Hi guys, hope you're all well :-)
My hubby fancies a Landrover Discovery and he's seen an N reg 2.5L auto which he's taken a shine to. However, we're both hearing quite bad things about Discoveries from that era ... anyone got any pointers? I've read HonestJohn's "good and bad" points on here and its not great reading ... but I value some input from anyone here in the know?
cheers
Patricia
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Check for rust. Sills both inner and outer (hidden behind plastic trim) boot floor, inner wings,rear arches where door covers, bottom or rear door pillars. and the rear X member and chassis outriggers.
Bear in mind it'll be 11 years old so things like anti roll bar bushes, panhard rod bushes, suspension bushes may all be a bit loose.
Check for signs of off road abuse.
A 300 tdi automatic will be slow.
Chris
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Patricia I really wouldn't bother with one of these in MY opinion (Other opinions are available!!!!)
VERY thirsty, very poor ride quality, awful bus like things to drive, noisy, badly put together, very poor customer satisfaction.
As the saying goes, whats the difference between a Discovery and a Golf Ball?
You can drive a golf ball 100 yards without any trouble : 0 )
Oh, just in case anyone was wondering my views are based on driving a three week old one for two weeks around Scotland, not some old high mileage hack!
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Why does he want one?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Barge Pole are the two words that spring to mind.....keep well away unless he's handy with the spanners and has a money tree.
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Car Mechanics has had various articles.... basic messgae is unreliable in all areas and rust.
Run away.
madf
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as I said in my earlier post....... 'other opinions are available'
Seems they all echo my opinion of this rather awful excuse for a car.
I seem to recall in the last survey it was concluded than less than 3% of off road capable vehicles in the uk actually ever go off road. I guess the remaining 87% do the school run and 10% do caravan towing.
(I get the feeling I'm going to get some stick for that last line!!!!!!!!! : o ) : o ) )
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Probably not - we owned a Disco for a while, It was actually OK and SWMBO actually missed it for a while. It did get used off road, which was probably the main reason we finally got rid of it, I was scared stiff of damaging the paint/bodywork during a close encounter with a tree or rock......Off road it was pretty good. The grotty old Defender that replaced it is better plus you can bounce it off things without worry. Older Discos are a money pit.........there are just three things to remember about an old Disco.
1. Don't
2. Don't
3. If you do - don't again.
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To be honest most Discovery supporters read these strange Disco bashing type threads and just move away with a yawn. There are huge numbers of Discovery enthusiasts that will give you all the positives as well as admitting the negatives... just not many on here. However hear is a lone voice...
A few months ago I sold our L-reg TDi Discovery after two and a half years of great service as a family vehicle. It fetched close to £2000 and was keenly sought after. Had it been a family diesel hatch of the same mileage and condition it would have made £400 so the price premium shows demand is there.
It had over 160,000 recorded and I would estimate it will go on another 60,000mls plus and many years plus before it gets anywhere near a major work vs scrapping decision.
The Tdi is a coarse engine besides car diesels, that is just a fact you live with if you want one. However they *are* very economical and better than pretty well every other large diesel 4WD of their era. Mine did about 33mpg on local use and the best was over 36mpg fully laden over a 1,500 mile Scottish hoilday. (True full tank-full tank calculated figures not guestimates). I wouldn't have an auto though.
Most of the really dodgy ones about are down to lack of maintenance or owners failing to know and anticipate the foibles. I bought mine rust free and Waxoyled it. Even as a 1993 it was some years from welding when I sold it. On the pre-sale MOT (no special preparation) is passed 100% in all respects with low emissions and no advises.
I went through all the known areas where they could be troublesome mechanically just after purchase and did the required preventative maintenance. Once that initial spend was completed it was reliable and not much more expensive to maintain than an average car.
It was a total pleasure for me and the new owner is still over the moon with it.
If you want a vehicle that will do 90% of the job associated with traditional Land Rovers yet give a massive improvement in family and road use friendly attributes the Discovery is a serious contender. Loaded up with kid's bikes, saddles, the dog and so on bumping down the muddy tracks to the field they make great sense.
Do bear in mind though, depite all my support for them above, once the baance of our needs changed where we didn't need to carry all that kit to such locations I sold it and bought a diesel estate car!
I have to mention Pugugly's assertion that his Defender is *better*. I know what he means and that it relates to his specific use. As a vehicle for mostly road use for folks who might otherwise want a car the Defender is a non-starter. For what PU wants they are hugely rewarding.
David
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I had a 300 tdi disco for 6 years and really liked it, so I was not discovery bashing in my reply to look for rust, unfortunately they do rust in similar places to the old classic range rovers they are pretty much based on. It was a very relaxing drive on the motorway and very practical for runs to diy store, dump etc.
Chris
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Fair point ChrisMo. There are many rusty examples and these do want avoiding unless you buy cheap with your eyes open as a bit of fun for a couple of years. Mine had not been used for off-roading for the first 11yrs of its life until I bought it and I think that is why it had little rust. The worse type of use for promoting rust is fun off-roading where water and mud gets into every rust trap and stays there.
It is always worth taking a Discovery friendly person (mechanic ideally) when looking at one... ten minutes looking at all the right areas can save a lot of grief.
David
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I think you've hit on the head M.M. A well balanced reply. Get a good one and it will be rewarding to own get a dog and it will empty your bank quickly
Take a Landrover expert with you before you buy. The 300TDI engine is probably one of Britains best automotive engine ever. it is still in production in south america in an enlarged 2.8L form, it is used in Ford & GM trucks there. It is reimorted here as a retrofit to Landrovers
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>>>>>I have to mention Pugugly's assertion that his Defender is *better*. I know what he means and that it relates to his specific use. As a vehicle for mostly road use for folks who might otherwise want a car the Defender is a non-starter. For what PU wants they are hugely rewarding.
AS I said in an earlier post less than 3% of off road capable vehicles in this country EVER go off road. I really cannot see the appeal of these things and having driven a new top of the range one for two weeks I have no desire to ever go near one again, never mind all of the mechanical failings of these cars.
>>>A few months ago I sold our L-reg TDi Discovery after two and a half years of great service as a family vehicle. It fetched close to £2000 and was keenly sought after. Had it been a family diesel hatch of the same mileage and condition it would have made £400 so the price premium shows demand is there.
BUT!!!! what did you pay for the Discovery two and a half years ago compared to what a family diesel would have cost?? Surely you cant be suggesting that a Disco holds its value better than a conventional hatchback? I have seen them go for less than the cost of a round of drinks at auction!
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Stuartl. You seem to have a mission to prove that no-one will like a Discovery just because you didn't. My summary was rather more objective.
You do not need to know what I bought mine for to make sense of the hatchback at £400 and the Discover at £2000. It just shows folks at that age/price point can value a Discovery at 5x that of a comparable age/mileage/condition diesel family hatch. That shows the Discovery is still commanding a huge premium for its benefits (perceived or otherwise).
But if you do insist I paid £3000 so had a great 2yrs plus for the loss of £1000... a bargain I reckon.
Obviously the round of drinks priced examples are just the sort of dogs we are hoping the OP will avoid by taking someone who knows what's what if they view any.
David
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