Which Discovery if at all

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Tue 22 Feb 2005 19:32
Which Discovery if at all - Hugo {P}
I have seen an N reg TDi - 3 door for £3750. 112k miles

ABS etc but not a brilliant spec and it has no alloys.

Does this sound sensible - any thoughts.

H
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Tue 22 Feb 2005 19:53
Which Discovery if at all - defender
sounds about right money for a 3 door of that milage,with a 300 series of that vintage I would check if the timing gear housing has had the modification kit fitted as the timing belt wears itself away on the front cover ,bit of a job to fit mod kit and quite expensive.the other thing to look for is the clunk caused by wear on the transfer gear as at this age it may be before the gear had an oil gallery drilled to prevent this wear .it was about the n or p reg these were modified as standard but cant remember when.
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Tue 22 Feb 2005 21:00
Which Discovery if at all - Hugo {P}
Thanks

Story is as follows:

My K reg 200 TDi went in for its MOT a couple of weeks ago and the money I saved on buying it 18 months ago, went on the welding. I negotiated some cash off the price on the basis that it needed welding, then 18 months later - it did!

The mechanic who did it has advised me that I could be looking at another similar bill next year and I want to avoid that. Mechanically it is great. it's done 102k and runs and drives really well. The only problem is that it has reached that age where the welding is now locked in a head to head race with the rust! I may be looking at inner wings etc for next year.

The problem is that I don't actually want to swap it. Although it looks a little tired it is a great workhorse (trailer tower) and provides adequate transport for the family. I and my children are very tall, so legroom is a big issue and I see MPVs as an expensive option with fewer uses for us. The rear bumper is shot and I am looking for a cheap replacement for that. There is a scrape on the off side rear and the front doors (inside) have rusted in places.

If I felt it would not cost a bomb for next year I would definitely keep it.

The way I see it I have several choices:

Get rid of the 200TDi and do without for a while whilst I look around. I am told it may be worth around £2500. It has the freestyle alloys, electric windows, central locking, recently fitted thatchem 1 alarm, towhitch with twin electrics etc etc.

Do as above and buy the 300TDi that is a lower spec

Do as above but buy a much newer - poss a TD5

Keep the 200TDi and just take a chance with the next MOT, and hunt around for a cheap bodyshop just in case!

Hugo
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Tue 22 Feb 2005 22:28
Which Discovery if at all - Pugugly {P}
Is it worth keepiung the old one as a "donor" for the newer one 12 months down the line. Buy a cheaper lower spec one and bolt on the goodies ?
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Wed 23 Feb 2005 10:07
Which Discovery if at all - Mapmaker
>Is it worth keepiung the old one as a "donor" for the newer one 12 months down the line. Buy a cheaper lower spec one and bolt on the goodies ?

I wondered that, but not if the old one is worth £2,500 and the new one is only going to cost £3,500.

Just BTW, what is the welding likely to cost you next year?

Finally, Hugo, you're a handy man. Buy yourself a welding set & you can save money & have a lot of fun into the bargain.

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Wed 23 Feb 2005 10:14
Which Discovery if at all - defender
hugo I wasnt trying to put you of only making you aware of a possible expense before you buy.the 300 engine pulls well,currently have a defender300 for the dirty work and 3.5 ton towing is not a problem.it could be that it has been modified,not 100% sure but think if it has bracket on rear of injection pump to engine block its ok .if you need more info on this I can find out for you
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Wed 23 Feb 2005 10:56
Which Discovery if at all - helicopter
Hugo - I would stick with your existing and cast around for a few quotes on welding and get a few more opinions before changing.

I also tend to agree with Mapmaker that if you are a 'hands on ' sort of person , take a trip to your local college and do a welding course.

My brother got fed up with the cost of welding and did a course at the local college when in his sixties.He then bought a welding machine and now does all his own welding.

I'm sure in your line of business it would be an additional useful skill.
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Thu 24 Feb 2005 20:03
Which Discovery if at all - Hugo {P}
You're right, I could try the welding myself. I have the space to do it, though not under cover.

The first problem is I have a small problem of a renovation 'project' aka house falling down around our ears. I am currently underpinning part of the foundations to create extra space in the basement for a utility room, downstairs loo etc. As the wife has to wear a coat in the current kitchen (no heating in that part of the house), and I need to finish the underpinning in one half of the extended basement before I can start preparing the whole of it for the new kitchen, the thought of me spending s few waking hours on the Landy will... well it doesn't bear thinking about ;)

.....and this is in addition to working for other people!

You're right, I am quite handy and can get to grips with new skills quite readily. I can also fit windows, but have just pain the extra £800 to get ours fitted by someone else, because I just don't have the time, and he can do them twice as quickly as I can.

H
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