Like seriously run it hard put it away wet and put some miles on it. After 2 years of treating mine like a cream puff and it recently still having reliability issues, I’m not sure if it’s worth holding on to. I was really hoping the defenders were going to be built to be beaten on but after owning one for two years I don’t think that is the case. It seems they are just the same as the rest of the Landrovers. Expensive to maintain and not all that reliable.

 

What are the issues?

 

Want to expand on exactly what issues and the mileage on yours?

I've had my for 18 months at 21k miles. Drive it pretty hard, taken it off road. So far my only issues have been the random black center screens and/or no audio from speakers and dealing with repeated low coolant issue probably due to the well-known aux radiator leak.

 

Keep it in its Mylar pouch or actually play with the thing and get it scuffed up.

life is short

paint is expendable

Playing games and getting mucky is as much fun as it always has been.

Play in the muck.

 

Realest comment on this entire forum

 

I have 110k miles on mine. Colorado mountain trails and snow. Cross country highways trips and just generally driving the hell out of it. I’m sure it will spontaneously self destruct any day now but until then, I’ll just keep enjoying it.

 

Hate to be an eeyore here but - all modern vehicles have "reliability" issues. Consumer Reports just knocked Toyota/Lexus from its top reliability brand due to all of the issues they've been having. The difference between manufacturers is simply a difference of what poison you want to pick.

I will say that I'm a firm believer in the idea that the more cars are used (not abused) then the more reliable they are. Just like boats and motorhomes, the more they sit around it seems the more they break.

Remember if/when you decide to go offroad and flex the Defender's legs, go with a buddy. This is good practice no matter what vehicle you choose to go adventuring in.

 

I definitely have beaten the absolute heck out of mine. Defender 110 X. It's been a fantastic vehicle. It is far far more durable than any other Land Rover I've owned current or past. I maintain it very well, and I'm not careless with it, and I do have a high degree of mechanical sympathy.

I just don't see the reliability issues others are seeing. It's been more reliable than any other new (or new ish) vehicle I've ever owned, Land Rover or not. The little stuff doesn't bother me ... That said, maybe I have gotten lucky. I certainly have had nightmare Land Rovers before (notably, a 2010 LR4 that was possessed by electrical Demons)

The Land Rover experience is highly highly dealer dependent, get a bad one, and I think they make the experience worse, and make problems worse. Sorry your experience hasn't been great.

 

If you are lucky, then I must have had a miracle bestowed upon me. We've owned 3 L663's (90 XS, 110 V8, 110 X) and no issues except the DRL's going out on the 90 (common) and interesting software 'features'. That leads me to believe that the majority of them are reliable, if you cast aside some of the horror stories posted on this forum. Come to think of it, they may appear more unreliable than they really are since I reckon one is more likely ask for help with a broken car than talk about how reliable their car has been.

 

^ this.

I have had my 2021 110 S P300 for nearly four years and I’m almost at 39k miles. I’m pretty hard on it, but like @nashvegas I have mechanical sympathy. I’ve taken mine on many moderate to difficult trails, countless 100+ mph stints on long road trips (safely, thanks to my Valentine One radar detector. RIP Mike, it was a pleasure getting to know you personally) and driven through mountains, 105° summers, -10°F winters and more. The only two things that properly went wrong was the ECU for the fuel pump failed a month or so after I took delivery, and about six weeks ago my heated steering wheel stopped working. I’ve had an LR4 and a Discovery 5 and this is the best one in terms of reliability. I spent almost $10k on repairs for my LR4 the last year I had it, and the coolant crossover pipes went bad on my Discovery three months before my Porsche I ordered to replace it came in. I see people complain on Facebook groups and on this forum, but quite frankly, I haven’t seen any big issues, and my dealer’s service department can back this up.