PurplePickle
Well-Known Member
Im considering looking at a pre 2000 model, deisel, taking into account everything if you have one can you tell me the pros and cons youve found, which model you prefer and running costs?
thanks
thanks
Discovery owners
- Thread starter PurplePickle
- Start date
Equus Leather
Well-Known Member
Your main problem is going to be rust, rust and more rust!
We bought a P reg Disco (so 1999) this time last year for £1500 from the garage......it had a years MOT on it, which they did....and was prob a bit dodgy if i'm honest as the car has needed tons of stuff done to get it through this years....
So, areas to look out for. The sills, the boot floor (life the carpet and check along all edges, they fall out!), wheel archers and the seatbelt mountings. Under the drivers side floor.
Ours has need a grand worth of stuff doing to it (which OH is doing himself...he is NO mechanic and has never welded before, but I *think* he's doing a good job!). It's not toooo bad on the diesel, and pulls like you wouldn't even notice a trailer on the back.
You'll not get anything very tidy, don't buy one from a farmer Plus points are parts can be bought relatively cheaply off the internet, downside is the rust and general falling to bits type thing. We'll be lucky to get another year out of ours I think.
We bought a P reg Disco (so 1999) this time last year for £1500 from the garage......it had a years MOT on it, which they did....and was prob a bit dodgy if i'm honest as the car has needed tons of stuff done to get it through this years....
So, areas to look out for. The sills, the boot floor (life the carpet and check along all edges, they fall out!), wheel archers and the seatbelt mountings. Under the drivers side floor.
Ours has need a grand worth of stuff doing to it (which OH is doing himself...he is NO mechanic and has never welded before, but I *think* he's doing a good job!). It's not toooo bad on the diesel, and pulls like you wouldn't even notice a trailer on the back.
You'll not get anything very tidy, don't buy one from a farmer
Plus points are parts can be bought relatively cheaply off the internet, downside is the rust and general falling to bits type thing. We'll be lucky to get another year out of ours I think.
Colleen_Miss_Tom
Well-Known Member
We had a 1997 300 series and it pulled like a train, like the above rust can be abit of a problem but towing wise it has been fab , We now have a very very clean 2000 td5 millienium edition ( full leather, heated seats, cruise control, twin sunroofs etc etc ) and it has basically no rust ( that is visible) its also automatic which is very smooth for towing with . It also pulls like a train and I love it !
Fuel wise, the td5 is more thirsty than the 300 series basically due to it being alot heavier . But to be honest for a 4x4 it is reasonably good .
Col x
Fuel wise, the td5 is more thirsty than the 300 series basically due to it being alot heavier . But to be honest for a 4x4 it is reasonably good .
Col x
Millyard Rejects
Well-Known Member
ooooh apart from horses,dogs,cats..actually all animals 
im a mega landy fan!
had a few,killed a few. my ex was good mechanic which is good as they can be quite awkward vehicles! but he said it was just like a mechano set but bigger? find a decent garage who does work on these cars and try to get them to have a look at the one your interested in. sometimes you find newish ones that look great but are riddled with rust, sometimes u find an oldie thats in good knick for its age!
i use my sisters disco at the moment- td5 -94 reg and runs very well,not ony tows the trailer but brings the turf of the bog,oh and drags ponies out of ditches when they go bog snorkeling without the snorkel! but is also comfy enough if we have to travel on the motorway. Tax is expensive over here (ireland) but thats pretty much the case anywhere really with the size of the engine, if i had the choice and the bank roll to pay for it id choose petrol everytime-one thing me and jezza clarkson agree on diesal is the fuel of satan
but diesal is often the cheaper option and fuel ecomomy is varied depending on age of car and the condition it has been kept in but I always prefer the landrover to any other 4x4-and ive driven some right dogs!!
im a mega landy fan!had a few,killed a few. my ex was good mechanic which is good as they can be quite awkward vehicles! but he said it was just like a mechano set but bigger? find a decent garage who does work on these cars and try to get them to have a look at the one your interested in. sometimes you find newish ones that look great but are riddled with rust, sometimes u find an oldie thats in good knick for its age!
i use my sisters disco at the moment- td5 -94 reg and runs very well,not ony tows the trailer but brings the turf of the bog,oh and drags ponies out of ditches when they go bog snorkeling without the snorkel! but is also comfy enough if we have to travel on the motorway. Tax is expensive over here (ireland) but thats pretty much the case anywhere really with the size of the engine, if i had the choice and the bank roll to pay for it id choose petrol everytime-one thing me and jezza clarkson agree on diesal is the fuel of satan
but diesal is often the cheaper option and fuel ecomomy is varied depending on age of car and the condition it has been kept in but I always prefer the landrover to any other 4x4-and ive driven some right dogs!! 
Leadrope
Member
I have a '96 disco and love her to bits, however sometimes she doesn't love me! Seriously though mine has done me over 7 years so far and things have gone wrong, but all have been trivial, windows not working, water pump, battery and cheap to sort out.
It has just passed it's MOT again apart from tyres which had lasted me 4 years anyway and my garage always says that it has years left in it. They also say that parts are cheap and easier to work on. My friend has a Disco 3 that is always having something wrong and it has to go to main dealer each time to be plugged in costing a fortune!
Apart from some rust starting on the boot floor she is fine in that department. I do get the underneath wax oiled every year for winter though and I definately think that this slows the rusting down and protects it when it's wet and salty. As you can tell I'm a disco fan and I think if you're not looking for a smooth speed machine they're great for a dogs/kids/horses driver and brilliant for towing imho.
It has just passed it's MOT again apart from tyres which had lasted me 4 years anyway and my garage always says that it has years left in it. They also say that parts are cheap and easier to work on. My friend has a Disco 3 that is always having something wrong and it has to go to main dealer each time to be plugged in costing a fortune!
