Defender 90 Considerations

[mountainpete]

Hi all,

I love me Tacoma, but last night I saw a 1995 Defender 90 for sale. Nice condition, jump seats (seats 6), 3.9L V8, 5 speed and 60k miles. Hard Top, dark green with white roof. Very good condition overall. Not off-roaded in any serious way.

I'm tempted... very, very tempted. I could probably even convince my wife to go along with it. The problem is that it is worth about the same $$ as my 03 Tacoma. They are all VERY expensive in this area. But a Defender 90 or 110 is one of the few trucks that would pull me away from the Tacoma.

Please talk me out of it... :littlefriend:

Pete

 

[Brian McVickers]

Hi Pete,
Yes very very tempting!!

I would look at
http://www.d-90.com/ or
www.discoweb.org

and do a search for '95 Defenders to find out what to look for.
I have not spent much time on d-90 but discoweb has a bit of an attitude about it but doing searches can often result in good information.

Good luck!

 

[bigreen505]

Please talk me out of it... :littlefriend:

A Defender 90 is hard to justify from any logical perspective. They are grossly overpriced, uncomfortable and unreliable. The Toyota is better from every logical perspective. I tell myself this daily. Maybe one day I will believe it. The problem is that the D90 is the epitome of cool and sexy in a raw adventure sort of way, and whether you choose to admit it or not, vehicles are emotional. Many people go out and find a woman who is simple, low maintenance and easy going, like the Tacoma. Some prefer the female equivalent of the D90 -- British, drop dead gorgeous and always up for adventure.

Both the D90, and the female equivalent, are hard to rationalize beyond the primal, caveman "ooh, I want that!" instinct. But sometimes you just have to give in to the magic, the mystique, the beauty and the lust.

It is a pretty stupid thing to do, but sometimes you just have to anyway. Think of it this way, if you decide you don't like the D90, you will always be able to sell it for whatever you have into it. Because there always be men lusting after women, and trucks, like the D90, and always willing to pay their price, regardless of how high it may be.

Wait, what did you ask? Oh, just buy the thing.

 

[Scott Brady]

The Defenders are pretty solid units IMO. It will be less reliable than a Tacoma, but not grossly so.

It will also have an advantage on resale and even in trail performance (in most situations). I have seen the D90's go places that will make you swear they have lockers. With lockers, their performance is exceptional.

I would be proud to own one.

 

[Brian McVickers]

simple, low maintenance and easy going, drop dead gorgeous and always up for adventure.

Cool,
Amy will be so excited to hear that she is the perfect mix of a Toyota Tacoma and a Land Rover Defender!:victory:

 

[+ d]

DO IT!

If it doesn't work out, sell it, you probably won't loose money.

 

[gjackson]

I say get it, but then I'm not biased at all! :sombrero:

cheers

 

[mountainpete]

I thought you guys were going to talk me out of it!!!!

I spoke to my wife again about it and she has one big concern. We both know that we want to have kids soon and the D-90 isn't at all kid friendly compared to the Tacoma. You can't put kids in jump seats and I didn't consider that until now.

So I am going to need to spend some time searching d-90.com for info on how other people have dealt with the problem. There must be a bench seat option... if it's not a good solution, I am sticking with the Taco.

Pete

 

[Brian894x4]

If I were faced with that situation, I'd have the exact same delema as you, because in my mind I know I probably don't need one, but I have the same emotional reaction when I see them on the street or pics on the web.

A few questions I'd ask myself are,

Will the D90 last 200-300K miles like the Tacoma?

What is the gas mileage compared to the Tacoma?

What is the power/weight ratio compared to the Tacoma?

How does it drive on the highway compared to the Tacoma and what is the ride like for long trips?

How rare and expensive are parts maintainence now and how rare and expensive will both be 10 years from now when the D90s are even rarer. (assuming the future D90 doesn't share much in parts)

If something major, like a bad tranny or motor, does go wrong, how expensive is that to fix?

If I'm on a trip in some remote small town, even somewhere in the USA am I going to be able to find even minor parts for it?

How expensive are lifts, lockers and gears if I want to upgrade?

How expensive would it be to insure, since it's a rare vehicle?

Would I rather have a safer vehicle, like the Tacoma with airbags, etc?

Would I be concerned about driving a rare vehicle that could be more of a theft magnet than the Tacoma?

How much will I end up having to spend in bumpers, sliders, and other toys that can't be transferred from my Tacoma?

How will I feel about my decision after the newness and novelty of owning a D90 wears off in a few months or a year?

If I really want a D90, can I wait a couple of years for the new model to come out that will possible be much and/or the price of used D90s will come down?

If you can find reasonable answers to those questions and any others you or others might think of, then it might just pen out to get the D90, but then again....it might not. Think hard, logically and carefully. Good luck.

 

[jeff@work]

With land rover supposedly reintroducing the defender to the US market i'd be very cautious about buying a used one now. I have a feeling when the new defender arrives it will drive the price on these older defenders back down to reasonable levels.


...and then i can buy one :elkgrin:

 

[mountainpete]

With land rover supposedly reintroducing the defender to the US market i'd be very cautious about buying a used one now. I have a feeling when the new defender arrives it will drive the price on these older defenders back down to reasonable levels.


...and then i can buy one :elkgrin:

Good point... it could also have the reverse effect though. Solid FJ40's are worth more now with the introduction of the FJ Cruiser than ever.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

A guide I met in Zambia summed up the choice in one line: "Land Rovers are for romantics; Land Cruisers are for professionals."

That sounds like a mild put-down of Land Rover owners, but he clearly meant no prejudice to either - simply that, logically, yes, the Toyota is the better choice, but the Land Rover carries the laurels of history and will always be the icon.

And they are awesome off-road vehicles.

As long as you go into the purchase with your eyes open (and solve the child seat problem) I think you'd be thrilled.

I do believe U.S. Defenders require premium fuel, if that is an issue.

 

[bootzilla]

D90's are the coolest things ever, and if I were independently wealthy I would own one for fun, but I don't think as a primary truck.

The Toyota will be far more civilized on the road and in daily use, and the biggest thing is the reliability - I don't know how it would compare to my Freelander - I loved that truck, but couldn't stand it being in the shop every other month for something...

If I had to choose just one or the other, I'd opt for the Toyota.

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

Someone I work with has a D90 2 door w/ jump seats in back (facing inward). It's a nice greyish olive w/ white top, armor & diamond plating in alot of places- looks really good. We are in the film biz so I think he got it dressed up when they did the Tomb Raider LR. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow if he's around.

If he gets sick of it, I'll buy it from him I tell myself every time I walk by it... it's clean too, not a wheeling rig. We'll see, for the prices they go for I wish it was a diesel. It's a V8.

I really love my 80 tho. The guy who said these are emotional choices is right on, as cars & trucks are much about art & design as well as function. I feel the way about my 80. I really think it's the top dog, hehe.

 

[mountainpete]

So I took another look at the Defender last night. The more I look at it the more I love it. But the more I research and reflect on it, the more I think my Tacoma is the better.

It's a sexy beast of a truck. It screams adventure. It makes me want to disappear in the bush for a week. If it was a lot cheaper, I would have bought it as a second vehicle. But overall it simply doesn't mix well with wanting to have a family while the Tacoma does.

So I'm still going to watch it and keep my eyes open. If the right thing comes around, I may jump on it. Right now, this truck wasn't it - the Tacoma is still the right truck for me.

Thanks for all your help guys!

Pete