Big News For L.R Lovers

[Z O O R O P A]

Amen brotha!!

Please don't let my disparaging remarks mislead you. You put it very well in the post above. Despite my experience with my first, like you would, I bought a second one which I love. I feel the same way about Defenders as any owner might feel, they are what everyone visions when you say the words "expedition vehicle"

 

[gjackson]

Scott,

That's interesting you had problems with a 2001. Mine is the same year, and the gearbox went because they 'forgot' to put the drive key in for the oil pump! I haven't had any electrical gremlins show up, but then mine has minimal electronics on it. I thought the quality had gone up since the mid-90s, but that may not be the case with all lines. I think Defender were better in the late 90s. Don't know about Discos though.

In general LRs quality seems to be erratic. Some cars are great others are not. Maybe they drink too much beer in Solihull on some days?! They say never buy a car built on a Friday.

There are 2 man made objects visible from space -- the great wall of China and the gaps around the door seals on a Land Rover.

cheers

 

[Scott Brady]

IMO, Disco I's and Defenders are quite dependable. Nearly all of my issues were electronics related. All told, the vehicle had 35 repairs under warranty in 25,000 miles. Seven trips to the dealership in 2 years.

I know of 98 Disco owners that have passed the 100,000 mile mark without a single issue.

I believe that much of it is as you describe. Just variable little issues.

 

[colvere]

Happy with my Disco

My 97 has 120K and runs very strong, other then a bad MAF sensor in Utah I have never had to do anything but change fluids.

 

[The Swiss]

When I moved to the US to Virginia in 1999, I brought my Defender 110 TurboDiesel with me because I was told by a customs attorney that according to whatever rule, Me as a legal alien could drive her here as long as I was on a Visa, and as long as I would not sell her. When the vehicle then actually arrived in the US, it turned out that this rule just applies for legal aliens working for the gouvernment, not for people working for the private industry. I was able to import the Defener for one year declared as a tourist vehicle as I still had a valid address in Switzerland at that time. After that one year, I had to send her back to Switzerland. I sold her then to my dad.

What I did not know and just learned when the Land Rover already was back in Switzerland, as a tourist vehicle, my Defender would not have been entiteled to US license plates and a US title. However, unaware of this, I went to the DMV with the Swiss car papers to get VA plates because the US insurances in Virginia would not insure a vehicle that had not VA plates, and the Swiss insurance insured the vehicle for the entire world except the USA. I got VA plates and more importantly a VA title without the slightest problems!

So my dad has now a Land Rover Defender 110 (with Swiss license plates) that has a valid VA title; I wonder if with that title, I would be able to get her back to the US ...

 

[gjackson]

Wow. If you had VA plates and a title then you should have just kept it here. Should be able to re-import with no problems, but I'm no lawyer. You are set because they obviously accepted the original VIN! Very cool.

cheers

 

[The Swiss]

Well, I might one day be looking into getting her back into the US, after consulting with some experts.