Disco 1 or Disco 2?

Hi guys,
New to the forum so please be gentle
Looking to get back into the world of land rovers, been eyeing up the Discovery as a suitable model for my current situation. I have a budget of roughly £2000 max, my question is; with that budget am I better buying a good nick disco 1 or a high mileage perhaps slightly tatty disco 2? My main desire is to have a reliable machine that will last me and that I can work on myself. Also, any buying advice regarding the 2 models would be greatly appreciated.
Also I apologise in advance if this thread has been posted several times in the past!

Cheers,
Mike

Make sure you pop to the introduce yourself page mate....

personally id go for a disco 2 if you had a bigger buget. They are alot more refined and comfy.

however for workability a 300tdi would win you can take them to bits with ease and parts are everywhere.

Bound to have issues with both I would think with I expect to be the last D1s or early D2s unless u can find a fully serviced one owner vehicle, if your desire is to have a reliable machine, but that may be a bit more than £2k.

Also lot more electrical kit to a D2 if u think u would use it.

I would have thought for your budget a decent D1 is on the cards. D2's look good, but to my mind they're a bit fragile compared to a D1 - read into that what you will!

Far less electrickery on a D1, and as you'll be looking at the pretty much the oldest D2's that are likely to be quite tatty I'd stick with a D1 as I have!

Welcome mike , these cars are all over 10 years old now, there is nothing special about a land rover they rot and wear out the same as any other make,but you can maintain them your self. I have owned a 300 series disco, bought a D2 in 2002 the first facelift in town and have looked after it. If you buy a car this old you are buying problems ,if you want a hobby ,can afford to run these cars, go for it, try and find a one owner Disco with all its history and you are in with a chance , good luck. Den. There is nothing fragile about a D2!

Fragile - I'm referring to the aging leccy bits and things like ACE which is a big and expensive system to replace or do away with, the plastic covered bumpers that crack quite easily and the air sus.

Those 3-4 things that my D1 does not have, but my brother in laws 2003 facelift D2 does have - he's had to replace them all in the last year to the tune of about £2400.

If it gets bumped it has to be repaired, I must have been lucky with mine , Only had to replace rear air springs and one near side wheel hub , its now done 112,000 miles half of which towing 1800 kg of caravan around Europe. O ,I forgot plenty of normal servicing.

I have disco 1 and looking to upgrade to a 2 or perhaps 3.
What puts me off is the fact I can repair the 1 myself and cheaply. And I can still drive 100's of miles in comfort to a pay n play site, kick it's butt. And drive home again . I go to the tip, with the house/ garden rubbish without worry. I use it daily on school run, or work. But towing, of rich I have done alot of this year is and issue.I'm getting 14 mpg , normally I get 32-34 mpg so it seems to effect it hugely. So fancy something a bit newer that will tow easier and more efficiently. But really struggle every time I go to change. It really does all if you look after them mechanically, which is really straightforward.

Rust kills both; body on d1 and chassis on d2. Check v carefully. D1 is cheaper to buy and 300tdi is still a nice engine to drive plus cheap to fix. Both use r380 and lt230 so similar there. I bought a d1 as it was a bit more old school so easier to fix. Shame ive had to fix fecking loads! My fault tho.

For that sort of budget id say disco 1 and that way you will have some cash left over to fix it when it breaks ,which they both will !

Cheers for the replies, gents. Comfort isn't really an issue as I've been used to Series/defenders. By the sounds of it a decent disco 1 sounds like the way forward, which is what I expected to be honest! Now the hunt begins..

Cheers,
Mike

Had the same issue when i was buying one.... I ended up going for a D1 duethe ease of getting parts and being able to repair easy(ish)ly!