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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
Advertising:

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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Auto blog

Jaguar Land Rover to drop supercharged V8 for turbocharged BMW power

Wed, Jul 27 2016

There are few things that sound as good as Jaguar's 5.0 liter supercharged V8. As great as it is when the supercharger whines or the exhaust cracks and pops on throttle lift-off as the air pressure equalizes, the basic design dates back to the '90s. Plainly, the engine isn't as efficient as it needs to be, but designing a new V8 from the ground up is an expensive proposition. Instead, Automobile reports that Jaguar Land Rover is set to use a twin-turbocharged V8s supplied by BMW. Scalable architecture is all the rage as automakers streamline designs in order to save costs. For example, Jaguar's current supercharged V6 is quite literally a V8 with two holes missing. They didn't even change the length of the block. It seems both of those designs are on their way out, with the V6 being replaced by a inline-six closely related to the company's inline four. It seems that rather than designing an new and expensive V8 for their top of the line models JLR, is sourcing from BMW. From 1994 to 2000, BMW owned Land Rover. A few models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, used BMW engines then and in the initial years of Ford's JLR stewardship. It seems things have now come full circle. BMW currently makes a twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 that produces anywhere from 440 to 600 horsepower, depending on the application. Automobile says that a new 4.0 liter V8 is in the works and that it will most likely be the engine that JLR uses. Expect it to be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and lighter than what both BMW and JLR currently offer. This seems like a win for both companies. BMW gets to offset the cost of a new motor while JLR, a smaller company, doesn't have to invest in a whole new architecture. As automakers search for ways to cut costs, expect collaborations like this to continue. Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz both share a four-cylinder engine. Ford and GM have worked together to design a shared 10-speed automatic. While we may lament the loss of that wonderful Jaguar Land Rover engine, we can still be happy that they haven't abandoned the V8. Related Video: News Source: Automobile Rumormill BMW Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguars and Land Rovers to feature in 007's Spectre

Mon, Feb 9 2015

James Bond may be more closely associated with Aston Martin, but Jaguars and Land Rovers have featured in 007 movies new and old. Skyfall, the most recent installment in the series, opened with Bond and Moneypenny ripping through the streets of Istanbul in a Defender and saw M being chauffeured around London in an XJ. And the upcoming feature Spectre is set to feature some of JLR's finest as well. While Bond himself will be piloting the new Aston Martin DB10, the movie will also feature a Jag and a couple of Landies. The Jaguar C-X75 concept, as we know, will be part of a chase scene against the DB10, now revealed to be set in Rome. But the movie will also include the new Range Rover Sport SVR (with what looks like some auxiliary lighting) and at least two Defenders modified by JLR Special Operations to "Big Foot" specifications with 37-inch off-road tires, upgraded suspensions and added bodywork protection. As you may recall, a couple of months ago a fleet of nine vehicles used in the film were stolen from a garage in Dusseldorf, including five Range Rover Sports. This is the first confirmation we're seeing of any of them being SVR models, or of the Big Foot Defenders being part of the mix as well. The scenes including the Land Rovers have already been filmed in Austria, and we're looking forward to seeing them all on the silver screen come November. Related Video: JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP WITH SPECTRE, THE 24TH JAMES BOND ADVENTURE - Continuing Jaguar Land Rover's successful involvement with the Bond franchise, Jaguar C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVRandLand Rover Defender Big Foot to feature in new James Bond movie, SPECTRE - C-X75 concept vehicles will form part of spectacular chase scene in Rome Monday 9 Feb 2015 12:01 GMT: Jaguar Land Rover has announced its line-up of vehicles set to feature in SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond adventure, from Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. These will include the Jaguar C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVR and Defender Big Foot, which have been provided by Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations. The Jaguar C-X75 will feature in a spectacular car chase sequence through Rome alongside the Aston Martin DB10. The C-X75 vehicles used in filming have been built in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering facility in Oxfordshire, England.

2024 Lexus GX and Land Rover Defender numbers crunched

Fri, Jun 9 2023

The 2024 Lexus GX finally brings the luxury off-roader up-to-date. And it does so in a boxy, rugged wrapper that makes comparisons to the 2024 Land Rover Defender, another luxury off-roader of similar size and capability. So we figured, let's make that comparison. We've looked at all the specifications available for the two SUVs to see how they stack up. Engines and Transmissions The GX keeps things simple under the hood with a single powertrain. It has a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 hybrid making 340 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. That horsepower number only tops the Defender's four-cylinder engine, but the GX has the torque advantage even against the Defender's mighty V8 option. The GX's V6 is paired with a 10-speed automatic and full-time four-wheel drive. Full fuel economy numbers haven't been given, but Toyota is expecting 17 mpg combined. Unfortunately, that fuel economy is worse than all the Defender powertrains except the V8. As alluded to, the Defender is available with three main engines, an inline-four, inline-six and V8. The closest competitors to the GX will be the regular 110 four-door and the longer 130 four-door. The 110 can be had with the turbo 2.0L four-cylinder making 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque; the turbo mild-hybrid 3.0L six-cylinder making 395 horsepower and 405 pound-feet; or the supercharged 5.0L V8 making 518 horsepower and 461 pound-feet. The 130 gets two versions of the six-cylinder, one making 296 horsepower and 347 pound-feet and one making 395 horsepower and 405 pound-feet. The V8 is also available but just with 493 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque. All of the engines get an eight-speed automatic and full-time four-wheel drive. The four-cylinder 110 gets 18 mpg combined, the six gets 20 and the V8 manages just 16. Both 130 six-cylinder powertrains return 19 mpg combined, and the V8 doesn't have numbers yet. Towing and Cargo Towing capacity is pretty straightforward. The Lexus has a maximum capacity of 8,000 pounds, and the Land Rover tops it by 200 pounds more. Some trim levels of both SUVs have lower towing capacity, depending on the configuration. As for cargo space, Lexus hasn't shared details. It is available with up to three rows of seating and room for seven passengers. The 110 has similar seating available, and the 130 ups the ante with a three-across third row. And we've found that the 130's third row is genuinely usable by adults.