Disco 1 or 2

I know this has been done many a time before, and I've searched and searched but still not sure what would be best for me.

Had a 98 disco tdi before but sold it a few months ago, to get an MGB. Well, I bought an MGB and it's been great but unfortunately it's not working out.
I'm an agricultural student and farm worker, and getting around farm tracks and potholed lanes, especially now the winter is setting in, is proving almost impossible, so before the snow and ice comes, I've got rid of the MG, and now I'm on the hunt for another landy.

Budget is around 2 grand, and for that I'd struggle to get a reasonable defender. I don't really want a RRC, so it's a disco.

Disco 1s are a bit more rough, and ready, the engines are gonna be easier to work on, and they're gonna be cheaper. Disco 2s are slightly more refined, the engines a pain when they go wrong, and come at a higher cost.

But I have a few specific questions?
What sort suspension do disco 2s have?
Do they have a diff lock, as well as high/ low box?
Are they noticeably nicer inside?
Is the TD5 fuel economy similar to 300tdi?

Bear in mind it'll be used for getting to and from farms during the week, and on weekends, going camping, trips to the national parks, and a fair bit of nipping around to town, gym etc.
If you were in my position, which would you get?

Cheers

very similar inside ,you can have air on rear or coils ,air can be swapped to coils for less than £100 ,wont come with diff lock but some can be retrofitted but traction control makes it unecessary,fuel economy is slightly better with 300 but only just but td5 power is much better td5 bodies dont rot, all 300s will be unless pricey import but check chassis especially at rear ,ACE is great for handling but check pipes etc on drives side chassis can be pricy to change

if youve got a 2k budget then i would sway towards an excellent 300tdi rather than a ****e TD5.Yes the TD5 is a more refined Discovery but for 2k will probably come with lots of trouble and will be a money pit where you will get a mint 300tdi and still have some change.If you get a good 300tdi there will not be a lot of difference in performance but as mentioned above the 300 will be better on fuel.

heres a small consideration , if you fix you`re own. if you cant weld get as new as pos. and check everywhere , no such thing as small bit of rust , it always turns out to be more than you think!! that said theres less to go wrong on a 200

Don't forget TD5 chassis's rust like buggery.

i'd be looking at a very very tidy 300tdi if you can find one for 2k... or spend a bit less on an ok one and keep the change to tart her up a bit!

I'd imagine a disco 2 would be mega miles, a v8 or a rot bag for 2k...

Get a series

As has already been said, My choice would be a half decent 300tdi, plenty to choose from on Ebay, but take someone who knows what they're looking at. You should get something half decent for 1k then spend the rest on fixing it up, that way you'll know its right and you'll get to know it intimately!

Dr_evil said:

Get a running series

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thats better

d2 chassis can rust at the rear commonly but still a lot easier to fix than rotten d1

jamesmartin said:

thats better

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Bastid

Cheers for the replies boys. I've had a series 3 (two actually) and they're cheap and hold their value but both were pigs to live with and I got rid of them eventually and went back to the disco. I knew my old disco inside out. To be fair it was a smart one. Sold it for well over 2 grand but was becoming a money pit, and I knew that each MOT would be more expensive as I chased the rot demons. I'm swayed towards the d2 by their looks and the fact they're less likely to be rusty, but don't want to spunk my budget only to find out the engine has a major fault that I can't fix myself. 300tdi is maybe the safer option, but td5 I would prefer. I'll just have to see what comes up.

When we were looking fo our discovery I was adament that it had to be a D1 and it had to be a V8 - I just prefer the look of the earlier model and I couldn't tollerate a diesel.
You have to be prepared to get down on all fours and have a good look underneath.

The vast majority of these vehicles seem to be heavily abused AND neglected.

We were quite fortunate in that ours had been garaged all it's life and as a result hasn't had any welding repairs. Although, we did look at almost 20 examples before settling on this one.
I remember one of the first ones we looked at was an early 3 door... I opened the drivers door and the stench of dog just hit me - it was like being punched. So that was the end of that!
Others we saw had holes in the chassis and the back inner arches.
Really, it's a case of being patient and being prepared to travel and get your hands dirty.

Even though we bought a reasonably good example, I've still had to spend a little on it. Around £300 on niggly little things that, admittedly most could have been left but I just wanted to put right.

Incidentally, I'm in a similar position to yourself. I didn't fancy doing a winter in our MGB GT V8 and destroying it with salt, so the Discovery V8 arrived a week and a half ago. The MG is up on axle stands until winter is over!

Yeh, I've bought a few classics, and number of land rovers now, so I'm well versed, in turning up to look at a car, and poking around underneath.
D2s are more expensive, and in an ideal world I'd love a Disco TD5 Adventurer. (Great spec & interior), but they are few and far between, and are expensive. To that end, I'll probably be looking at a 300tdi, as the chance of finding a good one close to home, will be much higher. I scour ebay pretty much daily for good ones, but the only ones that jump out at me, are usually just out of budget.

Anyone know how the fuel economy would differ between a Td5, and a V8i with LPG?? My fathers L322 with LPG gets as low as 8mpg around town, so I'm quite put off by that.

stick with diesel

I sold my TD5 to get a 300tdi. Far better motors, easier to work on, less electronics. Great vehicles.

Although the suggestion of a Series is always a good one

I think he should get one and fit power steering to make it more liveable if he isn't man enough to use it without

If not you could always buy a gaylander……or a jeep

ReadySalted said:

Anyone know how the fuel economy would differ between a Td5, and a V8i with LPG?? My fathers L322 with LPG gets as low as 8mpg around town, so I'm quite put off by that.

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Apparently there's not much in it between LPG V8 and Diesel in terms of fuel economy? Save for the fact that the diesel engined vehicles are glacially slow and make a heck of a racket of course...

The Rover V8 is a fantastic engine and gives few problems if properly maintained. Notwithstanding that there is an awful lot of support out there for them and plenty of options if performance improvements are on your agenda.

there is a very noticeable difference between diesel and lpg v8 and 3.9 on arent the most robust engine

I got a 3.9 v8 on lpg , in my opinion running a v8 was the best worst decision of my life, by it being lpg it makes it cheaper to run but i still think more than a tdi , i do love the v8 just wish for a few more mpg, i run a average of about 10mpg mostly local driving , friends 300tdi does 25mpg same sort of driving so would be cheaper but a v8 is cheaper to buy all down to how you want to spend your money buying it or fuelling it