New and Old Defenders

[Grassroots311]

Hi, everyone, i just joined the site after being a defender fan for years now. I am writing to see if anyone has the scoop of whether or not LR will be bringing back the Defender in the US with a "redesigned" interior to meet qualifications..... also, with used defender prices ranging from high and low, what the right price you all would pay for one in the Louisiana region. thanks for listening

[Mike Hippert]

Hey Spencer I moved this to the Chit chat section. But this topic has been covered a bit already.

http://www.d-90.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4577

[Grassroots311]

Hey Mike, on average how much money do you spend on the up keep of the D90? Is it costly?

[DaveHuny]

Any 1990's Land Rover should take between $2-4000 per year of regular maintenance. Mike's answer may not be typical ;) They'll run a while without normal maintenance, but it comes back to bite you.

[Hans]

$4,000 per year? I sure hope you are including gas and insurance in that amount!

I haven't even come close to that since I bought the truck, and I've done a decent amount of work on mine in the past year and a half. Even after I figure in the cost of the full exhaust I need to do in a few months, modifications and upgrades, as well as all the engine parts that most people will only replace once every 100,000 miles, I only hit around $2500 total.

-Hans

[JimC]

I'm really not sure how to 4000 a year unless you budget for a new major end item (tranny, t-case, etc) and at least one 60k service a year at full dealer retail or else lots of heavy off roading and repair of the associated damage.

I peg it more around 500-1.5k on average if used 10-12k per year. Some years will be less, some more.

[DaveHuny]

I didn't say $4000 per year. If you read carefully, it is a range between $2000 and $4000. :) If you have the work done at a dealer, it is easy to get in that range each year.

Jim, if you put your tdi in yourself, then your maintenance costs are skewed low because the original parts aren't in use anymore.

I haven't spent even the low end of that esitmate yet on the Defender, but a couple trips to the dealer can easily add up. I also avoid the dealer like the plague, but every Defender on eBay boasts about "dealer maintained", so it seems that most people don't do their own work.

Hans, $2500 is between 2 and 4 thousand dollars. If you'd planned on that range then you wouldn't be surprised. If you'd only planned on $1000 per year of maintenance, then some years you'd be surprised. Not everyone that has a Defender has an unlimited budget.

[Mike Hippert]

Yes everything about my Defender is skewed. But Since i do all of the work myself I spend between 1 and 3 k in parts on average over the last 2.5 years. But that includes a new T-case, 2 diffs, and an engine. Then there's all the normal little stuff that goes. It's not the big things that gets ya, it's all those dam little things! And if you go to the dealer you are going to pay allot more!

[Doug]

$2500 is only $200 a month. Cheap -- go with it. These things ain't Mercedes, plus mine is 13 years old now.

Doug W.

[Grassroots311]

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to thank you all for all the replies. I love hearing about all the defenders since i never seem them in Louisiana. I can't wait for the day I can find a Defender in good condition that is moderatley priced around me, my z71 tahoe will be out of my life for good

[dmarchand]

You should pay a visit to George at RDS. (http://www.roversdownsouth.com)

He is within your range and will give you more than a Defender fix...

[Ragland]

I agree with budgeting $2 to $4k per year in maintenance. My hunch is a lot of folks stretch to buy the Defender, then let needed maintenance go by the wayside. Usually its attached to some kind of bravado attitude like, "they don't do that in Africa", or "its made for off-road." They'll pay for shocks with reservoirs, but then turnaround and buy cheapo replacement parts. Some do the work themselves to save money, but would no doubt fail Erector Set 101. Do yourself a favor and factor that into the purchase decision.

These trucks are getting older, and pretty soon many will be facing big repairs. I give it about a year or two when this board will be getting lots of enquiries about swapping in small block chevys or T5 transmissions. Those not budgeting for maintenance will be left with a truck under a tarp, and a wife bitching to get rid of it.

[evilfij]

"Those not budgeting for maintenance will be left with a truck under a tarp, and a wife bitching to get rid of it."

This is when I "pounce" hehehehe

Ron :)

[rustydefender]

I may be asking for trouble, but i have had my 90 for a year and it has almost 80,000 on the odometer and i have had ZERO maintenence cost. I do punish it off road a bit and I regularly change out all the fluids. It is my main vehicle and I use it for commuting every day. I guess I should knock on wood!

[DaveHuny]

I may be asking for trouble, but i have had my 90 for a year and it has almost 80,000 on the odometer and i have had ZERO maintenence cost. I do punish it off road a bit and I regularly change out all the fluids. It is my main vehicle and I use it for commuting every day. I guess I should knock on wood!

So, you work for free and got your oil from a garage when no one was looking, then dumped the old stuff on the side of the road? Preventative maintenance costs count, too. Also, they really will run for a while with no regularly scheduled maintenance, but when things start going, you see them up on eBay shortly afterward. I knew a guy that put $5000 (3 different suspensions in 1 year) into his Disco to get "more articulation" and then traded it in on a Jeep when his valve job (100,000 miles) was $1000. Darn crappy unreliable high-priced Land Rovers! ;)

[cgalpin]

Factor in all the toys you might want to buy. Armor isn't cheap. Not buying armor can be more expensive.

This is assuming you'll wheel it.

charles

[Buckon37s]

How much money? All of it.

[Ragland]

The best way to look at it is in consideration of mileage and age. An 11 year old truck with 80 to 100k miles will likely require replacement ancillary parts like starter, alternater, master cylinders, compressor, etc. These will each typically set you back $300 to $800 depending upon what parts you select and who does the labor. Don't forget brake pads and rotors.

Once you hit the 120 to 150k range of mileage, major items like engines, transfer-case, and transmission may need total overhaul or replacement. Again, it is not to say they will fail, but an owner should be prepared for it. You really don't want to be maxed out on the monthly payment, unable to afford repairs, and stuck paying for a truck on blocks. The 18 to 25 crowd, especially, without reliable income or means need to budget honestly.

[JBurt]

Buy it while you don't have responsibilities like kids or a wife and it doesn't matter if it sits on blocks (It's the only reason I have mine - and that quote came straight outta my fiance`).

The bottom line is, it's gonna break, and from this thread it seems like you know that. Just get a ST with AC so you can part it out to fix something. Speaking of which, anybody need an AC unit?

[Trigger]

Just get a ST with AC so you can part it out to fix something. Speaking of which, anybody need an AC unit?

I have AC in my ST. It hasn't been used in two years or more. I live in TX and our summers can be hot but I'm so used to it that 95+ degrees doesn't bother me without AC. I've been thinking about parting it out to pay for upgrades/repairs. The only thing stopping me is the hit I think I'll take on resale, though I never plan on reselling, and the thought that possibly, one day years from now, I'll want that AC.