well there were a bunch of kids ridding their bikes down the little hill and they laughed at me and said that I would never make it up it, a few seconds later they were all owing and awing over the 90 asking what it was and how did I do that.:grin

[WCURoverD90]

Me and a buddy were driving into town this morning and a NC State Trooper turned around and followed me for a few miles. I get to the outskirts of town and he pulls me over. I took out my license and he came up and said i hope I didn't scare the shit out of you but i had to stop you and check out your D90. Turns out he has a D90 like mine. He sat and talked to me for a while and then went on about his business.

[rover4x4]

fucker, I would be pisssed. What D-90 does he have?

[WCURoverD90]

Phil, hes got that white soft top in town that everyone thought was me a few weeks ago.

Why pissed? Its nice to know people who can help you out legally....lol

[Campbell]

I had a kid come up to me at a gas station and say my jeep was cool. He asked me how fast it was? He looked inside at the speedo and said wow it will go 120mph. I laugh and told him it goes about 150-160mph.

[KeithD]

You mean yours doesnt do 120mph - better get Bellagio to look at it.....

[Discovery]

My favorite red neck comment came when some guy in Kentucky on a quad called me a "high class fag." Almost as good was yesterday when I was in my friends D90 at the grocery store and an old couple was walking in, straining to look at the 90, as I was walking out. The women said, "What is it?" Her husband said, "I don't know, but it is the ugliest car I have ever seen."

Some dude in a stock Wrangler saw my Discovery with a "Friends of the Rubicon" sticker on the window. He asked me if I had really done the Rubicon. I said yes, and he asked me if I had trailered it myself or if I had it hauled out. I told him I drove it out and he said, "Wow, you drove a car that old across country?" I, not thinking a car from 1995 is that old, asked him hold old he thought it was. He responded, "I don't know... '75...'80." I knew it looked dated with steel wheels, but damn.

Matt

[JBurt]

Picking up a keg yesterday (Use number 1002 of a Defender 90) to head camping and the guy from the store says "Oh man that's awesome (I'd just been wheelin' and it still had a ton of mud on it)!"
I'd told him yeah it's fun to take it out and play. He says, "That a CJ?" Me, "No, it's a Land Rover." Him, "Oh, a Toyota, even better."

My buddy and I looked at him, nodded, grabbed the keg, said thanks and laughed our way out. The irony is my buddy has an FJ-40 in his driveway, we just took mine instead.

[jimmy salmon]

i was in auto zone yesterday asking for a wheel bearing
Make
land rover
is that toyota land rover
no just land rover
who makes that
land rover
are you sure it's not toyota
no it's land rover
up it pops on the computer
oh land rover do make it:grin

[sherpamike]

haha, i had a similar experience in advanced auto the other day.

I am currently working at a summer camp in the NC mountains. Yesterday two staff members and I were working on a Series III 109 that the camp owns when a bunch of other camp staff came running over to us. It turns out that they saw smoke (the exhaust from the rover) coming over the hill and thought there was a forest fire. We had a good laugh...

[WCURoverD90]

Mike where are you in the mountains this summer....Ill be around Boone with the D90 some and around WCU the other part of the time....

[sherpamike]

Jason, I'm north of Winston, just outside of Mount Airy. I'll be here for the most part until august. We should meet up.

[WCURoverD90]

Oh ok, well thats not to far a drive from my parents Mtn House in boone....i got your IM so ill see if i can bring the ole' 90 up there sometime....do yuo have yours with you

[OCD90]

I'm driving home from work last night, and as I coast towards a red light, I hear a horn honking...so I look over to see this guy (50-60 y/o) in a Turbo Cayanne waving frantically for my to lower my window...thinking, "Oh, crap, my D-90's probably on fire on something's fallen off it", I crank the window down...the guy (still coasting) yelled, "DO YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR CAR?!" Thinking he must mean, "YOUR CAR IS BURNING" or similar, I asked him to repeat...he said "SELL ME YOUR CAR!" I waved him off with a no, and a thumb's-up and said thank you...then at the red light he gave me a look like he was bummed I wouldn't sell...

Moral of the story...this weekend, for the first time ever, I waxed the D-90...two days later a guy in a Cayanne wants to buy it...want to sell your car? wax it!

[R. chili]

Keep this post alive, its the best! I owed a '67 fire bird conv. and a '80 intl scout. The last ten years be driving my company vehicles and now I'm picking up my d-90 in to weeks. It's going to be great to have a car that is exclusive again. I love the respect that people have for this 4x4. Those that do not know, well, they just don't know! This should be another catagory on the web site.

