Land Rover Defender vs 2005 Jeep Wrangler

[Jarandas]

I´ve been thinking about buying a car to smash rabbits and rare plants with.

I don´t want anything fancy, a simple car to have fun with, and not very expensive to maintain.

I´ve heard the best options are the Land Rover Defender and the old Jeep Wrangler (the last real Jeep, before it turned into an SUV).

Any opinions, suggestions, experiences with these cars? Do you have a better option?

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Jarandas

I don´t want anything fancy, a simple car to have fun with, and not very expensive to maintain.

Any opinions, suggestions, experiences with these cars? Do you have a better option?

Any vehicle with a transfer case and two differentials is going to get expensive to maintain at some point. Especially if you buy one that has been put to a lot of off-road use.

I used to have a Jeep (CJ7) that was a blast to drive. A word of warning though: four-wheel drive and lots of torque doesn't mean you'll not get yourself into trouble. In fact, the trouble you'll find will be way worse.

I had to cut down two trees to get myself out of one mess I created while off-roading.

 

[Aaron]

You're dealing with two entirely different price points of vehicle.

Defenders in good condition approach $40K. They're also expensive as hell to repair and suck gas like a motha.

That being said, I want one badly.

 

[VaderDave]

Has Land Rover ever considered bringing the D90 back to the States?

 

[pscolari]

Originally Posted by VaderDave

Has Land Rover ever considered bringing the D90 back to the States?

I think the cost of modifying the Defender to comply with federal regulations (airbags) was too great in relation to units sold.

 

[jfclarky]

defender hands down one of the best off-road vehicles ever next to 1997 toyota land cruiser. That said used defenders are +$30k you should look at a land cruiser. Estas en Espana todavia?

 

[VaderDave]

Originally Posted by pscolari

I think the cost of modifying the Defender to comply with federal regulations (airbags) was too great in relation to units sold.

Bummer. I'm surprised that the UK doesn't have similar requirements.

 

[Jarandas]

Originally Posted by jfclarky

defender hands down one of the best off-road vehicles ever next to 1997 toyota land cruiser. That said used defenders are +$30k you should look at a land cruiser. Estas en Espana todavia?

I´m still in Spain (I moved back three years ago, actually).

Originally Posted by Aaron

You're dealing with two entirely different price points of vehicle.

Defenders in good condition approach $40K. They're also expensive as hell to repair and suck gas like a motha.

That being said, I want one badly.

I think Land Rover prices are different in Europe, so is the model choice.

There are only 2.5l Diesel engines available, and the price range is much lower (price starts at 28.000€ or 39.000$, with standard equipment). That´s for a brand new LR.

I would love to have a petrol engined model, but they stopped selling them in Spain around 2001.

 

[impolyt_one]

the defender is beautiful. you should get that and dump the TT if you don't drive much

 

[Jarandas]

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

the defender is beautiful. you should get that and dump the TT if you don't drive much

I´m driving the TT more and more often, the LR would be my beach/mountain car, and could also use it as a city car, driving in Malaga is a dangerous task!

The short wheelbase Defender is about the same size of the old Wrangler, quite compact.

 

[Rosenberg]

Originally Posted by jfclarky

defender hands down one of the best off-road vehicles ever next to 1997 toyota land cruiser. That said used defenders are +$30k you should look at a land cruiser. Estas en Espana todavia?

Ah, the FZJ80. Truly one of the most trail-worthy vehicles ever produced. I drive a '92 FJ80. Not quite the beast, but I love it. The Rubicon Wranglers are worth checking out if you're actually going to use it

 

[sonomadrifter]

Talk to this guy, he daily's it and should know about maintenance.

Originally Posted by pat pearson

My collection

1994 Rover D90- Daily Driver

1965- Jaguar E-type- Weekend Driver

.

 

[Harold falcon]

I own a TJ Jeep Wrangler Sahara and I absolutely love it. Don't underestimate the cool factor of the convertible top.

It is cheaper up front, and easy to maintain. There is virtually nothing you can't do on the Jeep yourself.

 

[FLMountainMan]

I own two wranglers. They are extremely dependable - I've put almost 200,000 miles on the two of them and the only problems I've had have been wiring (which, considering the considerable jarring I've subjected them to, is understandable) and a cracked manifold when I submerged one of them. As far as easy to fix - I've done a lot of work on cars, for money and for free, and while I've never had to fix anything on my jeeps, they look very easy to maintain.

I've also owned a LR Disco. It looked awesome and was fun to drive when it worked. It was also a much better professional/commuter car (although the mileage was terrible), and more comfortable. Still, I always feared taking it into the backcountry for fear of it breaking down. Most spare parts were too expensive to order "just in case"

Bottom line - Land Rovers look cooler and are more exclusive, but will cost you a hell of a lot. And while I've read that their quality has improved drastically, I'm still skeptical. For the same price you can modify the hell out of a jeep and have much more offroad functionality, at the expense of some snob points.

This being styleforum, I have no doubt what option you'll choose.

 

[tj100]

Originally Posted by VaderDave

Has Land Rover ever considered bringing the D90 back to the States?

2013 model year Defender will be back; whether it's a 'real' Defender or not will be the question.