5 THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN BEFORE BUYING MY LAND ROVER DEFENDER! 

I can't even watch this.... "wrong choice"....poor defender deserves a new owner

I’ve got a 300tdi and I like it’s character. A lot of people spend a lot of money trying to make an agricultural machine into a modern estate car. If comfort and silence are important to you then don’t buy a Defender.

Definitely don’t change your bonnet, proud to own a original authentic TD5 👍🏻

I'm in the process of buying a UK Defender and shipping to the US. A lot of great info. Thanks for sharing!

All very good comments, but you have shown why I am so lucky. I bought a second hand 110 XS model TD5 in 2005 which was only 6 months old. The negatives you mention about Defenders, I just do not recognise, so an XS model is the one to go for. I do not really do much off roading, but on the other hand, it does it so easily, that you would not notice if you had. They are just so easy to live with and do everything you ask.

Looks great mate, and great advice for someone tossing up which model to buy. Keep it up 👌

Nice as usual, well one thing I would think about now after six years of owning a 300Tdi would be: I would buy exactly what I want in good condition instead of buying something to modify, ours too was a 90 van and now has back benches and sliding windows, would definitely check under had to change the whole chassis on ours which did look good but was hiding much to do... but as Mike of Britannica Restorations says: many make mistakes when buying their first Land Rover and this is my first one though I grew up with Land Rover as my father was selling Land Rover spares in Rome Italy since 1968.

I think your choice of a TD 5 was a very wise one, the only thing that would have been better for your use would have been to go for a CSW, that has most of the refinements that you are putting on your vehicle now, but it is still a van, and that can cause a lot of insurance complications, but that said, your Defender looks really nice, the colour and wheels look wonderful, enjoy it! Chris B.

😧 me after buying a Defender with checker plate on the bottom sill and wing tops. Luckily, they were put on for looks by the original owner. They were starting to peel so took them off for a respray and it was fine underneath but it’s a very good tip to be cautious with them. I’m also the same about going off road. I don’t plan to do that because I know it’s really capable and it has nothing to prove so why risk damaging it? And definitely keep the original bonnet. Another great vid! 👍

200/300 tdi are great, but decent supply is slowly drying up. Alot of people take the 200tdi from a disco and put it into a defender like on mine, with some modification of bell housing, works great! If i had my pic of engines, id put a 3.9 v8 from a rangie in it, but TD5s are awesome too with that 5cyl purr!

Good video as usual. I went for a TD5 90 SW XS Urban Truck in black and not regretted it. Err yes is did have lots of checker plate but turns out it was fine underneath. Phew!

Right on bro, love my Td5 for the same reasons.

Wish this video was done before I bought mine. Must check those cheque plates 😂😂🤣 great video and thanks

The no claims bonus is definitely used able on a van. I went from a car to a van and my no claims wasn't affected

Your Defender looks lovely!

Good breakdown Doc.

I've a TD5 90 same colour , bulkhead delete for extra legroom, cat delete & straight thru exhaust & chipped for extra 40 + hp.....but she sits on my drive most days of the week like a modern work of art ............ 😂

I bought my beloved Td5 from new, he is now 23 years old, has been offroad a lot (but with care) is very reliable, almost rust free and never will be sold. When I see the state of other vehicles at that age or even a lot younger, I dare to give an advice from experience: the least modified, tuned and tampered around with Landys are usually those which last longest. Drive slow - and enjoy it! (Your Landy will enjoy it too)

Interesting video. And great looking Defender. You should have overlaid some photos of the other versions that you were referring to and also the checker (?) plate you mentioned.

