***edited the listing with a few more notes after taking this on a 150 mile weekend trip around Taylor Park. Did Hancock Pass and a few others - this truck makes steep loose stuff easy with the diesel torque and the low low gearing - never even needed to lock the center diff. Way easier to handle with the short wheelbase and torque than I have experienced in Discovery's, etc. Coming down the engine braking is nice. Got about 23mpg average and the engine stayed nice and strong and cool at elevation. Started right up after a night of below freezing temperatures, etc.***
Truck located in Salida, CO - about 2.5 hours south west of Denver.
Asking $22,500 or equivalent in trade - would trade for a GX470, LC100 or maybe an airstream or Sprinter van conversion
Contact: philipsterling (at) gmail . com
I have bought, sold and traded about 4 vehicles on this message board so I have references I can provide.
First off, yes, to be technical, in 1988 these were not called 'Defenders' but that's what everyone knows them as so that's what I have as the listing title. Sorry, I just dont want to get some snarky email from someone who has way too much time to correct me.
Considering selling/trading my 1988 Land Rover Defender 90 RHD 200Tdi. Got the truck as part of a trade and drove it back from Virginia to Texas, where is has been sitting in storage (has been sitting on a trickle charger and driven about once a month to keep the fluids moving). Made the 1400 mile trip without issue and I promptly took it to North Texas British for an inspection. Basically, after looking through the truck, driving it, testing pressure, levels, etc - they said I should just drive it for a while before doing any fixes. I have the report I can email to potential buyers.
Truck is Texas titled in my name as a diesel. Registered currently as an antique auto as that's the easiest thing. Not sure what it would qualify for in Colorado or elsewhere but it shouldnt have issues.
The truck is being hauled by a friend to me in Salida, Colorado on September 10th. I am going take it on some trails, etc but it will likely not be driven a lot as I am in the midst of a big motel remodel.
Will consider a trade, but would be limited to the following: GX470 (likely plus cash depending on year, etc) , Nice Land Cruiser 100 series, Airstream, Sprinter van or similar - especially ones built out for travel. You are welcome to email me with a trade offer, but be realistic please. I can add cash for the right deal.
Drivetrain:
- 134K Miles on the body/chassis. Was originally blue but resprayed (and not all that well) Coniston Green.
- 200tdi Disco, +or- 65K on tdi, Timing belt completed at 115K on the clock.
-LT77 5 Speed: Transmission shifts strongly though this is a land rover so it's basically like shifting a tractor. Truck likes to cruise on the highway between 55-65 though remember this thing doesn't have sway bars and it's a tin can so it's gonna be loud and loose!
- LT230 transfer case. These things are bomber. All time 4x4 with hi and low and locked hi and low. With the transfer case locked, you get equal power front and rear. The axles have open diffs, but with the torque of the diesel, the approach and departure angles, and the LT230 you can get up some gnarly stuff.
-New Rear Crossmember
- Runs great, no smoke (small puff on start up) getting approx. 25mpg, plenty of power.
- Leaves a drip of oil off the bell housing - likely the rear main seal. Was told this is not a concern and should only be address if/when you want to pull the engine/gearbox/etc.
- Rear pinion seal is weeping. Not a huge deal, but something to consider if/when reworking the rear axle. I would personally replace the entire axle with something from a Discovery 1 and get the ability to run rear disc brakes.
- The brakes are nice, but the front rotors look like they need to be replaces or resurfaced. Probably something to do when doing axle work, etc as it's fine for now.
- The good news is that it has power steering. The bad news is, like a lot of rovers, the power steering weeps. I choose to just keep an eye on the level rather than worrying about it much.
- New fuel tank and filler hoses. I also added an aftermarket fuel filter that is way easier to change and has better micron filtration.
- Manual Boost controller, set at 15 Psi
- I took off the air filter this has when I got it and installed a simple conical filter for now. Easier breathing and cleaning though it does make more intake noise (turbo spooling, etc).
- Boost gauge mounted in the cab
- 5 Freestyle Wheels, plastidiped
- 5 New 265/75 Goodyear Duratracs (4k miles)
- Hub centric 1" wheel spacers
Body,
Only 1 "dent" (front left fender), some oxidization as you would expect, bulkhead is good. Frame is solid with a few rust spots. I was told to not be worried about this for now by North Texas British.
Left factory as Aries Blue but was resprayed Coniston Green.
Interior:
New XS style heated seats (leather / charcoal)
New Bestop Leather Trailmax fold and tumble rear bench seat, w/ seat belts
New seat box cover and floor mats. Sound deadener on floors under floor mats
Heavy ExMor tunnel cover, cuts noise well
New carpet in rear
Added seat risers to the driver's side for extra room. I have another set of risers if you want to install on the other seat.
