Advice for a Brit looking to import and sell
#11
05-19-2016, 12:03 PM
There are quite a few different groups of perspective defender owners.
Honestly, the v8 engine does not have a good reputation here, so many shops are legally bringing in tired original trucks and then rebuilding on a galvanized chassis with a 300tdi in it.
That then brings up the "50 state legal" problem in that not all states will allow for an engine swap with a non homologated engine.
The real expensive defenders being built by ECR are now coming with new Chevrolet ls3 engines. Easily serviceable here in the USA and a 50 state emissions compliant truck that just so happens to make 400hp....
When I'm looking for a defender from home I usually assume it's all rotten and needs replaced if my goal is a high end build.
Finally prices have really spiked in the uk with the hoopla surrounding end of production and there are suddenly lots of "what's it worth" posts popping up by opportunistic defender owners.
The trucks I would be buying, would be the engine swapped non legal MOT failures. I'd pull the engine, and import the rolling chassis and body. For top dollar, I'd have to redo the whole interior anyway (most folks use exmoor trim) , replace the chassis, throw in an ls3 and big brake kit, freshen up the suspension and bodywork and away you go.
Lot of work involved in that though and most of the opportunistic sellers are just doing interiors and trying to sell a tired, mostly original truck for high dollar amounts.
I could easily get to a 60k BOM on a defender rebuild if I was redoing the entire vehicle, and that would be doing a lot of the work myself. Definitely not for the faint of heart
With regards to the ex MOD vehicles, it again depends on the perspective buyer. For an every day driver in the USA, the NAD doesn't really manage freeway speeds well. I'd look at an ex-mod as a way to assume that the bulkhead and chassis most likely do not need replaced. 5 door station wagon will command the highest price (I think) with the broadest perspective customer base (I think).
Not a lot of folks on this forum may have the appetite or means to drop upwards of 60k on a rebuilt defender. We're mostly a D2 community with several of us also owning 90's/110's and series vehicles. That said there's probBly a higher market on this forum for a lower priced well maintained ex mod 110 that would be used primarily as an off-road rig.
I daily drove my 109 CSW 200tdi for about a month while working on my D2 and it was brutal
Honestly, the v8 engine does not have a good reputation here, so many shops are legally bringing in tired original trucks and then rebuilding on a galvanized chassis with a 300tdi in it.
That then brings up the "50 state legal" problem in that not all states will allow for an engine swap with a non homologated engine.
The real expensive defenders being built by ECR are now coming with new Chevrolet ls3 engines. Easily serviceable here in the USA and a 50 state emissions compliant truck that just so happens to make 400hp....
When I'm looking for a defender from home I usually assume it's all rotten and needs replaced if my goal is a high end build.
Finally prices have really spiked in the uk with the hoopla surrounding end of production and there are suddenly lots of "what's it worth" posts popping up by opportunistic defender owners.
The trucks I would be buying, would be the engine swapped non legal MOT failures. I'd pull the engine, and import the rolling chassis and body. For top dollar, I'd have to redo the whole interior anyway (most folks use exmoor trim) , replace the chassis, throw in an ls3 and big brake kit, freshen up the suspension and bodywork and away you go.
Lot of work involved in that though and most of the opportunistic sellers are just doing interiors and trying to sell a tired, mostly original truck for high dollar amounts.
I could easily get to a 60k BOM on a defender rebuild if I was redoing the entire vehicle, and that would be doing a lot of the work myself. Definitely not for the faint of heart
With regards to the ex MOD vehicles, it again depends on the perspective buyer. For an every day driver in the USA, the NAD doesn't really manage freeway speeds well. I'd look at an ex-mod as a way to assume that the bulkhead and chassis most likely do not need replaced. 5 door station wagon will command the highest price (I think) with the broadest perspective customer base (I think).
Not a lot of folks on this forum may have the appetite or means to drop upwards of 60k on a rebuilt defender. We're mostly a D2 community with several of us also owning 90's/110's and series vehicles. That said there's probBly a higher market on this forum for a lower priced well maintained ex mod 110 that would be used primarily as an off-road rig.
I daily drove my 109 CSW 200tdi for about a month while working on my D2 and it was brutal
Maybe two lines. One for the masses of well-heeled dreamers and one for the mechanical tinkerers (American meaning of the word) and outdoorsmen who aren't impressed by Jeeps and Toyotas. Since the federal government cracked down on auctions for our diesel powered military vehicles, there aren't as many options for road legal bush tractors anymore.
If defenders are becoming precious in Europe, and if they are rotted, it may be a largely moot point. I think there are companies that troll all of the mod auctions and get the good ones. They are probably in super troll mode with the end of production looming.
#12
05-19-2016, 03:09 PM
#13
05-19-2016, 06:28 PM
I checked government liquidations today and they are not selling any diesel vehicles anymore (which is most of the government surplus vehicles) except for speciality vehicles like airplane movers. The only bare engines are too big or unrefined for most on the road vehicles (tractor and generator engines).
What a ridiculous state of affairs when just about any 25 year old oil burner vehicle, including military vehicles, can be imported. Whatever.
What a ridiculous state of affairs when just about any 25 year old oil burner vehicle, including military vehicles, can be imported. Whatever.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
