I had 4 Landcruisers and this is my first Defender. It’s had its issues but all were solvable. So I think if you do run into anything, it’s unlikely to be “new”.

its maintenance won’t be cheap or non existent, but I don’t think it’ll bleed you dry if you’re willing to be patient and find solutions instead of running straight to the dealer (when warranty is out).

For oil changes, I went to 10,000 miles. Each oil change is $400 & I don’t do them myself. I felt like that’s a compromise.

The car is badass and has personality.

 

No way, I hope that's an exaggeration or that you can find a different dealership.

 

Here’s my last service for an oil change and brake flush. Both dealers in Austin quoted the same price.

 

Price for Oil is reasonable,
Price for Dot 4 is absurd. imo

 

I just picked up a used 2020 110 P400 with 62k and was questioning my sanity for buying it without a warranty (pricing was insane to get one). BUT, after reading a lot, and talking to a independent tech with almost 30 years of rover experience...pulled the trigger. Yes, some people have major issues but from what I've discovered most are more annoying than catastrophic. After owning over 300 vehicles in my lifetime (stopped counting about ten years ago) I'm convinced you either get a good one, or bad one. I'll use Jeeps for an example since I've owned 19 Wranglers, the most recent being a 392. I've had zero issues with Wranglers over the last 30 years of driving them but jump on the internet and they're unreliable pieces of you-know-what. I had an '06 LR3 with 120k miles that went off-road and climbed mountains, not a single issue.

Age has taught me, go with what moves you. When you love a vehicle, the inconveniences become much less important. I've had my 110 for 1 week, the driver's side DRL is out and the telematics module is bad. Am I upset? No. Why? It's a brilliant vehicle and I love it so much in just a short period of time, so those problems will get repaired. Flipside - Joe Newowner on the internet thinks it's a piece of crap because here it is breaking already LOL!

 

Agree on almost everything, except for the warranty. I have a 2020 P400 too, with 41kmiles. Still under warranty but running out in September. There is NO WAY I will keep the car without an extended warranty. Dealer quoted me $5800 for a 3 year extension, pushing it to 2027. This the "LR" extended warranty. In quotes because is it not really LR, since it is administered by a third party (but that's another discussion).

I hope I am wrong, but unfortunately it looks like you are in for a treat. New headlight is running next to $5k and I do not even want to guess on how much for the telematics module.

 

What treat? Dealer replacing the headlight, telematics is around the 400=ish range and an easy replacement. I'd easily pay 6k for a 3yr but it was 8k for 1 year, 12k for 2 years...no way. I'd rather throw a few hundred aside every month instead, maybe even come out ahead.

Also, the 'no warranty' thing is more difficult for most people to deal with, I understand that. For me, I own a custom shop and am capable of doing repairs to a degree. What I can't do, I have one of the best independent Rover shops in the area just down the street from my wife's dealership. In the event of a 'needs towed' scenario, I have a truck & car hauler for that too. So far from what I can find, through many hours of research, these have annoying electrical bugs and require a bit more care/attention with maintenance.

Probably also worth noting, I paid around auction value for my 110 (information I have access to with my wife running 2 car dealerships) so rolling the dice is easier to swallow. If it was my only vehicle or if I paid 60+k for it, might look different to me. For now, I'm just enjoying it and keeping my fingers crossed! It did come back from a thorough evaluation from the local shop with a clean bill of health other than the 2 issues.

 

It is great that you have access to all these resources. Most people do not though. That is why Defender without a warranty is a big no no for me. If your dealer is replacing the headlight+plus the module for $400ish, you are very very very lucky. A quick search in this forum an you will see the average people are being quoted for the headlight alone is $4k to$5k.

 

I love my Defender but am about to do the opposite as you due to reliability. I will say that I like to take big road trips and be hours from cell service which is the main reason I'm looking at switching to the new Taco or GX when they start getting delivered. When my Defender was working well it was the best car I have owned!

 

Hmmmm… and you think he’s wrong? If you have this unique situation, as you say, with resources unavailable to most people, then you really have nothing to offer the OP in scoffing at all the caution regular people feel about Land Rover, people who have to pay regular prices to get their LR repaired; Statistically, the brand is a “piece of crap” compared to most other brands, according to every reliability rating system you can find anywhere. You claim to have never had a problem vehicle in 300+ vehicles, including 19 Wranglers. That’s either utter bull**** or your definition of “problems” is skewed dramatically from that of the rest of the world, due to either your unique resources or to the internet persona you’re attempting to create. Matters not to me. Carry on.

Cheers