Land rover discovery, any good?

S

smiles24

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2007
Messages
340
Location
essex
Visit site
Who has one? Do you like it? Is is liable and how expensive to keep on the road?

I have a shogun at the moment and am thinking that soon it will need replacing but I hate car shopping.
 
Hi there. I'm a Landrover freak so am slightly biased. Currently have a 13 yr old Disco, 4ltr ES with lpg conversion and it's great, can't fault it so far. Also had a new one (Disco 3) on lease 4 yrs ago and again it was a wonderful car to drive. One common fault is the air suspension that can often cause issues as it did on one of our Range Rovers - but no probs to date with our Discos. As with any car there will always be people who have had bad experiences, but I'm a fan.
 
I have a Discovery 3 and LOVE it! Tows like a dream - you don't even know you have a trailer behind! It's also been the most reliable 4x4 I've ever had. Gets through mud, floods and deep snow and never has a problem! :)
 
I suppose it depends which one you are looking at. The old ones are okay but getting a bit long in the tooth. I have two 300tdi on the road one for the dogs to jump in and one for us. They're good if you keep on top of them and you need to know how to pick up a spanner; or know someone who does. Neither or mine have EVER been in a garage and I do all the work myself. Bodywork rots on some.

For example, I changed my cam belt last week the kit cost me 60quid. A garage would charge 400 to do it.
 
I'm another fan, having a Discovery 3 05 plate. Love it to bits, upgraded from old style Disco after being hit by a numpty and but loved the old one as well. They pull like a dream and touch wood, no major problems encountered. Probably jinxed myself there! :)
 
I want it mainly for being able to get around in the winter and towing occasionally when needed. My shogun is fantastic (55 reg) but keeps having silly things go wrong with it that only the garage can fix. Never had that before as always did the work ourselves.
 
Have a year 2000 TD5 & hate it hate it hate it!! It's always broken, I've spent around £6-7k repairing it in the nearly 6yrs I've owned it & its been off the road more than its been on it. It's not been abused & tows 1 pony maybe once a week so nothing it shouldn't be capable of. I have just put it back on the road after forking out over £2k to have a third gearbox in it amongst other things. I will never have another again!!

To be fair though I have since been told, don't ever get a year 2000 one as they all seem to have been made on a Friday afternoon!!!! Too late for me but good advice for others :D
 
Tinap555 said:
Have a year 2000 TD5 & hate it hate it hate it!! It's always broken, I've spent around £6-7k repairing it in the nearly 6yrs I've owned it & its been off the road more than its been on it. It's not been abused & tows 1 pony maybe once a week so nothing it shouldn't be capable of. I have just put it back on the road after forking out over £2k to have a third gearbox in it amongst other things. I will never have another again!!

To be fair though I have since been told, don't ever get a year 2000 one as they all seem to have been made on a Friday afternoon!!!! Too late for me but good advice for others :D
Click to expand...

That's what I've heard about td5s. I bought the one of the very last 300tdi models (as well as my old one) so I could look after it myself. I don't like to be squeezed by a garage or dealer, just so they can hook it up to a diagnostics machine and charge me for their magic. At the end of the day little has changed with engines/transmission etc in the last few years, apart from the fact the manufacturers want to take basic care away from us owners and quite often rip people off.
 
PetalPower said:
I'm another fan, having a Discovery 3 05 plate. Love it to bits, upgraded from old style Disco after being hit by a numpty and but loved the old one as well. They pull like a dream and touch wood, no major problems encountered. Probably jinxed myself there! :)
Click to expand...

I was also hit by a numpty who 'didn't see' my old style Disco. I loved the old style petrol one I had - drank a lot but was reliable and a dream to tow with. Have a 55 plate Disco 3 now (had it since 2007) and couldn't begin to list the problems I have had with it. The problem is my OH although mechanically minded having built his own car is unable to do much work himself. Fortunately it has never broken down while towing but has had many problems - handbrake stuck on (2x) and it is electronic so had to go to garage, several different suspension and steering problems, tracking problems (unresolved), oil leaks, keys not working for no reason. immobilising itself. door handle not working (took garage 3 hours to get to the inside of the mechanism) rear door refusing to open, alternator x2. Exhaust gas recycling valve broke ( £ 500 quote to fix from landrover so had them blanked off). There are more but I can't remember. It does tow extremely well and is a dream to drive on long journeys. Just hate the wondering what will go wrong now. I won't be having another one and this is my 3rd Landrover.
 
4x4 said:
Discos are brilliant - ours has done 250,000 miles and still going strong!
Click to expand...

Oh mine's only at 150,000. I feel like a failure now :p

Mine is a fairly original 20+ year old version. It still tows well. I've owned it 6 years and in that time it's needed a clutch, and a cylinder head gasket. And a fair bit of welding it together ;) But I love mine. I'm about to move back to a lorry but that's nothing to do with the car. I'm going to hang on to the landie as it serves dual duty as a tractor. In fact when it finally dies, I may mourn a little bit.
 
Not if you want it to spend its whole time in garage, I was warned off my a 4x4 garages mechanic, he said they nothing but problems and barely leave forcourt and are back being fixed, he advised up the best 4x4 were L200 so that's what we bought and had zero issues with it.
 
We have a 2002 disco and had no problems with it. It tows really well and great for chucking all the horse stuff in the back. Will probably upgrade to a discovery 3 when we can afford it.
 
