Land Rover Defender 110 300Tdi: Values and US Import | 2026

A 1996 Defender 110 Station Wagon with 233,000 miles bid to $29,750 on Bring a Trailer in July 2026 and did not sell. The same autumn, US dealers were asking $79,995 for a 166,000-mile 1995 110 and up to $249,000 for a 1995 car showing 1,000 miles. That gap is the whole Defender 110 market: you are either buying a 300Tdi, or buying someone's build.

Defender 110 300Tdi by the Numbers

• $29,750: highest bid on a 1996 Defender 110 Station Wagon, 233,000 miles, right-hand drive, manual, Bring a Trailer, July 18 2026 (not sold)

• $60,995: asking price for an original 1997 Defender 110, 145,000 miles, manual, September 2026

• $79,995: asking price for a 1995 Defender 110 Station Wagon, 166,000 miles, October 2026

• $150,199 to $249,000: asking prices for 1995 Defender 110s showing 1,000 miles or less, October 2026

• $3,858.99: US duty and fees on that $29,750 Station Wagon entered today (12.5% duty plus the Merchandise Processing and Harbor Maintenance Fees, worked out below)

• $1,200 and 14-16 days: our New Jersey to Southampton container rate, if a US-registered 110 is heading back to Britain (WCS calculator rates, October 2026)

Sales and asking prices from CLASSIC.com listings, read October 21 2026. Asking prices are what dealers want, not what cars sold for.

Which 110 to Buy: 300Tdi, NAS or a Build

Land Rover renamed the One Ten the Defender 110 in 1990, fitted the 300Tdi in 1994 and replaced it with the five-cylinder Td5 in 1998, because the Tdi could not meet Euro III emissions rules (Wikipedia). So a 300Tdi 110 is a 1994 to 1998 car, built for markets outside North America and, in most cases, right-hand drive for Britain.

North America got the NAS Defender 110 for the 1993 model year only, and the NAS Defender 90 from 1994 to 1997. Those cars were sold new here, so they never needed the 25-year rule, and they trade as a separate market. The 300Tdi 110 is the one you import.

Our view: buy the 300Tdi Station Wagon with the most original chassis and bulkhead you can find, and worry less about the miles. A 233,000-mile car that bid to $29,750 is a better starting point than a six-figure build with a new engine and a reset odometer, unless the build is what you want. Hard Tops and pickups cost less to buy and can cost far more at US customs (see the duty section below).

The 300Tdi Engine: What It Is and What to Check

The 300Tdi is a 2.5-liter turbodiesel four rated at 111 bhp (83 kW) and 195 lb-ft (264 Nm), in the same state of tune in the Defender and the Discovery. With an automatic gearbox it was rated at 122 hp (Wikipedia). In the Defender it drives through the R380 five-speed manual and a two-speed transfer box.

Nobody buys one for the numbers. It has a mechanical injection pump and no engine computer, which is why owners still fix them at the roadside, and why we think it is the Defender engine that has aged most gracefully.

Engine and gearbox checks

• Timing belt: early 300Tdi engines had a timing belt alignment problem, and Land Rover issued a revised kit. Ask for proof it was fitted and for the date of the last belt change.

• Cooling: the engine does not forgive overheating. Look for a recent coolant service and check for head gasket trouble.

• Injectors: hard starting, a rough idle and heavy smoke point to worn injectors.

• Oil leaks: the front crank seal, rocker cover gasket and oil cooler pipes are the usual places.

• EGR: some engines were fitted with EGR and many owners have removed it. Ask which you are buying.

• Gearbox: R380 second-gear synchros wear, so drive the car from cold. Transfer box output seals leak.

Chassis, Bulkhead and Body Checks

The chassis and the bulkhead decide what a 110 is worth. The body is aluminum panels on a steel frame, and the steel rots where water sits.

• Chassis: outriggers, the rear crossmember and the rails under the footwells. Replacement chassis are common on these cars, so ask for the invoice and who fitted it.

• Bulkhead: the footwells and the windscreen frame mounts. Replacing a bulkhead is a body-off job.

• Doors: the aluminum skins hide steel frames that corrode along the bottom.

• Suspension: coil springs on live axles front and rear. Worn radius arm bushes make the steering vague.

• Water: door seals, the windscreen and the roof all leak with age, and wet carpets lead to wiring faults.

Our view: pay a Land Rover specialist to inspect the car in the UK before you bid. A chassis or bulkhead that needs work costs more than the gap between a rough car and a good one, and it is cheaper to learn that before the car is in a container.

Importing a Defender 110 to the US

Every 300Tdi 110 is now 28 to 32 years old, so it clears NHTSA's 25-year rule, which counts to the month of manufacture. A car at least 21 years old and in its original configuration is also excluded from EPA import requirements. Read the build plate before you pay: its date is what counts at the border.

Duty: Station Wagon vs Hard Top

A Station Wagon enters as a passenger car under heading 8703. The base duty is 2.5%, and since July 24 2026 UK-built goods also pay Section 301, for 12.5% in total on a car 25 years or older (HTS 9903.05.81, CBP CSMS #69326983). Section 232 does not apply to vehicles 25 years or older (CBP). A Hard Top or pickup can be classified as a truck under 8704.31, where the base rate is 25% (USITC HTS). That is the chicken tax, and it is why we tell Hard Top buyers to settle the classification with their customs broker before they buy.

On the $29,750 Station Wagon above, entered today: $3,718.75 duty, a $103.05 Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464% of value) and a $37.19 Harbor Maintenance Fee (0.125%), so $3,858.99 before freight. See what duties you pay today on a classic import.

Sending a Defender from the US to Europe instead? Duty and VAT depend on the country and on whether the car qualifies there as a collector's vehicle, so check with that country's customs office before you ship.

We ship Defenders door to door, by ocean or by air. Our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey cover all of the US for imports and exports, and our own team loads every car and handles every document. A licensed customs broker files the US entry. See how we ship a collector car from pickup to delivery.