2008 Land Rover Defender

First registered to a lady owner in picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds in March 2008, this 2.4-litre turbo diesel short-wheel-base 6-speed manual Land Rover 90 has only had one other “proper” owner - a chap from the equally scenic Stratford-upon-Avon area.

It is the top-of-the-range XS spec, which means half-leather seats, air-conditioning, heated front and rear screens, and five-spoke alloy wheels. This one also has the optional front A-bar and snorkel fitted.

Our vendor is the vehicle’s third owner, and has only had it since March. He wasn’t looking to increase his collection of Defenders - quite the opposite in fact as he’s moving abroad - but this XS was offered to him by a dealer-friend and it was too good an example to pass on.

The exterior of this Defender is finished in 907 Stornoway Grey - a metallic mid-grey that is as neutral and inoffensive as it sounds compared to the extremes of a menacing black finish or the more classic reds, blues and greens. Overall, it looks in a very good - and largely original - condition.

There are a handful of minor flaws in the paintwork, such as scratches on the offside edge of the bonnet and on the offside rear corner and tiny blemishes on the front vent flaps. There is also a small patch of bubbling on the rear body just aft of the driver’s door top, another below the nearside Alpine window and an even smaller one on the rear of the roof where a searchlight was previously fitted.

No Defender has completely straight body panels, there always seems to be a degree of undulation but this one is probably as good as it gets. It also has chequer plating across the sills and on the front bumper steps and wing tops, which add robustness whilst giving the vehicle a more rufty-tufty look - one that is enhanced further by the addition of the snorkel.

The exterior fittings, including the front A-bar, rear towbar, side steps, light guards and mirrors are all black-painted and although it is flaking off in a few places, the “black pack” look is strong.

The Defender sits on its original darkened 5-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels, which are a little faded and discoloured by what looks like tyre dressing. They were refitted with matching BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres in December 2019 - including the rear spare. As usual, a matching set of quality brand tyres rings a little bell for us to expect a well looked after vehicle with maintenance and repairs carried out without any shortcuts on expenditure.

The XS-spec half-leather seats are in black and look to be in good condition with no apparent damage or undue wear. Indeed the rear seats look like they’ve barely ever been used and have spent most of their time folded, judging by the indentation of the seat belt buckle.

One of the joys of owning a Defender is the abundance of aftermarket upgrades that beguile you into parting with more cash for a slightly more updated look or a bit of something fancy. The centre cubby is one example with its diamond-quilted top cover. Another is the addition of billet-aluminium Croytec door handles, latches and steering column stalk controls.

Although the XS came with a CD player as standard, this one has been upgraded to an Alpine CD/DAB radio complete with Bluetooth and phone connectivity. As far as we’ve been able to test, all the electrics and interior equipment works as it should.

Whilst the early Defenders were more utilitarian inside, with painted metal floors for easier cleaning, the customers of this era and spec demanded carpeting - probably as much to deaden the vibrations and sound as for comfort. But the footwells and rear load space are fitted with thick rubber mats which makes this Defender XS dog and Wellington boot friendly.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay looks clean and tidy with no rust evident either around or underneath the bonnet itself. The mechanicals appear well looked after and regularly serviced - the most recent being in December last year, less than 1,000 miles ago.

The benefit of a 4x4 is the ease of inspecting the undersides without a ramp and whilst there is some road dirt across all the underbody surfaces and mechanical components, it doesn’t look like the Defender has done too much in the way of off-roading. All the underside structures have been thoroughly waxoyled at least twice since the vehicle was new and there are no signs of any corrosion to be concerned by.

A sump guard is fitted at the front and it appears not to have suffered any impacts, nor is there any damage apparent anywhere else. The only point to note is that it looks like the rear diff might be weeping oil.

This 90 has a current MOT valid until November 2021, which it passed with no advisories - exactly as it has done at every single one of its 10 other annual inspections since its first in 2011. The test history tracks the mileage progression and validates the current odometer reading of just over 73,700 miles.

The car comes with a history file including Land Rover welcome book pack, Alpine stereo manual and numerous invoices for servicing, repairs and maintenance as follows:

Feb 2012 - 23,364 - EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve and gasket - Bourton Landrovers

Feb 2012 - 23,488 - service and MOT - Bourton Landrovers

Feb 2013 - 27,456 - service and MOT - Bourton Landrovers

Feb 2014 - 32,896 - service and MOT - Bourton Landrovers

Mar 2014 - 33,039 - new door seals - Bourton Landrovers

Jun 2014 - 34,225 - Waxoyl, oil seals etc - Bourton Landrovers

Feb 2015 - 38,533 - service and MOT - Bourton Landrovers

Sep 2015 - pre-sale tidying and improvements - TW Brotherton

Dec 2016 - upgraded door handles, latches and column stalk fittings - Croytec

Dec 2016 - new reversing LED and fit radio - TJ Auto Electrics Evesham

Sep 2018 - replace heater - Forest Landrover

Dec 2019 - 5 new BF Goodrich A/T tyres - Silverline Warwick

Mar 2020 - Waxoyl - Forest Landrover

Dec 2020 - service - Forest Landrover

Aside from Her Majesty the Queen, James Bond and the BMC Mini, few things are as iconically British as a Land Rover. That’s on top of the Defender being, in many minds the world over, the very definition of a “proper” 4x4.

Asking prices for late model Defenders have surged since production ended, encouraging earlier ones to be “upgraded” to ever more outlandish urban warrior specifications thanks to well-known specialist customisers and the availability of numerous easy-to-add extras.

Although this example is late enough to have been bestowed with countless refinements and trinkets in the factory, it is no city dweller and has served its rural mistress and master well out in the green and pleasant country lanes of Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. It has had a few choice extras fitted but nothing that makes it look like you’re trying to escape a mountain-top clinic with Daniel Craig chasing you in an aeroplane.

We think this very smart but very usable short-wheel-base Land Rover will sell for between £25,000 and £35,000 - which seems bonkers to people who remember paying under £10k for 10-year-old farmers’ wagons but that’s where the market is at and it would seem it is likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 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’.