Excellent unmolested example. Mostly original. Many desirable upgrades.

1994 Land Rover Defender Hi-Line

Some history:

I’ve drooled over a newer generation Defender forever. I’m old enough to have watched stuff like the Camel Trophy, which made my then young brain go places. I grew up in a country where owning a Land Rover (other than a genuinely beat up Series I or II) was completely out of the question.

I moved to the US in 2001. The new thing then were Discos, which.I ended up owning 4, including two Trek editions and one of the Drive Around the World vehicles. I also owned a 1991 Range Rover Classic, which I sorely regret selling!. Still, Defenders continued to be a pipedream. They were slowly starting to make it to the US, but prices were completely out of my league.

In 2008 I met someone, who had recently moved to the US from my country. Turns out, he had tbeen the distributor for LR products back there for many years. He owned one original Camel Trophy Disco among other unique vehicles.

He set up shop in the US tending to exquisite vintage and modern classic automobiles. I learnt quite a bit from him when it came to Defenders. Every now and then one would show up at his shop and I salivated over it. Still, pipe dream.

Fast forward to 2019, I move from south FL to VT. Covid hits less than one year later. It gave me (and most of us) a new perspective in life. Owning a Defender became a real objective. I looked EVERYWHERE, but vehicles were just too “fishy”, too expensive, too modified or too something else. I just wanted to find a solid, unmolested original vehicle. Diesel was a must., so was the 110 wheelbase.

Months transpired, but eventually I found not one, but two on eBay. The seller (selling both) had zero feedback. To my surprise, the listing indicated that the cars were in VT! I reached out and within hours I was on my way to take a look at the cars, one of which I decided to buy on the spot.

The main purpose behind this purchase, was to embark on a multi month trip around the US with my Family. For reasons that have no bearing for the purpose of this listing, the trip never materialized.

This is a very expensive vehicle for me and it makes very little sense to keep it just to drive around every now and then.

The car was imported by the person (registered car dealer) I bought it from from South Africa. I am the second downer. I have 100% traceable history of this vehicle, including he bill of sale, first registration (and every renewal thereafter), service records, fuel log (yes every time the original owner filled up, he made a record of this!).

It features a factory galvanized frame and the desirable 300TDI 5-speed combination. It has factory A/C also.

Below, I will try to explain to the best of my ability the features, highlights and known issues. I am no expert by any means, so see that in mind.

The trim level is called Hi-Line. I think it is very similar to the County. Cloth seats. Center cubby in the front, bench style seat in the back. The seats are perfect, with no stains, rips or tears. It is carpeted throughout, which is also in great shape. I’ve added all theater rubber mats (OEM). All the switches and such work as intended. Instruments work fine. Lights, wipers, horn, etc work, including interior lights. I have a set of new high performance headlights (not led), that ai got from Rovers North), that goes with the vehicle.

The headliner is sagging some, but nothing to be concerned about. I’ve looked at other Defenders and they look about the same. Maybe this is how they are supposed to look like? Not sure. The original owner added a storage shelf overhead, right above the sun visors. I’m saying added, because I don’t think that is original. It is carpeted. Not a fan, but it is very practical.

Seatbelts operate normally, other than one of the rear ones, that does not retract without some assistance.

The cargo area is in great condition. It has a couple of custom items, like a folding shelf on the rear door, and a removable 2-poiees wire mesh shelf (very sturdy). These can be easily removed and used as tables or benches. When installed, they provide a continuous flat surface above the rear wheel arches. Very, very useful!.

The sheet metal is in great condition. Original paint. No respray or any other sheet metal work covering rot/rust. I’ve never done any serious detailing, but I am sure a good polish and was could do wonders. Not my thing to be honest, particularly with this car. No chalking and still shine on this paint.

The plastics have some fading, but that is quite expected with a car that is 30 years young. I did replace the wheels and tires. BF A/T still pretty much new. I do have the original white steelies with Michelin tubed tires. The rims are great, the tires have lots of thread left, but they are quite old. The inner tubes would need to be refreshed, but right now all 5 hold air.

The underside of the car reveals no rust, other than some surface oxidation of some steering and suspension components and accessory mounts. The frame and subframe is excellent. So is the bulkhead. The engine bay is clean. No rust there either. The bonnet is in perfect condition. Door bottoms and hinges show some early signs of rurface rust, but can be easily remedied with some minimal effort. All glass is perfect. Crank windows work perfect. Silidng read windows need new track felts (included).

