Land Rover Defender 90/110

megasuvowner

I feel that the best car LR ever made was the D90. Thats why i bought one back in 97, i loved it but i didnt have any place for it, i sold it for $10,000 more than what i paid for it 6 months after i bought it. Rumor has it that the D90 and D110 are coming back, i know they are still in production in England, but if they "cross the pond" that would be great. LR doesnt have to sell them by the masses, they should just make em Limited US Production models, and they will sell quick and be collector cars. Lets hope that LR makes that decision. Here is the place to voice your views on the "Original Land Rover"

tincup47

LRNA would love to have them back, and hopes to in the future. The reason they were discontinued in the U.S. was that a major redesign of the interior was necessary to meet U.S. safety standards. The numbers sold in the U.S. did not justify the expenditure to BMW to do the redesign. Bob Dover, President of Land Rover has stated that getting Defender back in the U.S. is one of the company's goals.

hatton3

Here in Britain, Land Rover 90's and 110's are farmer's friends and utility companies work horses. A few are used as fashion accessories but in reality they are work horses not posers. As a tough offroader they have no equal accross the world. I compete in a 90 on offroad competitions and they will take punishment and go places that would leave most Japanese and US 4x4's bent and bogged. Simple engineering mean they can be maintained and modified by any amateur with a basic toolkit. However I understand that Land Rover make no money out of them because they are effectively hand built. The worry is that Ford will try and mass produce a replacement model which wont hack it ... we'll just have to wait and see.

Cheers

mbi

Any time frame on when the defender may get imported? If it's going to be years, does anyone know if I can import a 110 with the TD5 engine? I've heard that that engine won't pass emissions in the US. Is that true? $23K+ for a vehicle that gets around 40 mpg is a steal. I'd sure love to get one.

tincup47

I would guess the Defender will not be in the U.S. before 2005. As to importing a D110, that would be up to the U.S. Govt.. I imagine it would be an expensive and complicated proposition, and parts availability will be a problem also as LRNA does not stock many parts for these vehicles.

sasquatch_2000

gpvs

The Defender 90 was here until '97.

tincup47

in 1993 Range Rover North America brought in 500 D110's and changed their name to Land Rover North America, in anticipation of selling the Discovery here. 1994 saw the first year of D90 sales in the U.S. selling 1943 units. Sales continued in 1995 model year, 1190 Soft Top D90's and 510 Station wagons. 1996 was skipped as the factory was preparing the first clutchless D90 which would arrive in 1997. 1997 was the last year of D90 sales in the U.S. All 97 vehicles had Automatic Transmissions with sales of 1499 Soft Tops and 1300 Station Wagons

mroberts5

I found a 1972 Land Rover with a defender 90 body on it. the person was asking $11,000. I do not know much about these cars, and i was wondering 1) is this a good deal? the car is in near perfect shape 2) how safe are these? do they roll over? 3) how reliable are these? any feedback and additional info would be appreciated.thanks!

tincup47

Sounds like you are looking at a Series III. Did it have leaf or coil springs? The Defender is a later model vehicle that has coils springs, but many body panels are the same as the earlier Series vehicles. Don't know about the value, but the vehicle should not be to prone to rolling. Reliability? Hard to tell with an older British vehicle, but if you have a good tool set and basic auto repair knowledge, it should serve you well.

countsmackula1

I think they'll probably cost more than 23k, for sure, if they do return. And the diesel mileage of 40 would be doubtful, I would think(maybe 35), unless it was very small displacement, in which case it couldn't keep up, even with a turbo.It would need a least a 3 liter to compete.I always liked the 110 because it was purpose built and tough as nails. But of course, all Land Rovers are.

sasquatch_2000

".I always liked the 110 because it was purpose built and tough as nails. But of course, all Land Rovers are."

