1989 Land Rover DEFENDER 90 300Tdi

Vendor Michael has owned this fine Land Rover Defender since November 2018, “I’d wanted one my entire life and found this example at John Brown 4x4 Ltd in Thirsk,” he says. “It’s a 300TDi, which is rare in itself and was in really good condition; everything worked and it also had a galvanized chassis.”

Since then he’s enjoyed the Defender and maintained it to a high standard by carrying out any necessary maintenance work using only genuine Land Rover parts.

It is however, now time to part with it, “My dad is now getting into his mid-Fifties and looking to retire, so we’re looking to by a camper van together and to do some travelling. Selling the Landie is one of those sacrifices you have to make for something else – otherwise I’d keep it forever.”

The included V5 document shows that the Defender has had a total of eight owners since new. The odometer currently reads 167,636 miles, although the engine was rebuilt in 2007. It has a current MOT test certificate that runs out on November 8, 2020.

Present in the history file (see photographic gallery, below) is Michael’s purchase receipt from John Brown 4x4 Ltd on the 15th of November 2018, which shows that he paid £14,894. This included a raft of additional work that included fitting smoked rear windows (£495), rear seats £600, a cubby box (£99), side steps (£400) and a stereo (£120).

The battleship grey colour and chunky Insa Turbo Traction Track tyres lend this car a Tonka toy aesthetic, which screams of purpose and capability – both inherent to a Defender’s DNA.

Panels are generally good, with no real dings or imperfections. Although there’s a bit of surface corrosion here and there – most notably on the lower rear sections of each front wing and on the nearside rear wing. Both front door lower hinges are also showing signs of rust and could also do with a tidy up.

It’s a similar story with many of the fixing screws and bolts (see photographic gallery, below), such as the screws holding on the air intake grill on the upper part of the nearside front wing; these though are very small beer for a Defender and a bit of time spent tidying will return a lot of quick wins on this car.

The front bumper, side step mounting bars and steel wheels could also be quite easily smartened up, too. Of course, all these are purely minor visual elements and you could simply run it as is.

There’s a tow hook and electrical socket fitted at the rear and it benefits from tinted rear windows. The front grill, headlight surrounds and wheelarch extensions are all in good nick and relatively mark free.

The 235/85 R16 tyres look to have a decent amount of tread left on them. The spare wheel is in place on the outer tailgate.  

The interior is really good,” says Michael. “It has the original dashboard, gearstick and steering wheel, and looks as if it’s just left the factory. All six seats are faux leather including the rear ones that I had fitted.”

Given the mileage covered, the interior presents very smartly. All seats are free of any indications of wear and tear, and the rear seat mechanisms each work smoothly.

Mats are fitted in the front, and rear, and they’re good, as are the dashboard plastics. You don’t get many toys in this generation 90, but upgrades include power steering and Bluetooth.

The only issue we could find was that the very outer edges of both floor panels have surface rust present, and could do with being tidied up.  

“It’s got a Defender transfer box in it and it drives perfectly,” says Michael. “They’re not the most comfortable things in the world, but it drives just as it should – 100 per cent.”

Michael has carried out a few “bits’n’bobs” of work on it. “I fitted a new battery box as the old one was a bit worn. The rear axle and differential are all original, but I swapped the casing round them as the original broke – I did however swap original for original.”

The shock absorbers were also replaced with OE components; the rears not long after he bought the vehicle, and the front ones in January of this current year. “The starter motor was also replaced, and again as with everything else it was with correct year official Land Rover parts.”

Perhaps the most important bit of info for any prospective buyer is the fact that it sits on a galvanised chassis. As the photos in our gallery below show it remains absolutely sound. Again, the underside could benefit from some tidy up works and perhaps a fresh coat of underseal.

Under the bonnet the motor is tidy with solid looking hoses, pipes and belts; the heat-shield material under the bonnet remains in place.  

As well as the V5 document, current MOT certificate and vendor’s purchase receipt you’ll also find a raft of previous MOTs included, as well as numerous receipts and vehicle health checks from Lancashire-based Farnell Land Rover.

The last heath check dates from October 14, 2019 and consists of mostly Green ‘Visually OK’ indicators, with a light smattering of Amber ‘Advisory’ and a few Red ‘Needs urgent attention’ indicators.

These correlate with the minor defects and advisories noted on the MOT certificate and include some minor play in steering and suspension components, a few minor leaks and a bit of under body corrosion. All appear to be relatively minor and should be fairly easy fixes.

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 a high standard.

This is a very solid example of a redoubtable and capable beast. It looks good, the interior is in very fine nick and according to owner Michael it also drives impeccably. Yes it could benefit from a bit of a tidy up here and there, but it’s mostly all a question of time and putting a bit of elbow grease into it.

It benefits from the later fitment of a grunty 300TDi engine, which means it has a strong heart to go with its galvanised chassis underpinnings. As such we think this example will sell for somewhere between £9000 and £13,000.

That’s not very much at all for an iconic Defender; and one that’ll no-doubt provide the next owner with the same loyal, dogged and reliable mode of transport that it has Michael.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller at his home near Blackburn; in these more difficult times we are recommending a close inspection of the gallery and please feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. 

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

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

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Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.