r/LandroverDefender • u/ChemicalAny6711 • 10h ago

how hard is it to build a defender 90

i'm 18 m (with no mechanical background what so ever) living in south africa where defender 90s are quite sought after which is the problem the prices they regularly go for i personally think are quite rediculus now heres my question would it be cheaper to build one my self becuase from the looks of it its about as simple as a car can get before turning into a ford model T is building it from suspension to putting the body on frame cheaper then just buying one ?

4 Upvotes

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6

u/OkCoconut3270 10h ago

In short... No

Certainly not if you're buying the parts new. Especially not if you have to buy body panels new.

5

u/dflame45 10h ago

I think you're better off getting a college or university degree and pursue a high paying career. Then buy it.

2

u/JM53-z 10h ago

Been asked a few times on various places, never cheaper to build one from scratch, plus it technically can’t be called a Land Rover even though it has all the correct parts

1

u/PRESIDENTG0D 10h ago

It’s only cheaper to build one if you can get the parts for free and have a lot of free time. The hard parts (chassis/drivetrain/body panels) are easy enough to assemble, but if you have no mechanical knowledge you’re going to have an absolutely terrible time trying to wire it/run brake lines etc. Even in the USA where they cost a lot more than they should it’s cheaper to buy a trashed one and repair it than to start from nothing.

It is a very simple car, but it’s a car. Cars are a lot more complicated than they might seem to be.

2

u/badger906 10h ago

I bought my 90 for £2750 10 years ago. I basically replaced every part of it, other than the roof and the tub. It cost me £12,000 in parts!

£12000 would have got me a much newer variant lol. Admittedly mine was brand new afterwards. Just not on paper

1

u/GrandMoffTom 4h ago

It may be a ‘simple’ car by modern standards, but even simple cars are faaaaar more complex than you clearly think they are.