So i test drove a Defender today….

[04UZJ100]

I am new to this forum and have been a "land rover guy" since childhood, but the new defender missed the mark for me along with the direction LR has been going over the last several years. I put 70k on my built '16 LR4 and didn't have a single issue (did not run lift rods due to several failures I've seen on trails), but didn't want to test my luck so I punted and was was fortunate enough to have bought a 21 LC HE last summer. I sent it to Slee earlier this year for the works and have decided I will be buried with this truck.

Gonna need more pictures than that.

 

[fanboy]

Are you guys new to the concept of Land Rover or something? In the Year of Our Lord 2022 being surprised that Land Rovers are unreliable? I mean, it's kind of established fact. You might as well be surprised that Land Cruisers last forever.

I had a Discovery2 and a Range Rover P38. Both were absolutely stone-cold reliable. I'm serious. But that was only because at purchase, I changed out all the parts on both rigs for new/improved/non-problematic parts. Especially the entire cooling system, driveshafts, and U-joints. Plus a prophylactic head gasket job. The Land Rovers, at least those from 10+ years ago, can be pretty reliable if you're willing to throw money at them at initial purchase and then keep replacing parts as they start wearing out. Problem is most buyers are maxed out on the purchase price (whether it's $100K new or $3K used) and don't do the maintenance. It's not a Toyota.

I actually had more issues with my LX470 than with my Rovers, simply because I treated the LX470 as plug-and-play and didn't automatically replace all the parts upon purchase.

 

[stonepa]

Are you guys new to the concept of Land Rover or something? In the Year of Our Lord 2022 being surprised that Land Rovers are unreliable? I mean, it's kind of established fact. You might as well be surprised that Land Cruisers last forever.

I had a Discovery2 and a Range Rover P38. Both were absolutely stone-cold reliable. I'm serious. But that was only because at purchase, I changed out all the parts on both rigs for new/improved/non-problematic parts. Especially the entire cooling system, driveshafts, and U-joints. Plus a prophylactic head gasket job. The Land Rovers, at least those from 10+ years ago, can be pretty reliable if you're willing to throw money at them at initial purchase and then keep replacing parts as they start wearing out. Problem is most buyers are maxed out on the purchase price (whether it's $100K new or $3K used) and don't do the maintenance. It's not a Toyota.

I actually had more issues with my LX470 than with my Rovers, simply because I treated the LX470 as plug-and-play and didn't automatically replace all the parts upon purchase.

My 2000 Disco 2 that i bought new and built myself including 2 inch lift, ARB lockers front and rear, ARB bullbar with a 12500 pound warn winch, OME suspension, center diff lock modification, Dunlop MTs, etc was great when it ran right. But the electrical gremlins and the multiple faulty transmissions reminded me of why I have owned LCs since 1987.

 

[jiggletits]

Land Cruisers vs Land Rover …seems like it isn’t even remotely close.

LR makes sense if you’re a fancyboi who will sell it in 3 years/50k miles and not mind the huge depreciation.

LC makes sense if you want something to pass on to your grandkids.

To each their own!

 

[fanboy]

LR makes sense if you’re a fancyboi who will sell it in 3 years/50k miles and not mind the huge depreciation.

Though on the forums it's mostly the fifth owner who thinks he just got a $100K car for $2K and is about to hack into the BCM to power his Boss bass tube...

I bought all my Land Rovers (also all my Mercedeses, whatever the hell the plural is) from people who got in way over their heads. They can be a good deal, as long as you know what you're getting into and have the cash for initial repairs. When I bought my Disco2, $3K on the vehicle plus $5K on repairs was still much less than the ~$15K for a comparable Land Cruiser. (Not that the two are really comparable, but you see what I'm getting at...)

 

[TDRover]

Gonna need more pictures than that.

Ha- don't want to send this thread off the tracks but here you go:

 

[D21FJ60]

I picked up a basket case discovery ii.
It is sitting next to my 100 series which is also broken down.
Ive always preferred LR styling over the cruiser, but the cruiser is a differnet beast.

 

[MRego]

I picked up a basket case discovery ii.
It is sitting next to my 100 series which is also broken down.
Ive always preferred LR styling over the cruiser, but the cruiser is a differnet beast.

I have always said, the LR design department people should arrange a workshop to the LR QC department. If only they could transfer a bit of inspiration and discipline down to QC... I guess it is like dating supermodels with NO character at all.

 

[greynolds]

I have always said, the LR design department people should arrange a workshop to the LR QC department. If only they could transfer a bit of inspiration and discipline down to QC... I guess it is like dating supermodels with NO character at all.

