Honest John,
I am considering the purchase of a 1997 (R) Reg Discovery Arden 2.5Tdi Auto. with 71,000 miles on the clock. I have read test reports etc. and some of the backroom messages. Has anyone got and advice or tips as to what I should look out for.
Thanks
Fozz
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Personally, I'd be looking out for a Toyota dealer :-)
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Cheap breakdown recovery?
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Blankets, a flask and a spare battery for the mobile
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Renault Family.
After your recent purchase I would say glass houses and stones should come to mind.
;-)
MM
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Fozz
Its a love hate vehicle. If you are extremely lucky then you may pick up a good one which will still cost you a wedge to keep on the road as service and LR parts are very expensive. If it is a bad one then it will truly be a off road vehicle - always in the garage.
When on song there isnt a better vehicle for comfort and an experience to drive once you get used to its quirks and capabilities.
Go to www.lro.com
and
www.tinyurl.com/bq47
to get comments from the owners and some of the problems.
DVD
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Renault Family. After your recent purchase I would say glass houses and stones should come to mind. ;-) MM
What is the French for ostrich?
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They've definitely got a certain something about them, Fozz. The fact that you don't see too many with personalised plates on is a testament to the fact that people tend to buy for practical reasons rather than mere ego enhancement.
But...there's a lot that's not so practical about older Discos. If you check out the Car-by-Car Breakdown you'll get some feel for the need to be very careful and very sure about what you;re buying. Transmission problems are legion and build quality generally doesn't match the prices.
The auto does a decent enough job with the old diesel, but don't expect fireworks on the acceleration front, do expect the edge to go off the economy. Remember that though it's comfortable upfront and has a huge loadbay it's quite cramped in the back because of the wheelarch intrusion from a short wheelbase (which also means the rear windows only go halfway down).
If you're going to buy one of these then buy it because you need it, not because you like the idea of having one.
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Great car. Easy and comfortable to drive. Great on long distances, only bettered off road by other Land Rovers. Go to a specialist for parts and they are dirt cheap.
I bought four brand new BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres for £320 and they will last 85,000 miles. Compare that with these experts here who tell you what great cars they drive and then complain because their tyres only last 10,000 miles. Rear wiper blade/rubber £3:50.
If ever there was a load of crap spouted about a make of vehicle this is it.
Look for usual car things. Then look for water ingress in the alpine lights running into the rear load area. Look for abuse off road also.
Go for it. I did and now I can't get to use it as my wife always has it!
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This is all well and good if you're willing to go the extra mile for a specialist, but that rather sums the Disco up: it is a specialist vehicle and unless you need it for specialist reasons there are far more effective (and cost-effective) ways of getting the job done.
Yes, it's a nice vehicle in its own way, but to suggest that what everybody else says about it is a load of carp illustrates the distance between the average driver and people with a passion for specialist vehicles.
If you have a passion for it you'll learn to live with its foibles, forgive its sins, find ways round them. If you don't have that passion...well, you tend to think a vehicle like a Disco isn't worth the trouble.
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Morris Ox,
But what if you bought an eight year old Disco TDi and in two years it never broke down and only cost stndard services at the local garage....and to top it all the whole family loved it.
Then it can't be all bad can it?
MM
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Horses for course - if you love the Disco and it suits your lifestyle that's great.
You sound like you found a bargain and one of the many which didn't have problems.
But you know as well as I do that if a car does what it says on the box no one says anything. If, however, it lets you down, word spread like wildfire. And you get threads like this.
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MO,
No I don't own one but I look after three mid 90s Discos.
Broadly speaking once we have got them up to scratch from past skipped maintenance they have all been reasonable to run and enjoyed by the owning family.
Honestly I would tell you if these three were complete rubbish.
They have given the owners less grief and more pleasure than some people carriers and hatches I look after that are about the same age.
I wouldn't want to run one every day for the "car" use I have but if I wanted a Series LR with more comfort I'd carefully look for a used Disco in the £6K range.
MM
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>only bettered off road by other Land Rovers<
Obviously never heard about or driven the 80 Series Cruiser and Gelenderwagon, both with 3 lockers and both reliable.
They will leave any LR for dead off road.
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but I don't have to go the extra mile. The main dealer is further away than a specialist mec. And I use Bearmach who are also nearer.
So if I and many others like them we are in a specialised area, if you don't like them it must be true!
I'm happy with mine. If I say come back in 30 years with your same vehicle and tell me how good it's been and we'll compare notes OK?
Tell you what to make it easier for you I'll average mine out:
19.4 yrs. ok the Disco is a little new and sways the figures a lot. So come back in 20 years and we'll compare nots. Tell me just how good the Toyota has been.
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>Has anyone got and advice or tips as to what I should look out for<
Make sure your AA membership is up to date and your stoicism is properly tuned. Get a good cell phone and a stout pair of walking shoes. Get into Practice by spending an hour or so flushing tanners down the carsie, wait a month and then repeat the exercise. Stay well clear of JD Powers surveys, Which magazine and any other reliability data.
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