2009 Land Rover DEFENDER 110

With only 71,000 recorded miles and just two owners from new, this delightfully retro Land Rover Defender is the desirable 110 inch 7-seat Station Wagon that also boasts extensive additional soundproofing, the result of which is so civilized that if you sat in it at 70mph with your eyes shut you’d never recognize it as something that was born in Solihull.

In same ownership for the past ten years, it’s doubled as a rural daily driver, a farm tractor recovery unit, and seven-seat wedding transport – and we defy you to name another vehicle that could fulfill those roles with the same consummate ease!

Offered with no known faults (“it’s been super-reliable”), this example is rust-free and in need of nothing – and with the new Defender just around the corner, now is the time to get your hands on the original and best before buyers flock too them after being underwhelmed by its replacement…

Finished in its original coat of Balmoral Green, the Queen’s favourite Land Rover colour, this is one Defender that looks as good as it drives. As you can see from the attached photographs, it has been as well looked-after as the vendor’s MGB GT LE50, Aston Martin DB7 and Suffolk SS10; while most people would treat the Defender as a working tool, begrudgingly washing it once a decade whether it needed it or not, he’s obviously treated it like a much-loved family retainer, spending almost as much time and money on maintaining the bodywork as he did the mechanicals.

It’s way better than most Land Rovers of its era as a result, and a canny buy for anyone with half-an-eye on future resale values…

Oh, and it has no rust or bi-metallic corrosion whatsoever. None. Nada, Nil.

The alloy wheels are in fine condition and shod with matching tyres, all of which have good tread. There are no signs of kerbing or other damage, but then that’s no surprise given the size of the sidewalls!

Apart from that, there’s not a lot we can say other than to urge you to come along to see us at The Market HQ here in Abingdon. We’ll pop the kettle on while you crawl underneath it and we can then have a cuppa together while you tell us how you can’t believe just how clean it is.

The faults we can see are minor, but as follows: the rear crossmember under the back door could be freshened, the door mirror arms are suffering, on close inspection the paint has the usual light scratching that a good ‘mop’ valet would remove, and there’s a light blemish on the hinge behind the drivers door.

The seven-seat interior is as practical as it is durable, and while you could never call a standard Defender luxurious, the presence of additional sound-proofing brings this one within a stone’s throw of being so; you see, the owner bought an MGB LE50 from Frontline Developments and fell into conversation with them. He was told that the Frontline Defender had been extensively sound-proofed so he did what any enthusiast would have done and persuaded the chaps there to treat his to the same.

They did, from the floor to the ceiling (we kid you not), and the result has transformed the Defender into something you can chat in at 70mph; it really is an amazing job but having seen what the Frontline chaps can do, we aren’t surprised. Mind you, the work did result in a £3,000 bill for labour alone, plus another grand-or-so for the materials.

The rest of the interior is clean and tidy and suffers from none of the wear-and-tear that you normally see in Defenders about to enter their second decade. Everything works too, which is another rarity. Even the A/C. Honestly, if you’re looking for a clean, pampered 110 Defender then you have found it.

This is going to be the most boring ‘Underneath’ section you’ve read for a while because there’s nothing to say. Other than a power-assisted servo clutch conversion, again installed by Frontline Engineering (“makes it much more useable in traffic”), we’ve got nothing to tell you other than it has a full service history from a Land Rover main dealer and could do with a pair of rear dampers. That’ll be about £40 and about an hour of your time then.

Even the chassis, long the Defender’s Achilles’ Heel, is good (we’ve had it quickly looked over by a Land Rover expert) – and it’s not as if it’s been protected by a light misting of oil either because it’s as dry as a bone under there and leaves no messages on our unit floor.

There is some very light surface rust on the chassis rails, which a pedant would want to sort out. That would be an easy weekend job or, if it were ours, we’d entrust the job to someone like Before ‘n’ After and ask them to do it; doing it is a filthy job and the Land Rover is so good we can’t help but think another £1,000 to get it professionally rustproofed would be money well spent.

Again, please feel free to pop along and take a look for yourself. We’ve got nothing to hide and this well-maintained example puts paid to the lie that Defenders are inherently unreliable. The owner tells us that it has never let him down; indeed, he patrols the local area in the snow, pulling locals – including a local farmer who put his tractor in a ditch - out of trouble.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s mileage. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it.

It also comes with two sets of keys, some old tax discs, the original owner’s wallet and contents, and a fully stamped service history book.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard.

The Land Rover Defender has been a stalwart of the off-road scene for decades; it’s tough, hugely capable, and easily repairable, making it the ideal vehicle for folk for whom a weekend isn’t complete without digging their way out of a muddy hole…

The Defender’s rugged good looks and enviable reputation ensured that its appeal would broaden to include rural dwellers for whom all-weather mobility and a mighty 3.5-tonne towing capacity is important. And while many owners probably envisaged it as emergency transport for bad weather and heavy-duty towing, many of them realized that it was more than capable of providing everyday transport, too.

Especially when it has been judiciously modified, like this one. The owner tells us that the power-assisted clutch and extra sound deadening have transformed the vehicle, turning it into a genuinely pleasant daily driver. A mechanically sensitive chap, he’s serviced this example to within an inch of its life too, so if you’re looking for a fully fettled Defender that can go straight to work, then this might just be the car for you.

We expect it to sell for between £18,000 And £25,000, and we defy you to find one as clean as this for that sort of money.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; 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’.

And remember, with the new Defender due out this year, the price of the old one is almost guaranteed to rise: just ask owners of the old Jimny, many of whom are being badgered by Suzuki dealers keen to take them off their hands at surprisingly attractive prices…

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.