[rustydefender]

Vey funny story I was going through the local wendy's and when i pulled up to the window the woman said "Aw HELL NA! Dat thing a Humma? Me, "Not quite." Her, "Dat thang must cost like 80,000 dallars" Me "nope not that much"

[Tezab_42]

As you can probably tell this is my baby and it gets alot of attention, Most chicks like it... But on the other hand you get some Pr*cks [Excuse me French] male and female that just take the piss/micky out of you which starts to get affencive.

From reading the posts on this trend shows to me that the american public are very funny and yet the english are some what abusive... if only i was in america.

Being a youngster i do hang round with all the 'boy racers' with their loud exhasts/ music. But when we drive around, iv noticed that although the girls look at them... As soon as they see my 'Beast' they dont care about the loudness of my mates cars all they do is oggle over mine :)

[loved90]

Im a firefighter by proffession, and all firefighters think they are comedians. The first morning I drove the d90 to work, they called me Ace Ventura. I know they all really like it though, you can see it on their face. Several have jeeps like I used to have.

[Doug Aitken]

Our rover club has access to a property where the local LR dealer built an off-road course used for dealer events. To pump up the club kitty, we help the local Hummer dealer put on similar events for H-owners on the course. We all come out in our Rovers, give the H-owners basic instruction and marshall the course.

Last month, the track was pretty muddy and after the intro talk, the marshalls all jumped into their vehicles (many sporting tire covers we had made : "Hummer Recovery Vehicle") and tooled off around the track to their assigned positions.

The fun started when the Hummers (mostly H-2's, some H-3's and one brand new H1 with a Duratec diesel and allison transmission) started into the track, which starts with a short downslope. short sloppy flat ans a sharp, short climb. They made it down the drop, along the flat but every one had to be strapped up the first hill.......

And so it went round the track ,with rovers pulling hummers out of a few tricky spots

Anyway, the Hummer owners (all newbies) had a blast. Part of the problem was their stock AT tires, that went nowhere in the slick conditions. But the vehicles themselves are not really suited to anything but mall-crawling, with lousy visibility out their low windscreens ........

So after getting them round the track twice (it is only a couple of miles, but took all morning) we stopped for lunch (nicely set up in tents, tables and chairs - the whole nine yards). After lunch, things had dried out quite a bit and some of the H-gang were going to head home, while others wanted to stay and play, which brings me to the best part of this whole event.

We announced that the course was open, but there would be no marshalls on course (they had run it a couple of times and conditions were better, so no real need <G>). And our guys were heading out to do some more "fun" parts of the course that were off-limits to the Hummers!

One guy sitting at the next table announced in a loud voice to his wife and 10-yr old son "let's go!" to which his son (equally loud!) bleated out in a pained voice "Daaad: do you think we should? There will be no Land Rovers to pull us out when we get stuck....."

Makes me wonder how many more times the Hummer dealer will invite us to put on a Land Rover sales event for Hummer owners!

[WCURoverD90]

That is awesome.....Wish i could have been there to see that...

[Dfndr90]

O.K, it's really not a story, but I was pulling in to the local Auto zone for some Blue Loctite and the kid working is standing at the door and watches me pull the 90 right in Front. I jump out and he's was like "wow thats so Old School, what a throw back". I'm like dude its not a baseball jersey, it's a 95. I walk in thinking come on it's only 10 years old. Kid wasnt more than 20.



Same day, I am at the gas pump getting my $3.09 per gallon beating and another youngster pulls in and walks past me and goes "Dude, nice whip"!!! Too much MTV going on.

Kinda funny

Matt...

[WCURoverD90]

I have never heard that qoute before. Thats funny. MTV is rotting that kids brain.

[oldscratchggf]

I just got my D90 in June? I think it was, I have only clocked about 1800 miles on it... Anyays, I was on a little trip downtown one day to get some lunch, and I end up pulling into a parking spot RIGHT next to one of them new fangled Lamborghinis. I`m sitting there gawking at it... I mean, $300k... how can you not gawk. Anyways, while I am getting out of my truck I hear it beep, and the owner is walking towards it. He notices me staring at his ride, but before I get the chance to ask him about the Lambo he starts asking me what my car is and where he could get one. He also made some comment about how he hopes he never encounters my truck on the road because I could drive right over his Lambo. It was kinda funny.

Also, my D90 has 33" swampers on it, and the first time I parallel parked it I managed to rip off the bumper of the Saturn in front of me, without noticing. At all. I guess by the marks on the bumper that my tire cought the corner of it and I didn`t feel a thing

[Flagg]

Hi,

I know this mush happen to you all the time.......It is nice, every now and again, to comments about my Defender 90 out in public. It is Cool to know that my old Truck can still different cause different emotions and responses out of people.......I don't always get comments, but this weekend I drove my truck arround all weekend.............I got 3:

1) What year and model is that truck...........it is the coolest truck I have ever seen!

