New Defender Commercial

[Cowabunga]

You keep saying they ain’t aimed a farmers so who is it aimed at ? Who else wants a commercial vehicle like that ?

Auctioneers/estate-agents, maybe a vet, surveyors, drug dealers, gangstas and self employed plumbers as a luxury tax-efficient toy.
Farmers are no longer in the same income league as the above and many more professions. Most farmers are oblivious to how far down the ladder they have fallen even without considering the massive amount of capital they need to run their business. As said above, others are making 300 to 500 a day with hardly any costs. Not only are they charging out at £35 to £50/hour plus milage to cover their travel but they also make up to 40% margin on materials supplied.

 

[mf7480]

By the time you have added a few essential extras, like a two speed transfer box, metallic paint, tow hitch and electrics, the price rises to £62500 inc VAT or £52,000 + VAT, presumably on the road.
Not exactly a bargain two seater commercial, or plaything.

Correct. A Defender or Discovery commercial are an identical price, but the Discovery is a D300. To have a D300 in the defender is another £10k, somehow.

 

[Cowabunga]

Correct. A Defender or Discovery commercial are an identical price, but the Discovery is a D300. To have a D300 in the defender is another £10k, somehow.

I honestly hadn't spotted that the Discovery had the 300hp engine. Yes, £10k extra for a different engine map in Defender [and several other vehicles in their range] is taking the pish even by JLR standards.

 

[mf7480]

I honestly hadn't spotted that the Discovery had the 300hp engine. Yes, £10k extra for a different engine map in Defender [and several other vehicles in their range] is taking the pish even by JLR standards.

Something else that slipped my attention is Discovery’s are now made alongside Defender in Slovakia. I assumed it was just Defender is Slovakia and everything else in the midlands. Complete closure of the UK factories surely can’t be far away? Perhaps they keep one small part of it going for the full fat Range Rover and use it as part of the marketing, much like Bentley and Rolls.

 

[pgk]

Top gear the other night said they had 85 computers on board so sadly can’t see them any good for farming long term. New land cruiser lwb commercial auto 32k. Tested and proven and I suspect will be going when the Land Rover is in the dealers with the laptop plugged in ( and I speak as a discovery 5 owner)

Looking at 5 series BMW which had 150 computers? According to spec.

 

[pgk]

Top gear don't know their arses from their elbows. It has very few actual computers. What it does have is a simplified wiring system utilising a ring of wires called a CAN-Bus network that cuts down on the actual wiring needed by around two-thirds. These communicate digitally between the ECU or several ECU's and various components like individual windows, door locks and switches and all the other gadgets expected today, through the same wire. So no need for a specific wire to be routed between, say, a particular switch and the motor in a back door. The signal from the switch module is coded and travels through the ring main and is recognised by the actuator in the relevant door, as an example.

The way that some fools reckon it has up to 85 computers is to count every sending and every receiving module on every component as a 'computer'. Well technically I suppose it is a processing unit but not one that makes complex computations. If you count these as 'computers, then you should also call your cordless phone, your TV remote control, anything that communicates with anything else whether wired or wirelessly, 'computers'. Even a desktop computer's external hard drive or speakers or DVD drive would be classed as 'computers' in their own right. In this day and age that is patently ridiculous.

That makes more sense

 

[pgk]

pretty much anyone running one as a company car to look cool! and save tax. Trades people like plumbers and sparkies etc ... take your pick

I noticed the posh estate agent in moreton has two of the new 90's

 

[Cowabunga]

Something else that slipped my attention is Discovery’s are now made alongside Defender in Slovakia. I assumed it was just Defender is Slovakia and everything else in the midlands. Complete closure of the UK factories surely can’t be far away? Perhaps they keep one small part of it going for the full fat Range Rover and use it as part of the marketing, much like Bentley and Rolls.

While they did need greater factory capacity some few years ago, the main imperative must have been an insurance in case Brexit greatly effected their European sales and even their UK sourcing of components. Not just logistically but through tax implications of moving stuff both ways across borders. More and more large and medium size companies are relocating abroad and that is a fact.

 

[Lincsman]

pretty much anyone running one as a company car to look cool! and save tax. Trades people like plumbers and sparkies etc ... take your pick

Not much use as a van though, or do they not carry tools anymore?

 

[hally]

As mentioned above- trades. Self employed Plumbers and sparks are all on £250- £300/ day now with their van as their only cost.

Does make me wonder how we, as an industry, have fallen so far behind these guys.

 

[Cowabunga]

Not much use as a van though, or do they not carry tools anymore?

They may have a work van and this to work on their smallholding and pull the wife's horse box around.

 

[Lincsman]

Does make me wonder how we, as an industry, have fallen so far behind these guys.

Because we didnt keep raising prices like a plumber does, wheat should be £600/ tonne now

 

[Tarw Coch]

Does make me wonder how we, as an industry, have fallen so far behind these guys.

As I have said before on here, I have been payed more for summer milk by the mmb than I got last summer.
Used to change our Land Rover about every 10 years, can’t see our 04 plate being changed anytime soon.
It would probably sell today for half of what we payed for it, wonder if the new ones will hold their money as well.

 

[hally]

Because we didnt keep raising prices like a plumber does, wheat should be £600/ tonne now

Yep we have all become more “efficient” but it has only benefitted our buyers really.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Because we didnt keep raising prices like a plumber does, wheat should be £600/ tonne now

Wheat can be imported from Canada, Australia, Russia or anywhere else in the world for far less, unfortunately plumbers ain’t so easily imported

 

[Lincsman]

Wheat can be imported from Canada, Australia, Russia or anywhere else in the world for far less, unfortunately plumbers ain’t so easily imported

Yes Farmers the world over are in a race to the bottom.

 

[barleybasher]

Of course the the new Defender is JUST the same as the old one so there should be no reason for it to increase in price!?

 

[Cowabunga]

Of course the the new Defender is JUST the same as the old one so there should be no reason for it to increase in price!?

It's not the fact that it has risen in price. It is its relative [lack of] value for money as a commercial van that is at issue, including the fact that they charge £10k extra for the same engine in a different tune.
Of course none of these is an issue if price and value is not high on the purchaser's priority list, which it certainly will not be if they buy this two seat vehicle.

 

[Hilly]

Auctioneers/estate-agents, maybe a vet, surveyors, drug dealers, gangstas and self employed plumbers as a luxury tax-efficient toy.
Farmers are no longer in the same income league as the above and many more professions. Most farmers are oblivious to how far down the ladder they have fallen even without considering the massive amount of capital they need to run their business. As said above, others are making 300 to 500 a day with hardly any costs. Not only are they charging out at £35 to £50/hour plus milage to cover their travel but they also make up to 40% margin on materials supplied.

I’ve just x 300 by 250 working days and I’m ahead , I also have more assets , Perhaps I can afford one but choose not to , perhaps through sensible choices I’m ahead and no behind. Plumbing is a monkeys job. Electrics however is highest paid trade and rightly so but truth told a lot of farmers will still make more.

 

[hally]

Yes Farmers the world over are in a race to the bottom.

Half the reason is the willingness of farmers to stab each other in the back A rather than work together. Local lord of the manor just told his fbt tenants, as the agreements end, he is taking the payments from the tenant and claiming it himself but the rent remains the same. No negotiation. If they don’t like it the local large dairy unit is willing to take on all the land.