Hey crew,

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you may have. I'm casually shopping for a defender (90) primarily because I have always loved the style and can't justify a brand new jeep that has little to no personality.

My question is this- with a budget on the low end of restored defenders (30-35k), and as someone with no auto mechanical experience whatsoever (although mechanically inclined), what exactly would I be getting myself into?

I would expect regular maintenance and the occasional issue to crop up but I want to avoid a vehicle that I'll be pouring thousands and thousands of dollars into every year, especially for issues that aren't an easy at-home fix for someone like me.

Lastly, I live in the city and have a cabin with land where I'd be taking it on the weekends, but overall mileage would be low and it would be stored outside in the (Midwest) elements year round, in case that impacts any reco to buy/not buy.

Thanks so much in advance for any input from anyone!

 

You'll be fine as long as you have a shop nearby that can service them for you. Not a real hard vehicle, but parts take a while to get by shippers, and the costs double on parts at local parts stores. Most shops up the cost just for the marque name. That is why you see most of us doing our own work.