2) At a gas station a Discovery driver cruised by slowly, rooled down the window and yelled "REALLY NICE TRUCK!"

3) The funniest! A little 7-9 year old boy holding the hand of his mother pointed to my truck and said "Mom, He drove that truck from AFRICA!" I gave him the 'thumbs up' - I had never heard that one! Must have seen it on some cartoon or the Disney channel or something about africa? I thought that was pretty cool.

Just thought I would pass along some fun news...........

Flagg

[JackW]

I was sitting outside the grocery store waiting while my wife was inside and a woman came out of the store, looked around and saw my Defender and walked over and said "you have the coolest car in the whole lot".

My favorite exchange was with another woman in a parking lot where we had both just pulled in next to each other. As I got out of the Land Rover she stopped and pointed at my truck and asked:

"What's that thing?"

I answered "its a Snorkel".

She said "But what is it for?"

I said "It allows the truck to run under water".

With a puzzled look on her face she said - "Does that happen often?"

[evilfij]

My favorite are the waves I get from the villanova undergrad girls . . . :-)

[dmarchand]

What?! no panties?

[Flagg]

Or when I was at a gas station, and the guy who had pulled up next to me got out and asked "Hey - is that the new Hummer H3??"

[paulb]

Flagg, happens all the time. Lot of people here in SoCal want to know what Jeep model it is. I have my 7 yr girl trained to respond appropriately "This is a Land Rover, a Jeep is a baby Land Rover. But thank you for noticing my truck. " I told her she could have it when she turns 18.
On the rare occasions my wife drives the D-90, she gets lots of reaction. Always comes home smiling about all the waves and such. (I on the other hand am in the driveway checking the fluids, and general all round well being of the green machine.)

[rover4x4]

Ive gotten the hummer a few times. most people just kinda stare dumb founded. Even the one or two folks Ive met in traffic have kinda looked at me with a deer in headlights look

[Overlander]

All reasons why when i get my 110 back from Pendy, the first thing I'm going to do to it is put those big 16" Land Rover logo oval stickers on the rear quarter panels. When I get asked, I'll just point and drive off.

[themaxx]

LOL...I've gotten the Hummer question.

When I was bringing the truck up from Alabama where I purchased it, I stopped at a gas station in the lower part of Ohio, the guy at the next pump told me, he had to settle for his Disco, his wife wouldn't let him buy a D-90. I responded by saying that's why I'm not married. I hope I didn't give him any ideas. :cool:

[D90user]

During hot august noghts here in reno I got some great comments as the gas station. It always fills up with some sweet rods but usually the getto 82 monte carlos with spinners.... one particular man in said hooptie yelled "UMMMM I LIKE DAT!!!! wheen you gonna git some twentiefors on dat shit" My girl friend and I have laphed about that one ever since.

[newfD90]

Mine got called a British Hummer once. :(

[thewap]

I have often heard the compliment; " now thats the REAL Land Rover!". Mostly I have noticed that children just LOVE
the Rover. They oogle it the most. :)

[gtg067i]

Tailgating for the South Carolina v Wofford game this weekend I had one guy ask where the safari was. Another told me he'd trade me his discovery 2 and a keg of beer (which was tempting at the time). Now that I've moved to Columbia, SC people are much more responsive and complementary. I think its the smaller city attitude than the ATL.

[snuffer]

Seems like a lot of what people ask me are the same things I said when I first saw one. "Damn, what is that"? Is that a Land Cruiser?

I used to get the most strange looks when I had the 4 seats in the back, & 5 passengers.

[jdb3760]

the best one I got was today in Trenton NJ filling up gas. The gas station attendant looks at me then looks at the truck covered in mud and just says "Are you some type of farmer?" I had no idea how to respond to that but I took it as some type of compliment.

[JBurt]

I pull up to a farmers house (I visit farms for work) and he looks at me and says, "Son, we raise chickens, there ain't no elephants here."

That and when I got keys made at the local Ace Hardware I pull up front, and hear the tail end of a lady behind the counter say, "Look at that Jeep!" and the guy next to her say, "Honey, that ain't no Jeep, it's a Land Rover." He cut my keys for free because he was on a medivac team for the military and said a lot of guys, including him, owed their lives to Land Rovers. Turned out that's what his team used as their ambulance.