I have had two TD5's and two Puma's. Puma every time and every bit as good as the TD5 imho

Hi Doc, Great video as usual, loving the Optimil upgrades! I own a Puma 90 XS Station Wagon 2014 which I bought from new, the only thing I would consider changing would be to buy the 110 over the 90. I prefer the look of the 90 over the 110 but the 110 is so much more versatile and loads more room. We take our 90 to the Alps twice a year to ski and packing used to be a mission until we took the rear seats out and installed a drawer system. I would highly recommend the Puma, I know a lot of Defender owners are not keen but I cannot praise enough, it’s perfectly acceptable as a daily driver especially with the Alive Tuning stage 1 upgrade. I have owned several transit vans over the years all with the TDCI duratorq engine, all have done over 100,000 miles and performed fantastic considering they have been an abused builders van!! Keep up the great work Doc. Kind regards Tony

The thing with the flat bonnet is that you can put checker plate on it much easier because it's flat, and you can put the spare wheel on there if you wanted that, too. With the humped bonet you couldn't put the wheel there because it would block too much of your vision (it blocks a fair bit on the flat bonet!), and while you can put checker plate on the humped bonet, it doesn't look as good imho, and it's not as protective as you can only have a smaller area of plate.

I have really enjoyed all your content. One easily fixed niggle, I would recommend buying a "dead cat" cover for your mic for windy conditions.

Bought a 1987 90 4 years ago for 1800gbp best decision both that and my 69 c10 chevy have increased in value. I love agricultural classics

Lovely charming! Had 10 from 98-14 all new,most 110 s ! fun vehicle Now i have a 16 Toyota hilux! Pretty dull but so very superior in all ways ! Use it for work,forrestry and gardening work! No rust and reliability like nothing can match! Btw i sold my 14 2016 and got all money back 👍 Cheers M

Great vid thanks!

Hi 👋 I see on yours it has the LED head lamps which there’s many aftermarket makes with vastly varying cost and reliability, but in the last year of production (2016) LR did actually do some OEM ones with were fitted on the 1000 only specials made. These did have some environmental and legal and performance testing completed unlike the chemo Chinese aftermarket ones. Also the head lamp bezel that hold the head lamps in place rust, basically due to to fine particles / silt build up between the bezel and the glass which keeps moisture on the rear of the metal plus grinding away the protective paint. LR spec for these are low grade steel painted to protect for up to 300 hours in a salt test spray, really easy test to meet (no headlamps no dirt so no real world use). Suggestions if you like shiny bling go with the silver anniversary version as these are made from stainless so will not rust, ( I did not have one single sliver one return within 8 years warranty) alternatively use OEM original spares made from 2015 as these had a non iron phosphate coating added to the steel bezel prior to painting in quarter 3 2013 and fitted to vehicles to OEM vehicles from 2014 (2015 for OEM spares as may have taken time to flush worldwide stocks). After introduction of the pre coating warranty returns fell dramatically right up to 2021 when final window closed for standard warranty claims. Hope this information Is useful for you all.

I had a loan Puma when my 200tdi was being repaired after an accident. Didn't get on with it at all, I feel it needed the six speed box simply because it has a tiny power band compared to a Tdi. More horsepower perhaps, but the Tdi still has the better low rpm torque.

Interesting what you said about the NCB transfer to a van and back to a car. I have never had that issue and currently have my NCB (earned on cars) now on my Defenders policy!

Im on my 3rd ,bloody love love them 300tdì,2.4,then 2.2 puma. thought 300 tdi was the best.2.2 puma is a fantastic driver. I was lucky enough to buy a 2.2 puma 3 door 110 for camping.had gullwing windows installled when bought.I have the Defender bug bad! Rather rare here in Australia as here is massive Toyota Landcruiser and Nissan Patrols as parts and service Centres are everywhere here in Aus..

I have heard many people compalied about Defender. BUt surprisingly, due to the charisma, in Indonesia for 1997-1998 Defender 300TDi, it cost about IDR 600-700 million which equal to USD 45K to USD 47K. that's is very awesome because Landcruiser VX100 for 2000 diesel can be found easily at IDR 600 million.

thank you for the tips

I have owned 200Tdi, 300Tdi and TD5 engined Defenders and the TD5 is the engine to have.

I had a 300 tdi County from new….L 716 HJW…for 25 years. 160k miles on the clock…original clutch too…..oil/ filter change twice a year is a must. Never had any trouble apart from leaking door seals 😂. I’m 68 and traded it in (£2000; I didn’t need the money) for a Kia Picanto…..bliss…7 year warranty….warmth….comfort….no leaks….cheap cheap to run…..luxury….😂

Hi. Really useful. Thanks. You are not right about the insurance though. Recently sought quotes for identical year Defenders - Station Wagon (a car) or Van back. I was offered virtually similar quotes with NCD and NCD protection. It's not an issue.

