Driving experience - later versus earlier Disco?

Hi all. I did a search which didn't really answer my question so here goes.
I currently have a 300 tdi seven seater, a 96 car. I currently sorn it for seven months of the year then out she comes for winter. She's not a bad one really.

As times are hard and I am downsizing my landscaping business I am thinking of getting rid of my van, and my summer car, and running one vehicle to save costs like RFL, insurance, servicing etc. Pulling a trailer etc. Judging by Autotrader etc I could potentially go for something 2001-2004. Am ambivalent about diesel or LPG, as running costs seem to be similar ish.

What I want to know is how practical as a full time car are they and how is the driving experience compared to an early car like mine? If I am going to divert serious funds in this direction it needs to be a real step up if you know what I mean.......Real world impressions/experiences are invaluable I find.

Cheers

John

I had a year 2000 td5 manual box with 130k on the clock and I now have a 1995 300tdi with 80k on the clock. The td5 is quieter and a bit smoother, ecu remap makes a lot of difference to power and economy but with a bigger intercooler and pump tweak my 300tdi "feels" comparable powerwise but the td5 is nicer to drive especially on the motorways
Td5s are much more complex and they have some nasty traits, for instance body rot is almost non exsitant but the chassis is another story, on mine the rear half literally fell off,( so look carefully even on the later ones.
heads are prone to cracking and the dreaded oil pump bolt failure can strike whatever the age. Then there is minor problems like oil in the ecu and fuel regulator leaks. ACE system is really good when its working but expensive to fix when not,and rear air suspension need to be looked after

Personally I would rather own a td5 than a 300tdi but the reality is I cant afford to. The 300 tdi is not without problems, the biggest being rust but they are much more spanner friendly which suits me and my wallet much better.

this is just my personal experience

HTH
Dave

I had a 96 300tdi and have now got a 03 td5. Now I'm not too mechanically minded and I use mine for towing my pony and getting to the yard in adverse weather, as per the last few days! Now I loved my old one, it was smooth, sturdy and absolutely did what I needed it to do, my new one does the same job...with bells on! The air suspension is an absolute asset, drives beautifully, is a power house in the snow and I think is better in this instance than my older one. Also it's our family car and it offers that bit more luxury when not using it as its intended..a workhorse. I have the XS model (as was the 96) it's a pleasure to drive!

Guys this is good, thanks.
Is the later model a lot less agricultural than the earlier one ? I remember years back i had an early G Wagen, then I drove a later one and the difference was astounding. Both good machines in their own rights.

My Dad had one of the later Td5 bells and whistles edition (which I drove a lot, usually chauferring him back from the pub) and I now have a 300V8 and the overriding impressions were that the Td5 wasn't really as well built inside as the price tag would have you believe (he had just moved from a merc C class though) although still very much a disco and the 300V8 is a bit rattly and agricultural but she's bloody capable and not bad for her age...
My Dad also had one of the very early 200Tdi 3drs back in '90 and always said the TD5 was a better tow vehicle. I'm not sure how much of that can be attributed to the fact it's longer or to the air suspension though.

sidewaysste said:

My Dad had one of the later Td5 bells and whistles edition (which I drove a lot, usually chauferring him back from the pub) and I now have a 300V8 and the overriding impressions were that the Td5 wasn't really as well built inside as the price tag would have you believe (he had just moved from a merc C class though) although still very much a disco and the 300V8 is a bit rattly and agricultural but she's bloody capable and not bad for her age...
My Dad also had one of the very early 200Tdi 3drs back in '90 and always said the TD5 was a better tow vehicle. I'm not sure how much of that can be attributed to the fact it's longer or to the air suspension though.

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What's a 300v8? either it;s a 300tdi or it's a v8 it can't be both :doh:

Did someone step on your plums? I mean a V8 built from '94 to 98, a facelifted series 1 disco, a vehicle built alongside the diesel 300 Tdi commonly referred to as the 300 series as to differentiate from the earlier 200 series. I'm fairly sure you knew that really.....

sidewaysste said:

Did someone step on your plums? I mean a V8 built from '94 to 98, a facelifted series 1 disco, a vehicle built alongside the diesel 300 Tdi commonly referred to as the 300 series as to differentiate from the earlier 200 series. I'm fairly sure you knew that really.....

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Nope they're all D1's and you then add the Engine type so D1 200tdi or just a 200tdi 300tdi and early or late V8

:kettlepot:So you're telling me you didn't know what I meant? Stop being pedantic. Bit rich considering your signature.... :kettlepot::fencing:

That will be right the 300 series as we all know the range by, starting with the 95MY and ending with the 98MY. If you include the 200 series we then have three types of V8 engines available through the life of the D1. Strange that "facelift" is used more for the D2 than used with the D1. Even a main dealer will use the "series" word when speaking about D1s.