[1000kva]

I love the "are you some type of farmer"

[Davis]

I did not get that kind of reaction the other day. No panties on the rear view mirror, no little tikes taking pictures, no coooooool comments at the gas station. Nor did I get a "cool truck", a "nice Land Rover" nor a "kick ass ride". Nope, not me. I got a "Wholly fuck, shit, piss, what did I do!" look in the rear view mirror from some balls-less phone-to-the-ear dickshit in a S4 Audi (nice car, though) who pulled into the fast lane while I was about to go up a hill (so I had a head of steam) and him doing 50 and me doing 74 in a 65 zone. Kicker is, the dipshit never looked at all--nor was there anyone ahead of him--he just pulled ACROSS TWO LANES right in front of me from the onramp of the freeway and I was about 10 feet from him. He was going "too fast" on the onramp and shot over the lanes. One thing I do know is to NEVER try an emergency lane change in a lifted D90 with mud terrain tires doing 75 miles an hour. Only concillation was I saw him drop his phone as I neglected to hit my brakes (till the last second). Yeah, yeah, I know, I should not have done that. But I should not have been put in that situation either. Tough nigs.

[Rod Hayward]

Its mostly just hot chicks that comment about the Defender. To tell the truth, I'm not sure whether its the Land Rover, or my own rugged good looks they find so attractive....

I hate being treated like eye candy......it makes me feel.....cheap.

[Rod Hayward]

Honestly though....
I get more smirks than smiles.
From the little guy in the huge truck, to the Mr. Important in the A4 with his cell phone, there's alot of ego on the road.

Sometimes I just feel more comfortable in my old pick up. It seems I'm less threatening then, and people are more likely to just ignore me as they go about their uptight life.

[Tawayama]

People don't know what to think of my big truck.

Babies start to cry. Women faint. Men stare dumbfounded. Little boys go into gyrations trying to keep an eye on it while mommy drives by.

Mostly though I get 'nice Hummer'.

Whatever.

[Chaucer]

I mostly get: "What kind of Jeep is that?", "What year is that?", or "Who's Army truck is that?"

It might be me or Washington state in general, but I have not found the 90 to be a 'chick magnet.' The only female it ever really attracted ended up being my wife. Before that, the ladies had to come from other work...not just driving the 90 around.

:-)

[tkavan01]

My favorite are the waves I get from the villanova undergrad girls . . . :-)
easy there sparky, villanova girls will wave at anything

[roverboy]

No one will believe this, but I swear to God on my mother's grave this is true. A few years ago when I had the '94 D-90, I had just gotten back from wheeling it at a FLRC event in the Green Swamp. My truck was usually white, but after our trip it was COVERED in thick, black, south Florida mud. I got home late on a Sunday, I was beat, so I din't even attempt to wash it. I drove it to work the next day(like I did every day, it was my daily driver)...straining to see out the muddy windshield, and then home that evening. When I was just about home, I thought that I really should at least rinse the truck off so I could at least see out of the windshield before i drove it to work the next day. As I'm driving down south Howard Avenue (the very trendy $$$ part of Tampa) I noticed an unbelievably hot chick in the car in front of me. You know what I'm talking about...she was in a little Acura or something.....And all I could see of her was blonde hair, nice tan shoulders and little tiny spaghetti straps from some tiny top she had on. I could see her eyes and face in her rear view mirrors and I knew she was smoking hot. Anyway...she kept looking back in her mirror at me (te truck, I'm sure) The light turns green, we pull out, the road turns into a 4 lane and I move to the right lane and pass her. I don't really want to do the obvious thing and ogle at her as I pass, so I play it cool and just cruise on past her.

A block later, there's a red light. I stop. She stops beside me to my left. She leans over and says something to me...so I turn down the radio and lean down to look her way. And she is fucking unbelievably hot. I swear to God. She asks why my truck is so dirty, and I tell her I just got back from a 4 wheel trip...blah, blah, blah...and she tells me I need to wash it....and as the light is still red, I'm cocky as hell and I say "that's where I'm going right now, want to come help me?"...she smiles, looks in her mirror...looks back at me and says, "ok"....swear to God. Light turns green, she follows me to the car wash, she helps me wash it. She was wearing a mini skirt. I got her phone number and her business card. She worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning. I never called her. I'm an idiot. I miss my D-90.

thanks for listening.

[Davis]

Yep, I agree. You are an idiot. ;-)

[roverboy]

Believe me, all my friends who heard the story thought I was an idiot too. I probably should have mentioned that when that happened, I had just started dating a girl that I liked alot. She's now my wife and we have 2 beautiful duaghters. So, in that instance, I'm glad I was an idiot....

Follow-up Post:

Oh yeah....and Christian, when the guy asked you where the safari was...you should have told him it was in his girlfriend's bush.

