My Angry Defender Rant.

[VermontOverland]

Of course now I've just finished "First Overland" and now I want a Series 1 88"SW so bad I can taste it!

Great post, revor. BTW, FO used 1955 86" S1s (rather than 88"), which are, indeed, some of the sweetest of all rovers.

 

[revor]

Great post, revor. BTW, FO used 1955 86" S1s (rather than 88"), which are, indeed, some of the sweetest of all rovers.

Sorry ...yup 86", 88" on the brain as there's a nice S3 down the street owned by an OLD guy, in my head was the need to call on him again to see if he's ready to sell it yet Bone stock, he bought it new! Last we spoke it had 13,000 miles on it!

 

[James86004]

Of course now I've just finished "First Overland" and now I want a Series 1 88"SW so bad I can taste it!

How about living in one for months with two other guys? I can't get over how they managed to do that. My family of 3 feels cramped in the Dormobile, and it is cavernous in comparison.

 

[proper4wd]

How about living in one for months with two other guys?

Not much different than my college dorm room!

 

[VermontOverland]

Why a Defender

I've currently got my 110, two D1's and a S2A, I've had RRC's too.
In the past, numerous FJ40's, Hilux Pickups, Jeeps, Dodge Forest Service trucks, Military trucks and even a Trooper.Ford's Dodges,Isuzu's Toyota's, GM and Jeep.
They all provided me with great experiences loads of fun and more great memories than any one person should be allowed.
Exploring the Western USA and Mexico.

The 110 was my most recent purchase and aside from the few new vehicles I have purchased over the years it was the most expensive.

I went over it in my head a lot. For what I spent on theis truck I could have two FJ80's in top condition, and a whole herd of D1's and RRC's.

Physically it's an aluminum box on wheels,I'll need to put in a roll cage, the heater is pathetic, the wipers are crummy at best, I wear a rain hat in the truck when it rains and use an ice scraper on the inside when it snows.

But the seats fit me nicely (don't ask this question to my log legged 12 year old when he has to sit in the back though). The dashlights are akin to glow worms and the ignition switch is on the wrong side of the steering column (well the steering column is on the wrong side of the car too).

Underneath it's got a great frame and suspension. But the frame holds water and mud like a safe and they rust because of it.
It came with a 300tdi Nice little tractor motor, get's about 22 MPG, Could be a bit more modern I suppose what about that Brazilian 2.8? And the R380 it's a good tranny for the application (could use a lower first gear and that gap between 2nd and 3rd is like the grand canyon) The LT230 is a great Transfer case! But why change T case ratio's instead of diff ratios for the heavier trucks?
That's right there's those LR Diffs that can break with low gears!
The Salisbury, now there's a tough pice of kit! A Dana 60 in British trim! But 24 spline axles? One could easily fit 30's or even 35's.
The brakes are decent.
That front diff though... Ugh... Easy enough, I guess, to fit a FJ80 diff in there... And the CV's Try as they might (I don't think they tried) LR could have had a great set up there from the existing parts bin. I'll have to fix that.

Cr_p! I've got a lot of mod's to do to get this thing! Why on earth?

It's simple, tough, easy to modify.

So far in a Year it's provided some great memories and loads of fun over the course of 4 or 5 trips

I blame Marlin Perkins... Even though those would have been Series trucks back then. It's the Romance coupled with capability, the head turning, the fact that it's not the same as the others. Superior in many ways but in many ways not. It's a Defender.

I don't know if it's worth the $$. To me it apparently was, although I wish it didn't need to be that way, but then everyone would have one. Silly? Yes, Exclusive? Yes. Fiscally responsable? Maybe, but only if I ever sold it.

Of course now I've just finished "First Overland" and now I want a Series 1 88"SW so bad I can taste it!

Keith, it also helps that you're a renowned and gifted fabricator and mechanic. You could be driving a 1915 Stanley Steamer and still "make the trip!"

 

[Alaska Mike]

I find it absolutely pathetic that threads like this go unchecked while posting a little consumer FYI on someone's 4SALE tread can result in near instant deletion.

How would you handle the situation, then? Should the community police itself, or should the moderators act with a heavy hand? Obviously both options do not work at ExPo. This thread is being watched by several moderators and has been actively moderated.

