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I'm possibly inviting a measure of ridicule with this post, if for no other reason than the self inflicted and not insignificant Road Tax hit on top of that which comes with Full Fat ownership.
Years ago I had the idea to find myself a Series 3. It would have been I suppose a second car serving both as a toy and loosely perhaps a project also. My circumstances back then were different both financially and domestically and for one reason or another it remained a pipe dream.
Back to the present day, have just bitten the bullet and found myself a 2008 Defender. The intention is for it to be my daily driver. We're now getting to know each other - as possibly unaccustomed to the rattle of a four-pot diesel, are my neighbours....
The dealer was at pains to impress upon me the vehicle's agricultural roots - "they leak, they rattle" etc. Quite correct of course. But I suspect also an attempt to head off future complaints in respect of lack-lustre heated seats/screen and asthmatic aircon etc.
The aircon condenser is looking as though it's seen better days. May be one of the first items tackled.
Cue the aftermarket upgrades and general fixing/replacement of tired bits on a used car.
First impressions....
They've been described to me as "driving like a van" owing to the live rear axle. I can see where the notion comes from, but still I think it's harsh. It doesn't have the ride quality of a modern car, but with big tyres surface imperfections are not transmitted to your backside. It's quite a "physical" drive, gear change is particularly heavy and benefits from a careful and precise action to avoid selection of a ratio lower than intended. The clutch is similarly robust requiring careful feeding out to smooth the changes. The handbrake is a long reach forward and down. It's quite easy to accidently leave it still partially engaged. Brakes I'm finding are effective if a little lacking in feedback. Maybe better pads will help.
It's not a car that you drive inattentively - bring your A-game.
Visibility is interesting. I find myself looking around a lot more just in case I might have missed something behind a B-post. It's a "box" of a car with all of the body panels (roof and bonnet excepted) fitted vertically. It follows then that all of the glass with the exception of the windscreen is similarly upright. Out for a run after dark last night, the tail lights and rear end of a white BMW in front of me were reflecting off the (my) rear window and as a result appearing also in the rear view mirror. A slightly surreal moment where the (really quite clear) image in the rear view mirror was identical to that before me on the road ahead.
Road Tax - I'm justifying (the unjustifiable) to myself thus - with the burgeoning volume of overweight EVs grinding our roads to dust whilst their owners pay little (no ?) Road Tax, I'm extending a small measure of assistance to The Treasury, to help in offsetting the shortfall.
It's a contribution to society I'm making here - No really...
(Yes, I am aware of course that Road Tax is not ring-fenced, not Road Fund Licence. It's just TAX).
So do I like it ? The Defender has in large measure a similar quality that many of us attribute also to the L322 and compel us to hold on to them. Very simply almost all other cars, however good they may be, are "just cars". Whatever else these two may be, they are much more than that.
I am aware of course that there is an affiliated Defender forum - "Defender2". Some difficulty currently in registering. Will get there I'm sure.
Warwick 2011 L322 TDV8 A/b Orkney Grey
2008 Defender 90 XS TDCi Java Black
2002 L322 TD6 Vogue Zambezi Silver (gone but not forgotten)
And one or two bikes - Ok, maybe more than one or two....
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4th Mar 2024 4:25pm