[oldscratchggf]

I was driving through downtown Palo Alto one afternoon with a buddy of mine. We were just looking to get some pizza. There was a group of high school kids (16? 17? maybe) standing on a corner as I drove past. One of them yelled "Nice yellow Hummer, Faggot". I immediately slammed on the breaks and put it in reverse. I backed up to them as fast as I could and as soon as I got back to where they were and my buddy and I got out of the car and as I was doing so I could hear them say shit along the lines of "Oh shit!" and "let`s book it!" and needless to say, they booked it, and they booked it quick. See, I don`t mind being called a faggot by a bunch of high school kids... That I can brush off. The Hummer comment though? Not cool

I get the occasional compliment from a Rover fan here or there, but for the most part guys are just dicks to me about it. I get stared down, sized up, shit talked, cut off, etc etc. It`s really pathetic.

On the other hand though, girls dig it. It`s probably the only reason I ever get laid any more. I was in sit and go traffic on 110 just outside LA today and this real cute, STACKED brunette in a white Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up next to me, bitting her lower lip and waved. That shit makes it all worth it.

[themaxx]

What I love is that uncertain/puzzling jeep wave from Jeep drivers.

[AggieD90]

The funniest one I had was a guy in traffic ask "Are you going to go hunting dinosaurs?" I damn near crashed I was laughing so hard.

[roverboy]

Busch Gardens, Tampa has a ride called "Rhino Rally" in which passengers are taken "off roading" in a giant Land Rover Defender. Supposedly LR Special Vehicles actually made the enormous Defenders for the ride, and they're pretty cool. There are also many series trucks, 88's and 109's as well as a couple of grey market 110's that they have around the park and especially that ride as decoration. But I digress. Anyway, on the Rhino Rally ride, there is a potion of the ride where the truck crosses a bridge, the bridge becomes dislodged and you actually go white water rafting down this river in the LR. Pretty gay, but again...whatever, it's a theme park ride.

Anyway, I went there a few years ago with my girlfriend and we took my 90. As we parked in the parking lot, some little kids were with their parents and they ran up to my truck and said, "hey, does your truck go underwater?" I didn't know what the hell they were talking about until I saw the Rhino Rally ride...then it all made sense.

http://www.rhinorally.com

[Hillbilly Raider]

Bit differant for me ..being a girly and all! but i normally get either
"do you dress up like Lara Croft?"
or if i am sat at traffic lights i always get the boy racers check the truck out ( i have blacked out windows) and then when i wind the window down they are shocked to see a female driving it!

[evilfij]

"easy there sparky, villanova girls will wave at anything"

Anything that looks like it has money :-)

[tkavan01]

"easy there sparky, villanova girls will wave at anything"

Anything that looks like it has money :-)haha, i so do miss my undergraduate days, homecoming is soon, i'll have to go checkout scenery, see if it's still worth looking at.

[DJ Menasco]

Oh yeah....and Christian, when the guy asked you where the safari was...you should have told him it was in his girlfriend's bush.


Oh shit that's funny!!

[lynchee]

I only got my truck a few months ago, but the best comment so far came from a pizza delivery guy. He compared it to his GEO TRACKER. He said he liked the Tracker better because of its looks and the 4 cylinder engine. I just nodded and smiled.

[Trevor Tarr]

Many comments, fortunately mostly favorable. (I'm OK with the "Do you EVER wash your truck???" questions.) Probably my favorite was the little boy who wanted to know if I was visiting from Jurassic Park. I've been asked if I'm on my way to Iraq, if I'm a geologist, if the D-90 is a movie prop, if I have any bazookas (that one from a Mexican federale), and lots of "What does THAT thing do???"

It's also funny to come out of a store or restaurant, and find a group gathered around the Defender, with one "expert" giving explanations to his friends. Listening in, I've learned lots of new facts about my truck, like how my snorkel connects to the exhaust system and how the military surplus ammo tubes on one side (see picture) are missile launchers.

It's definitely not a stealthy ride.

[ron]

I got the question from a 20 something asking What year is the jeep? and I said

"a 2007, Jeep finally got it right"

[Overlander]

The appropriate response for all these people is "Here's your sign..."

(If you're not from the South, you may not get that...)

[themaxx]

The appropriate response for all these people is "Here's your sign..."

(If you're not from the South, you may not get that...)Jeff Foxworthy...don't need to be from the South to appreciate a funny redneck!

[snuffer]

You should see the look on both my daughters faces when I sing the Kenny Chesney song "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" to them only I substitute Rover for tractor. :rolleyes

[themaxx]

Jeff Foxworthy...don't need to be from the South to appreciate a funny redneck!Oops not Jeff...Bill Engvall.

[cellulararrest]

What I love is that uncertain/puzzling jeep wave from Jeep drivers.
haha. best part.

[evilfij]

"haha, i so do miss my undergraduate days, homecoming is soon, i'll have to go checkout scenery, see if it's still worth looking at."

Email me if you are in the nova area.

[Cube II]

I came across a young(er) guy in a little city car yesterday on the way home,
and he smiled and gave me thumbs up.

Non-verbal comment,but made me smile after an awful day.

