Disco 1 300 Tdi - auto or manual better?

I'm looking for a 300 Tdi Disco 1 to replace my V8 Range Rover, and can't decide between an auto and a manual. I've always preferred auto's in bigger cars and loved the laziness of it all in the RR, but not sure if it's such a good combination in a diesel?

I will be using it on road, green lanes, offroad (pay & play sites) and very occasional towing too - the heaviest thing will be a boat and/or a car trailer, but only once or twice a year.

I've noticed most of the Tdi's available are manuals - is the diesel engine powerful enough to make the auto worthwhile, or would I be better with a manual where you have a bit more control to encourage it to make better progress? Also, are either of them particularly weak or strong?

Cheers

Auto.

if its edc 300 as they have a few more horses to cope with auto ,std 300 manual

Sorry James, whats an EDC 300?? And how would I know?

Electronic Diesel Control fitted to all automatic Tdi's 1996MY onwards. Drive-by-wire so no accelerator cable I believe.
That's how you will know.

a friend had one and said it was crap when trying to go slow thru the fields as it would act like kangaroo petrol electronic pedal crap

i have a 98 auto use it offroad tow a trailer most days loaded,and find its ok had a manual before was abit better on fuel but like the auto better and feel its better offroad aswell..

scarecrow243 said:

a friend had one and said it was crap when trying to go slow thru the fields as it would act like kangaroo petrol electronic pedal crap

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It had something wrong with it - which is rare,the EDC is a very reliable system which can also be a problem if it goes wrong cos few people know much about them.
They never suffered any of the driver demand problems early TD5's had.
Also more reliable than a manual TDI as there is no clutch plate to wear out or fork to punch through.
A good auto 300edc doesnt give away much to a TD5 Disco,but many are badly maintained or worn out.(But still more reliable than a TD5)

have heard of the throttle sensor for the edc causing problems as they are as rare as rocking horse **** if they fail and they have all been on the road at least 12 years now.

have had 2 autos and now a manual and i wouldnt go back, manuals have so much more control you can climb in second or third low without the box trying to change, descents are much easier too and more controlled than with an auto box. 1st low just doesnt feel like it works as well using engine braking like a manual.

oh and as for autos being more reliable, a new clutch, hd fork, bearing etc in my manual cost less than £100 and could be done on a driveway. when my auto went on the RR it was closer to £1000 and had to be done by a garage

bobbler said:

have heard of the throttle sensor for the edc causing problems as they are as rare as rocking horse **** if they fail and they have all been on the road at least 12 years now.

have had 2 autos and now a manual and i wouldnt go back, manuals have so much more control you can climb in second or third low without the box trying to change, descents are much easier too and more controlled than with an auto box. 1st low just doesnt feel like it works as well using engine braking like a manual.

oh and as for autos being more reliable, a new clutch, hd fork, bearing etc in my manual cost less than £100 and could be done on a driveway. when my auto went on the RR it was closer to £1000 and had to be done by a garage

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All fair comments,but my comments are based on repairs I have carried out over many years as a LR independant,not just my own vehicles,there is nothing much bad about a manual box 300 - its far more reliable long term than any of the TD5 variants.
The throttle pot is an expensive item but not so bad if you buy it as a Bosch part number.Few of them fail though - compared to TD5 pots.I have seen several edc 300's go past 250k miles without any edc problems.Dont forget all the VAG kit that used all the edc stuff,far more reliable than the common rail crap they all use now.
My work is now more based on diagnostics and component replacement,unlike when TDI's were mainstream - then it was servicing.Boring for me,but a reliable income.Now its grief - customers car broken down,parts cost massive..... more breakdown trucks arrive than they ever did.
(There is still the welding to keep the TDI's on the road tho )

I'd say that if everyday use is what the car will be doing 99%+ of the time, go with a manual. For the slight benefits of the auto when climbing hills during pay and play sessions you will suffer worse fuel consumption for the rest of the year on the road.
For what it's worth, I had a TD5 auto and it was the worst auto gearbox I've ever had, always working far too hard (4 speed only) and incredibly thirsty for what was a low mileage, well maintained vehicle.

Personally i feel its down to personal choice i have a manual disco tdi i went for the best car that was avail for my budget and went from there i would prefer an auto cause im lazy but otherwise no complaints with the manual easy and light to drive no real ball ache

OK, thanks guys. That's good news, as neither appears to be 'weaker' than the other, so can widen my search to both and pick the best car regardless!

...i had a 300tdi auto and it was brill....just brill...on the motorway, around town, off roading and towing......
The only thing was if you want to overtake, you've got to wind them up.

would only have a manual if i couldn't get hold of an auto......ahhhh go on, go on, go on, go on!