A 1994 Land Rover Defender 110 has been donated to Wisconsin Public Radio. This vehicle donation is an interesting one because the Land Rover Defender became a special point of interest to the U.S. government a number of years ago.
The Defender has a 67 year history that just recently ended in January 2016. The original purpose of this vehicle was much the same of the U.S. Army’s Jeep. In 1985 the off-road SUV became known as the Defender Ninety and Defender One Ten. These names represented the 2 and 4-door model’s wheelbases. The British made vehicle was mostly sold overseas but became available in the U.S. for just 3 years, 1994, 1995 and 1997. Finding Defender’s in the U.S. has become quite rare, having been sold in low numbers for only four years. Importing them became difficult as there were certain airbag requirements that prevented Land Rover’s ability.¹
The Defender is as basic as it gets with little to no amenities. There are different keys for the doors, ignition and gas cap. It is said to be quite uncomfortable and even possibly dangerous in the cabin if one were to get in an accident. With only 120 HP the SUV can hardly top 90 mph or even break 60 mph within 14 seconds. When you do get going that fast it is ‘hellishly noisy.’
Because of its scarcity in the U.S., the Defender has been a popular choice for importation. A low-mileage, great condition Defender can go for anything from $50,000 to $100,000. It’s also a top choice for importers looking to make a buck by selling trucks that aren’t really up to U.S. specs at first glance.
“As of April 2014, the entry of 369 Land Rover vehicles declared as exempt because of their age had been reviewed by NHTSA,” prosecuting Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve West wrote in one filing. “Approximately 20 percent of these vehicles were found not eligible for the exemption and 14 percent of the Land Rover vehicles reviewed exhibited evidence that their VINs were removed, obliterated, tampered with, or altered.” –Why Are the Feds Obsessed With Seizing These People’s Old Trucks?
The donor of our (legal) 1994 Land Rover Defender 110 is one of 50,000 active Wisconsin Public Radio members who have contributed in the past 12 months. According to WPR, about 33% of all revenue comes from listeners. Consider a car donation when contributing to Wisconsin Public Radio or another national public radio station. The average value of car donations in the last year is over $500! If you choose to donate your car to charity, you will find that it is really a simple process. Your car donation will be picked up by a tower quickly and when sold for its maximum amount you receive a tax deduction. For more information on the tax benefits of donating a car visit our information page. For more tips on how to donate a car you can check out our website Car Donation Wizard.
DONATE MY CAR: https://www.wpr.org/support/car-donation.