buying a disco

[hollyrock]

hello, i,m thinking of buying a 97,98 v8i disco and was interested to know of any related problems associated with these models, and a ballpark price I should pay. I have never owned a landrover before, I am only intending to use it for general use, so any information would be great, Thanks ,Paul.

[Bush65]

Don't overlook a good TDi.

[justinC]

The only problem is a very expensive one...FUEL.
As already said, don't overlook a good diesel.

[stuee]

Make sure its been serviced by a landrover service centre or a reputable landrover specialist at the correct service intervals and you should have a good buy. Our disco is a 1997 v8i SE and atm is great accept for some rust forming around the alpine windows. Our body is in pretty good condition because its had a cut and poish at minimum intervals of 6 months and we are sure to give it a good clean after using it offroad.

Driveline so far has been good except for some vibrations when we got new tyres which turned out to be an out of round bf goodrich (going coopers next time and i'll try my luck with them).

By now springs should have been replaced (our shockers are fine atm and are surprisingly good for original equipment) and if the hoses and fan belts havn't been replaced yet do that.

I can't really help you out with real bad issues since ours hasn't had any (mainly due to such good treatment of the car cause its been in the family since new).

Like the others say look out for good diesels because the v8 is gutless anyway and fuel econmy is scary to say the least.

[phippsey]

The thing about discos that gets me is the price variation.

Compare;

I saw a 1997 Tdi for 13,500 ono, in reasonably good nick

Then an idiot with 25,000 on a V8i 1998, with only LPG!

Then a 1992 for $14,000, then a 1993 Tdi for 8,900.

I'm looking at the moment, and while I really love V8s, I just can't find a decent 1995-> LPG for $12-14. People just don't fit gas to discos, which is crazy, after owning a 78 rangie on gas they were THIRSTY, esp on the beach, like 40-50L/100km.

What do you lot reckon about the Tdi Man vs Auto. I had a few relpies going on about the auto, but a bloke the other day reckoned they were 'uninspiring' in performance. But are they strong, that's what I what to know, or should I go for a 1994 Rangie on LPG (also seamingly hard to find!)

Later

[TuffRR]

I can strongly recommend the auto tdi. It's suprisingly not as slow as you might expect. You just have to drive a few, some are slugs and some go well. There are cheap and easy mods you can do to make them better as well.

There is a big difference between a tdi disco and and V8 Rangie both with strong points. Work out what you want it for and this should make it easier to decide which one suits.

[hollyrock]

Hi Phippsey, thanks for your info, and I,m in the same mind as you, the price diff is strange, I think that the Tdi sounds better than petrol for economy, but are there any really bad points mechanicaly or with the running gear on either of the discos, Paul.

[TuffRR]

If you are looking at a 300Tdi (which i recommend you do), make sure it has had the timing belt / pulley upgrade done. If not, they are prone to snap the timing belt which can cause quite a few problems.

Other than this, the tdi is a pretty strong reliable motor. The autos are also good, but there were some problems with the manuals. I got a 98 tdi with low kms for about $16k so if you hunt around you can get yourself quite a bargain. There is one on ebay at the moment which looks pretty good for the price (i think it was about $13k).

[PK]

I drive a 99 series 1 V8 on gas (and petrol) and couldn't be happier. Know the service history, as if you get onto a bad one, you'll hate it. Auto seems to be the go (ZF trans is bulletproof).
So far I've done Fraser, Camerons Corner, Old Strzelecki, Flinders Ranges, and numerous trips throughout Vic, mostly towing a camper trailer. Next March is Birdsville.
Serviced regularly, 190000km, just had new fan, clutch fan and radiator cleaned out, but apart from that I've owned it for 100,000 km and haven't spent a cent on it (touch wood!)
Only problem on LPG is that fuel tank is only about 40 litres, so I carry 2 jerry cans on extended trips, and use LPG as the reserve tank if there is no LPG available - eg filled LPG at Broken Hill, ran petrol to Innamincka and back to Wilpena, used LPG as reserve from Arkaroola.

Good luck!