Thanks Brian.
The rugged simplicity went out of Defenders a long time ago. Brazilian built 300 Tdi engines were used in markets where the Td5 emission levels were not required. Imagine trying to get an ECU repaired out in the wilds - where all the old one would require is a hammer, some spanners and a bent bit of wire / gaffer tape to hold things together until a mechanic could be reached.
My first visit to Oz in 1980 I managed to get up country a bit from Sydney, to visit relatives. My cousin in Coffs Harbour owned a vehicle dealership - Mercedes and Toyota - his own cars were a Land Cruiser and an FJ40 tray back for a workhorse. He also sold HGVs - Mercedes and Mack. He didn't have a lot of time for LR.
With the amount of electronics on a modern Toyota I'm not sure I'd want to go near one.
Tim, when all is said and done, my old 1990 200Tdi 90, with it's rebuild, is going to outlast me and probably the supply of diesel!
Cheers,
