Right, managed to convince myself last night whilst watching the Bay City Rollers that a 110 pickup would be a good purchase!!

Question is which engine/year, I know three fifths of F All about them, had a 200TDI in the past but thats about it, budget around 10K to include necessary upgrades

Any help appreciated

I thank you

What's the connection between a handful of tartan clad "singers" who are old enough to know better, dressed in tartan, got to do with a Defender?  Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Age?  John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue - SOLD
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT-Sold

Bang on Weegie, bit of tartan, pickup, banjo......sorted

It will only tow stuff around the farm and pick up (sic) horse food etc, something like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Defen...Swqu9VGYkX

Are you thinking single cab full pick up or double cab?

For ease of maintenance, it would be a 300TDi which is more refined and slightly more powerful than the 200TDi. If you want smoother/quieter and more power and able to easily extract more useable power/better mpg, it would be the TD5.

The TD5 is more modern (obviously) and more easily tuned for performance and economy.

Personally, I wouldn't worry overly which engine it has. I would buy solely on condition because being a pick-up, likely it was used as a work horse so will have had a hard life….the double cabs tend to lean more towards the 'active lifestyle' crowd. Another reason for not worrying about the engine type is because it is very easy to swap between them and install the same engine from a Discovery…the Disco always had more power than the Defender equivalent.

This also gives the option of putting in an automatic gearbox from the Disco.

Non of these engines are expensive anymore compared to when I changed my 2.5 petrol to 300TDi in 2002.

Just looked at the last post; I personally wouldn't go for a 223k mile farm vehicle unless it has had a new chassis plus a few other bits BUT condition is everything.

EDIT: I would also want it to be older than the taxation/emissions cut-off date i.e. older than 23rd March 2006

The main things to look out for:-

1. Chassis rot, especially around the rear cross member.
The unscrupulous will spray with underseal or Waxoil and say that it has been protected all it's life- it might have but you won't know until some is scraped off. Also the front legs where the bumper is bolted on as well as generally looking for dents and repair patches. Patches are okay if done properly.

2. Bulkhead- at the base of the 'A' pillar and near the bottom corners of the windscreen. Mud and water gets in and rusts these areas from the inside…what looks like surface rust normally isn't. You don't want to have to change a bulkhead.

3. Galvanic corrosion to the bottom of the doors.

4. Even with a top, the rear bed will have been abused and water will have got in somewhere.

5. Check the transfer box works in high/low and in diff lock/unlock

6. Look for the dreaded blue block terminals (Scotch blocks?) and additional wires, signs of the home bodger. As these become older, earthing ancillaries (lights, heated screen etc) can be an issue and not everyone fixes these correctly.

7. Despite reputations, there really shouldn't be any leaks from the engine or gearboxes. They really don't all do that, sir.

8. Front and rear differentials shouldn't leak and shouldn't look like hand beaten pewter either which shows lots of heavy off road use,

9. Obviously a leak from the bell housing is not acceptable, normally caused by a cheaply bought rubber seal but is a pain or expensive to replace.

10. Gearboxes, surprisingly, aren't clunky and whilst they'll never be slick as a modern car, they shouldn't be notchy.

Can't think of anything else off the top of my head at the moment. Hope this helps.

The only other thing I would say is that Defender world is full of people who buy cheap and sell dear. Everyone thinks they are the quintessential expert and that's why this is right and that is wrong but if you apply the same rules to buying a Defender as you would any other car, you should be okay.

I've got one of the last of the TD5's (2006) - had it 2 years and its been fantastic

The TD5's seem to be very desirable because by many they are regarded as the last of the 'proper' Defenders - being the last of them with a Land Rover engines, before they started putting Ford Transit engines in them.

As a result, they seem to hold their value incredibly well

Cheers guys, thats the info I am looking for

One of the forum sponsors made a really nice Disco2 pickup. Considering the price of D2s, he could probably make you up one for less than the price of a good Defender. More comfy too.
I'm not a pickup truck fan, but one look at his and I was wondering why JLR never sold one.

It may be worth deciding what "upgrades" you want first, it's a bit of a minefield compared to a '322 (in terms of the sheer quantity available) and then reserve that from the budget which would narrow down the field a bit. Ed

I bought a 1987 300TDI a year ago as a "DogsWagen" It was something my wife fancied and has now become her transport of choice for the 10 mile hill road commute despite availability of other vehicles!
I have played with the car a little getting the stop and go more like a modern car....the 300tdi does respond to diesel tuning, but just not in the modern default electronic way!
Biggest transformation so far has been the fitting of Avon Ranger ATT tyres in place of BF Goodrich. The ride is still a bit bouncy castle, but it has now got both grip and compliance.
A Defender is just a small upgrade from a horse and cart, but comes with undeniable charm...