The Defender’s flanks are very straight indeed, and the rest of the bodywork is almost completely free of dents, ripples and dinks too, which suggests it hasn’t seen a lot of hard work in its 24 years on this planet.
Because, despite the presence of that new chassis (of which more anon) the seller tells us that the panels and paintwork are all original bar the tailgate and lower door pillars, which were replaced at the same time as the chassis was fitted. That’s a remarkable feat of longevity.
A pair of genuine Land Rover spot lamps are fitted to the bumper-mounted ‘roo bar, and headlamps guards protect the recent LED headlamps; if you need to push your way through the undergrowth, there are fewer better vehicles for the job than this.
It’s equipped to ford rivers too thanks to the presence of a Safari snorkel and wading kit. Fitted in 2010, it’s never been used in anger, so perhaps you could be the first?
Chequerplate protects the sills, rear lower corners, and front wings. There are footplates on the bumper should you feel the need to explore the upper reaches of the Defender on foot, perhaps to admire the glass sunroof that’s fitted.
A pair of rock sliders do double-duty as sill protection and a step into the cab. Being recent, they are in a very good condition and are fitted with rubber anti-slip treads.
The rear boasts a pair of hefty mudflaps, a height-adjustable towbar and single electrics, another step, and a matching spare alloy wheel fitted with a General Grabber tyre.
All five alloy wheels are in a very good condition, but then given they’re fitted with beefy 235/85R16 General Grabber MT tyres (or 32” in Arctic Trucks money), the absence of severe kerbing rash becomes less of a surprise.
And those tyres have very good tread, too. Made in 2019 and snow and mud rated, the online MoT record shows the Defender’s covered fewer than 5,000 miles since they were made, much less fitted. This low use, allied to a design whose depth of tread could have been measured in inches rather than millimeters, means there’s plenty of meat left on them.
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.
As for work to do, the paint on the replacement front bumper has peeled off in places revealing surface rust underneath. The snorkel bracket is rusty too, as are the headlamp grilles, so you may as well get them all sorted at the same time.
There is some bubbling to the nearside of the upper rear body, the roof and rain gutter, and the bonnet hinges. But, as the bodywork is made from an aluminium alloy this is almost certainly more unsightly than anything else.
However, there is corrosion inside the two front doors, which will need tackling as the frames are made of steel. There is also some steel corrosion around the bottom of the rear door opening, but the invoices on file show the replacement tailgate has a galvanized frame and a galvanized steel skin, so you shouldn’t need to worry about that for a good while yet.
There is also a nasty dent to the nearside door, with another on the leading edge of the offside front wing and wheelarch. The nearside rear also has what looks like stress cracks on the wheelarch.
The roof is losing some of the lacquer too, as are the wheels, so that’s another couple of jobs for your To Do list, albeit probably well into the future.
On an even more minor note, the rear step doesn’t fold up as it should, but at least it is stuck in the down position, so can be used. Oh, and while some of the decals are a little faded, replacements are provided and just need fitting.
