 | Home > Tdi > Should I? |
 
|
|
|
| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 812  
|
I don't mind the 2.5TD, 89hp and was a sector leader in its day. But they don't like to be thrashed. Prone to cracking a piston.
I swapped a piston out on mine the other winter, engine in situ. Just don't plan to go anywhere quickly. Although, to be fair, they only feel slow on busy open bypass and dual carriage way roads. They make good low end grunt and have short gearing, so in places like Wales when you are in the hills and mountains on tight twisty roads, they actually feel quite lively, thanks to the turbo induced torque curve. The Tdi is a much stouter engine with 107bhp from the factory and a lot more tunable. But they are less refined and more noisy. |
||
12th Feb 2025 12:42pm |
|
| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17603 
|
The MoT history tells me that the rear chassis is shot, so at the very least major repairs are likely to be needed. If longevity is your aim, a new chassis.
If you want a farm hack that isn't going on the road it may make sense, but to refurbish it to the extent it becomes a nice vehicle will be significantly expensive. It would make a good project if that's what you want, and it could become nice. I suspect that it would cost more than it was worth at the end though. I have a strong suspicion that that the current owner will not be happy with a realistic offer. Depending on how it runs and drives I'd be offering £750 to £1000 and no more. |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 1:10pm |
|
| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2282 
|
For a long term doer-upper and keeper it's a good starting point. The Td engine is fine but will likely need pistons. With a more modern engine like a Tdi it'll keep up with traffic.
Be realistic with the chassis, if it needs a lot of work, rechassis and commit to this early on, it'll save money in the long run. Offer him £500. Turn up with the cash in your pocket. Take it away before he changes his mind 😉 HTH Mo The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 1:42pm |
|
| I Like Old Skool Member Since: 23 Feb 2015 Location: Manchester Posts: 828 
|
In my experience it's quite the opposite. Two chassis swaps that seemed an indulgent precaution at the outset, but once chopping up the old chassis for disposal it was definitely a case of thank goodness I didn't try to patch up the wafer thin remains! I had an early 200tdi 90. I think it was registered April 1991ish and I'm pretty sure it was from the first couple of months production so a 1990 vehicle will definitely have originally been pre-tdi. |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 1:43pm |
|
| Norfolk-n-chance Member Since: 01 Sep 2019 Location: Usually in the garage! Posts: 94 
|
I was thinking of offering £500, at that, my reasoning is that if it really is serious bad news then the sum of the parts would be worth more!
The sheep box on the back is worth about £100…. “a committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide nothing can be done.” |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 2:27pm |
|
| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17603
|
I didn't notice this comment previously but I am afraid that the complete opposite is the case in my experience - every chassis I have worked on has been much worse than it superficially looked. In the case of this Defender there is clearly significant rot in the rear spring/rear crossmember area.
If by "sheep box" you mean the IW canopy than either they fetch a premium in Norfolk or you may be in for a disappointment! I bought one that looked virtually brand new some time ago for £35 in Dorset. If it was a 110 double-cab canopy it would be worth more, but 90 canopies do not appear to be worth mush at all. However if you can get the vehicle for £500 you won't have been ripped off and will certainly be able to get your money back in parts if it proves a money-pit. |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 3:48pm |
|
| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 812
|
@blackwolf, it is not clear at all. The MoT report is generic and non specific at best. Without physically seeing the vehicle, there is simply no way to know.
That said, you can buy a rear cross member with legs or even a rear half chassis. Which could be significantly less work to replace. Now, I'm not saying this is the case here. But I'm yet to really see a chassis that was as bad as thought, once fully stripped down. They nearly always could have been repaired and done years or decades more service. |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 5:46pm |
|
| MarkBrown Member Since: 03 Oct 2022 Location: Mid Wales Posts: 516  
|
I paid £1200 for my 110 in 2018, off eBay, sight unseen. My main reasoning was that I wanted a project and I knew that once I had a base vehicle ( any 110 ) that my project had started.
I sold off the bits I didn't want and got a fair bit of the purchase cost back. No truck, no project. I'd go with £500 up to a max of £1000, providing the V5 is present, but it does depend on the end goal like others have said 1983 110 automatic OM606 |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 6:39pm |
|
| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1294 
|
It has a Diesel Turbo engine, hence the DT on the DVLA site.
Land Rover never called them Turbo Diesels, as that was reserved for the diesel engine in the Range Rover. Registered in May 1990, it will be a very late Ninety. (Defender introduced with the 200Tdi in September 1990). Whichever way you look at it , it will be a money pit. Farmers seldom abandon a vehicle which has much value left it it. £500 probably won't get it though, because seller will think it is worth a fortune. Despite that engine probably being totally knackered. (Look for the paper air filter being contaminated with engine oil.....) |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 7:09pm |
|
| MarkBrown Member Since: 03 Oct 2022 Location: Mid Wales Posts: 516
|
At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I'm pretty sure that Land Rover badged them as a turbo. I recall my very first 110 turbo diesel had a turbo sticker on the back - this of course could have been a fake or indeed I could be wrong! 1983 110 automatic OM606
|
||
|
12th Feb 2025 7:30pm |
|
| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 812
|
I think technically, Rover actually. branded them as Diesel Turbo. The then Range Rover could be had with the Turbo Diesel which was a VM sourced engine. And TDI was actually Turbo Direct Injection.
Last edited by Chicken Drumstick on 13th Feb 2025 10:18am. Edited 1 time in total |
||
|
12th Feb 2025 8:06pm |
|
| Mo Murphy Member Since: 01 Jun 2008 Location: Letchworth Garden City, Herts Posts: 2282
|
It was called the diesel turbo with its turbo sticker on the back.
Mo The Land Rover 90 - Many are called, few are chosen. 50 Shades of Pennine Grey |
||
|
13th Feb 2025 7:31am |
|
| Will@LRW Member Since: 04 May 2019 Location: UK Posts: 197  
|
I reckon the seller will want £5k, if the project vehicles on eBay are anything to go by... LR Workshop
Find a Defender's history and spec: https://defender.lrworkshop.com |
||
|
13th Feb 2025 10:03am |
|
| Norfolk-n-chance Member Since: 01 Sep 2019 Location: Usually in the garage! Posts: 94
|
I’ve got some more photos coming this weekend so will have more of an idea then. “a committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide nothing can be done.”
|
||
|
13th Feb 2025 10:07am |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2025 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
