1992 Land Rover Defender 90

-Tastefully Customized
-2.5L Turbo Diesel 4 Cylinder
-5 Speed Manual Transmission
-Maroon Over Tan Interior
-LED Light Bars
-LED Interior Lights
-Pioneer DVD Player
-Backup Camera

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1992 Land Rover Defender 90 on a website other than our GarageKeptMotors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 130 high-definition photographs, a short walk-around-and-startup video, and a link to its Carfax report, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.)

“As the ultimate version of the original Land Rover, (the Defender 90) proved capable of meeting just about every off-road challenge.... “ –Hagerty

The Land Rover Defender has a 70-year history across five generations of the model. “Legendary”—too often applied to various automobile brands—is in fact an apt description for this rugged, simple, highly capable four-wheel-drive vehicle. A veteran of British military service, many an African safari, and service to celebrities from Winston Churchill to Paul McCartney, the Defender satisfies in a way no lesser off-road-capable vehicle really does.

Across its first three generations, the Defender suffered from one recurring criticism: those earlier vehicles could be uncomfortable, and so, hard to live with. The Land Rover people addressed this issue head-on with the launch of the Defender 90. “(The Defender 90) marked the first time a Land Rover utilized the coil-spring suspension from the Range Rover to replace the old cars' archaic leaf-spring design. Various quality-of-life improvements, like a more comfortable interior and modernized engine lineup, made tremendous strides in on-road driving manners.” (Motor Trend)

Alas, only a very few Defender 90s were ever allocated to the U.S. market, just 2,000 per year over a four-year run. Offered here, is a right-hand-drive Defender 90. Showing 194,000 miles (or fewer than 6,700 miles per-year, on average) on its odometer, the well-earned Land Rover reputation for longevity—particularly when powered by a diesel engine—promises many times that number still remain to be traveled, explored, conquered... and enjoyed.

The truck wears handsome recent dark-red metallic paint, shiny and uniform across the body. The red is accented with black on bumpers, grille-surround, mirrors, wheels, running boards, roof ladder, and other trim giving the Defender a restrained look, with undeniable presence. Equipment upgrades on the exterior include a full-width, roof-mounted, off-road LED light bar, as well as LEDs replacing less-bright original lighting on driving lights, marker lights, and directional indicators. A powered SmittyBilt XLS winch is mounted in the front bumper; a snorkel air-intake system adds fording capability; a full roof rack (accessed via the body-fixed ladder) adds safari-capable cargo capacity. Factory badges and emblems (including the “Range Rover” identification in black on the truck's rear body, and the “Defender” logo on the spare-tire insert) are all in place. Out front, the tops of both fenders feature black, textured-steel anti-slip surfaces for safe servicing during inclement weather, and the same surfaces appear the lower body and behind the rear wheels. Cooper Discoverer STT LT235/85 R16 tires are mounted.

Inside, the truck has benefitted from further comfort and convenience upgrades. Brown leather upholstery covers all seating surfaces, front buckets and four fold-down, side-facing rear jump seats, and is echoed on the door trim and the cabin headliner. Interior courtesy lighting has been augmented with LEDs, a DVD entertainment system is mounted in the rear-passenger area, and a Pioneer audio head unit with pop-up video screen has been added to the dash. A backup camera is also mounted. In keeping with the overall character of the vehicle, cabin floors are covered in easy-to-clean rubber matting. The floor-mounted 5-speed manual transmission shifter and transfer case controls operate in standard fashion, and are located to the left of the driver's seat and steering wheel. Standard factory gauges remain in place.

Under the hood, the 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel powerplant resides in a tidy and clean, but not overly detailed engine compartment. All components are in place and properly mounted. The vehicle's undercarriage shows signs of use, but not abuse. Rust-inhibitor coating has been applied to some exposed metal surfaces. There is no indication of suspension or exhaust-system damage from too-aggressive driving.

The sound condition of this Defender 90 is faithfully presented in the more than 130 high-definition photographs together with a short walk-around-and-startup video and a link to its Carfax report available at the GarageKeptMotors site. That said, there is no substitute for an in-person, up-close inspection. We encourage such interested parties to visit us at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom to see this Defender 90 in person. We ask only that an appointment be made by phone or email in advance. Our showroom is not open to the public. We also welcome questions about the truck by phone or email.

The group marketing director of Jaguar Land Rover once put it this way: “Defender is the epitome of toughness, of ruggedness, and of strength and most importantly, of capability.”

We'd call that “truth in advertising.”