1995 Land Rover Defender

Highlights

• Restored and repainted
• Modernised front end
• Retrimmed interior
• Recent cambelt, head gasket and water pump
• Ready to be enjoyed

Overview

Ah, the Land Rover Defender. A British icon that’s up there with red pillar boxes, roast beef, weak tea and Bank Holiday traffic jams. Everybody knows what a Defender is and even if they’ve never owned one, they’ve always wanted one. Admit it, so do you.

After all, there are few vehicles that are as purely yet as brilliantly styled. Clean and simple, yet built to a purpose. If you played with Tonka toys when you were a kid, then now is the time to do it again – but this time in real-time with a full-size Tonka toy of your own.

That’s certainly the vibe that this Defender gives out. It’s far from original (so few of them are these days, after all) but it’s all the better for it. Rebuilt, repainted, retrimmed and with a recent mechanical overhaul including a new head gasket and cambelt, it’s a great-looking fun truck with all of the difficult work done. The only thing left to do is enjoy it.

And enjoy it you will. It’s impossible not to. Sure, the Defender may be crude, bouncy and have a turning circle to rival that of the Queen Mary, but you know that already. You want it. That’s why you’re still here.

Buy this one and you’ll get a 30-year-old truck that looks much newer thanks to the addition of a later-style grille and headlight arrangement, LED lamps to replace the original Roman candles, refurbished black alloys and a livery that puts a modern twist on the original Nineties Defender side flashes.

It’s not a full-on resto-mod, but it’s a very cool thing nevertheless and it wants for nothing, having just had extensive mechanical work carried out by the vendor. It’s also equipped with rear bench seats, so it’ll seat six people in relative comfort, meaning you can justify it even if you do have a growing family…

History and documentation

• UK V5C
• MOT April 2025
• Invoices including full cambelt kit, water pump, head gasket and associated sundries in April 2024
• Previous invoices from Land Rover specialists dating back to 2017
• Owned by vendor since 2022
• First registered in February 1995
• Spare auxiliary drive belt and two diff guards
• Full set of keys

Interior

• Interior clean and well-presented
• Front seats retrimmed and in great order
• Recently upgraded with Raptor Engineer double din console complete with Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB radio and Focal front and rear speakers with under seat sub
• Rear windows tinted black
• Rear bench seats installed with two seats belts included per side
• Headlining a little saggy with interior lights not installed
• Sound damping installed to floor and roof
• Dash shows its age a little with holes from previous owners
• Switches installed to console along with a 12v cigarette lighter port, 2 x double USB port and voltmeter
• Rubber floor mats and rear load bay liner
• Central cubby box with twin cupholders

Exterior

• The vendor reports that the vehicle is not showing signs of rust, underneath included, as far as he can see
• Very clean paint work, refinished in solid blue
• Some minor stone chips on the front of the vehicle but nothing major
• BF Goodrich tyres in great condition, spare on back door
• Original specification alloy wheels, repainted in black
• Nineties-style ‘Defender’ livery in black vinyl
• Aftermarket modern front grille
• LED ‘Angel Eye’ headlights
• Bonnet release doesn’t currently work; cable is complete, just needs routing and connecting correctly
• Passenger door needs raising and realigning
• Black chequer plate wing tops
• Bulkhead corners and A and B-pillars appear sound with no visible corrosion
• Rear mud flaps
• Galvanised bumpers

Mechanical

• 2495cc 300 TDi engine
• 111bhp/ 195lb ft torque
• 174k miles
• Five-speed dual range manual transmission
• Manual diff lock
• Permanent four-wheel-drive
• Disc brakes all-round
• Recent new cambelt, head gasket, water pump and tensioners
• One MOT advisory for play in nearside front swivel joint
• Starts and runs well with no known or apparent problems

Summary

As timeless as icons go, the Defender is one of those vehicles that is universally loved and will always be popular. That makes it a great investment as well as something that will be an absolute blast to own.

When summer finally arrives, this is the perfect truck for those adventurous long evenings and weekend away. It’s ideal for making memories with – enjoy it, keep it as long as you like and sell it when you’re done, because you’re unlikely to lose on something that will always be popular and has only seen valuations go one way in recent times.

This is the perfect opportunity to tick one of the all-time greats off your bucket list and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Ashford, Surrey.