Hi I have been looking for a 1998 to a 2001 defender ninety 2.8i petrol i just wanted to know if this was the right one to pick over other defender 90 made around that time eg (V8 and the diesel model) .I would like to know peoples opinions on this defender and problem that arise with them Thanks

 

The later diesels will get close to twice the economy of either the V8's or the (very rare) 2.8s... much better off road (IMHO) as the torque comes in a LOT lower, peak is around 1800 rpm... worth bearing that in mind when you make your choice.

Cheers,

 

The 2.8i Defender is most likely the best defender ever produced. I understand that if you are living in the UK that they are very and difficult to find, this is however not the case in South Africa, which is the only country where they were manufactured between 1997 and 2001. Good 2.8i Defenders can be bought here between 8000 - 12000 Pounds depending on the model.

I have had 2 in the past and have just bought my 3rd one, and it is the only Defender that I will ever drive. The 2.8i are renowned for their reliability with the vehicle clocking up in excess of500 000km with out any problems. Sure the TD5 has more torgue 300Nm compared to the 280Nm of the 2.8i, however performance wise the 2 vehicles cannot be comparedseeing that the 2.8i pushes out 141kw.

I have also had my 2.8i offroad on various events and on every occasion not only did it out perform the Td5's & TDI's, it out performed every other brand of vehicle present. I personally feel that you can't go wrong with the 2.8i.

 

Hi, not sure if this would be of any interest to you but I have just driven a 2.8 from South Africa back to the UK. At the moment the car is with customs as I am importing it but once that is done and it is registered the vehicle will be for sale.

I have had some expereice of both 300tdi 90s and a 300tdi 130 and as far as offroad performance goes the 2.8 was unbelievable (didn't get stuck once on the drive) and as for the on road performance... well pulling away from boy racers at traffic lights is great fun!

If you are intersted in the whole package i can sell it to you fully kitted for an expedtion even down to some spares, a medkit, tool kit etc. If not then i can remove the extras although some things such as the two auxillary fuel tanks are a bit of a permenant modification.

if you would like more information about it or some pictures, send me an email at: robertchdick@hotmail.com

cheers

Rob