Therapeutic Defender...?

[smenzel]

After spending fifteen months pulling mine apart, galvanizing the frame and most of the steel parts, repainting everything and doing lots and lots of modifying, I finally got to drive my SWB home. This woman in the lane next to me gave the truck a quick glance. She then looked again to examine it more closely (as closely as you can while driving) bevfore giving me the double thumbs-up. Didn't hurt that the galvanizing was still all new and sparkly. :)

[Overlander]

Annecdote for all of you; I'm sure some can relate.

I"m coming home from work earlier this week in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I'm moving about 2 miles per hour in a long line of cars on this 4-lane-to-2-lane convergence. Normally this doesn't bother me, as I enjoy watching everyone google at my 110. About 200 meters in front of me, there's this Wrangler (I could stop right now and at least half of you would know how this story ends), that pulls out from a local off limits but abused utility trail (teen wheeling spot) and crosses traffic about 10 cars ahead of me. The wrangler is lifted, with an abuse of stickers, a poor lift, and wire whip 10 foot CB antennae (which is so long that I'm sure it B*tch slapped him on the way home), driven by this lone punk around 18-21 years old I figure. I don't give him any visual recognition, so I just notice him out of the corner of my eye. As he crosses my lane ahead of me and turns into oncoming traffic, racing so as not to get rear ended by about 20 other cars behind him that had to slow down, he rubber necks to me, leans out his half door, starts yelling something at me (my windows up with a/c on, so couldn't hear him at all) and then manages to whip out the biggest finger/bird I've seen in a while right at me, almost losing control of his Wranger in the process.

Do we bring out the worst in these people or what? That has got to be the worst form of jealousy (my theory) I've seen in a while.

For those reading this post that don't have a defender but are considering one, ask yourself this: do you want to be the guy flipping the bird to the defender, or receiving the bird in a defender?

I'm enthusiastically awaiting my next bird salute. It sucks to want.


P.S. Pendy, by proxy, this guy hates you too!!! Thanks again for everything:)

[Grover]

A few months back, I made a trip to a local hardware store. I parked my D90 in the corner of the parking lot, away from eveybody. I come walking out of the store to find someone walking around my truck, looking under under it, inside it. This idiot had the entire lot to park his beatup P.O.S. rust bucket truck...where does he park it...you guessed it, a foot from me. He said that Defenders are over priced and could understand my someone would want one. He also wanted to see if I would like to chain my D90 up to his rust-bucket and see who would win a tug-o-war. WTF! What a idoit! I smiled, hopped in my beautiful over-priced Defender and drove off.

Cheers...

[dmarchand]

Been there. Was in front of a caravan of rigs headed to Winter Romp this past Feb. and some dude after the Maine tolls got pissy and threw something (must have been coins) at my truck. Couldn't figure out why but he nearly ran into the divide at the next exit while trying accomplish his throw. made for some good cb bantor.

[Rod Hayward]

These really need to be added to the "head turning D-90 stories" thread. I go re-read that one now and then just 'cause it's so damn good.....

[LRNAD90]

Been there. Was in front of a caravan of rigs headed to Winter Romp this past Feb. and some dude after the Maine tolls got pissy and threw something (must have been coins) at my truck. Couldn't figure out why but he nearly ran into the divide at the next exit while trying accomplish his throw. made for some good cb bantor.

Too Bad he didn't actually run into the divider, that would have been both poetic and well deserved..

[dmarchand]

Definitely. He was a little hefty driving a ford ranger. Took him more effort than most to get whatever it was, roll down the window, steer, aim and throw left-handed all while exiting as I passed.

[mhansen]

Must be an East Coast thing. :crazy

Never has anyone acted derogatory at the truck.

I usually get the guys that look but don’t want to be seen looking (head snap thing).

More often than not I get the thumbs up from jeep guys.

[Trigger]

Must be an East Coast thing. :crazy

Never has anyone acted derogatory at the truck.

I usually get the guys that look but don’t want to be seen looking (head snap thing).

More often than not I get the thumbs up from jeep guys.

This.

I've never had anyone comment or act badly towards my truck either. This weekend I made a run to Lowe's and when I came out I had an older guy call me over to his car across from mine. He told me that a couple guys were walking all around my truck and taking all kinds of cellphone pics for about 10 minutes then hopped into a Jeep and left. He was afraid they had hurt it or something. I explained to him that my car gets that sometimes and not to worry. I don't think he understood and I didn't feel like explaining.

The worst I've ever had is not getting a wave back from a lifted Jeep.

Remind me not to visit the East Coast.

[JFD]

This is both frightening and funny. Testosterone can explain
this kind of behaviour.
We don't get this kind of thing down here, mostly people say
that i'm crazy to own a such hideous truck :lol ... I love people....

