Even though I am not affected by it, I can’t pass up another chance to mock the ridiculous 25-year old importation restriction that vexes every gearhead in America. It was born out of a desire to serve the people or ensure their well-being, but rather as a means to save profits at the expense of choice. One of the most notorious applications of this law saw the crushing of several non-compliant Land Rovers, which got quite a bit of the car community up in arms. This one, at least, is unlikely to get that treatment.
If you want a complete, 100% legal Defender in the United States, you have only one of two options. You can go the long way and import a 1990 or earlier Defender, do all the paperwork and make sure it ends on a boat stateside, get plates for it, and then hope in the superior being of your choice that the Feds don’t come knocking on your door telling you it was VIN swapped and that they’ll turn it into scrap to keep the American people safe. Or, you could spend a couple of hours a day on auction sites waiting for one of these to arrive. You see, starting from 1994 and all the way through late 1997, Defenders were federalized and sold to the public in very small numbers through Land Rover dealerships. All but the latest came with a 3.9 Liter V8 mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
Our featured vehicle is a black 1995 model with the aforementioned engine and gearbox combination. It has covered 84,636 miles and has been fitted with a hardtop, winch, yellow accents, huge off-road tires and a roof rack, all of them no doubt to ensure it’d keep running even on the roughest trails. The previous owner undoubtedly invested quite a bit of cash to ensure that he’d be able to get his car exactly the way he wanted it. The interior remains as practical as ever, with the addition of new seats and a new head unit being the only concessions to interior comfort. Best of all is the price–while you regularly see Defenders going for around $50,000 (and up to $100,000 for a longer 110), this one is out of the door for a very reasonable $33,000.
Drawbacks? Well, it goes without saying that you should not expect to be surrounded by the luxury and style typical Land Rover’s other offerings. This a car for the Rubicon, not the Ruby-Con. Also, remember those federally seized defenders that were VIN swapped? There’s a nasty little rumor going around that some of them were not actually VIN swapped and were, in fact, legally imported. This one should not even have that issue, but considering there’s still an ongoing trial to get the alleged “unsafe and illegal” cars from the roads, do you want the possibility of a clerical error meaning you’ll wake up one morning to have Homeland Security knocking at the door or, more accurately, knocking down the door? If you don’t mind and you just want to own an interesting car, the listing is here.
Some 26 years on, thanks to the advent of the internet, several petitions have been created in order to get the the Feds to at least respond to the complaints of the people, but there isn’t yet enough clout; odd, because all it takes is two minutes to sign. If you want to truly have a free car market and wish the authorities would direct resources toward something that really matters, write your congressman or sign the next petition that shows up.
I knew the D90 was officially sold here, but didn’t realize it was only for three years. I see them around occasionally. There’s also a D110 in Richmond, but it must be 1990 or earlier as to the best of my knowledge we stopped getting the 110″ officially back in the 70’s or early 80’s (if even then).
It would definitely scare me to try to own an imported vehicle that complies with the 25-year rule, but is part of the same generation of vehicles that don’t (like the situation with the offending Defenders). The potential for the feds to make a mistake is way, waaay too high!
It might be worth it if you’re a Petroleum Geologist or a naturalist, like Marlin Perkins from Wild Kingdom (i.e., having your khaki-clad sidekick drugging big animals & hauling them somewhere else).
A nice truck ! .
I used to look at the used British Ex Military Land Rovers , they’re generally in good shape and dirt cheap , Diesel too .
Too bad they cannot be road registered here .
In the 1960’s my Uncle Bill had a 109 , it was great .
-Nate
From what I have read none of the seized Land Rovers are crushed yet due to several lawsuits against the feds about the trucks
http://jalopnik.com/why-are-the-feds-obsessed-with-seizing-these-peoples-ol-1672381729
This pisses me off a lot. Not because they are seizing old vehicles but because the entity that is doing the seizing( Dept of Homeland Security) has been bitching that they need more funding to hire more border patrol guards and need more equipment but yet here they are expending manpower and money in order to seize 40 or 50 old vehicles that were brand new when Miami Vice, A-Team and Knight Rider were originally on TV.
Oh they try to tell you that the reason they are seizing these vehicles is because they are “unsafe” to the American public. Yet most of these trucks are ether in a state of rebuilding or have been restored. A trip into NW Washington DC will find double the amount of unsafe vehicles that were legally allowed in this country.
Not to mention that the law that allowed them to take the vehicles is still controversial today as it was in 1988. It was created not because Congress really cared about making sure Americans had safe cars but because Mercedes and other German car companies who saw their profits going down because Americans seeing that they were being gauged with a high price on an inferior car, started buying the good Benzes. If Mercedes had offered the 560SL in the first place instead of sticking us with that rubbish timing chain breaking 380SL, then Americans would not have had to resort to importing cars.
I hate Jalopnik.
Very interesting, thanks for the link!
Is there a market for these spartan boneshakers in the US ?
Well then, start importing pre-1990 Defenders. The exchange rate is in your advantage more and more. Plenty of LHD Defenders around in Europe, mostly owned by real die-hard enthusiasts, since people with more sense bought Land Cruisers, Patrols and Pajeros.
Note that most of them (maybe all of them) have a diesel engine. An old-school pre-1990 diesel.
Amazed that one with the “full race” yellow accent package is available for just $33k. Oh well. Think I will stick with my air conditioned 4runner.
I drove a Defender 90 at the Memphis outdoor show on a test track. It reminded me of my old Scout with the flat windshield and bulky squared off dash and transmission hump.
The Scout is cheaper to buy and own btw……..
I don’t see the problem with crushing Land Rovers myself….any Land Rover.