Considering buying v8 Discovery any advice?

[Andrew81]

I'm considering buying a v8 discovery. My max budget is around $5000. From what i've read in the forum i'm best of with a 94 onwards Auto.

From what i've read v8 auto should be about 20ltrs/100 on gas?

Is there more maintainence and repairs needed for a landrover than a jap 4wd of the same age?

Is around 200,000km getting towards some expensive repairs with one of these?

The more i research the more confused i'm getting. There seems to be so many varied opinions on these cars. A lot of stuff i've read is full of arguments for and against. I like the look of these, seem pretty capable, are cheap and the rover v8s sound awesome.

[lucy]

I'm considering buying a v8 discovery. My max budget is around $5000. From what i've read in the forum i'm best of with a 94 onwards Auto.

From what i've read v8 auto should be about 20ltrs/100 on gas?probably a little more

Is there more maintainence and repairs needed for a landrover than a jap 4wd of the same age? No, and costs aren't any different either. Can have trouble finding someone to work on it though, but there are good specialists around, and most of the routine stuff can be done yourself

Is around 200,000km getting towards some expensive repairs with one of these? mine at 270,000km was still going strong until I wrote it off in a small prang. Engines meant to be good for 500,000km, but the auto gearbox only half that. Depends on service history

The more i research the more confused i'm getting. There seems to be so many varied opinions on these cars. A lot of stuff i've read is full of arguments for and against. I like the look of these, seem pretty capable, are cheap and the rover v8s sound awesome.

Opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one! Most of the negatives that I have ever heard have come from people who have NEVER owned one. I have had 4 Discos, still own 2 of them (his and hers). No major dramas, the minor ones are just attributable to wear and tear, happen in any make.

As far as your budget, you could probably find a lower K one for that money. Put lots of pressure on the dealer/owner. Our last purchase, only 2 months ago, was a 1997 diesel manual from a dealer for $6500, it was advertised at $11,999. We haven't found anything wrong with it yet. He had had it on the lot for about 6 months. We looked at lots of V8s too, and got one guy down to $3500 for a 1998 V8 manual with 147 000km, but I wanted the range of a diesel this time round.

You are right, they are capable, cheap, and the V8 does sound awesome!

[Andrew81]

Thanks for the info.
Wow a 98 with 145 000km is a lot of car for $3500. I'd love to find a deal like that.

Is there a problem with the manuals? Most of what i've looked at recomands the auto.

[luv4bee'n]

All I can say is be VERY careful with what you look at. I purchased my first Disco this year and have spent nearly as much as the purchase price on it as things arise. All things appeared to be excellent, service recored and overall appearance. I thought i got a bargain for less than 6k. A 97 v8 just under 200k. Then things started to go WRONG. Hand over fist the repairs come. Duno if i just got a bodgey 1 or what. You SEEM to more for your money to begin with than Jap stuff. But for Very Good reason. I've had gq's b4, n i know which way I will be goin next time. Nothn missin with nissan

[closet1092004]

The kays don't matter so much as the service history (or as I once read - how many times the drivers door's been opened!!). If it has been serviced every 5000k then it should run for ever. I bought mine with 200k (admittely 1 owner off a property) and it is now going on 400k and the only real problem has been a pump on the auto at 300k - I threw a rebuilt trans and t-case in and that's really been it - okay, it does have an appetite for alternators but has never left me stranded anywhere..

[wolfengo]

Ive had my rangie for a year and a half its 84 i had a few dramas when i bought it. The probs were head gaskets and other little things and im in the middle of changing my gearbox should be finished todai hopefully lol.

The ride of a rangie is much better than a toyota or nissan aswell.

[NASTI4]

i have a 93 3.9 auto disco, havnt had a drama apart fom the usual alternator/central locking but thats standard for a disco that just hit 250 thou...all in all pretty happy with how she does, only thing that shatters me is the lack of sleeping room, but she doesnt mind going from tree to tree and thats the main thing

[RRV839]

i have a 94 range rover, same chassis and driveline as the disco, ive had it for 12months, and i love them and think theyre great, ive had a 95 disco and 84 rangey and now a 79, havtn had a single problem with the 79 however this is what has gon wrong with the 94 range rover:

ive broken 3 rear diff centres, 1 front, brocken 2 auto's and completly fucked and borg warner x/fer case (disco's were never fitted with these) and a the centre diff in an LT230 shit itself

I now have a new auto and rebuilt LT230, ARB rear airlocker and havnt had a problem since, its done 235thou km and ive overheated it a few time off road and it still runs sweet.

