Going from a Defender to a Jimny

Hello everyone

Just joined the forum as we are looking for a new Jimny. We currently have a 2005 Defender 90 and want something with lower maintenance costs.

I know it’s a long shot, but had anybody else gone from a Defender to a new model Jimny, and if so how did you find it.
We test drove one last week and it’s definitely quieter at speed, but more bouncy.
Performance seems OK it’s not a vehicle we’d be driving fast anyway, it seems to sit happily at 60-70 mph on the motorway.

I went from a tdi 90 to a gen3 and other than towing the Jimny is better in every respect. Smaller and lighter so off road is able to go places that will stop the defender in its tracks. On road, it's a different league of quiet and doesn't make a meal of going round corners though it can pitch a bit on speed bumps. Then there is the reliability, yes a Jimny has issues but they are known and fairly simple to fix and importantly the work is easier than the defender because the parts are smaller and more manageable. Changing a defender transfer box is a 2 person job, you can support a Jimny transfer box with one hand while putting the bolts in with the other. Also a defender might get 25 ish on diesel but a Jimny is on 35 plus on petrol so you'll go a lot further for the same money.

Thank you for the reply, the car is for my missus so it sounds ideal.
Unfortunately the new ones are not easy to get, as most dealers are selling them for high prices, however l think l may have found a used one at a dealer, they are going to call me back today with a price.
I imagine there won’t be anything to look out for on a new one, with under 5,000 miles on the clock.
I was surprised to find climate control and cruise control on it....what luxury after being glad of electric windows in the Land Rover!
Don’t get me wrong l love Land Rovers, l drive a 110 Defender and my missus has the 90.
But running two as daily drivers is expensive particularly in this current climate.
Also there’s the continued theft worry with Defenders, where l don’t think it’s the case with the Jimny.

Defenders shouldn't really be all that expensive to run. They are simple vehicle. I've grown up with Landy's of various types. The farm ones have covered over 600,000 miles between them.

That said, if you are looking at a new Jimny (as in the current model). Then you are comparing a 15 year old car with a 1 year old car. So there would likely be a difference anyway on this basis alone.

The new Jimny drives and feels very much like a smaller 90 and is quite comparable on road to the last 2.2 Puma Defenders in many ways. Only less leaky still and more refined. I very much like mine, bought in March this year. The SZ5 models are particularly well specced too. While the SZ4's are somewhat more basic.

Really the only real difference is, the Land Rover are permanent 4wd. i.e. they drive all 4 wheels all the time. For a novice driver or someone uninterested in how 4wd's work. This means that most of the time they will go places without the driver needing to do anything. The Jimny is 2wd for road use, so if you encounter snow or want to go across a muddy field. It is down to the driver to know when to use the 4wd system and when not to use it.

Thanks for the replies!

We heard from the dealer today, they want £2,000 over the new list price for their 2018 used one with 7,000 miles.

In the current market (looking online) it’s probably about right, but l don’t really want to spend over £20,000 on one.

I was offered a new green one from another dealer at £24,000.
The same price as a new Volvo VX40.

People must be paying these prices, but l am concerned that once the fuss dies down l would lose a packet if l paid that kind of money.

It was the same with our VW Up GTi. VW suspended production and last year dealers were offering them in base spec at £16,000....list was £13,000

Then the bubble burst and now you can get one for £11-12,000

You probably referring to a years old example.
The new up gti list price is higher now and the discount is not as generous as before. It applies not only to the gti. the lessor variants are the same as the mii and citigo are no longer available.
Back to Jimny, my observation is that decent gen3 still command reasonable resale price. I will expect to see similar trend for the gen4.