I took out the headliner and covered a lot of the ceiling in sound deadener and then covered with a commercial carpet - noticeably quieter.
5 bar HD tub floor insert,
Terrafirma Bulkhead removal bar installed, really opens up the interior
Chassis:
New rear crossmember. Installed well
Bulkhead is rust free from what I can see.
Door bottoms have a small amount of rust and like most older defenders are not totally true.
Footwells could use some work down the road to have a perfect vehicle but are fine for now
Battery box areas have some corrosion but can easily be taken apart and replaced with aftermarket aluminum pieces (easy to find online).
Extras:
-Most of the bolt on's were put on less than 4k miles ago, like new
NAS style Safety Device front roll bar/cage. Previous owner didnt install the in-fender bars as part of his install, but I have them and they can be added for increased safety.
HD Galvanized front steering Skid plate
TerraFirma Rock slider with step rails
TerraFirma 3* Cranked front Radius arms with bushings
Rovers North Cranked Trailing Arms w/ poly bushings
Terrafirma Competition winch bumper, w/ recovers and lighting
Rovers North HD steering rods and ends
Terrafirma Shocks front and rear
Safari Guard 2.5-3" progressive lift springs
Extender braided brake lines
Rear Worklight
Mantec Swing away spare tire carrier
Headlight and taillight metal guards
Cubby box. w/ Seat heater switches installed
Superwinch Tigershark 9500 winch w/ synthetic line, 2 Ga wire to battery
Front and rear SouthDown Diff Skids
Kenwood Head unit cd/am/fm w/ Aux input
Aftermarket front speakers
2" Hitch, rear
Optima battery, solid battery box
I am sure I am forgetting stuff!
Issues:
- There is some rust on the frame: some on the footwells, bulkhead is good from what I can see, the a-arm on the back is fairly rusty and would like need new gaskets, etc.
- There are some slow leaks. Doesnt leave drips but it does weep at some seals and drain bolts.
- the ignition switch is a little wonky - its been replaced as it has a push button start but sometimes when traveling on bumpy roads the accessory electrical stuff turns off. Jiggle the key and it's back on (just noticed this when doing a 150 mile off road drive this weekend).
- The plastic binnacle is cracked. Easy replacement - Raptro Engineering makes a nice metal one for fairly cheap.
- There are scuffs and scrapes and some corrosion under the respray like most trucks of this age that havent had a full frame off restore.
Overall this is a great defender for the year. If you want a perfect truck, left hand drive, etc you are going to pay 2-3x what I am asking. These trucks are fairly easy to work on and have TONS of forum and aftermarket support. If I keep it, I will slowly update/upgrade things on the truck and plan to do most of the work myself.
Truck located in Salida, CO - about 2.5 hours south west of Denver.
Asking $22,500 or equivalent in trade - would trade for a GX470, LC100 or maybe an airstream or Sprinter van conversion
Contact: philipsterling (at) gmail . com
I have bought, sold and traded about 4 vehicles on this message board so I have references I can provide.
First off, yes, to be technical, in 1988 these were not called 'Defenders' but that's what everyone knows them as so that's what I have as the listing title. Sorry, I just dont want to get some snarky email from someone who has way too much time to correct me.
Considering selling/trading my 1988 Land Rover Defender 90 RHD 200Tdi. Got the truck as part of a trade and drove it back from Virginia to Texas, where is has been sitting in storage (has been sitting on a trickle charger and driven about once a month to keep the fluids moving). Made the 1400 mile trip without issue and I promptly took it to North Texas British for an inspection. Basically, after looking through the truck, driving it, testing pressure, levels, etc - they said I should just drive it for a while before doing any fixes. I have the report I can email to potential buyers.
Truck is Texas titled in my name as a diesel. Registered currently as an antique auto as that's the easiest thing. Not sure what it would qualify for in Colorado or elsewhere but it shouldnt have issues.
The truck is being hauled by a friend to me in Salida, Colorado on September 10th. I am going take it on some trails, etc but it will likely not be driven a lot as I am in the midst of a big motel remodel.
Will consider a trade, but would be limited to the following: GX470 (likely plus cash depending on year, etc) , Nice Land Cruiser 100 series, Airstream, Sprinter van or similar - especially ones built out for travel. You are welcome to email me with a trade offer, but be realistic please. I can add cash for the right deal.
Drivetrain:
- 134K Miles on the body/chassis. Was originally blue but resprayed (and not all that well) Coniston Green.
- 200tdi Disco, +or- 65K on tdi, Timing belt completed at 115K on the clock.
-LT77 5 Speed: Transmission shifts strongly though this is a land rover so it's basically like shifting a tractor. Truck likes to cruise on the highway between 55-65 though remember this thing doesn't have sway bars and it's a tin can so it's gonna be loud and loose!