My Disco 3 2005 model is fab :) Its only ever had tyres replaced (and regular servicing obvs). Drives like a dream, very quiet and comfy and tows superbly. I get around 30mpg so not bad for a tank
 
I had Peugeot 504 pickups for years and could probably do an engine change with my eyes shut!:D Fancied a Landrover but was always put off by the price. Then got a 200, then a 300, then a Td5 90, and now a Td5 110.

Had few teething troubles with the 110 due to numpty previous owners and their even worse garage but all fixed and virtually no problems since. I love the Td5's. Just get on a decent Landrover forum and the enthusiasts there will advise on any problems. I've seen so many bad reports on the Discos, I wouldn't even bother going to look at one.

The bottom line in the ownership of any car is to look after it. Make sure the oil is kept topped up and changed at the correct intervals at the very least! Most of the problems I've encountered with LRs have been fairly minor and fixable by myself. Even smashed the 200 and re-built it making a couple of thousand profit in the process!
 
Defenders also hold onto their re sale value especialy 90s better than any other vehicle I Know.

My Comany Car Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian 32K in 10 months no trouble once they sorted the problems with the Kenwood computer and the Hard Top neither of which can be blamed on Mitsubishi.

The Nissan Navara I had previously 08 plate was the worst most unreliable dog of a vehicle that I have ever had in my charge
 
I've got a Disco 3 2006 and love it. No problems (yet) and easily my favourite towing car. So comfortable to drive. Very thirsty for diesel though and don't start me on road tax.

I actually bought a fiat 500 for day to day as it costs £70 less to fill up the tank and seems to last forever :)
 
Ansiscool said:
I've got a Disco 3 2006 and love it. No problems (yet) and easily my favourite towing car. So comfortable to drive. Very thirsty for diesel though and don't start me on road tax.

I actually bought a fiat 500 for day to day as it costs £70 less to fill up the tank and seems to last forever :)
Click to expand...

We have the same cars (nearly)! I am not a fan of the fiat 500, its a 1ltr and I seem to be filling it up all the time. I have a 53 landrover and yes it does drink fuel, and when we got it ih ad a turbo charger problem and 'switched off' as I was driving along the road :eek: Now we have fixed that it is great. Comfy on long moterway journeys and is great to tow with. Before that we had a 1996 Disco that set on fire on the A66 :eek: (not fun with a horse onthe back!), and had the engine rebuilt but had lots of little niggles after that.

When buying them, try not to buy off anyone horsey ;) They don't look after them as well as city folk :p My new one had only done 20,000 miles when I bought two years ago and didnt have tow bar, and had never been off road so was nice and tidy.
 
I had an old TDi200 which was great and reliable but as watertight as a teabag and eventually needed too much welding. Loved it though- although the electrics were totally random.

I have a 1999 TD5 which is great- the only things its needed doing is general wear and tear stuff- tyres, shockers etc. It did have a problem with starting but it was only worn solenoids in the starter and my dad repaired that for a tenner.

I love mine....great for towing and general winter stuff....can stuff up to 8 bales in the boot and carries saddles, dogs, water carriers etc. Cheap to tax and insure and not actually too bad on the diesel. I think my model has a BMW engine- or so I've been told?
 
Hippona said:
I had an old TDi200 which was great and reliable but as watertight as a teabag and eventually needed too much welding. Loved it though- although the electrics were totally random.

I have a 1999 TD5 which is great- the only things its needed doing is general wear and tear stuff- tyres, shockers etc. It did have a problem with starting but it was only worn solenoids in the starter and my dad repaired that for a tenner.

I love mine....great for towing and general winter stuff....can stuff up to 8 bales in the boot and carries saddles, dogs, water carriers etc. Cheap to tax and insure and not actually too bad on the diesel. I think my model has a BMW engine- or so I've been told?
Click to expand...

**Warning** major bore alert. The Td5 engine was the very last engine designed in house at Landrover. The BMW engine followed in later ones and are 6 cylinder not 5 (as in the Td5).
 
We traded in our Freelander for a Disco ( older version), and absolutely LOVE it ! Much safer for towing (two horses too), and a really tough old bird. :)
 
I have an auto Discovery 2, 2001, fantastic towing machine, big enough for me, 4 kids, 2 dogs/tack/shopping. Watch for head gasket probs (££££ OUCH)
I wouldn't be without mine, I was the only one who could get to our yard in the snow last year.
 
I have a Discovery 3 (06). I love it, you don't even feel like you're towing. Not had any problems yet - as I run to touch wood 👉 and get around 30mpg, if I'm really careful I can get 36mpg.
 
The real trouble with Discos is that you feel so safe and protected, high up and "in a tank" that getting into anything else you just feel...well..so vulnerable and low down ;) And boy, does ours move (TD5 auto) if you want her too - we don't cos of the fuel though.

I have a feeling that we may be the only liveries able to get to the yard before too long.
 
Have an 03 reg Disco, its our 3rd variation of the LR family owned and has been great to run and as a towing machine. I love it! Defender 90 was freezing cold in the winter and a complete gas guzzler, the Freelander was nice to drive but not up to towing really.
Agree about not buying one off someone horsey - ours was a 'Chelsea Tractor' in its previous life, I think the only offroading it had ever done was a golf course car park :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top