Great video! Very informative. Currently considering a ULEZ 2.2 conversion as a potential project, not sure if you have come across anyone who has done one? I learnt to drive in a TD5 110 many moons ago, I loved my first driving experiences in that!

Great video Doc. I would never buy a puma, I Love my td5 too much. As well as the transfer box, you can also put a higher 5th gear ratio in and I think it will completely transform it. Also I intend to keep mine forever, hopefully like you. I like the td5 dash as it’s not as basic as a tdi but still has the defender element to it. However, when my td5 needs a new chassis and bulkhead I might put a puma bulkhead in to enable me to put a puma dash in. Ashcroft do a kit to make the r380 box compatible with the puma sticks as well.

Great advice I have owned puma and td5 and agree the puma is nicer on road, however I’m back to TD5 as Nice XS station wagon version, rather than puma van. I use off road and also camp in it. Could I ask where you got your grill and light surrounds please, mine are looking very tired.

I think I would have got a 110 station wagon instead of a 90 van, purely for practicalities sake - the 90 is a lot smaller than you want it to be. Van looks better, but you just can't put people in the back, so it's a pure 2 seater. and the visibility out the sides is horrific, so can see why you'd want to chuck some windows in the back! Happy with the Puma engine mind - appreciate the extra comfort, though would love the front vents as I don't have air con! But if you don't have a Puma, I can't see why you'd want a Puma bonnet - stick to the original! Oh - the other thing.... Modding - I've got the Alive stage 1 remap, suspension, etc - check the insurance before you do it!

Hello Nick I, like you have gone on a bit of a journey with my defender, I purchased a pick up from a garden centre that was a 1988 V8, I have replaced the chassis and engine with a more modern V8 but retained a manual gearbox. I also had a TD5 previously and cannot recommend enough that you change the transfer box, no pun intended its transformational, I got a new one from ashcroft as recommended by Foley who are local to me. I liked the TD5 dash so much that I put it in my V8, I now have a double din headunit and reversing cam in my V8. Great channel and great mods.

The bulge in the Puma bonnet was only because they bodged up. The Puma engine is tall, and they were stuck with the Ford 6-speed gearbox. So that dictated the engine position, which ended up above the front axle. So they had to lift the engine way high up to clear the axle, and then had to put the bulge in. The TD5 is a much longer engine, but hey, it fits properly in the vehicle, so no need for the bulge.

Hi Doc Great video my mate and some great advice. Thanks 😊

I have a restored series iii 😁 no rust on body. Stone chiped ladder frame chassis.

Hi doc would you be able to tell me if the heating system are good like do they get hot in winter like modern cars

I have a defender 110 300tdi County Station Wagon, yes it's noisy, but I bought it because of its simplicity, something breaks or falls off it, its generally a simple task to replace and or repair, been an owner for 12 years it's my daily driver and I'd hate to go back to normal cars, definitely do your research if you're in the market for one, checks before buying, bulkhead, rear chassis just in front of the rear wheels and rear cross member, and if you do buy one change the timing belt for peice of mind, the 300tdi engine is bomb proof.

I really want to know what the Defender Wolf drives like compared to the TD5 / TDI. Good video, thanks.

Good point on buying a stock vehicle. Never EVER buy someone else’s project vehicle. Completely stock as it left the factory is the only way to go, especially with a 4x4.

Just one question. Why did you hit your camera after y9ur introduction?

I agree with you, why go off road just for the sake of it.

Six - a separate mount for the spare wheel. Spares mounted on a Series door damaged the frame, so perhaps the same with your car.

The mid-range County has electric windows?