I hav spent $12,000 on it in 12 months, and i bought it for $10k, HOWEVER - i do drive it really hard, and i do take it off road and i do take it to landcruiser park and glasshouse and thrash around in it, and ive gone everwhere with ease that the landcruisers and patrols go.

If i drove it like a sensible person i dont think i wouldve had one thing go wrong, everything that has gone wrong with it has been soley my fault for driving it the way i was at the time.

[chimpboy]

Query on this topic... all the dual fuel V8 discos seem to have a 70 litre gas, and 35 litre petrol tank. Which is basically not enough for my liking. Are they the only options or is there a way to get more petrol under them as well?

I am looking hard at discos to build one up for a cape york trip next year, as something more comfortable and with a bit more acceleration than the maverick.

edit:

scratch that, I found this at 4WD systems -



dual 50 litres under a 94 disco... seems good.

[GRIMACE]

Query on this topic... all the dual fuel V8 discos seem to have a 70 litre gas, and 35 litre petrol tank. Which is basically not enough for my liking. Are they the only options or is there a way to get more petrol under them as well?

I am looking hard at discos to build one up for a cape york trip next year, as something more comfortable and with a bit more acceleration than the maverick.

edit:

scratch that, I found this at 4WD systems -



dual 50 litres under a 94 disco... seems good.

Deisel not an option for you???

[chimpboy]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

[GRIMACE]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

I have been in a few tdi discos but never owned one. I am sure others will comment. But I will add that the power delivery in the three or so I have been in has been totally different in each case.

Two were rather sluggish (to the point I never wished to own one), and one I recall was not so bad.

[Loanrangie]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

My tdi auto shits all over either of the V8 rangie's i have owned, a lot punchier around town too - i'm not gentle and i keep up (or leave behind ) most traffic that tries to outrun a so called slow 4wd.

[GRIMACE]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

My tdi auto shits all over either of the V8 rangie's i have owned, a lot punchier around town too - i'm not gentle and i keep up (or leave behind ) most traffic that tries to outrun a so called slow 4wd.

This is a tdi I would like to see!

[RRV839]

it's expensive...but... there are LPG tanks made to suit range rover and disco 1's, you can get 2 36L usable capacity tanks for the sills, an 85 donut tank to replace the std fuel tank, and seeing as though i have a range rover with the spare inside, you can fit a 57L tank in place of the spare too, which gives you about 220L of usable gas capacity, couple that with a lpg injection system (which CAN be done on a 3.9 despite waht some may tell you) and you have a lot of gas and a very reliable gas system that should get decent range, and if running on straight gas like i plan too, you can take advantage of the 112 octane rating of lpg for slightly more oomph. (depending on where you get it from)

[GRIMACE]

it's expensive...but... there are LPG tanks made to suit range rover and disco 1's, you can get 2 36L usable capacity tanks for the sills, an 85 donut tank to replace the std fuel tank, and seeing as though i have a range rover with the spare inside, you can fit a 57L tank in place of the spare too, which gives you about 220L of usable gas capacity, couple that with a lpg injection system (which CAN be done on a 3.9 despite waht some may tell you) and you have a lot of gas and a very reliable gas system that should get decent range, and if running on straight gas like i plan too, you can take advantage of the 112 octane rating of lpg for slightly more oomph. (depending on where you get it from)

The 85L donut tank sounds like a good idea, never seen one in a rangie. Having about 150L or more and running straight gas setup correctly would be very freakin sweet!

[chimpboy]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

My tdi auto shits all over either of the V8 rangie's i have owned, a lot punchier around town too - i'm not gentle and i keep up (or leave behind ) most traffic that tries to outrun a so called slow 4wd.

Is there any trick to this or is this normal for them?

[Loanrangie]

Deisel not an option for you???

It is an option depending - I am gonna test drive a 2.5 tdi today to see if I can stand it. I am assuming it's less pokey than a V8 but I need to drive one to see how it feels.

I'd still probably go the dual tanks under a diesel as well, I love having big range

I also kind of have to have 32" or so mud terrains under it. This is just a thing for me. Will the diesel be happy with that?

My tdi auto shits all over either of the V8 rangie's i have owned, a lot punchier around town too - i'm not gentle and i keep up (or leave behind ) most traffic that tries to outrun a so called slow 4wd.

Is there any trick to this or is this normal for them?

Dont know, when i test drove my disco i got out of my V8 rangie and into the disco and was amazed out how well it pulled, i used to baby it around but now i drove it in the sweet zone( 2000 -3250 rpm ) and mine is stock and the pump has never been tweaked so with an IC uprade and pump tweak it would fly.