Except a friend's Discovery ('99?) which is already rusting out. They are typical YUPPIE types who probably never even had the sucker off road.

cwilli58

I heard that the Defender was discontinued in the U.S. in 1997. any truth to that? Also, are they planning on reintroducing it to the U.S. with the SUV craze going on? Any info, specs, sites about the defender?

gpvs

Yep, that was the last year for the Defender. Check the other topic Defender 90/110 below for more details. This topic will be frozen.

tincup47

The Defender was discontinued in 1997 because it was thought to be too expensive by BMW to spend the money necessary to redesign the instrument cluster and add the electrics for Airbags. As Rover Group was causing huge losses at BMW this was a reasonable decision, as U.S. sales would not pay for the engineering and development costs. Bob Dover, President of Land Rover, has stated a desire to bring Defender back to the US. I doubt if this will happen before 2004-2005, but I certainly hope it will be back by then.
For info on the current Defender, go to www.landrover.com and check the UK, Australian, or South African sites. They all still sell the current D90-110-130 models.

arriscar

Need some advise on the realistic asperations of selling. We have had 3 Defender 90s go on the market in my area in 18 months. 2 of the 3 were clean, really clean, & 1 was toasted. The 2 went on the private market at above dealer costs (by Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, and Galves).
Is demand really that strong?? How well are these holding value?

tincup47

are very rare in the U.S., 7065 total sold in the U.S. and Canada. Most are selling well above original selling price.
Original MSRP by year
93 D110 $39,900 Hard Top 536 total sold U.S. and Canada
94 D90 $27,900 Soft Top 2030 total sold U.S. and Canada
95 D90 $28,650 Soft Top 1190 total sold U.S. only
$32,000 Hard Top 510 total sold U.S. only
97 D90 $32,000 Soft Top 1499 total sold U.S. only
$34,500 Hard Top 1300 total sold U.S. only
in 97 there were also less than 100 LE model Hard Tops all in green with a special kit package, these had an MSRP of $40,000. These are included in the 1300 hard tops sold that year.

arriscar

1st off - thanks to all for the help. The gods seems to shine and everything fell into line. Next thing I know - I own a '94 Defender 90.
I live in Central New Jersey, USA. Anyone know of or have contact information on owers groups, clubs, etc or good web site. As I spend time going through the owners manual and over the vehicle, I seem to get more and more questions.
Guidence appreciated.

denver8

Some good web sites are www.d-90.com www.solihullsociety.org and roverriders.org They have links to suppliers and tech articles that will helpyou answer your questions.

nanuq

You poor, poor man. You have no idea the utter horror of which you're in store... oil spots on the garage floor are only the tip of the iceberg!

There is only one solution... one way to avoid this creeping terror. Carefully package the D90 and ship it to me here in Alaska. I'll make sure it's kept under lock and key, away from women and children, it won't harm a soul.

It's the least I can do. ;-)

Good show, my friend. Enjoy your D90!

arriscar

While looking for info on a 3rd car, stopped by this spot. Realized it has been a year with the '94 D90. A year of love for me and my daughter - hate for my wife. What can I say, oil and steering fluid spot the driveway, garage, and a few things that blew under the frame.
The D90 was a great drive in the winter, though spring showers a bit much (fixed with window insulation stuffed everywhere.
I can now get the top off and on in 20 minutes (have no idea if that is good/bad but first few times took 2 hours)
I have not gotten off road nearly enough but do when I can.
How deep is my love? Been offered 30% premium over my purchase price, and turned it down. Then again, if the $$$ was the motivation, I'd never have purchased it in the first place.

nbow

There is a Range Rover launch event in Chicago on Monday May 20th at the Museum of Contemporary Art. You'll be able to drive the New Range Rover. Call 1-877-480-8546 to RSVP for the event.

im_brentwood

They're probably the best off-roaders one can buy. Bar None.

As a dealer who sells lots of used LRs.. I buy every clean D90 I can buy "right" and sell them MUCH faster than I can replace them.

I recently sold a 110 with 75K miles for $35K and since it sold before the ad expired (Sold 6 hours after the ad hit I think) I had over 25 calls. With at least 4 of those people asking to leave a second deposit on it.

So, yeah, people want em, and for good reason!

I am still kicking myself for not keeping the truck for myself...

Bill

adam86

I have never seen a soft top with jump seats in the back, is it even possible? Looking at soft top d90s and can only find bench seats, but would like the jump seats eventually. Any way to install them after the purchase of a defender with the rear bench?

tincup47

Due to serious concerns with head injuries in rollover situations, they have never been offered in the US in that configuration. The rear bench is the only seat that was offered as on the Covertibles. I can't say for sure about Europe and ROW though.

t_r_i_n_i_t_y

i used to own a 1978 toyota land cruiser...luved it to death and had a blast offroad with it. it has been almost ten years since i sold it...now i am itching to get back into a similar, but more substantial machine.

