A question for Disco drivers/owners

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DiamondSR

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I am looking to sell my Freelander and get a Disco to give more reliability towing and also to try to recoupe some pennies.

Because of the recouping pennies thing, I am looking at some older models - around P reg - with c. 95k miles on the clock. However I don't want to end up with something that costs me loads in repairs, as I might as well spend all the money I get for the Freelander on something more reliable.

Does anyone have an older Disco and can you give any advice on their reliability/repair costs at this sort of age? Anything in particular I should look out for when buying?

Thanks!
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Well.....mines an M-reg 300TDi.....and as you can see from my previous post its in at the minute having tyres and brakes done, and the exhaust was replaced a couple of months ago.

That said....its in good general nick, never been off-road and done little towing. Starts first time...drives well and tows mt Rice Beaufort like a dream. Not bad on fuel...even when compared to my previous car (Golf).

Local garages have been fine with parts.

I was advised against a TD5 for various reasons (engine probs, air suspension probs) and to go for an older model...200 or 300TDi.

Look out for welding needing to be done in the boot- this is a common fault apparantly.

Ummm..thats all I can think of...I'm sure there are others more knowledgable out there
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mine is N reg V8i. Have had very few problems with it apart from the odd bit of welding inside the back doors by the rear seat belt supports. Having said that, the dam thing is off the road atm because one of the fuel lines has split (scary, scary!! high pressure gasoline spraying round the underneath of the car
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) and that is going to be a nightmare job to have done.
It is a pain though to do the little everyday things - changing bulbs etc - need skinny, double jointed wrists!

fwiw - just hired a lwb transit to do some major towing/moving and it was amazing!!! towed like a dream, easy to drive, less thirsty than the disco and loads of space.
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I have had a H reg, now an R, they do have the common boot rot problem, but its not a big job, also leaky seals around sunroofs! I got most of my parts through ebay, or Island 4 x 4s, also there is a Landy scrap yard close to me. I am, however, blessed with an OH who is a Landy enthusiast, so I never have to pay labour charges!
 
I've got an N Reg TDI which has been great. Its done 150,000 miles and I've had it 2 years so far. Its had little niggly things wrong with it which we have done ourselves - the boot being one. Its in for its first major mending session at the garage now which is having a new master cylinder etc put in which shouldn't cost too much.

Its been a fab work horse and I love it dearly!! Would def. get another one. Mine is a commercial one so no back seats - just huge boot. Its ace.
 
Thanks for all your replies - I will definitely be checking out the boot closely and it's good to know the older models actually have a better reputation.

I've also had a nightmare with sunroofs in my time so am going to try to avoid them if possible!
 
Mine's a 2001 (I think! Changed the reg lol).

It's a bit noisy, especially in a high wind! The front sunroof leaks like a good 'un. It can be a bit tiring to drive, but I do many thousands of miles a year
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. Mine has all the gizmos and electrics, and so far(!) they are all working
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Towing wise, it's brilliant
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, and has a towing limit of 3.5 tonne.
 
Just to add......mine has all the gizmos too...remote central/alarm locking, leccy windows etc....all still working fine but on occasion the rear windoms randomly decide not to work- then will be fine 5mins later. I can live with that.

Also...get leather seats if poss.....they don't stink of hoss like fabric ones.
 
I have a TD5 ATM, but had a P reg before this one. The older Discos are cheaper on fuel and have less gadgets to go wrong, e.g. the TD5 had air suspension which went wrong. It would have cost a lot to put right, so we had it replaced with springs. There are other little things that are better on the older ones, they have a better turning circle, the back passenger doors open up more, lower tax.

If you want something really reliable and reasonable to run but with more torque than a Freelander, I would recommend an Isuzu Trooper.
 
Had a 300tdi , but wanted something a little newer .

The 300 series was great and never once let us down, Pulled a big nissan navara that was stuck in the field, Little larry went in and pulled the navara out, never marked the field either ! ...GO LARRY !
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I now drive a TD5, The sunroof does leak a little , hubbie is actually going to seal it as there is no point having a sunroof over here
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It drives great and tows fantastic . We have all the usual gizmos, leather seats etc . Have to say I love the td5, also liked the 300 series, A great work horse , but the TD5 looks better .
 
