The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[kzj90nz]

Hi all,

Wondering what you all think about Landrover Defender 90s?

They're pretty rare here in NZ but the ones that are around are stunning!

I could only afford one if I sold my 90 series Landcruiser and my weekend classic (which has been sitting for a few years now).

No doubt that the Defender 90's will be a future classic and I like the idea of owning a practical classic.

What are your thoughts? Would you trade your Landcruiser 90 and classic car for a Defender 90?

Are they a significant upgrade from the 90 series Landcruisers? How are they in the spare parts / reliability department?

Keen to hear your thoughts.

[Google]

[poze]

I think that those two are not comparable at all. Defender 90 is much more rough, lacks a lot of useful things like AC, ABS, rear locker, overall reliability, engine power (pain to drive on highways), prone to rusting, low safety ratings for rollovers and side collision etc... IMHO only things that I like in LandRovers is that classic offroader look and good offroading capabilities in stock form.

I would never consider switching

[geoffg]

Ihave both a LR90 and a Landcruiser Colorado, which I bought to replace a Range Rover P38.
The Landrover 90 and the Landcruiser aren't really comparable.
The L/R is an excellent off road machine but with not much room inside is a tad impractical.
It does have ABS and traction control. A/C and rear difflocks are an available extra.
Rust isn't a problem if the chassis is treated wit Waxoyl occasionally.
The Landrover TD5 engine is extreemly reliable with a five speed manual gearbox.
My L/C is a long wheel base and has stacks of room and lots of power with the D4D engine on an auto box.
I find it not as comfortable as the Range Roverp38 but a lot more comfortable than the L/R90.
Here in UK, Land Rover parts are easy to source and many companies sell aftermarket spares that are not LandRover branded
but a lot cheaper. Landrover do tend to be a bit pricey for their genuine spares. I get most of my spare bits from e bay.
I recently had a Land Rover 110 County Station Wagon, which I suppose is a similar size vehicle to the Landcruiser Colorado long wheelbase.
I would say the Landcruiser is definately the best of the two.
Best of luck in whatever you decide.
Geoff

[Juddian]

A 70 Series LC was probably as close as you could get to a Defender, but the difference between reliability and durability of 70 and Def was huge, the world is full of 70's that simply refuse to break.

Where Landrover score, at least in the UK, is the massive indy parts and workshop back up...sadly they do need more work than they should to keep them operating, whereas the 70 requires good servicing which is easy enough but when they do require non service/friction parts you will be glad its not often.

The 90 series Landcruiser was a different beast entirely, whilst it shared the pre D4D 3.0 litre engine of the 70 series it lost the live axle of the 70 and gained acres of plastic inside...70 series still had a steel painted dashboard and the interior didn't rattle over every pot hole breached.

Personally if i wanted an Icon 4x4 to cherish, i'd import one the last batch of 70 series made last year direct from Japan, looked after that could easily be the last vehicle you ever buy.

[petrolhead]

I had three defenders, two 90's and a 110.
I now Have an LC95.

The LC is much easier to work on compared to the landrover, much nicer to drvie on the road. Landrover steering wheel is annoyingly close to the drivers door window.
All 3 Landrovers leaked when it rained, clutch forks are a weak point. For towing in the UK Landrover has a higher legal towing limit of 3.5ton with over-run breaks or 4 ton with servo/hydraulic brakes. LC is only 2.8t.

Landrover chassis do rust unless proofed, body is mainly aluminium.
Both seem competant offroad, you would have to say LC is (on paper) better due to having a rear axle diff lock as well as a transmission diff, although both have been fine for my needs and what i do) Annoying thing is that Low ratio automatically engages transmission diff on the LC, pain in the bum when you just want low gears for reversing trailers in tight spaces.

All this from a UK perspective but is depends what you want to do with your vehicle.

On balance I prefer the LC
_________________
Glyn

2000 KZJ95 1KZ-TE LWB
Ironman Shocks and Springs
ASFIR Underbody Skid plates

[diggerdave]

If you do any kind of middle to long distance driving you will quickly notice the defender's limitations.  I'm not saying it's impossible, and plenty of people use them for overlanding and everyday vehicles, but you have to be willing to put up with the compromise that inevitably comes from using what started out life as a farm truck for that purpose. I've used them for work before now and the medium distance road journeys at the start and end of each day are just that bit more wearing after the initial novelty wears off (I would single out noise, lack of space, poor ergonomics and a turning circle the size of the international space station as the worst bits).  If you have the bug, you'll learn to love it.  The Colorado (LC90) is a better designed all-purpose vehicle that's capable of doing it all in relative ease.  That said I wouldn't rule out a Defender in the future (I've sort of half got the bug), though it seemingly requires a lottery win these days to afford one in decent nick.
_________________
1997 KZJ90 3.0d, 2" suspension lift, 235/85/16 Cooper STT Pros. 217k hard miles

[poze]

I was stunned how big Defender looks when you stand near it outside and when you're in it's confined and claustrophobic... strange how they managed to accomplish that.