Rover Defender 90

[jhelgesen]

Girlfriend is looking for a new toy and is considering a Defender 90. Wants a manual tranny and soft top. Done a lot of looking on line, but need to see one in person, up close. Any one have experience with them?

[Blanco]

www.d-90.com

www.discoweb.org

They can give you better experience perspective. I own a Disco and its tough but no Defender.

[Don Plumley]

I love D90's. Look great, built like tanks. The sites that Blanco has referred you and a google search should have a nice listing of their few chronic weaknesses.

[Seahawk]

I had a 94 D90 for years...one of forty that came with the aluminum hard top. BRG and white, beautiful truck.

Loved it/hated it. PM me if you want the good, the bad and the leaky.

Look at a really well done FJ-40 as well as the D90. I'm in the market for an FJ-40 to rebuild.

[svandamme]

defender don't make sense if it's used on tarmac
they should always be dirty, the older they are , the better looking

is your gf looking for something to look cool in , or is she into offroading?

if just for looking cool, i think the defender is going to dissappoint , they aren't really equipped for luxury, hardly anything comes standard, and the optional stuff, well, it's bolt on , don't expect it too look good or be ergonomical, there will be a button for the optional thing "somewhere"

i think they are great, but unless i suddenly end up owning 40 acres of land which requires some off offroad capable vehicle to inspect my cows or something, i don't see me buying one...

[Racerbvd]

I wouldn't mind having one for track support!!

[jhelgesen]

Originally posted by svandamme
defender don't make sense if it's used on tarmac
they should always be dirty, the older they are , the better looking

is your gf looking for something to look cool in , or is she into offroading?

She wants old and dirty. Something to get muddy, sandy, wet, snowy, what ever is on the ground and in the way. Wants the soft top to take on the beach.

We have sports cars to use on the pavement....

[Noah930]

defender don't make sense if it's used on tarmac

Rugged, yet small (for parking ease). True off-road ability compared to a RAV4 or CRV. And a degree of stylish flair over a regular Jeep Wrangler or Liberty. I have no idea about the reliability or cost of maintenance/ownership issues, but I've always thought that the D90's looked great for urban Boston use. After all, my wife thinks that the roads here often resemble what you'd expect to find in Beirut.

[onewhippedpuppy]

True off road ability = loud, slow and cumbersome around town. I've ridden in enough Jeeps to know that I wouldn't want one unless I moved to the mountains in Colorado. The D90 is by far the coolest looking SUV along those lines, get one done up Tomb Raider style and you're set.

[vlocci]

Had a 95 (3.9 liter and 5 speed) as well as a 97 (4.0 liter and automatic)

The good:

-rugged looks
-excellent off road
-limited production means you often will neet see another around town
-short weelbase makes it easy to fit everywhere.


The bad:
-way underpowered for the pavement (I wound up supercarging the 97)
-no creature comforts worth mentioning
-short weelbase is terrible for towing or rough pavement at speed
-limited parts availability at reasonable prices
-if its not leaking it is out of oil

If you know what your getting they can be fun. If you think your getting a rebodied (and reliable) jeep your mistaken.

Feel free to PM for the details.

Vin