are disco's that bad???????

i'm on my third disco and i'm certain you can't find a better allround vehicle, yes they do break but they are also extremely easy to work on when compared with the jap crap not too mention far cheaper on parts and general running costs, i work for a small coach company, about a year ago we had a double decker coach weighing in at around 15 ton break down just over a mile from our depot i went out with the gaffer to have a look and realising that it could'nt be repaired in situ decided to tow it back to the yard with his brand new shogun only to find that the clutch just couldn't handle it so we returned to yard to call for proper recovery at which point we were reminded of the presence of my g reg 200tdi disco so after some pondering and persuasion from me that it could handle it!! we returned to the coach to try again. hooked on the chain, engaged low box 1st gear and away we went in to second, third ,fourth and took a slow but uneventful journey back to the yard the disco never missed a beat. so i'm sure you can imagine my opinion on jap 4x4's. That said not all japs are bad i also own a mx5 for when the sun shines and that has been superb considering it stands for weeks at a time without moving it never misses a beat..

frankieboy said:

thanks for quick replys restored a bit of faith.

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Your welcome but you do have to look after them for them to look after you If it does break fix it asap, dont wait for mot time not worth it

when i was looking for a 4x4 i considered buying a jap one but done some pricing on parts and and checking how easy they are to work on done the same with land rovers bought a 300 tdi disco not long after and love it even working on it aint that bad actually spent today getting covered in oil ,only goes to garage as last resort as i do as much as i can meself saves me alot of money not being ripped off by garages

A series 1 is like driving a jelly on stilts. and its slow. driving position is good though. pajero requires bailey 22footer to rear with optional crome pack.

series 2 td5 is outstnding offroad especially with ace and air. it will go everyhere a defender will ( aprt from that poxy front bumper )
But it will breakdown, as an idea. started offroading mine. and...

abs unit 800
flywheel and clutch unit 900
abs wheel sensor 70
front diff 250
injector loom 90
starter motor 170 ( for a new one OE cheap ithought 350 for a jap)
4 new shocks 35 each ( bearmach)

watch for leaking sunroofs very common and can kill under the dash ecu's on td5.

However the ride position is the best you can get, axle articulation is outstanding. pajero's are particulaly bad for lifting front wheels.

I think I have been very unlucky with mine. but i would still by another
without hesitation. the ramp travel index on a disco 2 with ace and air is better than a discovery 1 with a 2 inch lift.

GrahamT said:

A series 1 is like driving a jelly on stilts. and its slow. driving position is good though. pajero requires bailey 22footer to rear with optional crome pack.

series 2 td5 is outstnding offroad especially with ace and air. it will go everyhere a defender will ( aprt from that poxy front bumper )
But it will breakdown, as an idea. started offroading mine. and...

abs unit 800
flywheel and clutch unit 900
abs wheel sensor 70
front diff 250
injector loom 90
starter motor 170 ( for a new one OE cheap ithought 350 for a jap)
4 new shocks 35 each ( bearmach)

watch for leaking sunroofs very common and can kill under the dash ecu's on td5.

However the ride position is the best you can get, axle articulation is outstanding. pajero's are particulaly bad for lifting front wheels.

I think I have been very unlucky with mine. but i would still by another
without hesitation. the ramp travel index on a disco 2 with ace and air is better than a discovery 1 with a 2 inch lift.

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The speed limit in the UK is 70mph on motorways and my series 1 200tdi supprises most people at traffic lights that come up the outside lane

I have said this before, most of your repair bills were electronic,
and how can the starter motor failure be caused by off roading. How often did you stall it

Front diff would be down to bad driving

Why the front diff, and not any other. How dare you condemn my driving Im brilliant!!! the starter probably got wet.
the rear diff actually feels like its got some slack in it now.
maybe moving the 5 ton digger didnt help? plus i do tow a lot with a plant trailer and smaller digger, sat on the wheighbridge last week 6.2 ton gross

How you suprise people, coz i dont think pulling accross is sensible
be real the td5 is slow, and thats a lot quicker than a tdi.

but it is like a jelly though. oh and the dashboard falls of the early ones

The enjoyment of any landrover is enhanced if you are prepared to get your hands dirty. If you put any vehicle in the hands of a mechanic its going to cost. 4x4`s more so.
I have always been a keen amateur mechanic and i took on my disco with the acceptance that i would maintain it through thick and thin.I enjoy working on it as part of the pride of ownership.Using it is just the cream on top.

