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1994 Land Rover Defender 90 Base Sport Utility 2-door 3.9l on 2040-cars

Year:1994 Mileage:96000
Location:

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
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Offered for sale is my 1994 D90.  I've owned the truck since 2002, using it for the first couple of years as a daily driver.  Since then it's seen very limited use.  For better than half of those, it's seen no use at all.  The truck is no cream puff.  It frankly needs quite a bit to make it truly right.  But it starts first time every time.   I'm not looking for a mint for it - the reserve is set for $5000.  I've just way to many projects around the house right now, and at this point, I'd just like to clear the space in the garage.  I'm going to do my best here to describe what's wrong with the 90.  As much as I'd like to get maximum dollar for the vehicle, I have no intention of screwing anyone.  And when it sells, I want it gone. Having to re-list it due to it being 'not as described' would be counter productive.

History:  As mentioned, I bought the Defender in 2002 with roughly 80,000 miles on it as a daily driver.  Despite my grand delusions of testing it's Camel Trophy abilities, I've never had it off road.  After a couple of years it became a sometimes second vehicle, but mostly sat unused.  Aside from a stack of receipts, I have no history of the truck before my ownership.  I purchased it from a guy in Virginia who incidentally was replacing it with a 109.

Chassis/Body:  Much of the rust proofing was peeling, so I spent some time scraping the loose stuff off to get a better idea of the chassis's actual condition.  There is of plenty surface rust, but it's stout.  The body is for the most part in passable condition though the doors have looked better.  They've galvanic corrosion around the bottom that should be visible in the photos.  There are a couple of dings around the tail lights, and the bonnet also has some dings on it.  These are also in the photos, but I'm not sure how visible they are as the white doesn't lend itself well to magnifying such imperfections.  I'm quite sure the dings on the bonnet could be taken out by a paintless dent removal guy.  The right rear quarter has sort of a 'crease' in it.  Again, I'm not sure how visible it is in the photos. I cannot say what caused any of the dings or the crease as it's all been there since I purchased it.  I suspect they all are results of off roading by a previous owner, but that is pure speculation.

Drive Train:  The odometer shows 96,000 miles.  The odometer also does not work.  Actually, it does...  The problem is where the cable connects to the transfer case.  Spinning the cable activates the speedometer.  As I recall - it's been a long time since I looked at it - there's a clip of some sort that is supposed to fasten the cable housing to the transfer case, but isn't.  It stopped working sometime after it was retired as a daily driver, so there's not been much incentive to fix it.  You may take my estimate for what it's worth, but I doubt the truck has yet made it to 100,000 miles.
No doubt the engine needs a tune.  It hasn't been looked at in years.  I fired it up for the first time this year in preparation for sale, and the 'service engine' light came on.  Having said that, it started first time, without hesitation, and settled into a nice idle.  It revs well, and sounds good.  The exhaust from the Y pipe back is stainless.  The truck does not have cats.
The transfer case is not original.  I bought a brand new Discovery case in 2004 from Pacific Rover when something went inside the original.  They had apparently just gotten a great deal on a whole bunch of new Discovery cases, and the price was such that I couldn't get the original rebuilt for less.   Ironically, I think it's the only thing for which I don't have a receipt, but I do have the original case minus the tail shaft housing which the shop lost...  The original case comes with the truck if you want it.  It's never been apart, and I still don't know what's actually wrong with it.  When the case was replaced the transmission was pulled apart and checked over by a local trans specialist to re-seal it.  The clutch was relatively new at the time, but the flywheel was resurfaced.  It shifts well, and it doesn't grind in any gears.  Nor is there any whining from the axles.  Speaking of the axles, the swivel balls are in great shape.  No pitting.

Soft Top:  The PO replaced the original top with a Bestop.  It's in serviceable condition, but is frankly a PITA to put on, hence the lack of photos.  It hasn't been on the truck since the last time it spent a night outside.  I've since only used the Bimini.  The sale also includes a tonneau to cover the interior.

Interior:  The interior is mighty spartan, made more so by the lack of a rear seat.  This Defender was originally equipped with a rear bench, but said bench wasn't with the truck when I bought it.  I think the photos are pretty representative of the interior's overall condition.

There are four things that aren't visible in the photos that I would consider to be major issues. 
1. The truck needs new tires.  The spare has never been used, but the four on the road are long past their sell by date.
2.  The transfer case linkage is not hooked up.  The Defender and Disco cases are subtly different in how they connect with the shifter.  I have all the original bits, but it's going to take a bit of fabrication to get it all hooked up.
3.  The turn signals aren't working.
4.  Like the tires, the accessory drive belts need replacing. I have a new set for you, but they'll need to be installed.

Honestly, I believe this Defender would happily drive to California tomorrow, but tires and belts really do need changing for safety and reliability's sake before it's driven any sort of speed or distance.

I've tried to get everything listed here, but it's not inconceivable that I've forgotten something.  If you've any questions, please ask.  I'll make every effort to respond to questions by the end of each day.  If you're in the Detroit area, you're welcome (and encouraged) to come and see it.

