2002 Land Rover Defender 110 TD5 County

With just one previous owner and a full-service history, this Coniston Green Land Rover Defender would tick all the right boxes even if was completely standard. But, throw in a remote-control Warn winch, a full set of chunky B.F. Goodrich Mud Terrain tyres, and a height-adjustable towbar and you’re looking at the real McCoy.

It also holds a full no-advisories MoT and has just clicked over the 100,000-mile mark, so has, in Land Rover years, just about reached adolescence. The owner, who’s an aircraft engineer by trade so knows his stuff, “fancied being the Duke of Edinburgh for a while” but has since decided to cash in his collection to buy a newer Porsche.

His loss could be your gain; he’s only driven it the 70 miles to us so you’ll be bidding on what is essentially a one-owner-from-new example.

The Coniston Green coachwork looks great but then that’s what you get when you take a pampered example and entrust it to your local bodyshop and ask them to tidy it up. They did, applying a little paint before machine-polishing the rest.

As you can see, it came up beautifully but still looks factory-stock and not over-restored.

The white roof gives it the iconic Defender look, a look that’s reinforced by the five-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels, which are in great shape.

Even better, they’re fitted with a matching set of B.F. Goodrich Mud Terrain KM3 tyres - including the spare - whose tread depth is measured in good old British inches rather than the sort of mealy-mouthed metric millimeters everyone else uses.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Four hefty mudflaps prevent following vehicles being peppered with the best part of a metre’s-width of tyre-flung water and road chippings, and a pair of sidesteps help those who are vertically challenged get access to the Defender’s cabin.

The Warn winch, which sits in a proper winch bumper, is fitted with synthetic rope, which is much nicer stuff to handle than the old wire rope we all grew up using. It’s also much lighter and doesn’t rust, so its presence is a win all round.

It’s also been certified and is valid for commercial use until May 2023 (#255), which isn’t something we’ve ever seen on a civilian model before and is something that must say only good things about its maintenance and curation.

As for flaws, it’s a Defender, which means the odd scratch, scrape and dink actually adds to its desirability.

That said, it’s actually pretty good thanks to that recent work although the windscreen seal will need replacing shortly (#93 and #112) and if you were to tidy up the winch and bumper we couldn’t accuse you of being overly fastidious.

The front seats are in a remarkable condition given they’ve seen 100,000 miles and 20 years of wear. But, given the fact one man’s covered most of that, we suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising.

The middle row of seats is in a very good condition too, still plump and firm and almost unmarked. The rear-most seats, all four of which fold up and out of the way to allow full use of the load space, are equally good with only their undersides being a little rubbed.

Work to do? Well, apart for the usual wear and tear, the steering wheel is a little worn (#23), one window winder handle is missing (#214), the lid of the centre console box is ripped (#243), and the rear door card and loadbed are scuffed (e.g. #119 and #188).

The engine bay is pretty clean for what is, at heart, a commercial vehicle. As you can see, it starts easily too and ticks over and revs as it should.

The seller tells us that it “drives extremely well”, a description we’ve found nothing to quibble over.

The seller tells us that “on inspection at the MoT test, the tester remarked that he could not see any welding on this vehicle whatsoever.” It certainly looks tidy under there, doesn’t it?

Delivered to its first owner on the 10th of July 2002 and still wearing its original registration number, the Defender’s maintenance history is recorded in the service history booklet as follows:

• 17.06.2003 and 6,100 miles – service by Marshall Land Rover, Peterborough
• 21.06.2004 and 12,410 miles – service by Marshall Land Rover, Peterboroug
• 05.07.2005 and 18,932 miles – service by Tinkler Brothers
• 26.06.2006 and 27,031 miles – service by Tinkler Brothers
• 21.05.2007 and 34,505 miles – service by Nationwide Autocentre, Peterborough
• 11.04.2008 and 41,315 miles – service by Tinkler Brothers
• 18.05.2009 and 48,905 miles – service by Tinkler Brothers
• 12.05.2011 and 60,674 miles – service by G. Tinkler Ltd
• 09.05.2012 and 66,121 miles – service by G. Tinkler Ltd
• 23.04.2013 and 72,746 miles – service by G. Tinkler Ltd
• 24.04.2014 and 79,424 miles – service by G. Tinkler Ltd
• 01.04.2016 and 86,137 miles – service by G. Tinkler Ltd
• 18.07.2017 and 89,321 miles – service by Thompson Service Centre

The attached printout also shows a service on the 31st of July 2020.

The Defender’s MoT certificate, which is valid until February 2024, was gained without a single advisory point.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clean and it comes with the factory book pack.

The classic car world used to comprise Triumph Stags, MGBs, and Austin Minis; we got to know ‘em inside out and could suss a good one at a glance.

They’re waning now, just a little, overtaken by modern classics from the eighties, nineties, and noughties. You know, the cars those of us born in the sixties and seventies grew up admiring.

And if you were of an off-road persuasion no vehicle was more lusted after than the Defender. Indomitable and all but indestructible, they remained tantalizingly out of reach for a long time.

Until now. Because we think this one will only fetch somewhere between £15,000 and £20,000, or about half what a new Focus will set you back.

And, given their rising popularity, you might just do better out of it than you expect when the time comes to sell…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.