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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

Defender D350 (MY26)
How are folks feeling about reliability and lifetime repair/service costs for the Defender at this point?

The time has come to sell my Disco 4 SDV6 HSE, which I've had since new in 2014. The obvious replacement is the Defender D350 MY26. Having said that, although my Disco has been brilliant, the most recent repair bills at MOT, including the replacement of the front and rear lower wishbones/bushes, have reminded me that JLR comes with a price far beyond the purchase price.

As I look around, the Land Cruiser LC250 is another option, nowhere near the on-road manners and a truly awful 2.8-litre four-pot diesel in the UK, but with legendary reliability and up to a 10-year warranty and mild hybrid option coming to offset this.

I find myself going in small circles with this at the moment. My heart wants the Defender, but my head can't justify spending 80,000 pounds on a car with potentially such long-standing and expensive reliability issues.

Any thoughts based on real world experience?
Post #1071051 8th Jul 2025 10:39pm
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Chugga90



Member Since: 07 Sep 2014
Location: Bucks
Posts: 209

Keep the D4 and spend some of the 80k you save making it look and feel great again?
Post #1071058 9th Jul 2025 7:42am
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lightning



Member Since: 23 Apr 2009
Location: High Peak, Derbyshire
Posts: 3217

United Kingdom 
l have a D250 now 2 1/2 years old and have been thinking the same thing. Keep long term or swap for another old model Defender.

With the old one, the bills while regular are much smaller and it's rare to get a frighteningly high one.

However my 2022 D250 has been totally reliable with only a couple of software upgrades and a squeak from the undertrays which l sorted myself.

So it's a difficult question. lf l keep the new Defender l will almost certainly take out the LR extended warranty for as long as they'll provide it.

One thing about the new Defender is, it's already attracting aftermarket parts suppliers so there's a good chance that in the future you'll be able to avoid LR parts prices. And my local LR specialist has started working on them, their labour rate is a fraction of the LR dealer.
Post #1071059 9th Jul 2025 7:46am
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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

Chugga90 wrote:
Keep the D4 and spend some of the 80k you save making it look and feel great again?
That’s a very real option to be fair, it’s certainly the sensible one
Post #1071060 9th Jul 2025 8:20am
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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

Thanks Lightning, that’s good info.
Post #1071061 9th Jul 2025 8:21am
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Crazymind



Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 275

United Kingdom 
wouldn’t just assume the Land Cruiser will be more reliable than the Defender. The new Land Cruiser has to prove the legendary name it carries.
On top of that, I really can’t wrap my head around the fact that the 2.8 four-cylinder costs £80k.
So far, my experience with the Defender has been excellent — 13 months and 20,000 miles around the UK and Europe, and it hasn’t put a foot wrong. About 80% of that has been on-road, with 20% on medium to challenging trails.
It’s still solid, with no rattles, and it’s unbeatable on the road — none of the other capable off-roaders come close. The ride is comfortable yet doesn’t wallow through corners.
Resale value is holding strong too: 13 months after buying it, We Buy Any Car is still offering only £6k less than what I paid brand new.
Post #1071063 9th Jul 2025 8:45am
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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

Good perspective, thanks. That resale value is mad! Smile
Post #1071080 9th Jul 2025 10:19am
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LRSpain004



Member Since: 30 Jun 2020
Location: Elche
Posts: 69

Spain 
I always had classic defenders TD5 and they were fantastic. After moving to Spain I bought a 2018 Land Cruiser 150. As you say the engine (same in the new 250 with some power upgrades) is not amazing but at the same time the engine and whole vehicle is truly bulletproof with reliability. I bought it from a Toyota dealer with 208,000 miles on it with a year warranty. it now has 261,000 and it has never been back to the dealer apart from services. I replaced lower front wishbone bushes last year and apart from being well serviced that is it. Buy a Toyota and never go back to the dealer.. simple choice.
Post #1071081 9th Jul 2025 11:24am
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SteveG



Member Since: 29 Nov 2011
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 671

2005 Defender 90 Td5 CSW Belize Green
Crazymind wrote:

On top of that, I really can’t wrap my head around the fact that the 2.8 four-cylinder costs £80k.


I was seriously considering buying a Landcruiser 250, especially when it went on sale in Japan and the top spec version was the equivalent of £38,500. I knew it wouldn’t be that low with shipping, duties and UK VAT here, but the 100% difference was a lot more than expected and just Toyota fleecing UK consumers. They’re not the only ones, but they don’t even have the RHD costs excuse. Its a shame, if it was around the £55K mark I could easily get over the Hilux diesel 😊

Not owned a new Defender, but son has a 4 year old one from new, and a good fiend the same. Both six cylinders and no issues bar some rattly A post trim that flies off at speed and again some interior trim vibrations. The six cylinder versions seem to be proving to be reliable.
Post #1071082 9th Jul 2025 12:36pm
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Crazymind



Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 275

United Kingdom 
Maybe Spain is the right place for the 150 to thrive. Here in the UK, they’re all rusted out — even ones that are only five or six years old don’t hold up well. In that sense, the new Defender does better, since it’s mostly aluminium underneath. The question is: would you rather have an ultra-reliable Toyota with a rotten chassis after ten years of use, or just repair a newer Defender instead?
Post #1071083 9th Jul 2025 12:57pm
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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

Kind of wish there was a better option for 80k Very Happy
Post #1071087 9th Jul 2025 1:46pm
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Retroanaconda



Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2746

Scotland 
Mine is the D200 but it’s the same basic engine as the D350.

4.5 years on and 100k miles and I’ve had no issues other than an exhaust pressure sensor which was sorted under warranty. It’s getting a new front camera under warranty in a few weeks too but that’s minor details.

Wouldn’t hesitate to buy another, if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s now £15k more. Too rich for me now so I will just keep this one.
Post #1071094 9th Jul 2025 2:12pm
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Skully



Member Since: 10 Jun 2022
Location: uk
Posts: 8

The prices do seem to have gone insane across the board. My Disco 4 HSE with a bunch of options cost me 52k in 2014, although taking into account inflation, that's 72k today. In my head, that's still what you pay for a flat or small house, not a car Smile
Post #1071096 9th Jul 2025 2:26pm
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lightning



Member Since: 23 Apr 2009
Location: High Peak, Derbyshire
Posts: 3217

United Kingdom 
Skully wrote:
Kind of wish there was a better option for 80k Very Happy


lneos Grenadier?
Post #1071133 9th Jul 2025 6:15pm
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Crazymind



Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 275

United Kingdom 
Despite its undeniable charm, the Ineos is still very much a tractor at heart. It’s clearly biased towards 80% off-road use and only 20% on-road. On the road, the recirculating ball steering takes some getting used to, it’s quite bouncy, and the soundproofing isn’t great either. It also feels underpowered — supposedly to make it more reliable.
In my opinion, it’s a very niche vehicle, and there’s really not much the Ineos can do that the Defender can’t. Off-road, the Defender makes things effortless, whereas the Ineos demands a more experienced driver to tackle the same terrain that a novice could manage in the Defender.
Post #1071136 9th Jul 2025 7:29pm
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