another towing queestion

[tsandu]

looking at buying a bigger boat.. but that will meen we need to get rid of the suzuki gv.. (still deciding if we will go through with this as it will be lotza $$..

anyway boat/trailer will weigh in at approx 3000kg.. so looking at a 4wd to suit.. main options are a patrol or landcruiser, both with ratings of 3500kg.. The thing is as this is the 2nd car, that will be used either by me or my wife, i would prefer to get the more economical choice.. i was initially looking at the prado, but thats only 2500kg rating.. so outa the question.. i seen the nissan navara dual cab has a 3000kg limit and so does the new pathfinder.. and since they are smaller would be more ecomonical.. i wanna stay away from the jeep's and land cruisers as parts seem to be $$$ any other options i have missed?

i'd like to get a 2000+ year model (the newer the less hassle).. i do go abit 4wding.. but not serieous rock crawling etc.. stuff like fraser island, or katoomba etc.. I would like to stay in the $20-30k range..

whats peoples opinions on best choice.. and reasons why.. also mention petrol or diesel etc..

[ISUZUROVER]

TDi or TD5 discovery or defender. Equivalent towing capacity as cruiser and patrol, but probably the most economical diesel out there. I know some people with 300TDi discoveries and a very light right fiit that can get 8L/100km (or even just under). Even with a heavy right foot you will find it hard to go over 10. A discovery or Range Rover V8 on gas would probably be another good option.

[tsandu]

but how are the td5's for parts.. servicing ? i dont know to much about td5's.. but am guessing you are speaking about the 2.5L td ? how reliable are they? thee soesnt seem to be that many around, so guessing cant find parts at wreckers if needed.. since they come from uk.. amd guessing spares would be a $$$$$$$$ ?? if parts werent pricey, i would agree that the td5 seems great..

at 100,000k's how tired are the engines? i am guessing turbo's need to be rebuilt.. (do they use commonly available turbo's?)

(p.s) can a intercooler be fitted to them, and the boost raised slighly? can the stock ecu be reprogrammed (or do yo need piggy back computers to correct fuel?)

thank you for feedback

[POS]

Yep, TD5 or TDi Disco.

I have a 96 V8 Disco and it toes the buggy, trailer and heaps of gear (over 2 ton) and you hardly know its there.

The only reason i know i am towing something is due to watching the fuel needle drop at a great rate of knots. This won't be as much of an issue with a TD5.

Legally tow 3500kg (braked)

[ISUZUROVER]

but how are the td5's for parts.. servicing ? i dont know to much about td5's.. but am guessing you are speaking about the 2.5L td ? how reliable are they? thee soesnt seem to be that many around, so guessing cant find parts at wreckers if needed.. since they come from uk.. amd guessing spares would be a $$$$$$$$ ?? if parts werent pricey, i would agree that the td5 seems great..

at 100,000k's how tired are the engines? i am guessing turbo's need to be rebuilt.. (do they use commonly available turbo's?)

(p.s) can a intercooler be fitted to them, and the boost raised slighly? can the stock ecu be reprogrammed (or do yo need piggy back computers to correct fuel?)

thank you for feedback

The TDi and TD5 are both 2.5L, except one is 4cyl and one is 5cyl.

The 200TDi was made between 1989 and 1993. The 300TDi between 1993 and 1999/2000, and the TD5 from then on.

All engines are intercooled and all have pretty good performance from stock. The TDi engines have completely machanical injection and can be easily tweaked by increasing the boost and fuelling. There are detailled instructions with pics on how to do this in the rover section.

The TD5s are EFI diesels, and can be tweaked by changing the chip.

Parts for all engines are available from wreckers, and also for reasonable prices at (non dealer) parts suppliers. They are pretty easy to work on yourself. Servicing and maintenance is no more than for a nissan or toyota.

The engines and turbos should do a lot more than 100k km. If you find one with 100k that has been looked after it should be fine for a lot longer.

Plenty more info on what to look at when checking out second hand models is around in the rover section.

[adamj1300]

ur talking about a 2.5 engine in a 2.3 tonne truck & wanting to put another 3 on the bak that little engine is gonna be working its cyclinders off. land rovers are nortories for having lack of realibilty issues ( read up on some of there history) hence crap resale

u wanna wanna stay away from from land cruisers coz u the parts seem seem more expensive ill be my left tescitle that a land rover part will be as lot more expensive than a land cruiser

if u want something simple & realiable & decent economy. that would pull the boat easy i would be looking at a land cruiser or patrol the land rover is only a tad more economic coz of the smaller motor! & will not last anywhere near as long!

[Slunnie]

Be prepared to lose that testicle then.

The TD5's are fine, have proven to be reliable, economical and if anything should last longer due to the filtration system in them. The Discovery is as reliable as the next 4WD.