Land Rover Discovery,should i buy it?

[cooter]

mate i have had a g60 patrol a series 3 and a 94 disco tdi and mates have a zook a 95 hilux and oo gu all have had problems yes rovers have weak axels but there are various mods to make them stronger but it all comes down to what U want to do with it a daily driver that goes bush once a month or full blown beast?

[460cixy]

again it seems the only antis are those that have had MATES with rovers. i find it hard to swallow. anyways as for reliable i have a 72 rangies and the list of repairs are as follows. one reco 3.5 v8 mind you its 30 years old and and cost around 1500 for parts and machineing i put it together. not bad sing for a tojo i beleave you wouldent see any change out of around 3/4g . it had the transfer reshimed by me for about 20 bucks in shim plate and oil. not bad for 30 years old at the time. one broken right hand axel from driveing on the road with a welded diff towing a car trailer for a year. yet the axels are spose to be weak im fucked if i know how ppl break them. brakes have never been touched except pads the old four speed box and front diff ans cvs have not missed a beat. i wheeled it around camberra most weekends moved to qld and used it as a farm hack and for towing dads triton and kubota tractor out of the mud and wheeled most weekends at rainbow. but dont look at buying a rover cause some jappers mate said there shit

[lucy]

Why the persistent comments on 33s?

Remember, discos are standard 29s, so 33s are 4 inches bigger. Thats a lot of extra load on the axles, diffs etc. compared with a Nissan going from 31 to 33s. And we all know nissan overengineered the drive train, which was a commendable foresight. But then they do need an extra four to six inches of lift (ducks for cover with flame suit at the ready - see, I have learnt something from this forum)

[Craig E]

Land Rovers are one of the best 4x4s on the planet. They have no more problems or cost any more to fix than any other 4x4. Priced a Toyota engine lately? I have had and driven most and value for money Landies win hands down, no contest. Most of the negative comments come from Bozo's who have never even been in a Land Rover let alone owned one. Most of the stories you hear are second hand fairy tales made up by Toymota drivers. All brands have there problems, faults and shortcomings. Land Rovers are no worse than any other. Most of this dribble comes from under endowed Toymota owners who would not know the first thing about 4x4s. Value for money on the second hand market nothing even comes close. I remember when my Dad blew up his Toyota in 1988, it was going to cost im $12k then to get it fixed. Get a parts list for Toyotas and then compare. Ask most Toyopta 80 series owners about the speed wobble they get at 80kph that Toyota does not know how to fix.
Each to their own but all the hype over LRs is propoganda perpetated by crappy jappy owners and sellers.

[460cixy]

Each to their own but all the hype over LRs is propoganda perpetated by crappy jappy owners and sellers.

hahaha thats clasic but simply true. my old man picked up an early v8 disco to ad to his 4x4 hire fleet at fraiser and asked me over and over will the gear box shit will the diffs snap will the electrics shit. in the end he picked up a disco v8 auto 2 door and so far its the only 4x4 his got that has not failed in the hands of pommy/german/what ever tourists. 2 years no break downs no rust just oil and filters no electronic gremlins except one door lock actuator and a alarm key fob cause the tool took the keys for a swim lol. his now looking at selling his busness and wants to travel around a bit and loves his landy and recons he wont get rid of it anytime soon. i should also say that its duel fuel and gets better econemy than his 6cyl 98 falcon when his running on petrol. shits me off so many ppl knock them but never willing to give one a go .

[igould]

I have posted this in the Rover section but thought i should try to get some unbiased opinions.

So Brett, how do you like the unbiased opinions?

[mabsydney]

No, been there, done that.

Now I got a Patrol....go Nissan

[igould]

FWIW, I've had my 97 Disco v8 for about 2 1/2 years. Bought it at 198,000km, now done 250,000km. I haven't flogged it, but don't baby it either. After all, it's meant to be used.
Expenses apart from normal servicing:
$500 for major service (at about 230,000km) and repairs to broken distrubutor shaft (my fault). Vacuum unit replaced at same time because it was leaking. I'm more than happy with that price.
About $100 for parts to replace rear bearings both sides after one side let go (at about 235,000km). I may have contributed to this problem (see my avatar).
$800 for re-cored radiator, new thermostat and power cooling system flush at about 248,000km.

All in all, I have no complaints about the running costs. Apart from my own stupidity, there are no costs I wouldn't expect from any car with this sort of mileage.

A friend has to replace 1 engine mount in his 2000 Astra. $460 for the part, $35 to fit! My engine mounts are $16.50 each, retail.

On top of that, it still drives like a new car. No rattles, no funny noises. Almost every time I drive it, I comment on how much I love it. (My family gets sick of hearing it). I've had literally dozens of cars, from Morris Minors to Porsches, luxury cars, utes, v8s, classic cars, new cars. This would be my favourite. My son prefers to drive this car to any of our other 5 cars, with the possible exception of his brother's GT-R32 Godzilla Skyline (not surprisingly).

No matter what you decide to buy, get it checked out by someone who knows that make.

Cheers,
Ian

[vladtepes]

I am constantly amazed by the 'tunnel vision' that seems to affflict OTHER 4wd owners about Land Rovers. Many have never driven one. Sure som have had bad experiences that have put them off the marque. Fair enuff

BUT

You'd be naive to assert that Toyotas / Nissans / Jeeps / ssan, ssyah, other brands haven't got problems.

Nissan 3.0l engione failures, LandCruiser 100 series IFS failures. ANd the dealer backup in such instances from THOSE manufacturers has been far from respectable.