Having driven all the diesel engine options of Defenders, I've found the Td5 the smoothest running. The pumas feel more clunky to drive and, while the later heater is more effective, the redesigned dash robs so much space with my right knee constantly bashing the shelf under the steering wheel and left bouncing off the bulging centre portion of the dash. I daily drive a 2005 Td5 110 station wagon as my only car and have done since 2009. It covers commuting, regular trips from home in the Scottish Highlands to visit family in Cornwall and, at the weekend, I can sling a mountain bike in the back without taking any wheels off. For modifications, I replaced the 2nd row seats with high-back versions and fitted extended seat rails to the driver's seat for a better leg angle. The back cushion from the original back seat now makes a lovely big padded top on the centre cubby box. Oh and yesterday I replaced the stereo as the original radio cassette has never been quite the same since a passenger spilled half a can of coke into it a few years back! My previous transport was a 300 TDI 90, which was brilliant but less refined and, being smaller than the 110 with 3 seats instead of 9, less practical. Great fun on the motorway, where it always felt a bit like piloting a light aircraft.

If you use admiral they seem to see the vehicle as a car so ncb can be transferred. Tried many companies and them and direct line are the only ones using regular car insurance for the vans

The phrase "an old farm vehicle that's been mechanically looked after..." is an oxymoron.

Don't forget the 19J! Not such a bad engine from my experience.

I use my defender long distance travel on road...Also use on beach.....See what breaks down first replace it AND upgrade..EVENTUALLY UPGRADE MOTOR TO 8 CYLINDER.

PUMA can be tuned just as good as the Td5 believe me, I am a PUMA owner (after owning a 2.5td, tdi 200 and a tdi 300) and against all suggestions i decided to go for the PUMA over a TD5. The sole purpose was I wanted something a bit more evolved with everyday comforts along with the ruggedness of a landy. I am not a fan of the humped bonnet to be fair, but lets get down to the tuning. I have done stage 1 tuning and the change is impressive, well worth it, increase by 40-45 bhp, but apart from that is the gear ratio and the possibly of turning off the EGR which is a huge issue on all these machines both td5 and puma. This is just my 5p and I come with no disrespect to the td5, they are both amazing vehicles..

Dealers can rove over a Range of high parts and service changes They have made the Discovery they are Free to land them on the customer

Great video, do you think you'll put a straight pipe on your defender?

With regards to engine choice, having owned all of them, the Tdi is slow and bulletproof, the Td5 was my favourite, and I’d never buy a Puma again. In standard form they are woefully lacking in torque in all the right places to be a modern road car, you’re forever thrashing through gears to keep momentum. Yes, you can remap it, but not everyone wants to do so.

flat bonnet over puma i reckon :)

I never knew that about the van back 🤔👍

Oh yes, the V8 ones sounded best. Fact!

I got a new Defender, but your vehicle is the real deal.

Iv got an S reg 300tdi 90, love the character looks and the propper old school Land Rover element. I have owned it since 2015 and to live with everyday in all honesty was difficult. (it did improve a lot when I recently installed a lof clutch) however I wouldn’t change or try and improve it for the world, it just wouldn’t be right to try and make it something it isn’t. She lives in the garage now looking pretty and I bought myself a Touareg for comfort and power. Would I recommend one for daily use? Probably not. Would I ever sell it? Definitely not! It completed one of my childhood dreams and my little boy loves it to much.

You make great points to ponder. You mentioned Sam at Juice motors. He hasn’t posted a video in a bit. Do you know if everything is okay with him. I sure hope so.

I would choose series doors, windows & screen so it can be run stripped down in good weather

Nice video….but you overlooked the “best” mota for a Land Rover defender!!!! The brilliant rover V8!!!! Wether it be the original 3.5 litre mota or the latest 5.0 litre version…. The V8 is the mota to have!!!! And that V8 mota was so successful it went into Rover cars, MGs…..Discovery’s…. And naturally the Range Rover!!!! And numerous other British cars!!! An amazing mota!!!! Regards ian 👨‍🎤🇳🇿🏉👍

I’m thinking about buying a td5 90 from around 2002 anyone if there still reliable past 100k miles?

The body is aluminium and so oxidises(aluminium oxide)....the chassis and front bulkhead are steel and they rust (iron oxide!)....a rotten/rusty front bulkhead is a huge job to change...(as is a chassis!)