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Jaguar Land Rover seeks to block U.S. imports of Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, VW SUVs

Fri, Nov 20 2020

You wouldn’t know it was about Jags and Lambos, to judge by its rather dry name: In the Matter of Certain Vehicle Control Systems. But thatÂ’s the complaint Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc filed on Thursday to block U.S. imports of Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi and Volkswagen sport utility vehicles it says are using its patented Terrain Response technology without permission. Jaguar Land Rover, a British carmaker owned by IndiaÂ’s Tata Motors Ltd., said in its filing with the U.S. International Trade Commission that the technology helps negotiate a “broad range of surfaces” and is a key feature in JaguarÂ’s F-Pace and Land Rover Discovery vehicles. “JLR seeks to protect itself and its United States operations from companies that have injected infringing products into the U.S. market that incorporate, without any license from JLR, technology developed by JLR and protected by its patent,” JaguarÂ’s lawyer, Matthew Moore, said in the filing. Representatives of Volkswagen didnÂ’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the complaint. Jaguar wants to block imports of PorscheÂ’s Cayenne; LamborghiniÂ’s Urus; AudiÂ’s Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad and e-tron vehicles; and VWÂ’s Tiguan vehicles. It said there are plenty of other luxury midsize SUV and compact crossover vehicles to meet consumer demand if the SUVs are banned from the U.S. Still, the premium Porsche and Audi lines provide much of the profit VW is using to fund its investments in technology for electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and further innovations. In addition to the four brands, Volkswagen Group owns other upscale nameplates, including Bentley and Bugatti. The International Trade Commission is an independent, quasi-judicial agency that investigates complaints of unfair trade practices, like patent infringement. It canÂ’t award damages but does have the power to block products from entering the U.S. Owners of patents and trade secrets like it because it can work faster than the federal district courts -- the typical investigation is completed in 15 to 18 months. But Jaguar also filed patent lawsuits against the companies in federal courts in Delaware and New Jersey, seeking cash compensation for the use of the technology. Those cases are likely to be put on hold once the trade commission launches its investigation. The case is In the Matter of Certain Vehicle Control Systems, 337-3508, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

New Land Rover Defender aces Euro crash tests

Wed, Dec 9 2020

While the 2020 Land Rover Defender has not yet been crash-test by U.S. safety agencies such as NHTSA or IIHS, we do now have results for Europe's NCAP crash tests and accident-avoidance tests, where the Defender earned the top rating of five stars. The Defender model used for NCAP testing was the 110 variant with right-hand drive. The NCAP regimen includes several different crash tests: an offset front crash test into a moveable barrier with both the vehicle and the barrier traveling at 50 km/hr (31 mph), a front crash test into a full-width fixed barrier at 50 km/hr (31 mph), a side-impact crash test with a barrier traveling at 60 km/hr (37 mph) hitting the driver's door, and a side-impact test where the car strikes a pole at 32 km/hr (20 mph). The Defender's scores for the adult occupant and for a child occupant were both 85%. Additionally, the agency looks at the severity of injuries of the vehicle striking a pedestrian, taking data for a pedestrian's head hitting the hood, and their upper and lower leg being hit by the front of the vehicle. There is also testing of the vehicle's automatic emergency braking system's ability to avoiding hitting a pedestrian and a cyclist under various scenarios. The efficacy of active-safety systems for avoiding collisions with other vehicles is also tested. The Defender's score for protecting pedestrians and cyclists was 71%. The driver assists scored 79%. Results for several European-market cars were released together with those for the Defender, the most noteworthy of which was for the Honda E. The electric city car fared less well than the big Land Rover, garnering a score of four stars overall. In the same battery of test, the Honda E scored 76% for adult occupant protection, 82% for a child occupant, 62% for protecting pedestrians and cyclists, and 65% for its driver assists. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jaguar Land Rover to cut $6.8 billion in costs

Tue, Nov 10 2015

Jaguar Land Rover reduce costs by $6.8 billion and will push annual production volume to 1 million vehicles under a secret project called Leap 4.5, according to Reuters. The British automaker wants to achieve these ambitious goals by the end of the decade to compensate for the changing market in China and to counteract the price of meeting stricter emissions standards around the world. Leap 4.5 won't mean firing workers or cutting the automaker's $4.5 billion annual research budget. JLR will instead find savings by underpinning more models with modular platforms and by adjusting its supply chain. Future factories like the one in Brazil and the proposed plant in Slovakia also won't be affected by the new strategy. Globally, JLR continues to grow, and deliveries are up two percent through October 2015 to 390,965 vehicles. Business just last month was up 24 percent year-over-year to 41,553 units. However, the auto market's downturn in China has taken a bite out the automaker's success because volume dropped there 32 percent in the third quarter, Reuters reported. A global volume of 1 million vehicles will mean more than doubling 2014's 462,678 deliveries, but JLR has made significant investments to boost production recently. In addition to the future factories, it opened its first plant in China last year and an engine assembly site in the UK. The company also signed a deal with Magna Steyr in 2015 to build an upcoming model in Austria. Related Video: