GAME CHANGERS

7 PAGES OF EXPERT BUYING ADVICE

PART of the human condition is that we often want what we can’t have. No-nonsense utility Land Rovers – that’s Series and Defender motors – had plodded along nicely but unfashionably for over 60 years… until word got out that Defender was ending production. Suddenly, what had once been the workhorse of the few became the aspirational pin-up vehicle for the trendy. Prices shot up accordingly – and are still rising.

Some traditionalists may moan into their beards about the inflationary rise of Defender values, but in truth it’s a reflection of just how good these no-frills vehicles are. Put simply, the secret is out and that means ever-increasing demand for a finite supply of Defenders. Meanwhile, depreciation varies from extremely low to non-existent (most models are actually appreciating in value) which means that once you own one it shouldn’t lose value.

So it’s worth biting the bullet. But which Defender is the best value? The answer is the Defender that isn’t a Defender. Puzzled? Read on and all will be explained…

One of the quirks of Land Rover history is that the original Defenders aren’t actually Defenders. The first coil-sprung Land Rovers, the One Ten and Ninety, were introduced in the early 1980s, over six years before the name “Defender” was coined. That’s because in those days there were only two 4x4 models built at Solihull – the Land Rover and the Range Rover. It wasn’t until late 1989 and the arrival of a third model, the Discovery, that Land Rover coined the name Defender for the original models, to avoid confusion with the newcomer.

The very first models