Talk me out of a D90

like the title says, I am not going to let another year go by without picking one up, unless i get compelling evidence otherwise.

 

I think they are great. I would love to have one.

In an attempt to talk you out of it, I think that pound for pound they are probably more overpriced for what you get than anything else out there. That being said, however, that would not stop me from getting one.

 

I love mine! Buy it -- simple no frills cool. The off-road performance is astonishing! I drive it as much as I can.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Well, Cali has unique issues for smog, so it is proving trickier than first thought, but I am working on a solution.

 

I am the original owner of a NAS 1997 D90 and have never had any issues with passing the smog test in California. What problems have you run into?

 

have any friends in Arizona or Nevada?

 

Noisy, uncomfortable seats and under-powered. Had a '97 and sold it....but honestly I wish I kept it since it wasn't my daily driver.

If it's not going to be your daily go for it.

 

It's a disease. Catch it and you will always have to have a Land Rover in the collection! Sure, not as quick or comfortable as some but remarkable off road. I've had this disease for 40 years. You won't regret it.

John

 

Back again. Well, some model years have a diesel motor that was not approved by CARB, and so that poses a problem. The 97 NAS is nice up until the auto tranny and the irrational sticker price.

I found a D90 with a body-off (powder coated everything) restoration and some nicer interior upgrades/mods. Not quite Overland or Spectre editions, but nice. I also want a V8 to not be a road hazard in BevGlen/Mulholland/Benedict, so i have to do that out of state.

 

If it is a US Spec car... well... it will be very noisy... Very Slow... Doesn't ride all that well. Has crappy seats... crappy stereo... did I mention slow? Also, it will be slow... and noisy and noisy... ohh... and that engine as primative as it is... can be shockingly expensive to fix. I wouldn't say the engine is problematic... its just alot more money to fix than it should be.

Watch out for rust...

Watch out for trucks that have had the crap beaten out of them and the fluffed up because they shot up in value. Nothing wrong with getting one that was off road... just don't pay cream puff prices for it.

Lots of recent imports into the US... Several years ago there was a guy in Prescott AZ who wasn't exactly importing the trucks correctly Shipping the engines in one crate and the trucks in a seperate one... then combing them and titling them to skip past DOT and EPA. This is a big no no. And one day... it is possible the Dept. of Homeland Security will come by and say your car was illegaly imported we are sorry but it must be deported and then reimported. I am not making this up. I know this from people who have gone through it. I also have imported MANY MANY MANY cars and know all the loop holes that the other guys use. One day... it all catches up and you don't want to be the one holding the hot potato.

Stick with US spec trucks unless you have all import paperwork and then verify that the truck was imported as parts or as a race car. Once assembled it means the car was imported under false pretense and they will get pissed. Be very careful or only buy from reputable dealers or people.

 

He is on Craigslist still selling Series I-III right now.

 

I just built a Def 90..
Me and my mechanic found a rust bucket d90 and used the chassis and drivetrain.
We were able to source a good rear bay, fenders and doors at pretty good prices, then used a Series 2A firewall so I could have the older reto look plus more room inside for a big guy like me..
Safari top from a Series 2A also..
All done now still need to take some good pictures..
65 on the freeway and can go anyplace off road just about..
AC is that bad either...
The wife even takes it to the store
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

looks great!
did you treat the frame at all?

 

Bowler can take care of those issues

Home - Bowler Motorsport

And they also offer their EXR S

http://www.bowlermotorsport.com/vehicles/exr-s/

 

Painted the frame and power coated everything that was removed..

 

East Coast Rover (not to be confused with East Coast Defender) are the folks to talk to. Copley Motorcars also generally has a nice inventory, sometimes with an ECR truck or two. Personally I'd go for a 110 though

 

The same restoration shop that built my D 90 here in Venice Beach also just finished a 1969 109 Series III with a 1997 D-90 engine and automatic trans..
Pretty cool..
The shop owner did this resto for himself but I think he just wants to sell it now.
75 years old and has too many cars..
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

A couple more pictures...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

beautiful!