1985 Land Rover Defender 90

First registered on the 1st of August 1985, this lovely Land Rover Defender is the vendor’s personal vehicle. The same man who is selling the glorious red Jaguar XJR-S with us at the moment, he’s a well-known classic car dealer and expert, so if he’s chosen Dorothy (for that is her name…) as his private transport then you know that she must be a good ‘un.

Bought from a friend of the family, it has been in his hands for the past six or so years. Constantly fettled during that time, she has wanted for nothing; at a time when so many Defenders are creaking from one MOT to another, he assures us that he’s had his in-house workshop take care of all the little mechanical and cosmetic niggles that most of us would have ignored.

Said to be “brimming with character”, Dorothy even has such modern creature comforts as upgraded seats and a heated front windscreen. Only for sale because he simply doesn’t use her as much now as he used to, she’s being offered with a very sensible guide price and an even more reasonable reserve.

Finished in black and fitted with a set of flared grey wheelarches to cover the huge wheels and tyres, the plethora of off-road accessories (the details of which we’ll cover later) give Dorothy the sort of presence you might come to appreciate here on Plague Island if things continue to deteriorate.

Muscular and purposeful, the overall condition of the bodywork is pretty darned good for an old Landy. While many wear their dents and shabby paintwork boastfully, Dorothy wears her warpaint proudly; aging gracefully, she’s still utterly fit for purpose and as gorgeous as hell. If you would allow us to indulge ourselves for a moment, we’d suggest she’s Helen Mirren in a bad mood. And that’s a compliment.

A set of five Adventuro mud-terrain tyres boast the sort of tread depth that’s measured in inches rather than millimeters, while the subtle black steel wheels – including a matching spare on the back - are exactly the sort of thing you’d hope to find your Defender sitting on.

As we will never tire of explaining, our 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.

There are a pair of carbon fibre-effect wing mirrors too, plus a neatly executed side-exit exhaust poking out from the nearside rear quarter just in front of the wheel. There’s a rear towbar/step combination out back, plus electrics, obviously.

Work to do? Nothing really. She looks terrific and anything bar routine maintenance would be the automotive equivalent of botox.

The front seats are a pair of very tidy cloth jobbies. Finished in Land Rover-branded material, they’re way more comfortable and supportive than anything the factory ever fitted in period. The Momo Corse steering wheel is also much nicer to hold than anything that Solihull ever installed - and that it gives the driver some much-needed extra legroom is a very welcome bonus.

A headlining has been fitted to cut down on noise and condensation. There’s an inclinometer on the top of the dashboard to tell you how close you are to rolling it, and some heavy-duty floor covering underfoot which would be easy to clean if your passenger expresses their discomfort at your off-road antics in a brown trouser kind of way.

There are auxiliary switches in the updated dashboard console, one of which is there to operate the heated windscreen, which will come in very handy on those frosty winter mornings.

Some upmarket speakers have been neatly integrated into the rear, and they are connected to a modern, face-off headunit. There’s a CB radio too, so you’ll need to think of a handle for yourself before you pick her up. (Ness from ‘Gavin and Stacey’ might serve as a useful guide on what NOT to call yourself…)

There’s a half-height bulkhead behind the seats and the rear is finished in a utilitarian cloth with a rubber floor, which makes it ideal for carrying loads as well as the odd mate or two on short journeys. We can spy a lockable box in there as well, which will come in handy.

Problems? Well, the cubbybox between the seats looks like it’s seen better days but if there’s one thing the Defender doesn’t lack it’s folk who are happy to relieve you of some hard-earned cash in exchange for some well-designed goodies, so replacing it and upgrading it would be a joy rather than a chore.

Other than that, the only thing you might be tempted to look at is the steering wheel, which shows some colour loss.

Recent mechanical work, in addition to regular servicing, includes a new differential and steering joint. The chassis looks as hefty and well-preserved as any we’ve seen, so we wouldn’t expect imminent trouble from that quarter.

Off-road specific parts include a front-mounted Warrior S9500 winch bolted to a massive tubular front bumper and fitted with synthetic rope, a hefty engine sump guard from ProTrac, and a front differential guard to match the one on the back axle.

Of course, the star of the show is the external roll cage, which surrounds the vehicle’s entire bodyshell and provides a neat mounting point for the four high-level rectangular spotlights. There’s snorkel too, in case you feel the need to ford rivers and floods (and trust us, you will…)

Chequer-plate on the front wings gives you a place to put your mug of tea, while side-mounted rock sliders give protection as well as a place to boost yourself up and into the raised cabin.

The Defender’s MOT certificate, which is valid until October 2021, was gained with only a couple of minor advisory points for play in a wheel bearing and a steering joint.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. However, as is common in the trade, the vendor wasn’t great at hanging on to paperwork, just consigning it to his own workshop for the boys to fettle as and when stuff needed doing.

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 good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

If the previous twelve months has taught us anything, it’s that the world is a less predictable place than we ever thought – and that the zombie apocalypse we all used to laugh about isn’t looking quite so funny anymore…

And there are few better vehicles to face an uncertain world in than a well-prepared Land Rover Defender like this. Fitted with the tough, durable and economical diesel engine, its indefatigable nature and well-judged modifications mean it’s as much at home pottering around the city as it would be scaling mounds of slain zombies as you head to the mountains with your family aboard and a grab bag stowed in the back.

And, with a guide price of somewhere between £9,000 and £14,000, it’s going to be one of the cheaper ways to get yourself behind an industrial British icon - and with interest rates this low, a solid-gold classic like this is probably a shrewd place to put your money for a year or so.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Upminster in Essex; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.