As a Defender owner, you could have made a positive contribution to the thread about your reasons for owning the vehicle and how the expense of aquisition is or is not justified. Instead, you continued the negative trend.

Everything does not have to be fluffy bunnies and roses here, but comments should be non-offensive in intent and constructive in nature. We are all human and have our off-days, but we should at least make the attempt.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Keith, it also helps that you're a renowned and gifted fabricator and mechanic. You could be driving a 1915 Stanley Steamer and still "make the trip!"

That certainly helps.

Given the resources, would I own a Defender? Hmm...

I like the space of a D-110 (despite being a SWB guy), and I like the looks. I like the coil suspension. I like the available options (like power steering) and all of the cool add-ons you can get across the pond for them. I really like the heritage and the "concept" of driving one (if not the realities).

At current NAS prices, I feel like I could do better. They aren't getting any younger, so to operate and maintain the vehicle as intended would probably be a hefty investment. I tend to "wrinkle" my vehicles, and I would cringe every time I brushed up against some alder for some new pinstriping or slid into a tree when a muddy line didn't work out. That's not my idea of a relaxing way to spend a weekend.

The import market interests me, but we're adding another 10 years onto the vehicle, so the savings up front can be easily wiped out in the long term. I'm not interested in a RHD vehicle, since I will not likely drive out of North America (Alaska/Canada/CONUS/Mexico) in the near future.

I like the old rigs a bit more. If I'm going for "funk factor" as a reason for buying a vehicle, I might as well go for the generation where James Brown dominated the Apollo Jesse Jackson was still doing intros for Isaac Hayes. That's just me, though.

 

[4Rescue]

As a child? who said you had to stop loving them, they're awesome!:jumping:

Yeah my folks, kind of as a joke, still get me lego's every year at X-mas... I love them, always have, always will and when I finaly have kids of my own they too will have Lego's...

Finally, the most important thing is the intention behind the term. Do you think Teri-Ann intended it to be pejorative? No.

Good point, Zoo you need to ease up, we all know Terri-Ann to be a nice, informative woman who I'm sure didn't mean anything as hideous as what has been made of her statement. I for one like having her here on this board and I like having you here too, let's just all be adults and get past this eh

Cheers

Dave

 

[revor]

Keith, it also helps that you're a renowned and gifted fabricator and mechanic. You could be driving a 1915 Stanley Steamer and still "make the trip!"

You're making me blush!

A Steamer? Hah!! Now that would be an adventure!

 

[James86004]

You're making me blush!

A Steamer? Hah!! Now that would be an adventure!

Hey, you could power that from the trash in the dumpster behind a fast food restaurant.

 

[Jamooche]

Sorry, just trying to throw a little humor in and add my 2c to anti-hijack the thread back to the excellent questions raised in the original post.

I'm dying of laughter!

 

[Z O O R O P A]

I agree I was a bit domineering which most likely brought about some of Terri's more personal remarks.

I think it is worth mentioning I repeatedly made an effort to explain the purpose of why such slang is poignant.

I also sincerely expressed my personal appreciation of Terri's contributions and her expertise in travel, photography, her affinity for dogs, and Rovers. And I do

We are all adults and as adults I would think it expected for someone to at the very least admit perhaps expressions that carry a less than favorable racial air are not appropriate especially when the rules explicitly state so. You know, instead of refusing any acknowledgment at all which is pretty lame. Save it for the Tavern or something

But we are long past the subject for which this easily avoidable nuance took place and are now discussing the manner in which it was addressed which is important too and well noted by myself for one.

So yeah, I'll lighten up and thanks to everyone and the mods for their willingness and insight.

w0rd

 

[VermontOverland]

Zooropa, it's precisely the air of gentle(person)ly decorum and sense of international community that pervades all of ExPo that attracted me here in the first place. It's obvious that you care deeply about preserving these ideals and your eloquent posts will serve to do just that.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

Thank you Peter

Your words are very generous and I highly appreciate it

I hope to join you in some of your endeavors in the future as we reside in the same state. I was excited to see your creation of VermontOverland. I think we live in a great place! Love to discuss some possibilities of where you would like to take VO or what your vision might be

loving the seasonal weather

stay warm

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

w0rd