The engine pulls strong (well…by Defender standards….). No blow-by or oil consumption. Timing belt was replaced by previous owner at 112k miles (documented). Brakes evenly without pulling. Hand brake works as expect.

Cruises at 55-60 al day long without any vibrations, etc. 5 speed manual shifts normally. low-hi and diff lock work as intended. I've never, ever taken this car off road or on trails. Just too special for me.

Some fluid leaks are present, but not significant at all. I think it is mostly from the rear Dif seal and around the transfer case area. I’ve never even attempted to solve this condition.

I’ve mentioned the original A/C. All seems functional (compressor, clutch, blower), but it does not blow cold. It’s still R12 and I’ve not attempted to have it converted. I do have a couple of cans of R12 (Caada still sells it…), butI’ve not had the need for this accessory, so it will be for you to figure out.

The RTT by EZ-Awn was purchased by the original owner shortly after acquiring the car. I do have th original receipt. I’ve used it about a dozen times and had zero issues. Watertight, etc.

A Ramsey winch (functional) was added. The Ostrich wing/awning is gigantic and operates as intended.

Obviously visible is the brush-guard with winch mount, running boards, roof rack and the swing out spare tire carrier. The raised cold air i take is by Mantec and shiws no issues Not visible are two water tanks, installed under the floor and outboard. The fill ports are in the cabin under the floor carpet. There is one outlet valve on each tank, accessible from underneath.

Also custom made, this Defender has an extended range fuel tank, plumbed to the main tank. Total capacity is just under 30 gallons.

There is one starting and one house battery with a National Luna low voltage disconnect relay. There is also an old school LED display to monitor tboth batteries, which also controls the relay in case a manual override is needed. I installed both butteries new in late 2020. Nothing special.

I have some parts that go with the car as well. Thing terribly significant: belts, filters, glow plugs, bearings and a few others.

I have the original owner’s manual and a full binder with amazing ownership history and maintenance records.

The car is registered to my name. VT does not issue titles for vehicles older than 15 years, so there is no title. A registrtration and a bill of sale is all you’ll need in your state. If the car comes from VT you will NOT need a title.

I do have a set of OEM repair manuals for both engine and body. Also included are the original sales brochure and some copies of magazine articles.

I’ve pictured the only two body dents. One was there when I bought it. It is in the right rear corner. This I am sure was the result of the spare tire/mount swinging out in a hurry and hitting the corner of the vehicle. I preferred to leave it like that. I don’t think I trust any traditional body shop to try to correct this.

The other one affectts the sheet metal of the door. This happened on a windy day when a branch fell and scraped the car right there. Again, I don’t think this requires repair. I’d rather have the car original.

So, is this car perfect. No. Is it pretty much original with some well executed mild upgrades. Yes. Will you find another one with this paper trail, pretty much one owner, fully documented. I don’t think so. I have not sen anything remotely like this in all my years of looking. Can you go to Australia and find one. Maybe. Then transport, import, etc. This one is right here, legally imported into the US, ready to be driven.

Are there cheaper ones. Of course. Are there better ones. Yes and No. Yes if you want flashy, moderidez examples. No if you want something original and honest.

All of this being said, I do NOT NEED to sell this car. I have a garage spot where it spends most of its days. Never seen a snow flake or grain of salt. If I don’t hit the right monetary mark, I will simply not sell it. I doubt these Defenders will ever loose value.

So, if you have the funds available and don’t mind being asked about the car everywhere you go, this might be for you. Otherwise look for a 4Runner. They are more reliable and probably cheaper.

PLEASE, pretty please. Serious inquires only. No joy rides.No trades (but try me, who knows…), no weird financial propositions. Cash and carry or we’ll go to your bank and I get a cashier’s check directly from them. Too much scam flying around. I’m sure you will understand.

I can assist with sipping, but it is 100% your responsibility to coordinate and pay for this service. Due to the nature of this vehicle I would prefer not to drive it once it belongs to someone else.

Please understand that this fixed price "auction" is for an actual vehicle and not for the chance to inspect it or take it out for a spin. This is totally possible BEFORE you commit to buy-ing the Defender. No complains after you hit the "Buy it now" button.

Thanks for sitting through this boring descritiopn, but I figured those seriously interested would like to know as much as I have to share.