hence my intrest in the defender series. however, i do not know where to start. i would ask if any of you could take the time to educate me on the difference between the 90 and 110...are the 4 door wagons any better than the 2 door models...what years were good years...pit falls to look out for when looking at a vehicle to purchase...etc.

my goal is to purchase a vehicle in the next 2 years. this will most likely be my general purpose vehicle as well...

thanx in advance... =0)

apexskr

I'm from California, but I've been in Brazil for the past year. The Defender 110s have really grown on me. They're manufactured here, but only with the 4 cylinder diesel and a manual. They cost about R$80,000 fully loaded, which at the current exchange rate is âbout $23,000. Would anyone recommend buying it here for my return to the States? England has the 5 cylinder diesel with the V-8 option. Is there a huge difference between the 5 and 4 cylinders? Thx.

denver8

I also had a 78 land cruiser... The fj40 model, I really liked that vehicle for the short time I had it. I traded it in for a 95 Defender though so all was not lost. The 110's (4 doors) are very rare and very expensive. The difference is wheel base length, hence 90=90" and 110=110". The 90 models were imported in 94, 95, and 97. The 94's have had some problems with the transmissions. I also think the softops are not as nice as the 95 models. To tell the difference in transmissions the good trannys have reverse to the right and below 5th gear. The bad trannys have reverse to the left up by 1st gear. The 94's and 95's came with manual trannys only. In 97 they were available with automatics.

People say Land Rovers leak fluids but I have had mine for 3.5 years (115,000 miles) and the bottom of the engine is completely dry. My mechanic also says it is the driest Land Rover he has ever seen for what it is worth.

I would probably look for a 95 or 97 model. If you can get it checked out by a mechanic that knows Land Rovers even better. Since you are in So Cal the soft top is probably a wise choice. The only problem I have with the soft top is that is time consuming to but on. This soft top is not like a jeep where you can put it on or take it off as the weather dictates. The top fits snug so it takes some time to put on. I park in a parking garage at work so I take the top off June 1 and keep it off until the beginning of October. It helps to let the top sit in the sun for a few hours before putting it on so it is easier to stretch. I have a bikini top to protect from the occasional rain shower.

Good luck on your search. a good web site with classifieds is www.d-90.com

avolvofan

I doubt that you will be able to bring in a Defender 110 from Brazil. The problem is with the U.S. motor vehicle safety laws. Unless you can prove that the vehicle will be used exclusively "off-road", you will have a very tough time. The extreme remedy is that the vehicle gets chopped up for scrap at the port of entry.

If it were easy to bring in Defender 110s, they would already be here. One of the reasons for the high prices is because of the inability to bring Defenders in from anywhere. I wonder if the demand is high enough for Ford to put the resources in place to engineer a new Defender that can meet the requirements of the safety laws.

uchico

I recently bought a 97 D-90 and was wondering if anyone had any helpful hints on how to get the most out of the defroster. Namely, the best positions for the levers. I also have the safari rack on top, and have had a difficult time finding an attachment for snowboards. I want to try to stay away from trailer hitch racks. Any ideas?

nanuq

Your only solution is to send the D90 to me. I'll work it over for a decade or so and get back to you on the best defrost settings.

If it was up to me, I'd just toss the snowboard inside the back. That's what I do with my Disco. The 220cm skis go on top. With a little messing you ought to easily fit two mtn bikes inside the back too... but not at the same time as the snowboards.

Enjoy your D90, you dirty rat!

denver8

The best remedy is to put on a soft top. My top has gaps around the doors so I get plenty of natural air flow. I have had my 95 D-90 for 3 winters and have never had problems with foggy windows. Another good website for Defender related questions is www.d-90.com. They have a bulletin board where you can post questions.

kram18

Anyone know if there is any truth to the rumor I heard about Landrover bringing back the D90 to the states in '06?

Sporin

Rumor has it that when the Defender is redesigned in 2006 we will get it here as well.

texbmw

Any ideas on whether the Defender will retain its off road and other qualities after a Ford redesign? Or will we end up with a beefed up Freelander?

walterchan

I'm quite confident that the Defender will not be a Ford related design. Land Rover keeps their Defender's heritage very well and I doubt the engine and the body are designed by Ford.

miked03

I have it on good authority that the Defender will come back to the states ('06) and will share the same chassis as the 2004 Disco. I hope this person is correct, and in the meantime, I'll be saving up for it.

nanuq

...there's a D110 here in Anchorage with ALL the goodies, lights, winches, roll cages, jump seats, you name it. It's "only" $58,000.

