It’s not that hard to fall fore the Land Rover Defender; it’s one of the most iconic off-road vehicles out there, which helped Land Rover keep it in production for 67 years. So why it’s so damn expensive to buy used in the United States?
Used examples of the North American Spec (NAS) Defender could go for anything between $70,000 and $150,000 while the same car in Europe can be had for as little as $10,000.
For starters, and despite its really impressively long production run, the Land Rover Defender was officially offered in the States for just five model years, making the British truck a really rare bird in these parts of the world.
The Defender was available new to US customers for the first time in 1993, in its long 110 bodystyle only. That was the only year Land Rover offered the long Defender in North America, making it easily the most sought after version today. The British company then offered the short-wheelbase 90 model between 1994 and 1997. In total, Land Rover brought just over 7,000 Defenders in North America.
Another important difference between the NAS Defenders and those sold everywhere else is the engine; North American Spec examples are all powered by the 3.9-liter V8 engine while most of the Defenders elsewhere use a rather agricultural four-cylinder diesel.
Add to that the fact that no imported Defender can be registered in California -where there are plenty of fans wanting one- and you can suddenly understand why these trucks command such high prices. Doug DeMuro shares more Defender knowledge on the video that follows.