GrahamT said:

Why the front diff, and not any other. How dare you condemn my driving Im brilliant!!! the starter probably got wet.
the rear diff actually feels like its got some slack in it now.
maybe moving the 5 ton digger didnt help? plus i do tow a lot with a plant trailer and smaller digger, sat on the wheighbridge last week 6.2 ton gross

How you suprise people, coz i dont think pulling accross is sensible
be real the td5 is slow, and thats a lot quicker than a tdi.

but it is like a jelly though. oh and the dashboard falls of the early ones

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When did I say I pulled across????
might not let em in mind you they tend not to argue to much with 2 ton of steel, many try tho

The jap crap is a poor imitation, don't fall for it. If you just want it to go to the shops, you'll probably be ok but don't ask them to do any real work like pull stuff or go offroad. I always laugh hard when I see one with cart springs or stupid big shiny wheels, called something dumb like "monster" or whatever.

I've got a '94 200tdi and it easily does everything I ask of it, sure there's a few niggles now and again but it's done 160k. Engine is fine, body has a bit of rust in a few places that I'm slowly sorting out bit by bit. It's never broken down (touch wood!) and over the time I've had it, total cost of ownership is quite low really.

I love the disco, would definitely buy another.

woot said:

The jap crap is a poor imitation, don't fall for it. If you just want it to go to the shops, you'll probably be ok but don't ask them to do any real work like pull stuff or go offroad.

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agreed with you there.

went picking up on saturday on a shoot by my place in the midlands (****ed it down all day). the guns had a shogun, new porsche4x4 and 2 of those warrior king cab pickup things and a classic rangy.

pulled the two pickups out once, pulled the porsche out twice and we left the shogun for them to sort out the next day. only car on 100% road tyres was the rangy, was the only one of em that didnt get stuck.

did the towing out with my 300tdi p plate, and i'm only on 60/40 tyres.

would definatly buy another disco.

have used 300tdi disco for last 3 years as daily driver.
Been to France/Belgium with caravan.
Only replacements other than springs/water pump are consumables

sashtony said:

have used 300tdi disco for last 3 years as daily driver.
Been to France/Belgium with caravan.
Only replacements other than springs/water pump are consumables

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Guess by consumables on a landrover you mean. axles, shafts, diffs, oil, transfer shaft,

I've had three (200, 300 and TD5). The 300 I bought new and it was seriously unreliable, but I reckon I was unlucky. 200 was old slow and agricultural but went beautifully. Did have to replace the gearbox after a fast run with a heavy trailer, and it was very rusty. Got rid of it when it started to overheat on motorways. TD5 is by far the best to drive. It has gone through two head gaskets and an ACE pump and the sunroofs leak but I love it. It's good off road too (we drove it to Turkey and took it up a few mountains to do some surveying). As regards fuel consumption, I find doing 60 instead of 80 improves it by 50%. TD5 won't run on veg oil though. Only slitty I'd look at would be a Toyota - reliable as hell, good off road (well I drove one once, and it was!) but boring.

PASTMASTER said:

. TD5 won't run on veg oil though.

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OH YES IT DOSE!

do you have to alter anything to make it run on veg oil or just pour it in the tank

mondo said:

OH YES IT DOSE!

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Vegetable Bob says it doesn't Diesel Bob Tuning - Vegetable Bob and I'm not prepared to risk buying a new fuel pump if he's right. How many miles have you done on it? I run mine on up to 50% recycled chip oil though whenever I can get near a supplier. I use Pure Fuels Ltd - London's Biodiesel Company

at the end off the day ur askin the question on a land rover forum they will say that there better, same if u ask on there forums but i would have a landy anyday

PASTMASTER said:

Vegetable Bob says it doesn't Diesel Bob Tuning - Vegetable Bob and I'm not prepared to risk buying a new fuel pump if he's right. How many miles have you done on it? I run mine on up to 50% recycled chip oil though whenever I can get near a supplier. I use Pure Fuels Ltd - London's Biodiesel Company

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What is recycled chip oil if it isn't veg oil??

if discos are supposed to be so bad, just think when you last saw a g,h,j reg toyota or nissan on the road.

I went to see a 1992 Nissan Patrol for sale a few years ago, RUST! NEVER EVER seen anything like it, it was like a kin tea bag there were that many oles in it!!!!

Anycar's going to be the worst investment you will ever make!
Land Rover bit's are cheap and they are easy to work on and great to drive.