Benefits of an older disco... agricultural mechanics - hard to break and when it does you just unbolt the part and bolt in a new one and there are loads of places who have the parts. I use land ranger cos they are down the road. VOSA tend to leave you alone cos it's one of the few towing vehicles that is rated to 3.5 tonnes.

Also the 200 and 300dti models do not have leaky electronics like the TD5 and the 200tdi underneath is a nut and bolt clone of a defender. Built like a tank. We also manage 35 mpg easily if not over 40 whilst NOT towing
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OK things to look out for on an older disco...

Rear boot floor. careful cos if the rot is bad it might have and usually has rotted out past the floor panel and into the rear crossmember. Underneath of the rear wheelarches - check for holes in the back door frames right under the door catch as it's the same job. check the inner wings and front footwells where they meet the front inner wings as the underseal they used was nice and thick but let water in so all that might be left is the underseal...

front body mounts by the radiator grill at the front. Classic swiss cheese area. check for undue clunks when taking up drive oh and the usual electric gremlins - remember these are older cars and as such they will not be perfect. The good news is the price of a 200tdi or earlier 300 - I've seen good ones going for less than a grand.

Hope this helps your decision. We have a '93 200tdi and though I don't want to put you off and we think ours is awesome let me just say that car taught me to weld
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We did get it for 450 quid...
 
Oooh, tell me where you've seen them for less than a grand?? The ones I have been looking at are more around £2.5k!

Thanks for all the tips too - will defo print this off and memorise before I go shopping!
 
I have a 2000 TD5 and I love it. It's the basic model so doesn't have air suspension or anything else to go wrong. Wouldn't want to tow with anything else!
Just about to sell mine as OH is buying me a new freelander as I don't need to tow anymore as I'm spoilt and he bought me a lorry in the summer!
 
Mine is an 1998 S reg 300 tdi. 138, 000 miles on the clock and to date these are what it has had done in the 3 years I have owned it.

1 1/2 sets of tyres (The tyres on it when I got it were barely legal!)
brake light bulb
head light bulb
Routine service at every blurg miles
new set of break pads and discs
two new rod arm ends on opposing corners
new number plate ( I smashed it!)
drive shaft shock absorber ( sounds far worse than it actually was)
there was something at the back of the off side wheel cant remember what it was..... it was something very simple but that got complicated (and thus expensive!)
new clutch
new clutch master and slave cylinder
windscreen sealant.

Sounds hurrendous, but it has only ever been into a mechanic twice.... once for the simple thing that turned complicated and the clutch, the rest we have done at home with a good set of tools and the haynes manual.

The thing is you service these troopers regularly and they do tend to look after you.
 
I have a P reg disco which i bought 2 years ago, has done 125,000 miles but never towed. Must admit I thought I might have problems but although I have replaced cam belt, various other parts and a bit of welding (sounds worse than it was), it has been really reliable, it is a bit tatty inside but always starts and drives really well. It is the second old disco I have had and I have to say I am impressed. I will be selling it in the New Year as have another car and two lots of road tax are a pain but I will miss it. Definitely recommend but you do have to keep them serviced and look after them, if you do I think they go on for ever. My farrier has one the same year and he says they are the most reliable and much sought after!
 
