Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I'm looking at possibily buying a Discovery for long tripping and off roading.

Are there any things I should look out for when buying? engines, gear boxes, year models etc.

I hear the td5 with auto is a good combination. Want to spend up to about $40k.

Hi!

I have a V8i 95 auto and love it!

The Auto is the choice as the manual boxes do have a few problems!

I think its a personal choice when it comes to choosing between V8 and the td5.

I choose the V8 as i have to tow my comp rig around, however i have heard that the td5 is quite a capable tow rig aswell!

The V8 is thirsty but its fun!

The only Problem i have had with it so far (brought it over a year ago) is the alternator packed it in! Brought a reconditioned one for $190.00.

By the way i have owned 3 toyotas in the past and i would never go back after owning a Rover!

Discos are very reliable IMO a V8 is the safest bet as they are great motors which will serve you well even when they are half buggered.

TDI or TD5 needs some special care and attention when buying and I would advise driving a lot of them to give you an idea of which are slow and down on power and which run well. Get a specialist to check
any possibilities as they can cost big $$ to repair.

Check this thread.

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11185&highlight=disco+gearbox

For a bit of info on potential problems.

Sam

Pos

What puts you off toyotas? or What do you like so much about Landrovers/discos?

Scooter wrote:Pos

What puts you off toyotas? or What do you like so much about Landrovers/discos?

I was needing a tow rig for my comp rig (which is still a Lux, sort of) and was looking around at 80 series etc, took a shait load for a drive and then i was driving past a rover place and thought hey those Disco can go alright. Took one for a spin and brought one 2 weeks later!!! They just drove 1000 times better than any toyota i have been in.

I have nothing bad to say about toyotas ( they are reliable) but the ride and power was just so much better in a disco!!!

I was thinking too. One other problem i had with mine is that the bolt that holds the belt tensioner on broke. Easy fix!

Heres a must, dont buy one earlier than 95 as 94 models and earlier have course axle splines. If you want to do some long tripping go the td5 as the eccomomy is better, you get more k's to the tank.

Ben

Heres a must, dont buy one earlier than 95 as 94 models and earlier have course axle splines. If you want to do some long tripping go the td5 as the eccomomy is better, you get more k's to the tank.

Ben

I am a little confused about the diesel.
I keep hearing that they cost alot to fix.
1) What sort of problems are we talking about and at what sort of cost?
2) Are these problems/repairs related to poor maintenance, inherent fault/design or
3) Is the cost of repairing a diesel offset by the better fuel economy compared to the V8?
4) How does the cost to have work done on the V8 compare when heavier fuel consumption is considered?

I would (and have) gone the TD5 auto.

It does use more fuel than the Tdi, though also puts out more power. The engine so far seems to be very very strong. I have heard of turbo air hose delaminating in the odd high km unit, though maintaining it is of course necessary. The ZF auto and t/f are also strong. If you want to hammer it like there is no tomorrow just keep an eye on the front double cardin drive shaft, if it breaks it will take out the transmission. The DC is not greasable and sealed for life, which would be fine if mud never got in there. At the rear just watch the jurid coupling (rotoflex) for failure. Also look for the CDL nut on top of the transfer to allow you to fit a mechanism to lock the center diff. The CDL nut was removed on 2002 until the recent update AFAIK. ACE is awsome on and off road and seems to be reliable. This will totally unlock the sway bars for max articulation when off road. There is the option for rear air suspension which is great if you want up to a 2" lift. There are some odd stories of airbags/compressors with slow leaks or failing when airborne.

Im often amazed when in the bush touring how there is always at least one person that will tell me how the Discos are crap because the injectors are $2000 each to replace (x5). On one hand it is true, on the other hand I have only heard of 1 person (on both Aussie and internation D2 lists) that has had to replace an injector which was due to complications in repairing a damaged motor from a flop. In terms of Diesel vs V8 costs, I honestly think the TD5 wins hands down, the V8 is a great engine, but not as fault free.

One thing that does fail it seems is the ABS sensors,, which have just dropped from $1500 to $300 for the hub assembly.

I would look for an LR dealer service history and only buy one with it. Very good trucks though the D2's.

If you buy one, also make sure you never overheat it - This can stuff the head on the TD5

When did ACE come into being?
What sort of k's up to would you purchase on a diesel engine that has been well maintained?
What k's is on yours before and since purchase?

Scooter wrote:I am a little confused about the diesel.
I keep hearing that they cost alot to fix.
1) What sort of problems are we talking about and at what sort of cost?
2) Are these problems/repairs related to poor maintenance, inherent fault/design or
3) Is the cost of repairing a diesel offset by the better fuel economy compared to the V8?
4) How does the cost to have work done on the V8 compare when heavier fuel consumption is considered?

I believe that the main problems with the 300tdi are the injectors and fuel pump. I think the cost to rebuild these is about $3000 (somebody please correct me if Im wrong here).

I was intending to buy a 300tdi disco with 5 speed and test drove about 10 of them over a few months. I think that almost everyone one of them had something a little bit wrong with them (in most instances the motors were slow to come on boost or were underpowered). My sister has one of these and hers goes really well so I had something to compare performance with (although only by seat of the pants). I was only looking at cheaper models though (up to say $25000) so they mostly had a few km on them. By the end of testing so many cars I basically gave up on buying a 300tdi and test drove one V8 auto and bought it.

A 300tdi 5 speed will do better than 10L/100km and a V8 auto will generally do worse than 20L/100km in my experience. With a V8 you really have to be trying to get into the 15l/100km range (constant 100km/h running with very little throttle movement)

Its funny that my 4.6 HSE P38 easily gets better than 13l/100km at 100km/h and always gets under 15s on generall driving.

Sam

Scooter wrote:When did ACE come into being?
What sort of k's up to would you purchase on a diesel engine that has been well maintained?
What k's is on yours before and since purchase?

ACE came out with the series2 Discos as an option on the base spec, standard on the ES. (1999 though)
I bought new and now have 53000kms on the clock
I'm not sure what the ultimate longevity of the TD5 is, they are only a few years old. Still, less k's the better.