My parents, for example, bought a NEW Jackeroo from Holden for a round Aus trip and every time somethign has gone wrong, Holden has tried to blame them for it. And all they do is tow a van and do a little bit of light off-roading.

So dismiss the opinions of the biased - you can tell them a mile away cozs they are the vitriolic posts. They are rubbish and unhelpful. And I mean this on both sides of the argument.

Research the FACTS. Drive a range of vehicles - offroad if you get the chance. And decide for yourself what is best for YOU. Most of all enjoy whatever you buy.


There was one piece of advice I;d agree with - with a small budget I'd say go a pertrol rather than a high kms diesel - petrol maintenace costs are uch lower, even to the extent of offsetting increased fuel consumption. The forte of diesels is in range for touring. If you;re not primarily using it for touring, then go the petrol.

Cheers
Mike.

P.S. If you buy a Defender, other Defender drivers will wave at you. Some would say itys our way of saying " Not you too, you poor bugger!" . They'd be wrong.

Luck.

[bad_religion_au]

Research the FACTS. Drive a range of vehicles - offroad if you get the chance. And decide for yourself what is best for YOU. Most of all enjoy whatever you buy.
.

erm how do you get the facts if you disregard any post that might say negative things about rovers? isn't that infact biasing your result?

and how does drivinga range of vehicles give you an idea of long term reliability?

[Aquarangie]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

Ingorance is infectious. My experience from Jap 4WD owners regards to LR's is that a mate of a mate had one and always broke down, cost thousands to spend and we always put shit on him about having one. This scenario is what I have heard time and time again.

Remember opinions are like arseholes, everyones got one.

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

Best way to get into LR's is join a club. Always plenty of blokes who have had or still own a LR of your choice. People are friendly and very helpful and can save you a small fortune. Plus forums like this or any of the LR based forums are also invaluble info.

All 4WD have weaknesses, it's just unfoertunate LR's are easily exploited by narrow-minded twits who couldn't find there arse with both hands and a roadmap.

That's all from me. Hope you make the right decision, regardless if you buy a Nissan or a Landie.

Trav

[scratchedsafari]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

[igould]

anyone else confused?

Not at all, but then I'm one of the converts.

[Aquarangie]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

Just you I guess Are you trying to pick a fight or are you just shit stirring

Trav

[bad_religion_au]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

Lucas electronics wired his brain?

[Aquarangie]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

Lucas electronics wired his brain?

Probably did

If not, I would of bought a Nissan and been like everyone else. I like to be diffrent


Trav

[scratchedsafari]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

Just you I guess Are you trying to pick a fight or are you just shit stirring

Trav

nah just wondering why if they are so reliable, you need to be mechanically minded, have the patience of a saint, and own lots of tools?

[Aquarangie]

Go the Land Rover. There a great 4WD and despite what the Jap 4WD set say, they are reliable.

...blah blah blah...

I do agree that if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota and be bored shitless with it. LR's have tons of personality (vehicles and drivers) but can test you patience at times, plus it gives you and excuse to expand your tool kit .

anyone else confused?

Just you I guess Are you trying to pick a fight or are you just shit stirring

Trav

nah just wondering why if they are so reliable, you need to be mechanically minded, have the patience of a saint, and own lots of tools?

A bloke can't have too many tools

I was refering to being mechanically minded, you will need a good tool kit to do anything past servicing and oil changes, that goes with any DIY work

I'm probably one of the most impatient people around and I manage to keep my Rangie going, and reliable.

Trav

[Bundy_Harry]

hows this for confused and I have been thinking about doing it for a while.
way off topic now - Land Rover series IIA SWB with a 1UZ-FE mated to that sweet straight cut, gear box
I reckon it'd be great

[drivesafe]

It’s good to see another open forum turned into one more landy site.

[mabsydney]

It’s good to see another open forum turned into one more landy site.

Hmm time to get off the crack pipe methinks

[drivesafe]

Hi mabsydney, I suppose if you drive anything other than landy, you probably need something to get you through the day, as knowing what your missing out on as you drive home is enough to send you to substance abuse in an attempt to help you get over your mistake of NOT buying a landy.

[Zute]

Hey Brett, go buy a Mitsubishi Pajero. Had my 12 year old NJ for 9 years. Dosn't get me everywhere, but it go's to a lot of places, and its mostly stock.
Been to:
Cape York ( let down by aftermarket shocks )
Laura to Maytown
Flinders
Vic high country
Act High country
Blue mts


Or maybe a Jackaroo.

[scratchedsafari]

I was refering to being mechanically minded, you will need a good tool kit to do anything past servicing and oil changes, that goes with any DIY work

backpeddaling? its pretty clear you were saying if you own a rover you need to be more mechanically minded than if you own a jap truck:

...if you are not mechanically minded, buy a Nissan or Toyota...

[dirtyGQ]

Buy what you want just make sure.
A. You pay the right money that way you will have something to fall back on if it breaks or needs repairs.
B.Get a full mechanical and rust inspection.
C.make sure you like it for all right reasons (i bought a good f250 4wd but i hate it )
I don't know much about them but are like most 4wd's are high in cost when it comes to parts and labor.
3.0 LTR NISSANS SHIT THEMSELVES (BLOW UP)
HILUX'S ARE WEAK AS PISS (AXLES AND DIFF)
GQ'S SHIT POWER STEER PUMPS
80 SERIES TOYOTA DIESELS DROP BEARING
AND LANDROVERS ARE POMMY !