Keep them as original as possible. My 2009 was Rustmaster-ed cavity wax injection & chassis underseal from new, garaged from new. Avoided car parks at all costs. Very low mileage and in mint condition. No re-mapping, no bernie-bolt on's, no chequer plate. Totally standard as from the factory. Even the rear crossmember is rust free. Alas now it has to live exposed, but still under cover in a carport, so looking at anti-theft devices to stop the scumbags from nicking it, or the doors & bonnet.

I transferred my ncb without issue from my 'van' defender to a car with no issue. Is this a new law?

Isuzu 3.9 in a Perentie smokes all of the LR engines. Mine is turbocharged to boot.

First question would be what does the marque LandRover mean to you? Initial impressions from your video is that you don’t really get it. It’s a lifestyle not just a tuner car which it seems you are more inclined towards. But I do have some hesitations with any credibility for you on that as well. Have you ever been able to jump into a mate’s rig and run a better lap or have better understanding of the feel? Please reach out. Happy to give a few points

Definitely no to the Puma bonnet. It was much heavier (steel instead of aluminium?) and wider at the front edge which didn’t look ‘right’ to my eye. I sold a Puma that I had bought new in 2011 and went back to a Td5 - much prefer it.

I’ve a 200 tdi it’s like a tractor

I have a defender 90 1984 spitfire green tdi and i think it’s the best thing ever but my girlfriend wants me to get an upgrade because she wants aircon 🙄

Question. Has that vehicle ever been off-road or done a serious expedition? If not why buy a Defender?

Mate I’ve a 33 yr old defender 90 ,I’ve put chequer plate on areas which you point out ,and tbh they do not have rust ,not all use it to hide rust 🤬

Dont swap that bonnet. That bulge is the one thing on my puma id change if i could...

What about the petrol v8

I can tell you that the 200TDI is bulletproof and runs like a clock.

Galvanised chase !

Puma bonnect is ugly and obstructs your view of the n/s wing. Speaking as someone with a 90Tdci and a 110 TD5 the TD5 is much better. Personally as a daily driver I recommend a 110 to a 90 as the latter is really choppy on the road. Also the 110 is better for towing. Dont put a 1.2 transfer box in if you want to tow, Ashcroft do a modified gearbox with better layshaft bearings and a slightly higher 5th gear (from the V8 box)

2.5td lt77 to LS3 6 speed auto? a bit more HP!

This color is beautiful. What is the color name or code?

Bought a 70 series...Toyo that is

Major pass on the Puma hood. I always thought those, in particular, look aftermarket.

Checker plate is the spawn of the devil.

Do not change the bonnet!

I am giving my Land Rover Defender 90 away for just £5 a ticket! The winner will be announced on Sunday 17th December at 8pm. Good luck! GET A TICKET HERE: raffall.com/345715/enter-raffle-to-win-my-land-rover-defender-90-hosted-by-the-doctors-garage

Puma is no better than the Td5. They shouldn't have changed from the 5 cylinder. You dont get the same pull from a puma. I wouldnt change from the Td5. And the bonnet is better

I’ve always stuck with the TDI’s, much less complicated, my TD5 was just full of electrical gremlins and later stuff like pumas full of all the dpf and euro compliance rubbish, transit engines not great. TD5 would have been my preference apart from the electrical issues. Yours looks great and I’d leave the bonnet, everyone does the puma thing 👍

Kebanyakan pidato broo

Only decent thing on that is the Cooper stt Pro tyres just get a Toyota Landcruiser

Is XS spec an addition on top of the TD5 i.e. TD5 XS?

I've owned a 300 Tdi 90 hard top and a 110 Puma station wagon. I preferred the Tdi despite being more agricultural. Because let's face it the puma still isn't refined. Neither were trouble free and I had various mechanical and electrical issues but I miss the 90 more. After dumping all its coolant on the hard shoulder of the M6 on a cold winters night my patience with LR reliability ran out. I went out and bought a Hilux. Which has been modified a bit but its been flawlessly reliable. Its objectively a better vehicle in every way. But I do miss the old 90. That's defenders for you.