Buying a second hand discovery

[Aussie_4Runner]

G'day all,

I'm no the market for a second hand car and I've been looking at Land Rover Discoveries. I haven't driven one before, and I really don't know too much about them.

Are you blokes able to give me a bit of a heads up on their pro's and con's or anything to look at/for when buying one? I'd be looking at the 2.5TD in a manual... probably late 90's - that’s about what my budget will cater for.

Are there any renowned/recurring problems with them?
What’s the performance like on road?
What’s the performance like on off road?
What are the Diesels like for fuel consumption?
Why should I buy one over a Toyota, Nissan or other vehicle type?

Sorry for the direct approach, I'm just after some straight forward advice.

Predominantly it would be driven on the highway 5 days a week - I drive from Brisbane to the Gold Coast for Uni. But then on the weekends it would be up on the beach at Double Island Point or in the bush somewhere.

Any advice that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated. Fell free to throw any comments on the V8s too.

Cheers,

Clemmo.

[RRV839]

hmmm, its a range rover, and i havnt seen one yet that doesnt leak any oil, on the deisels most commonly around the filter housings and rocker covers, but thats notthing that cant be slowed down (note: i didnt say fixed), they dont have enough go for me, i drive a 3.9 v8, but i am an 18yr old so a bit of a revhead, on road performance, id say with standard suspension handle just as well if not better than rivals, if u leave the swaybars alone, can be fuel efficient if maintaing, the injectors can tend to get leaky at over 2ooclicks and runs rich, blows smoke and has even LESS poke, cruising, they r great on the highway, off road will go pretty much anywhere u point unless u r really hardcore, ive taken mine most places in lcmp and heaps more and goes same places a 3in lifter patrol or cruiser will go, have good under diff clearanre, WHY SHOULD U BUY ONE- BECASUE THEY ARE JUST BETTER - they have charecter, drive nicely, and ifu have a little bit of an idea of what ur doing go further and are more refined. however my money is still on a multi point gas injected 3.9 - and id have an auto

[Loanrangie]

hmmm, its a range rover, and i havnt seen one yet that doesnt leak any oil, on the deisels most commonly around the filter housings and rocker covers, but thats notthing that cant be slowed down (note: i didnt say fixed), they dont have enough go for me, i drive a 3.9 v8, but i am an 18yr old so a bit of a revhead, on road performance, id say with standard suspension handle just as well if not better than rivals, if u leave the swaybars alone, can be fuel efficient if maintaing, the injectors can tend to get leaky at over 2ooclicks and runs rich, blows smoke and has even LESS poke, cruising, they r great on the highway, off road will go pretty much anywhere u point unless u r really hardcore, ive taken mine most places in lcmp and heaps more and goes same places a 3in lifter patrol or cruiser will go, have good under diff clearanre, WHY SHOULD U BUY ONE- BECASUE THEY ARE JUST BETTER - they have charecter, drive nicely, and ifu have a little bit of an idea of what ur doing go further and are more refined. however my money is still on a multi point gas injected 3.9 - and id have an auto

He's talking disco not RR, biggest worry with TDI is overheating which will sometimes require a new head ($1500+ ) and the timing belt if it hasnt been replaced with the upgrade kit. Otherwise they are quite agile and very economical, buy one over a jap crap well just take 1 for a drive and you'll know why. If you find a V8 on lpg for a good price i would consider one also. I only have 1 minor ps fluid leak on mine and thats it so thay arent all oil sieves.

[Jeff80]

Be careful of the series 1 Disco. 8 spine axles and offroad dont mix. This was fixed on series 2 I believe...

[DK]

Be careful of the series 1 Disco. 8 spine axles and offroad dont mix. This was fixed on series 2 I believe...

They were 10 spline axles until the 1994 update then they went to 24 spline.

[Mark2]

They ride well and are good off-road. The seating position is great and the economy from the 2.5TD is good. They have weaker drivetrains than say, a GQ, and are harder to lift and fit big tyres. When you drive one, you may not like the clunks in the driveline, the lack of bottom end torque in the manual 2.5D or the whine from the transfer case. In general, they are less tolerant of poor servicing than most Japanese vehicles. Unless you are already familiar with the quirks or are prepared to become an 'enthusiast' and get your hands dirty, I would not recommend buying an older Landrover, particularly for long commutes.
If you are used to Japanese build quality/consistency and reliability, there may be some disapointments down the track. You asked if you should buy one over a Japanese vehicle, my feeling is that if you have to to ask, the answer is probably no. I dont mean any offense, just trying to save you pain down the track.

I would consider buying a Corolla etc etc for the daily commute and if you really want a Landy, an old Range Rover for playing on the weekend. Unless money is no issue, my experience with 4WD's has been that it is often more comfortable and cheaper to own two older cheaper vehicles (a commuter and a plaything) than to try and do both with one.

[Aussie_4Runner]

Thanks for your feedback guys,

I have been driving a Toyota 4Runner for the past 3 years, but I lost it a few months ago when a concrete truck ran into me on the M1. I must admit, I did like the 4Runner as it took me everywhere I pointed it and I never had a problem with it mechanically. I would happily get another, but I'm looking around before hand.

The general consensus that I get is to aim for a series 2 Discovery, not a series 1? What are the differences between the series 1 and series 2? I know that the Diesel series 1 are a 4 cylinder motor, and the series 2 are 5 cylinder motors, but apart from that, are there many other differences/changes that Land Rover have implemented?

Cheers,

Clemmo.

[Zute]

I got my TD5 for just under 20 grand 160 000km 2001 plated.
Main thing Ive found is poor servicing can be the cause of most faults.
Try this forum: www.aulro.com But remember, people go on forums when they have a problem. Not when things are going well.

[Hobie18]

Hey Clemmo, If your after info you could also speak to MR Autmotive at Redcliffe, they do a lot of servicing work. They are Land Rover and Mini specialists. We are in Brisbane and always get them to do the work on our rangies

Good Luck