Absolutely remarkable opportunity to own a Land Rover Defender 90 that has had all the work done and been executive-owned by the same Land Rover enthusiast for ten years.

Having owned innumerable Series, Discovery IIs, late-model LR 3/4s and Range Rovers, I began my quest in 2012 to find a rust-free, LHD County Edition to convert to a comfortable commuter.  I found this gem in Europe and imported it in 2014.  Having been built in Sollihull, England for the Italian market, it was an original LHD completely devoid of even surface rust.  It had the original 2.2L diesel engine, which I intended to swap for a petrol V8.  I got it stateside and began the work.

There is literally too much to describe here, but my process included:

- Converting to a Land Rover V8 engine that would marry up with the original LT77 transmission.  This exchange was carried out by the Defender professionals at Austin Rover Works in Austin, Texas, who also installed the VintageAir A/C at the same time (detailed receipt of work included);

- Completely stripping down and repainting the Smurf-blue paint to Willow Green, a standard NAS color selection (receipt included);

- Installing a Voyager Defender roof rack;

- Installing high-end FatMat brand sound- and heat-deadening on all six interior surfaces beneath all new carpet and the County Edition roof and side wall panels, which were preserved intact through the project;

- Installing all new driver, passenger and cargo-area seats from Rovers North (receipt included);

- Installing a tasteful two-inch TerraFirma lift and accompanying suspension components atop BF Goodrich AT tires (receipt included);

- Affixing a Lejeune silver hood ornament from the same foundry as that used by QEII.

The Defender is in truly remarkable condition, and it is valuable.  Provided in the photos are $42,000 in receipts, which exclude the cost of acquiring and importing the vehicle itself and the fastidious maintenance I have kept up through my local Land Rover certified professionals.  

Now, that said:

1. This is a 35-year-old British-built offroad vehicle

2. I will want to see evidence that you have owned some manner of Land Rover before we transact, as I have sold other vintage Land Rovers before to folks who expected them to feel like 2020 Range Rovers. That caused unnecessary frustration for both of us.

3. I will divulge below everything I know to be "wrong" with the vehicle

4. The sale is absolutely AS IS and does not carry any warranty, implied or expressed

The known issues with the Defender are:

1. The critical electrical functions work - headlights, taillights, back-up light and turn signals - but several of the switches on the dash do not.  The fuel, battery and temperature gauges work fine, and the speedometer (denominated in KM) bounces but shows the speed accurately. I had all the critical functions rewired professionally last year, but I did not bother with things like the cigarette lighter and some of the other auxiliary switches. The next owner can play with those.

2. I had wired the Rover for sound and the speakers work, but there is currently no radio in place.  That is an easy fix but, if you've never driven a V8 Land Rover - even one with FatMat, carpeting and sound-deading wall panels - you might as well not bother. It sounds rather like a Harrier jet taking off.

3. I live in an excruciatingly hot climate in central Oklahoma.  I purchased the top-of-the-line air conditioning unit in VintageAir, and the professionals at Austin Rover Works installed it perfectly.  It was 102 degrees here today in Oklahoma City.  On a day like today, the A/C feels about like small forest pixies blowing on your knees.

4. The transmission is original and shifts smoothly through all five gears; a video of my driving and shifting through them is available upon request.  That said, the transfer cases on these old Rovers - like all vintage off-road vehicles - eventually grow slack.  This one is no exception.  You'll discern a periodic "thud," which is caused by the worn splines in the transfer case making their own case for retirement.  I have driven the vehicle recently 110 miles round-trip from my home to my work in Stillwater on the Interstate, and the entire transmission functions without issue.  However, at some point there will be an issue with the transfer case, and my price reflects what I believe to be the fair estimate of what an entire replacement might be - $5,000. Again, there is not evidence the transfer case is prepared to give way.  However, I want to accommodate the potential that it does in my price, since the driveline is the only part of the vehicle I have not personally replaced.

So you might ask, "Why am I selling this beauty?" I originally planned to purchase and restore/modify one Defender in my life, then keep it for a decade.  I'm there.  I just bought my second kiddo his first Land Rover for when he turns 16 in a few months, and we have six Rovers in the garage including this Defender.  It's time.

I'm fifty, have had a charmed existence, appreciate Land Rovers and what they stand for and live in the house that's the backdrop for the photos.  I'm also a good dude who wants this ride - which has been integral to the rearing of my two boys and so many memories - to go to a good home.  That means two things:  1) there's simply no way I'm going to try to rip someone off to sell this for a couple more bucks; and 2) I am not in a position to need to entertain silly attempts to do the same.  I'm at about $60,000 in investment, and it's given our family tens of thousands of dollars with of enjoyment.  You can pay a lot more for a Defender nowadays - see yesterday's "Wall Street Journal" article talking about the $300,000 vintage Defender as the "new status symbol" - and get a whole lot of fancy stuff inside what is still, at the end of the day, a Defender.  You can also probably still find a rusted out old tractor-motor example for fifteen grand.  This is neither.  I've decided to do an eBay auction with a starting price well below what the Defender is worth, a Buy It Now price equal to the actual photographed refurbishment receipts I provided and a Reserve Price set reasonably in between.

I am of course happy to help arrange for shipping, and I'm also happy to hop on the phone or do a Facetime walk-around if you intend to be a serious bidder in the auction.  I am purposefully running the auction this holiday week under the assumption that interested folks might have more bandwidth this week.  I'll reply rapidly to eBay messages.

Cheers!

Actual VIN:  SALLDVBB8FA382875