I live (most of the time) in the Rockies and it is soon to be snow weather.
I’m on the freakish side of tall, so my vehicle choices are limited. A jeep is pretty tight for me, for example. Work truck is a Ford F350, and I slide the seat all the way back.
I really, really like the Old mutual-of-omaha style Land Rover Defenders with the double bench seat in the back — they face each other and flip up so you effectively have a pick up bed too. I’ve seen a bunch up here.
I really like the look of the 90 with the open top, but am concenred even with the top on I’d freeze my ass off.
My dad has always had 110s. They are amazing and can’t be beaten off road.
But they won’t be ideal for you I’m afraid. The drivers seat is too close to the door so if you have broad shoulders you will be crammed up against the door. The leg room isn’t amazing either. I’m 6’2" and it’s ok but I think if I were any taller it wouldn’t work.
Mechanically the newer ones are awesome. The older ones have a reputation for being a bit unreliable but my dad had a '96 one that lasted until '08 pretty well. I don’t know if it was an exception.
Heating in the newer ones is good. But I used to live in the north of Scotland and I remember well how damn cold the '96 110 was in the winter. The heating takes about 30min to kick in and doesn’t seem to reach the back seats.
I love Defenders and I will get one in the future. They are amazing offroad and they look great. Just thought I should warn you of some of the shortcomings though.
I’ve owned a Defender 90 for 15 years, and I am 6’3". No issues with being too tall- I’ve driven it from NC to KS and back, so you just learn to get comfortable with it. Mine is a soft top, and yup it can get quite cold in the winter. If you scrape it off, crank it up 5 minutes before you roll though- it’s fine. But I agree completely with furo- if you’re in the back seat you will be cold! The vehicle is a beast in snow and it’s well suited for ice/snow/bad road conditions.
Maintenance- it’s a simple machine if you are mechanically inclined but parts are expensive because, well they don’t make them anymore. Bottom line you have to love it; it’s a no-frills machine and many people I have known got over the novelty after a few years and sold.
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
Can you get parts for them in the US?
Are they economically viable compared to a toyota etc?
[/quote]
You can get parts, and you’ll pay through the nose at a dealership- but there are companies that sell Defender and old Rover parts. Just have to use google-fu.
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
Can you get parts for them in the US?
[/quote]
That’s what I was going to mention.
I have a friend who owned a Land Rover Discovery. He had to take the thing to “European Car Specialist” Mechanic shops to get work done. Regular places wouldn’t service the thing. Expenses eventually sunk him and he ended up getting rid of it.
[quote]furo wrote:
But they won’t be ideal for you I’m afraid. The drivers seat is too close to the door so if you have broad shoulders you will be crammed up against the door. The leg room isn’t amazing either. I’m 6’2" and it’s ok but I think if I were any taller it wouldn’t work.
Mechanically the newer ones are awesome. The older ones have a reputation for being a bit unreliable but my dad had a '96 one that lasted until '08 pretty well. I don’t know if it was an exception.
Heating in the newer ones is good. But I used to live in the north of Scotland and I remember well how damn cold the '96 110 was in the winter. The heating takes about 30min to kick in and doesn’t seem to reach the back seats.
I love Defenders and I will get one in the future. They are amazing offroad and they look great. Just thought I should warn you of some of the shortcomings though.[/quote]
Great Post.
Derek wasn’t joking: I really am almost 7 feet tall, so I worry about fitting.
That said, LRD came to my attention because I spent a fair amount of windshield time in LRDs (military version) in Afganistan because the Humvees could not be dropped by helicopter up by where we were (too heavy for a helicopter that high). The markedly lighter (but completely unarmoured!) LRD were our go-to vehicle — when we didn’t uses horses, that is.
They were reliable, but then, they were new and mil-spec.
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
Can you get parts for them in the US?
[/quote]
That’s what I was going to mention.
I have a friend who owned a Land Rover Discovery. He had to take the thing to “European Car Specialist” Mechanic shops to get work done. Regular places wouldn’t service the thing. Expenses eventually sunk him and he ended up getting rid of it.
[/quote]
Discos suck. They exist to be sold to soccer moms who can’t afford them.
[quote]bdocksaints75 wrote:
Have you looked into the 4 door jeeps not sure if they have any more leg room then the old school 2 door. [/quote]
The unlimited does but they are pricey. The Jeep Commander has a ton of space, not known for fuel economy or reliability though.[/quote]
I looked hard at the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon version. A new Jeep is roughly the same price as a 15+ year old Defender.
The Jeep’s front seat is not particularly big, and the whole “jump seat” thing in the Defenders is just cool. Plus, the Jeep will depreciate, while the Defender will appreciate. So I ditched the Jeep.
The only other vehicles in the running are another Ford PU (the Raptor) or a PRO4X Nissan Titan if I went cheaper. I’m just sick of PUs. They’re all I ever have driven.