[pendy]

He prolly lost his best girl to a defender owner.

Suck to be him.



Annecdote for all of you; I'm sure some can relate.

I"m coming home from work earlier this week in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I'm moving about 2 miles per hour in a long line of cars on this 4-lane-to-2-lane convergence. Normally this doesn't bother me, as I enjoy watching everyone google at my 110. About 200 meters in front of me, there's this Wrangler (I could stop right now and at least half of you would know how this story ends), that pulls out from a local off limits but abused utility trail (teen wheeling spot) and crosses traffic about 10 cars ahead of me. The wrangler is lifted, with an abuse of stickers, a poor lift, and wire whip 10 foot CB antennae (which is so long that I'm sure it B*tch slapped him on the way home), driven by this lone punk around 18-21 years old I figure. I don't give him any visual recognition, so I just notice him out of the corner of my eye. As he crosses my lane ahead of me and turns into oncoming traffic, racing so as not to get rear ended by about 20 other cars behind him that had to slow down, he rubber necks to me, leans out his half door, starts yelling something at me (my windows up with a/c on, so couldn't hear him at all) and then manages to whip out the biggest finger/bird I've seen in a while right at me, almost losing control of his Wranger in the process.

Do we bring out the worst in these people or what? That has got to be the worst form of jealousy (my theory) I've seen in a while.

For those reading this post that don't have a defender but are considering one, ask yourself this: do you want to be the guy flipping the bird to the defender, or receiving the bird in a defender?

I'm enthusiastically awaiting my next bird salute. It sucks to want.


P.S. Pendy, by proxy, this guy hates you too!!! Thanks again for everything:)

[draaronr]

Been there. Was in front of a caravan of rigs headed to Winter Romp this past Feb. and some dude after the Maine tolls got pissy and threw something (must have been coins) at my truck. Couldn't figure out why but he nearly ran into the divide at the next exit while trying accomplish his throw. made for some good cb bantor.
Dave you are too nice, I would have beat his ass.

[oldscratchggf]

I run into all sorts of crap here in California (got more of it in southern California than I do in Northern California though). My favorite is pulling up next to lifted jeeps at stop lights. There have been a few times where said jeeps have sat there revving, and then burned out off the line. Why on earth would you want to race a lifted jeep? I mean, come on now. Otherwise, my truck has a tendency to get spit and pissed on.

[Trigger]

Otherwise, my truck has a tendency to get spit and pissed on.

Ok, now I know to avoid the West Coast too. Looks like both coasts are full of crazies.

[Caribsurf]

not to worry about Florida ... the elderly and tourists couldn't care less what you drive just so long as you get out of their way

[rover4x4]

I run into all sorts of crap here in California (got more of it in southern California than I do in Northern California though). My favorite is pulling up next to lifted jeeps at stop lights. There have been a few times where said jeeps have sat there revving, and then burned out off the line. Why on earth would you want to race a lifted jeep? I mean, come on now. Otherwise, my truck has a tendency to get spit and pissed on.

I get the same sort of resonses from the Jeepers.. For the most part no one seems to notice my truck which is good.

[Ragland]

From the sound of it, these people aren't just lousy about their jeep, they're lousy period. I get a lot of questions and lookovers from all sorts, but most are friendly and no one gets pissy. My attitude is and has been, these types of vehicles are all great fun, rover or not. I've owned other 4x4's, including Jeeps. If they built them to a commercial spec like Jeep did until the last military model, I'd probably still own one. What a bunch of jerks.

[oldscratchggf]

I get the same sort of resonses from the Jeepers.. For the most part no one seems to notice my truck which is good.

99% of people have great, positive reactions.... even some jeep owners. Then there is just the ocasional asshole that ruins the jeep name/ scene for me.

[Monkeyboy]

My wife refers to that behavior as the "small penis' disease :)

[Doug]

Smile and wave first, before they do. Don't be upset if they don't wave back. Remember, as Defender owners you are the 'Royals' of the off-road world. Don't ever let anyone think for a minute you are a snob. It's just your 'job', as a 4X4 God. :)

[kellymoe]

I was on my way out to the desert last year driving my 130 through LA traffic. I was just cruising along in the slow lane. Some dude in a jeep passes me and is obviously checking my truck out. He speeds up and gets in front of me and then slows down forcing me to slow down a bit. He changes lanes and falls back and gives me the bird while shaking his head. I nearly spit my coffee up from laughing so hard. When he saw me laugh he got really irate and mouthed FU to me and sped off. I still laugh when I still laugh when I think of that poor guy.

[Grover]

When he saw me laugh he got really irate and mouthed FU to me and sped off.
What the hell is wrong with people??? Losers like that really need to get a life. They are immature, jealous and do not respect others. Should I give someone the bird and tell to F*** off just because they are driving a nice Porsche 911...no! I'd admired it, give them a "thumbs-up" and go about my business.

my 2 cents...