Apart from some rust starting on the boot floor she is fine in that department. I do get the underneath wax oiled every year for winter though and I definately think that this slows the rusting down and protects it when it's wet and salty. As you can tell I'm a disco fan and I think if you're not looking for a smooth speed machine they're great for a dogs/kids/horses driver and brilliant for towing imho.
squiz22
Well-Known Member
Hey..
I have a 2.5l disco which is 2003 so a bit newer but my parents had various for towing and using around the yard as we grew up and I have always thought they were really good. Mine is fantastic and great for towing. I am often taking out 2 large horses and it is a dream in that respect.
Mind you it has a bit of a mind of its own when it comes to the electrics and apparently thats also fairly common. Its more often that not fixed by the good old turn off, get out, lock it, un lock and turn it back on again trick!!
I'd def reccomend though whatever the year.
I have a 2.5l disco which is 2003 so a bit newer but my parents had various for towing and using around the yard as we grew up and I have always thought they were really good. Mine is fantastic and great for towing. I am often taking out 2 large horses and it is a dream in that respect.
Mind you it has a bit of a mind of its own when it comes to the electrics and apparently thats also fairly common. Its more often that not fixed by the good old turn off, get out, lock it, un lock and turn it back on again trick!!
I'd def reccomend though whatever the year.
Sanolly
Well-Known Member
I had a 1997 300 series Disco, came with a new MOT and I had a mechanic friend look over it for me and he said it was fine. However within 6 months....
*PAS box
*steering rack
*all 4 disc brakes
*electric window switches
*clutch
*handbrake
all went! It would have cost me ££££'s to fix so I sold it cheap and went back to Subaru!
I think if I was going to buy another 4x4 it would be an Isuzu.
*PAS box
*steering rack
*all 4 disc brakes
*electric window switches
*clutch
*handbrake
all went! It would have cost me ££££'s to fix so I sold it cheap and went back to Subaru!
I think if I was going to buy another 4x4 it would be an Isuzu.
Hippona
Well-Known Member
I have a 200TDi 1994 M reg...I love it.
Mechanically, its sound. No problems ( touches wood).....it did have the dreaded boot-rot and had to have welding done to get it through the last MOTthough.....I had it sealed underneath and the guy reckons it'll be good for another 3-4 years or so.
It was a top of the range model in its day...leather seats, electric windows, remote central locking etc. The leccy windows are a bit random TBH
Its the easist car I've ever driven + reversed, better visibility than a 'normal' car.
It tows like a dream....can't even feel the trailer on it. It was a godsend in the snow last year. You can get 6 bales in the back with the back seats down...
Its good on diesel, Tax is less than £200 a year and it was peanuts to insure. You can get brakes/tyres/exhaust and the usual stuff done at your local garage or Kwik fit so thats easy-peasy.
I'm going to upgrade next year to a newer model, as OH and kids keep laughing at the state of it but hey...its a working vehicle
Mechanically, its sound. No problems ( touches wood).....it did have the dreaded boot-rot and had to have welding done to get it through the last MOTthough.....I had it sealed underneath and the guy reckons it'll be good for another 3-4 years or so.
It was a top of the range model in its day...leather seats, electric windows, remote central locking etc. The leccy windows are a bit random TBH
Its the easist car I've ever driven + reversed, better visibility than a 'normal' car.It tows like a dream....can't even feel the trailer on it. It was a godsend in the snow last year. You can get 6 bales in the back with the back seats down...
Its good on diesel, Tax is less than £200 a year and it was peanuts to insure. You can get brakes/tyres/exhaust and the usual stuff done at your local garage or Kwik fit so thats easy-peasy.
I'm going to upgrade next year to a newer model, as OH and kids keep laughing at the state of it but hey...its a working vehicle
PurplePickle
Well-Known Member
thanks all, Im probably going to try and get something 97/98 ive been looking online and there are some like youve said which are badly rusted/paints oxidised.
Its deffinately going to be a work horse its for things to be put in, fetched in, kennel, but also to help with the business. I went to do a show Sunday and we almost got stuck in the field with the volvo. My OH can do most things mechanically so that will save on some things but by the sound of it tax isnt going to be much more than now with the V.
Sanolly I have thought about isuzu maybe worth having a look at some.
Its deffinately going to be a work horse its for things to be put in, fetched in, kennel, but also to help with the business. I went to do a show Sunday and we almost got stuck in the field with the volvo. My OH can do most things mechanically so that will save on some things but by the sound of it tax isnt going to be much more than now with the V.
Sanolly I have thought about isuzu maybe worth having a look at some.
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
We've hada 97 one for six years, and its great. It does have a bit of rust, and has had one or two little things go wrong, but generally its been wonderful. It tows two big irish sports in an ifor 510 and a car full of tack, kids, labs etc without batting an eyelid. We had serious snow here in the pennines, and it never faltered, going up a steep bridleway that had 3' drifts to rescue someone once!
My husband is a mechanic, and raves about it. He says the older model has a lot less problems than the new one. There aren't many other older 4x4s consistently on the roads at that age (perhaps shoguns?) which says a lot about it... Hope you finda nice one...x
My husband is a mechanic, and raves about it. He says the older model has a lot less problems than the new one. There aren't many other older 4x4s consistently on the roads at that age (perhaps shoguns?) which says a lot about it... Hope you finda nice one...x
eriskaypony
Well-Known Member
Go to an independent Land Rover specialist unless you know what you are doing. You can get good older ones but if you get a bad one then you'll be throwing money at it. You will pay a bit of a premium but since these guys rely on their reputation you will usually get a vehicle that is in decent shape for its age with not too much risk of horror stories.