- LT230 transfer case. These things are bomber. All time 4x4 with hi and low and locked hi and low. With the transfer case locked, you get equal power front and rear. The axles have open diffs, but with the torque of the diesel, the approach and departure angles, and the LT230 you can get up some gnarly stuff.
-New Rear Crossmember
- Runs great, no smoke (small puff on start up) getting approx. 25mpg, plenty of power.
- Leaves a drip of oil off the bell housing - likely the rear main seal. Was told this is not a concern and should only be address if/when you want to pull the engine/gearbox/etc.
- Rear pinion seal is weeping. Not a huge deal, but something to consider if/when reworking the rear axle. I would personally replace the entire axle with something from a Discovery 1 and get the ability to run rear disc brakes.
- The brakes are nice, but the front rotors look like they need to be replaces or resurfaced. Probably something to do when doing axle work, etc as it's fine for now.
- The good news is that it has power steering. The bad news is, like a lot of rovers, the power steering weeps. I choose to just keep an eye on the level rather than worrying about it much.
- New fuel tank and filler hoses. I also added an aftermarket fuel filter that is way easier to change and has better micron filtration.
- Manual Boost controller, set at 15 Psi
- I took off the air filter this has when I got it and installed a simple conical filter for now. Easier breathing and cleaning though it does make more intake noise (turbo spooling, etc).
- Boost gauge mounted in the cab
- 5 Freestyle Wheels, plastidiped
- 5 New 265/75 Goodyear Duratracs (4k miles)
- Hub centric 1" wheel spacers
Body,
Only 1 "dent" (front left fender), some oxidization as you would expect, bulkhead is good. Frame is solid with a few rust spots. I was told to not be worried about this for now by North Texas British.
Left factory as Aries Blue but was resprayed Coniston Green.
Interior:
New XS style heated seats (leather / charcoal)
New Bestop Leather Trailmax fold and tumble rear bench seat, w/ seat belts
New seat box cover and floor mats. Sound deadener on floors under floor mats
Heavy ExMor tunnel cover, cuts noise well
New carpet in rear
Added seat risers to the driver's side for extra room. I have another set of risers if you want to install on the other seat.
I took out the headliner and covered a lot of the ceiling in sound deadener and then covered with a commercial carpet - noticeably quieter.
5 bar HD tub floor insert,
Terrafirma Bulkhead removal bar installed, really opens up the interior
Chassis:
New rear crossmember. Installed well
Bulkhead is rust free from what I can see.
Door bottoms have a small amount of rust and like most older defenders are not totally true.
Footwells could use some work down the road to have a perfect vehicle but are fine for now
Battery box areas have some corrosion but can easily be taken apart and replaced with aftermarket aluminum pieces (easy to find online).
Extras:
-Most of the bolt on's were put on less than 4k miles ago, like new
NAS style Safety Device front roll bar/cage. Previous owner didnt install the in-fender bars as part of his install, but I have them and they can be added for increased safety.
HD Galvanized front steering Skid plate
TerraFirma Rock slider with step rails
TerraFirma 3* Cranked front Radius arms with bushings
Rovers North Cranked Trailing Arms w/ poly bushings
Terrafirma Competition winch bumper, w/ recovers and lighting
Rovers North HD steering rods and ends
Terrafirma Shocks front and rear
Safari Guard 2.5-3" progressive lift springs
Extender braided brake lines
Rear Worklight
Mantec Swing away spare tire carrier
Headlight and taillight metal guards
Cubby box. w/ Seat heater switches installed
Superwinch Tigershark 9500 winch w/ synthetic line, 2 Ga wire to battery
Front and rear SouthDown Diff Skids
Kenwood Head unit cd/am/fm w/ Aux input
Aftermarket front speakers
2" Hitch, rear
Optima battery, solid battery box
I am sure I am forgetting stuff!
Issues:
- There is some rust on the frame: some on the footwells, bulkhead is good from what I can see, the a-arm on the back is fairly rusty and would like need new gaskets, etc.
- There are some slow leaks. Doesnt leave drips but it does weep at some seals and drain bolts.
- the ignition switch is a little wonky - its been replaced as it has a push button start but sometimes when traveling on bumpy roads the accessory electrical stuff turns off. Jiggle the key and it's back on (just noticed this when doing a 150 mile off road drive this weekend).
- The plastic binnacle is cracked. Easy replacement - Raptro Engineering makes a nice metal one for fairly cheap.
- There are scuffs and scrapes and some corrosion under the respray like most trucks of this age that havent had a full frame off restore.
Overall this is a great defender for the year. If you want a perfect truck, left hand drive, etc you are going to pay 2-3x what I am asking. These trucks are fairly easy to work on and have TONS of forum and aftermarket support. If I keep it, I will slowly update/upgrade things on the truck and plan to do most of the work myself.
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