Price Check - '94 D90 ST

[speedway16]

Oh wise ones-

I've tracked down a D90 I'm interested in but I need help pricing it. What do you guys think is a fair price or price range? Text from ad below...

"1994 Land Rover Defender 90.

If you're looking for a cream puff Defender to park at Starbucks, keep shopping. If you're looking for an extremely well set up and reliable off roader, keep reading.

This truck was set up to drive comfortably to the trail, crawl over the rocks, and get home reliably.

Thousands in mods and professionally installed upgrades. Some of them are:

ARB front bumper & Warn x8000i winch
ARB air lockers front and rear
ARB springs
ARB aircompressor
4.75 r & p
transfer case regeared
Rancho 9000 shocks. Extended shock mounts.
Long stainless brake lines
Great Basin HD rear axles
Multiple pieces of rock armor and skid plates professionally fabricated. ($$$)

Air conditioning
Back seat
Soft top + bikini tops.
Roof rack
Custom gas, water, propane rack
Steel wheels w/ Goodyear MTR's
More

+ a boat load of spares including electrical, hoses, body parts, more.

Original owner. Maintained progressively and thoroughly with the intention of never selling it. 105,xxx miles on truck. Other major work done in the last three years:

Rebuilt transfer case & 5 spd transmission
Installation of low mileage 4.6 liter engine. (Stock was a 3.9) Suggest looking up on line the cost of this conversion. See East Coast Rover for example.

This Defender has been offroaded. It has some dents and blemishes. However, it's the best set up and best priced Defender out there. This truck is good to go for a LONG time."

[rijosho]

It has a lot of goodies, and a 4.6. Doesn't look too bad...try to get him down below $24.5. That's a lot of weight on a rear tire carrier, though!

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/2140405535.html

[NoVaKevin]

22.5k without looking at it to confirm its condition.

You better pay the guy today. if kalifornia craigslist is anything like d.c. craigslist this guy has already had 300 emails.

[SeattleRRC]

$24.5 is very reasonable for that truck if everything works as stated in the ad.

[speedway16]

Thanks for the feedback guys - confirms my gut feeling. Waiting to hear back from the seller...

[lordhelemt]

Looks like a great trail rig but no good on the highway. 4:75 r&p with 1:40 tcase and 33"s is going to be way overgeared. I'm running ~33s w/ 4:10s and turning 2,000 rpm at 60mph. The 90 you're considering is geared 16% lower for BOTH the diffs and tcase. Just my $0.02.

[speedway16]

lordhelemt-

Good insight - thanks for the feedback.

[NoVaKevin]

My old d2 had the same arb and r&p setup with stock tcase. It was comfortable to me and handled well on the highway, but I NEVER had it above 60mph. I only put 2 thousand miles on it though all either highway to trails or on the trail.

[lordhelemt]

My old d2 had the same arb and r&p setup with stock tcase. It was comfortable to me and handled well on the highway, but I NEVER had it above 60mph. I only put 2 thousand miles on it though all either highway to trails or on the trail.

Was this the white D2 off Rt 50 a few years ago?

[NoVaKevin]

Nope, iir it was a woodcote or kent green one. Sold to a guy in ohio a few months ago. Pics in for sle section from sept/oct time frme.a

[lordhelemt]

Nice Disco

[speedway16]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Still haven't heard back from the seller...guess it sold or he just likes to advertise and not sell :-)

[rijosho]

Is that basically what you're looking for? I mean that trail ready, those miles, that color, etc.?

[speedway16]

Is that basically what you're looking for? I mean that trail ready, those miles, that color, etc.?

Probably not - this rig is probably to trail focused for me but I was hoping to get a look at it in person to make a more informed decision. Never heard back from the seller - oh well, the hunt continues.

[1of40]

Hey Doc, for what it is worth I have a 97SW (just as capable but not as over-the-top). Price is higher too though and it's on the wrong coast. $34K as is, or we can discuss removing pieces to bring it closer to your buget.

2nd owner
bought it completely stock and built it up over time as I wanted/needed
my 3rd defender over 12 consecutive years
selling to make room for a new 110 I recently purchased
owned this Defender since about May of 2005
my daily driver
always garaged at home and office (all its life actually)
no rust
no fluid/exhaust leaks
operates at normal temps
never towed anything
passes tough 2010 VA emissions inspection
light off-road use on intermediate trails
Sun/moon roof
Automatic ZF Trans (stock on all 97's)
4.0L V8
4 rear jump seats
Longest road trip 10+ hours one way
Daily trips to work everyday 25 miles r/t
Many weekend 3 hour trips one way
Overall very dependable and I would not hesitate taking is across the country tomorrow if I had the time
Regular full-synthetic fluid changes all around
New exhaust Y-pipe/Cats/Muffler
New SS Oil cooler lines
New fuel sender/pump
Maintained by a Land Rover certified mechanic (Loudoun Rover, Chantilly Virginia)