I have the 1999(t) td5
It cost £4k...
Had it since feb..
1.the active cornering enhancement pipe went on 1 side at the rear £300
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,wonder when the rest will rot through
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..possibly wont
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,am hoping,lol!
2.Had it plugged in as abs,tc,and hill descent lights keep coming on,now permenantly on,appears to be a sensor problem..will cost anywhere from £80 - £200 depending on what needs replacing
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3.Fuel pressure regulator went,cost £150
4.Had it 9months and cost us best side of £900 already
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HOWEVER
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,had planned to get rid in 3 yrs and get another,have decided against and am keeping this one,figure after all we have spent we know what is put right and we will continue to put right and it will go on and on
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NOW plus side
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Love it,the bodywork is as tidy as hell,no leaking sunroofs,just hasnt had the tlc mechanically that it should have had!
The active cornering enhancement was put on it for a reason,it keeps the car stable and stops body roll and keeps traction on all 4 wheels when cornering
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It may have cost me a few quid but the cruise control,auto and all the other gadgets make it a dream to drive
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Awesome towing machine,and it is so comfortable
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It might have cost me but have always wanted one and finally got money together and bought the newest i could afford at the time,Tis my baby,feel great when i drive it,gives me such a buzz every time i sit in it
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it is disheartening when they go wrong,as nothing seems cheap,but worth it to me when i sit in it
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Got a 96N 300TDi Disco with 206k on it. Been very reliable so far (frantically touching wood)

Last MOT cost £280 with some welding, but did spend £500 in the summer having cam belt change service etc.

Will need boot floor and drivers foot well welded next time which will be £700 +

Been to Germany, France etc with yacht on the back summer before last and in the last year I've towed the horse trailer all over the place. Isn't our main car, just used as a work horse
 
There are a few that are on autotrader or if that fails it's ebay (where we saw ours). Do remember if it's cheaper it usually needs a bit more work and I would recommend you take someone with you to check it over if you don't know your cars. 200tdi's go for less than 300tdi's as they were considered not to be as good on the road as the 300 and the interior is much better in the 300.

Frankly we got it for towing horses round so interior and whether it is good at 70mph wasn't an issue. Saying that it took us to Devon on holiday and your horse live was no problem - reliable as ever and not even tired when we got to our destinations. We're up near Chester BTW.

Also the 200's and 300's don't have all the expensive bells and whistles that tend to break so it is quite cheap to run them. Standard springs and shock suspension, no air/gas/self levelling rubbish etc... Which makes them simpler and cheaper to fix. Not saying don't look at TD5's they are very good but if it was my money being spent again it would be a 200/300tdi, most likely a 300 for myself cos I do like my wife's 200 but I prefer the 300 interior
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My apologies beforehand if we're not allowed to link to ebay... just trying to help
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here's a couple of links for ones that have sold and I think were worth grabbing and some I think will go cheap with minimum work as long as you don't mind what they look like. Being a Landy that shouldn't be a priority
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Though if you do want a totally "sorted" shiny one you will pay 2.5K as sellers know a good one will fetch money. If you are prepared to get a bit of work done or do it yourself there are a few bargains to be had...

Needed the gearbox changing... came with a replacement so cheap mechanic job....
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1993-LAND-ROVER-DI...=item255723ced1

Ours has been raised and towing is still not a problem...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1994-LAND-ROVER-DI...=item19b7c8b55e

here's some which are worth looking at now...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Landrover-Discover...=item414ad46b9f

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Landrover-Discover...=item3ca7dfcacb

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LAND-ROVER-DISCOVE...=item3357e06ab5

Just keep looking. You'd be amazed at what doesn't sell over xmas
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Frankly I'm gutted this one is in cornwall. Trust me, given the nature of a land rover this is a very easy nut and bolt fix and would take 3 panels and a headlight and grill to do... Total price including the bits (and vehicle) would probably come to around a thousand factoring in a garage doing it and it only has 66k on the clock and it has a nearly full mot

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LANDROVER-DISCOVER...=item1c0e4e8aad

Many people just can't be bothered to fix relatively simple faults (if they were on another car would they would probably be more complicated) and scrap or sell them given the financial value of the vehicle. For someone on a tight budget who wants it for "horsing about" they are worth looking at. Most places sell spares over the net and there are lots of scrapyards who happily sell the bits by post - for instance the parts to fix that last one would come to around 160 quid (plus mechanic costs) if his description is accurate. Not bad when the thing only cost you 500. For instance a REALLY rotted out floor (common occurence and ppl have them done all the time) is way more work than the one above.
 
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