To start off, As probably many on here, I've dreamed of owning a Defender 90 as a kid. Now I've finally worked a few years and am thinking of finally buying one. I have found a 1997 90 NAS v8 automatic transmission in Montreal (I live in toronto) that I'm thinking of buying. Given that it will be my only car (and I was hoping on basically keeping it for life), do you think I will run into a lot of problems maintaining it? Anyone here own the same spec as an every day vehicle and willing to share their experience or problems with the car, if any? What are the typical problems or breakdowns you have experienced?
I would be using it about 90/10 in terms of on-road/off-road. The truck doesn't have a carfax report as the guy imported it from Europe. He said I could organize a CAA inspection to make sure the car isn't a lemon. Does that sound sketchy lol?
Also, what should I be watching out for as I go to take a look at the truck?
If it was imported from Europe then it wouldn't be a NAS. That would make it a ROW(rest of world) that was converted to NAS spec, if that makes a difference to you.
Search is your friend.
Don't have a NAS but I have 1986 ROW 110 diesel that I daily drove for two year before I started to restore it. Only issues I had were the alternator died and the hub bearings needed to be replaced.
It's likely that it's a Japan/Dubai spec NAS style truck. Defenders were never sold with 4.0 efi V8's except for the NAS style trucks that went to the US, Japan, and UAE. Just because it was recently imported isn't necessarily a bad thing. A competent land rover mechanic familiar with defenders should be able to give you an idea of it's condition.
Auto issues will really only be associated with the brake sensor and getting it out of park. Aside from that it's probably about as dependable as any other year. Have fun!
It is white - there seem to be a big influx of them lately as they are all over Canada, at a very wide range in price points. Maybe it makes sense for me to go to the source (Japan / UAE) and import one, as those selling it here are definitely charging a premium for it
Thanks a lot for your feedback everyone! Is the automatic transmission reliable? I read that transmission boxes gave problems to a lot of people, but those were on TDis, so not sure how the NAS automatics are...
Any of you guys know a good Defender mechanic in Toronto or Montreal?!
It's all about maintenance with these. As with any car, if you maintain the transmission and other parts they will perform better and last longer. Does it come with any service records or is it purely a blank slate and they imported it with absolutely nothing but the word they stand on/
They are not "easy" to find in Japan or the UAE. You'd have far better luck finding a 1997 NAS in the US than you would in Japan or UAE.
It's all about maintenance with these. As with any car, if you maintain the transmission and other parts they will perform better and last longer. Does it come with any service records or is it purely a blank slate and they imported it with absolutely nothing but the word they stand on/
That's the thing - I ran the carfax report and came out with nothing. All the person says is that it's in excellent condition, and has no records to show me. I asked to show some import documentation (to try piece together a history / status of the vehicle from there), but he said he can't show it because he doesn't want to reveal his source (guessing he has a huge markup on it if the car is at $34K right now) - he proposed a CAA inspection but I don't have much faith in those guys with this kind of car...
Seems kinda skecthy to me. If it was a Japan/UAE truck don't you think the seller would say it came from Japan/UAE instead of saying it came from Europe?
I actually tried to buy this truck - but cannot be imported. Seller is not someone I would want to deal with again. Deals that look too good to be true.... Look at the other sub 60k trucks and what they bring...
he was extremely friendly in advance of the purchase, and when I "won" the auction, he got very hostile and abdicated any responsibility for the fact that after suggesting the vehicle was importable, it was not. Little more digging I did suggested that there have been several instances where he has sold vehicles to Americans who only find out they cannot import the cars when they get to the border (something I think he counts on)....
Maybe not an issue for you - but I tend to avoid dealing with people who are dishonest, regardless of whether I am directly affected in a particular instance.
It is fine for Canada and the thread starter is Canadian. Seems like a perfect choice for a Canadian. You don't pay the US price, own it for 8 years, and all of a sudden you have a US importable NAS spec truck and the not US importable discount evaporates.
It is fine for Canada and the thread starter is Canadian. Seems like a perfect choice for a Canadian. You don't pay the US price, own it for 8 years, and all of a sudden you have a US importable NAS spec truck and the not US importable discount evaporates.
Agreed. It's probably one of the cheapest 1997 NAS-spec Defender 90s you'll find, and because it's not US importable you'll pay far less for it than you would for most comparable ones that are here in the US. Sure you could try to find one yourself in Japan or Dubai, but as I said earlier in the thread, there are FAR more NAS examples here in the US, and most of the ones that were sent to Japan or the UAE have since been imported back to the US (if within the correct VIN range) or elsewhere. So basically, they're slim pickin's outside of the US.
He had/has 3, all almost identical. - I would recommend speaking with the buyers of the other trucks before sending any money (I asked this question and was rebuffed).
He had/has 3, all almost identical. - I would recommend speaking with the buyers of the other trucks before sending any money (I asked this question and was rebuffed).
I asked him for the import papers - he is going to black out the price he paid and his source (to prevent me from cutting him out I'm assuming), so we will see where this ends up...
Yeah, I am actually exploring the option of trying to import straight from Japan. Apparently it is super hard to keep cars on the road there and used cars generally have really good service history as they get inspected every 2 years...
I found a 1997 Defender 90, but it has the following things that were replaced on it:
- Water pump
- Fan belt
- Intake manifold gasket
- Plugs
- Head gasket
- Thermostat
- Oil pan gasket
All replaced in 2014 May
Now my understanding is that the motor most likely overheated, blew up and all of the above-mentioned were replaced. The guy fixed it and now wants to sell it. Are those things a common occurrence and are commonly replaced on these trucks (in which case I shouldn't worry and buy it) or should I stay away since this happened? If the engine did overheat, is it highly possible that there are other things with it that may have been damaged in the process?
Other than that the truck is great and has no rust - and the seats were recently relined in black leather....
These engines will overheat if not maintained. It's a crapshoot...the engine maybe just fine.
The worst is if if overheated to the point where the steel cylinder liner slipped.
If the price is right and the truck is in great shape, no rust, no corrosion, I wouldn't worry about it. Although I would take it to a competent mechanic and have them look over engine.
These trucks are sensitive...keep an eye on the coolant level.
The problem is people drive them and neglect maintaining them, letting the coolant and oil levels get low, then it's down hill from there.
With proper maintainence, it will give you years of fun.
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