Off-Road Parts and Upgrades

New OME Shocks
2 inch Old Man Emu Spring Lift
RoverTym Engineering adjustable rear links
RoverTym Engineering RTE SS Pan-hard Rod
RoverTym Engineering RTE SS Steering Arm
RoverTym Engineering RTE SS extended brake lines
Great Basin Rover HD prop shafts front and rear
Great Basin Rover GBR 410 Gears
Great Basin Rover Detroit front and rear lockers
Safari Gard Tank Skid
Safari Gard SG rear Corner Bumpers/Protectors
Safari Gard SG 2 inch hitch
Rockware Sill Sliders
Rockware Frame Sliders
Rockware Rear Pinion Skid
Rockware Cat/T-case Skid
Rockware winch bumper w/ light bar
Warn 9.5ti winch
33 inch BFG 255x85 KM2 MT's (approx 15K miles)
Heavy Duty Land Rover Mud Mats Front/Cargo Area



Clay

[speedway16]

1of40-

That's a nice truck - well-sorted! However, at this point in the search, I'm only looking at trucks that are within 8+/- hours of me. I'll keep your D90 in mind as my search progresses.

speedway

[cwilder]

Clay would love to see some pics of the 110! Did you sell your other one. That was like the fastest posting of all time. I figure someone would jump on it quick.

[NoVaKevin]

back up for sale....buyer backed out...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/2170473925.html

[Hazard]

Ive got 4.88 gears and 35" BAJA Claws and while at 60mph I am at almost 3k RPMs, it handles fine. I just get in the slow lane. I wouldnt deal with that if it were a daily driver though. Just swap out the R&P in each axle if your worried about it.

[speedway16]

Folks-

So I was able to connect with the seller and view and drive this truck today. Seller is the original owner and a super nice guy. Very straightforward about it's pros & cons and very knowledgeable about the systematic upgrades (see above) and progressive maintenance (see above) he's done over his years of ownership to make this a reliable, super-capable trail rig. He's asking $24,500 but he's negotiable on price. I think his asking price is in the ballpark given it's condition, upgrades, regular & recent heavy maintenance, and tons of spares.

So my concern is this: It's been wheeled hard - lots of battlescars on the chassis and running gear and a few love taps on various body panels. Seller is/was a die-hard wheeler. He had 3 Jeep trail rigs prior to his D90 and has coached at trail events in the past. Knowing it was off-roaded by an expert is comforting, but my concern is that it's 'useful life' has been used up and I'd be inheriting a money pit.

I drove it and the 4.6L started, ran, and pulled fine. Transmission (R380) seemed okay - recently rebuilt. T-case seemed okay - recently rebuilt. Pulled about 2700 RPMs at 70 mph. Two concerns I had were 'sloppy' steering and occasional clunk when shifting.

...so what do you guys think? 1) Negotiate a lower price & pull the trigger 2) Run like hell!

Thanks-
speedway

[kevkon]

All that really matters is what YOU think. If the truck is everything ( or mostly) what you want, go for it.
As for the concern about it being wheeled extensively, my opinion is that most of the serious wheelers are also the most in touch with the vehicle and it's mechanicals. Not to mention the cost of upgrades.
On the other hand, some owners are purists and have no use for anything that isn't OEM.

[woldd90]

Everything comes down to what, how and when you are going to use the truck. If you are looking to use it as a daily driver, or on long trips, the gearing will consume more gas than the stock axles. If you are going to use it as a second or third car, or weekender, it will be perfect for that. There are a lot of nice upgrades on that 90, so, if you ever wanted return it to stock or reduce it's trail-ability, you would have a pretty decent amount of cash do fix or replace parts and panels, by selling off parts.

If you buy it, drive it for 6 months before you start changing it.

[NoVaKevin]

You previously said you thought it was too much of a dedicated trail rig, but you wanted to confirm this in person. It sounds that it is a trail rig, and then some, with the scars to prove it. If you want it as a trail rig, arent afraid to throw a few more dents on the body, and use for some occasional on road driving, then buy it.

Before thinking you can sell the mods to make some money and return it to stock (if you wanted to) ask youself if you have the time, tools, and space to do so. Otherwise, having a shop do that will just increase the cost. From what it sounds like, it would need a lot of work to return it to stock, including body work.

[nikojo]

If you want a daily driver that is off-road capable I would strongly recommend Clay's rig. It seems well sorted and with a lot of the perfect goodies while not compromising the comfort of the daily drive.

It sounds like you might not be happy with the one you're looking at and likely will need some work (steering at very least). Be careful what you "talk yourself into" as it is easy to do and then later regret it. It's worth paying a "little more" for the comfort of knowing it will need little or no work.

Transport likely would not be over $700 so just factor that into price.

[2yellowlabs]

Transport will be closer to $900 (even if it's only a few states away) all in from a reputable company. There a lots of bad ones so do your research!!! Also, you definately want to see it in person before you buy. Ask me how I know.

[speedway16]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I've decided to pass - not the 'right fit' for me. However, if you're looking for a more trail oriented rig you need to look at this one - original owner, nice upgrades, and well maintained. Owner is very knowledgeable, straight forward, and willing to negotiate.

The hunt continues!