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Snifamily



Member Since: 12 Mar 2016
Location: Utah
Posts: 3

United States 
New to defender - need advice
I'm thinking about buying a '97 Defender 110 TD5 for my daily driver. I live at 7000' and drive to 4500' for work. The Defender I'm looking at was imported to Canada from Poland. I live in the US, so I would import it here. Here are some of my questions/concerns:
- safety - I have two kids. We'll be driving around town and on the highway. How safe is this car if we were in an accident?
- I am not mechanically inclined - would I take this defender to the Range Rover dealership, or are there usually qualified mechanics in most large US cities?
- power - I don't plan on towing anything. What is the top speed on the highway? Is the passing power comparable to other typical 6-cyl SUVs? Any idea of gas mileage?
- the defender is originally from Poland, is that a concern?
- luggage rack - if I want to take off the top luggage rack, will that be an issue? Will I need to fill the holes to avoid rust?

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
Post #513426 12th Mar 2016 4:37am
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RoddyK05



Member Since: 08 Apr 2015
Location: Inverclyde
Posts: 633

Scotland 2004 Defender 90 Td5 SW Yellow
Just on a couple of your points,
Safety - no airbags etc on this vehicle, no crumple zones either - except what you hit Whistle The safety factor comes from a nice high driving position and the fact you won't be going that fast anyway.
Mechanicals - bush mechanics keep these things going out in the wilds, so most places should be able to keep on top of it. If you have a RR dealership close by and can afford their dealer labour prices then why not.
Fuel economy - no idea on that one, I'd expect maybe 25mpg+? Those with a 110 Td5 can keep you right.
Power - depends on what you call power? It moves under its own steam, but won't catch a modern v8 pickup truck, or anything else for that matter Rolling with laughter Honestly, the Td5 is a very decent engine and should see you fine.
Removing the roof rack - mostly these are clamped onto the roof gutter and removal shouldn't leave any holes.

Hope this helps a bit.
Post #513495 12th Mar 2016 12:16pm
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Edzi



Member Since: 20 Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 276

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Alaska White
For safety, probably looking at fitting a full roll cage might be an idea.
As for importing from Poland, I think you may need to change certain aspects to make it road legal in the states. Might be easier looking for an American spec car?
Post #513564 12th Mar 2016 4:13pm
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4RF RDS



Member Since: 19 Jul 2015
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 898

Canada 2000 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Epsom Green
The 110 will offer a lot of room to move kids and cargo. They are as safe as any other vehicle other than what has already been said, no SRS. As for being from Poland I don't see that being an issue. Mine is from Germany and it is great.

The Td5 will pull better than the NAS V8 and I get about 28 to 30 mpg with a soft foot on the peddle.

Find a local indie garage you trust, its a diesel engined truck plain and simple. All engine parts will have to be imported for repairs. Only service parts (air filter same as Freelander, oil/fuel filter equivalent etc) are available in the US? Any dealer in the US (or Canada) has no freaking idea what a 2.5 litre five cylinder turbo diesel (Td5) is. You'll be wasting your money.

IMPORTANT: The Td5 was not available in 1997 so I would be very inquisitive as to the actual year of the Defender, might be a typo might be a replacement powerplant. You don't want to be caught in a situation wherein your insurance carrier walks away (when a claim is needed) from you because your Defender is really a 1999 or something like that. Also if you are in the US it has to be 25 years old to import. This federal rule would preclude you legally importing this vehicle. Check out the regulations before you proceed.

Good luck. 2010 Range Rover MkIII Autobiography Super Charged (Idris)
2003 Range Rover Mk III (Desmond FitzWilliam)
2000 Defender 110 CSW TD5 (CTX)
1992 Range Rover Classic (Lizzy)
1972 Series III 300 Tdi (Stanwood)
1967 MGB GT

Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Post #513565 12th Mar 2016 4:16pm
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