Cheers...

[Ragland]

This must be a coast thing.

[GaryBaxter]

It's OK; the ocean kinda makes up for the assholes.

[ini88]

I've only had a jeep owner come up on me once and give me attitude. but since then, if I notice a Jeep or any other truck that looks like they are an off roader I will usually smile and give a thumbs up or go right up to them and talk about trucks or wheelin. when you approach them and show them you are interested in them they usually are nice back and you get into a great conversation.

remember we drive Land Rovers. we are educated and can rise above people that think less of others. We can control the situation easy, when we make the first positive move. :)

[Overlander]

For the record, that was my first negative reaction. Most of the time it's 80% rubber neckers with no other response, and 20% enthusiastic admiration and support (thumbs up and such). A month ago, I was at our annual Steeple chase horse race which draws a huge tailgate crowd on the greens. My guard unit had a bradley there, and when I showed up, my 110 received almost as much attention as the bradley.

Also for the record, I've had a CJ7 almost my whole life. Spent most of my adolescence trying to make it a rover (expedition type work). I did learn over time that it is much easier to get a rover, then try to make a jeep a rover. I have never experienced anything negative from a CJ or from cherokees, toyotas, or anything else other than Wranglers. And you can just look at a 4wd vehicle that has aftermarket upgrades, and easily tell if they knew what they were doing or not when setting it up. If they setup their vehicle properly to be functional, they seem to always give you respect, because defender's have earned and are entitled to that international respect. The F'd up wranglers, that start every upgrade with "how it looks" as the starting criteria for spending daddy's money, is the devil's work that creates the "who's rig is better because the chicks are looking" that I think drives that jealousy/animosity. (Ok, let's just leave it as jealousy)

On a positive note, the most avit and excited onlookers that I always seem to get are couples in their 20-30's in Disco I & II's. Saw one today getting on the freeway-an entire GenX family in a Disco II holding up traffic on the onramp, waving their hands in the air and pointing at my 110. That's what the hell I'm talking about-feelin' the love.

[jimngo]

Nothing bad has happened to me so far. Last week I had a very cute girl in a red jeep flash me a big grin and a wave.

[Chaucer]

On the way to work this morning I came to an intersection at the bottom of the hill. The light was red so I stopped. As I came to a stop the light turned green. I then take off slowly and proceed through the intersection. A guy in an older foreign hatchback does the "I need to get around you and make it obvious" maneuver.

Now, I don’t mind being passed (I get passed a lot), and because I’m driving a tall, slow vehicle but how the guy did it was what got me. As the guy made his ‘pass’, I spoke aloud: “Ooh, you’re SO much faster!”

I then watch the car drive to the next intersection and turn right. Eventually I make it to the same right turn. About 150-200 feet ahead of me, I see the he’s sitting at a red light, behind a dump truck in the right lane. I see my opportunity to switch to the left lane (which is clear) and to my luck, the light turns green. I drive right by him, satisfied with my attempt to drive and inefficient vehicle in the most efficient manner possible. As I drive by, I see he’s flipping me the bird.

I guess it must be easy to read a driver’s lips the windshield. I should be careful of what I say, unless I really mean it.

I suppose I could check my attitude regarding my reaction to his passing me. I guess it was one of those mornings.

Maybe it IS a coastal thing?

[Overlander]

That doesn't sound like it has anything to do with your defender. I think he's just a chump that was late to lousy job, driving an embarrasing car. More self hatred than envy.

[KevinNY]

I think he's just a chump that was late to lousy job, driving an embarrasing car. More self hatred than envy.
Good one, some people are just miserable cranks.

[Craigd]

I wonder if the FOREIGN car factor comes into play. Some people don't like non-American made vehicles. Kind of like the Chevy/Ford thing.

[Overlander]

I don't think so. There's too many Asian vehicles on the road, to just hate us. If that was the case, then that tells me that people aren't over the war of independence, but have totally let Pearl Harbor go.

[mhansen]

As I drive by, I see he’s flipping me the bird.
Maybe it IS a coastal thing?

This reminds me of what happened to a friend of mine on C-470 last summer, but after the guy flips him the bird, he pulls up, rolls down his window, then proceeds to verbally abuse the "slower driver" My buddy proceeds to throw his full cup of chew spit through this assholes window at 55 mph.

I’m sure it left a LASTING impression.

[ini88]

Last week I had a very cute girl in a red jeep flash me a big grin and a wave.I actually get a lot of cute girls waving or smiling at me.... you know.. flashing me, throwing their panties at me... oooohh its so hard being such a handsome guy in a Defender, hahahaha :)