Or get the Toyota and Land Rover folks to merge the best of both.

 

[rlynch356]

Ha- don't want to send this thread off the tracks but here you go:

those are the Slee Formed slider steps, Right? I think that decides it for me then.. mine is silver as well.

Everyone just buy a "classic Defender" to go with your LC200.. they really are great in a backwards sorta way, and you CAN make the V8s reliable.. I daily drove mine for 15 years or so.. Maintenance is generally cheap if you do it and there is no magic in doing it yourself all the parts and manuals are readily available. Oh and the Land Rover clubs I am involved with are truly great as good as the local cruiser club... haha I have been taking the defender to the relic run for a few years now

 

[TDRover]

those are the Slee Formed slider steps, Right? I think that decides it for me then.. mine is silver as well.

Everyone just buy a "classic Defender" to go with your LC200.. they really are great in a backwards sorta way, and you CAN make the V8s reliable.. I daily drove mine for 15 years or so.. Maintenance is generally cheap if you do it and there is no magic in doing it yourself all the parts and manuals are readily available. Oh and the Land Rover clubs I am involved with are truly great as good as the local cruiser club... haha I have been taking the defender to the relic run for a few years now

Yes Slee formed sliders. NAS D90 -done up by ECR is the way to go if you can swing it.

 

[rlynch356]

Mike does great work.. locally we have LRC who also does great work.
Mine is a a work in progress as always over the past 17 years. now with a 4.6L and other stuff..

on the Slee formed sliders.. I had them on my Tundra TRDPro and liked them, this build is not a rock crawler so they will be pretty good for that and really work well as a step.

If you own a new defender, just send it to either Lucky8 or Sarek Autowerks for a full build, both are quality builders..

 

[residualboulders]

Ha- don't want to send this thread off the tracks but here you go:

this looks good. My HE is at Slee right now getting a few mods then it will be nearly identical to yours, but white.

 

[2021 LC200]

I still do not get why Land Rover or Jeep/Chrysler or Ford Bronco would get mentioned in one sentence with the Toyota Land Cruiser or a serious discussion can unfold around it. LR can only go together with lots of DIY or deep pockets. It has a consistent low reliability ranking and is known for being a bag of problems for as long as I have lived, as well as any other British production vehicle for that matter. Brits are great at designing and building F1 cars, however consistent manufacturing is just not in the mindset, Just never ever buy a British (or now India) build vehicle. Your father and grand father should have told you so...

Whatever floats your boat of course.

 

[jaco11b]

Got to 27k on our Defender without any major issues but thing started getting weird and I didn't want the warranty to lapse. Found this one owner '21 Heritage edition with 454 miles on it at the Land Rover dealership on Monday and rushed in to get it!

 

[1Maverick]

Got to 27k on our Defender without any major issues but thing started getting weird and I didn't want the warranty to lapse. Found this one owner '21 Heritage edition with 454 miles on it at the Land Rover dealership on Monday and rushed in to get it!

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Congrats! I have a feeling you paid a pretty penny for it for basically a brand new 200. Did you get it at Land Rover Seattle? They have some great used rides. They’ve earned my business a couple of times when I lived there years ago.

 

[MRego]

Got to 27k on our Defender without any major issues but thing started getting weird and I didn't want the warranty to lapse. Found this one owner '21 Heritage edition with 454 miles on it at the Land Rover dealership on Monday and rushed in to get it!

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When you say “things start to get weird”, can you provide more details? Tks

 

[04UZJ100]

Got to 27k on our Defender without any major issues but thing started getting weird and I didn't want the warranty to lapse. Found this one owner '21 Heritage edition with 454 miles on it at the Land Rover dealership on Monday and rushed in to get it!

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What did you pay?

 

[1Maverick]

When you say “things start to get weird”, can you provide more details? Tks

Maybe the Defender was stocking him though Facebook.

 

[greynolds]

Got to 27k on our Defender without any major issues but thing started getting weird and I didn't want the warranty to lapse. Found this one owner '21 Heritage edition with 454 miles on it at the Land Rover dealership on Monday and rushed in to get it!

Wow - 454 miles? I guess the previous owner didn't like driving it or something .

As @MRego asked, it would be interesting to know what the "getting weird" details are. Land Rover is so incredibly frustrating. On paper, they generally check most of the boxes the many of us are looking for (looks, features, overall design, etc.), but they just can't figure out what the heck quality control and reliability are.