nebulas

miked03 - why do you think it would be good news for the D90 to share its chassis with the Discovery? Isn't the current UK D90's chassis good as is? I understand that the only reason why we haven't seen it in the U.S. since 1997 is because it needed interior modifications (airbags, etc.) to comply with US regulations.
I'm hoping that it retains much of its looks and legendary off-road characteristics, and that Ford does not tamper with the model significantly (just like they did in making one Jaguar model resemble a Taurus).

amhjms

Any updates on the D90 coming in 2006? I'm particularly interested in what will happen to the values of the 94, 95 and 97 models if a new design comes to the US as my wife would be more open to a $10 k vehicle vs. a $30 k + (particularly as I think I'll still keep my sports car).

Sure it is possible that Ford will mess up the D90, but I'd be surprised. The new Range Rover is quite nice, yet retained its offroad capabilities, right? Since the D90 is a global vehicle and used in the jungles of the world, I think the risk of Ford taming it significant are relatively low.

I love those D90s

elemint

a 10 year old car selling above the new price??? WHo are you people buying these trucks????????????????????????????????????????????One ca buy the same car in the UK for $7k as Americans are buying for over $30K!!!!!!!!! Strange people....

tincup47

There were less than 9,000 Defenders sold in the US in the 4 years they were offered (93,94,95,97), and the numbers are not growing. There have been hundreds of thousands sold in the UK with more new ones every year. Supply and demand keep the price up in the U.S.

elemint

soon if people will pay 3x the value. Like taking candy from a baby....

kram18

Too bad you can't legally do that.....

Sylvia

A new Land Rover Defender will arrive on the sport-ute scene within a few years to anchor the brand's reputation as a hard-core off-road haven. Automotive News Europe says that the model, a staple in the Land Rover lineup for years but unavailable in the U.S. for the past couple of years due to safety and emissions hurdles, will return this decade, possibly as early as 2007. The replacement for the Defender will be based on the new T5 architecture that underpins the new LR3, which itself replaces the outgoing Discovery.

pfolk

This is welcome news, what with used D110's selling for US$40-60K. It's interesting, nonetheless, that I sent an email to LR's web page within the last month asking when we were going to see a new Defender in the US. I received a very polite reply that LR did not intend to produce another Defender for the North American market, or words to that effect.

I know they wouldn't preempt their own press release with an email to some yahoo rock-hopper, but it's interesting all the same. I interpreted the response to mean Ford was protecting the low end price point for the Explorer line. Could this be an acknowledgment that too many serious off-roaders are turned off by the fussy looks and outrageous pricing of the newest Range Rover and fearing the same reaction to LR3? Or have the Jeep line, 4Runner, Xterra and Touareg been eating into their sales? My guess: All of the above.

tincup47

With sales of the new Range Rover much higher than the preceding models, people are certainly not "turned off" from this vehicle. Also any decision to bring the Defender to the US market will only come after analysis of the marketability of the vehicle in the US. One reason that the Defender's that are currently in the US are worth so much is that they are very rare. There were less than 7,000 Defenders sold in 94,95,97 and they did not exactly fly off the dealer's lots.
 That said, it is certainly hoped that this icon of the brand can return to the US market.

ugly2

If Land Rover/Ford is bringing back the 90 I wonder if anyone knows the status of the possible return of the Bronco?

pfolk

I think I have seen a concept vehicle in the Bronco "style". Check future vehicles for Ford.

pfolk

It's nice to know LR can sell the new Rover, but I don't think that means they're on the right track with the BMW-inspired and powered design. The steam seems to be going out of some parts of the Big SUV market (see drooping sales figures for Hummers and G-wagens), there are still plenty of yuppies willing to pay too much for something that will never leave the blacktop (see Cayenne!). After Ford has had sufficient time to evaluate and decide what it wants to do with RR, maybe they will return to something closer to its roots as a luxurious yet practical off-roader.

I'm a former Range Rover owner (97 model year) who took this machine off road. I can't justify doing so with the current model selling at more than $70K, and the Teutonic trim of the current model doesn't do a thing for me.

I agree that Defender's resale price is dictated by scarcity; they do seem to move on eBay and other web auctions quite nicely. Let's hope they do return to the US. The Rangestormer concept (or whatever the production version will be called) is another step in the wrong direction.

spfotey

in immaculate shape. anybody know what this thing is worth??

thx

scott