As for are Td5 any better, well I have had in the past a few test drives on road and off road days after being pesuaded by my LR dealer that getting a updated disco is the best thing to do so I kept thinking about it.

Anyway the driving position was the same so nothing changed there, dashboard was similar but with a few extra buttons for gizmos I wouldn't use. I found Td5 was quiet 'surprise' and just like my D1 on the road, but that diesel knocking sound can be heard at tick over I even had to turn up the radio not a good point and I was driving a ES Td5 so bad point there. My D1 just has the rev counter to tell me the engine was running although I now have slight exhaust burble at the tail pipe after fitting a stainless exhaust.

The Td5 do have a lot of extra stuff over my D1 but it was stuff I have no need for so wouldn't use.
So bottom line is I passed on D2s and saved my £32K and as for the D2s gizmo to help with cornering I still couldn't go any faster round a roundabout.

sidewaysste said:

:kettlepot:So you're telling me you didn't know what I meant? Stop being pedantic. Bit rich considering your signature.... :kettlepot::fencing:

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Which bit There's a lot there???

True. Also I'm bored of winding you up now.

jonnyboy54321 said:

Hi all. I did a search which didn't really answer my question so here goes.
I currently have a 300 tdi seven seater, a 96 car. I currently sorn it for seven months of the year then out she comes for winter. She's not a bad one really.

As times are hard and I am downsizing my landscaping business I am thinking of getting rid of my van, and my summer car, and running one vehicle to save costs like RFL, insurance, servicing etc. Pulling a trailer etc. Judging by Autotrader etc I could potentially go for something 2001-2004. Am ambivalent about diesel or LPG, as running costs seem to be similar ish.

What I want to know is how practical as a full time car are they and how is the driving experience compared to an early car like mine? If I am going to divert serious funds in this direction it needs to be a real step up if you know what I mean.......Real world impressions/experiences are invaluable I find.

Cheers

John

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Hello John, I've had TDi 200, TDi 300 and TD5's and I can say without question that a good spec TD5 is as good an everyday car as you could wish for ( bearing in mind it weighs 2250kgs and only had 136bhp in std trim.

My best TD5 was a 2002 ES auto and it was really beautiful - very luxurious and cosseting, not bad on fuel - 30mpg in my hands and a pleasure to own.

However, all LR products should only be owned by enthusiasts imo. If anyone buys one and expects it to run and cost the same as an average family car will be sadly disappointed.

They do need more looking after and preventative maintenance than average cars, but they are not average !!! I've taken mine to the Sahara desert, through snow that you couldn't walk in, never mind drive in!!!

I've towed trailers large and small through long distances and would do it again without hesitation.

As you can see they are not just for the school run

It does sound like a facelift is for me.
Looking at the budget though, £5-10k, I'm seriously wondering whether a v8 LPG may be better for me than the td5? I know the v8's are prone to overheating problems but if I can get one thats had the CHG's done then I'm thinking I get the performance, am a bit more green, and they are a fair bit cheaper than the diesels. Or is a chipped td5 really that much more nippy than standard?
Thoughts?

jonnyboy54321 said:

It does sound like a facelift is for me.
Looking at the budget though, £5-10k, I'm seriously wondering whether a v8 LPG may be better for me than the td5? I know the v8's are prone to overheating problems but if I can get one thats had the CHG's done then I'm thinking I get the performance, am a bit more green, and they are a fair bit cheaper than the diesels. Or is a chipped td5 really that much more nippy than standard?
Thoughts?

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A re-mapped TD5 is a wonderfull Discovery to drive. The re-map really makes it come to life, especially lower down the rev range.

If I had your budget, and considering what you want the vehicle for, ( pretty much EXACTLY what LR designed it for ! ), then I would go for a " facelift " D2, TD5.

You should be able to find a decent spec one, with less than 100,000 miles on it for between £5500 and £7500. I would then put the remainder of your budget aside JUST INCASE you have any big repair bills.

I bought my 2002 TD5 4 years ago with 60,000 miles on it, and in that time, its had most of the " common " failures, and is now just shy of 100,000 miles. It has been used as the main family car and on and around farms and pulling large trailers. I,ve done all my own maintanence, and I still hav,nt spent more than £1000 on it !.

Good luck.

Del.

Thanks Del

I do have a weakness for performance, can you tell?!

Which remap did you go for?

Also worth adding to the budget is a hawkeye will save you loads of money in the long run

Sent from my ARCHOS 80G9 using Tapatalk

jonnyboy54321 said:

Thanks Del

I do have a weakness for performance, can you tell?!

Which remap did you go for?

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Just remember these D2's weigh in at 22-2300kgs - so performance is not the first word I would apply to any of them.

A correctly tuned TD5 manual will have the legs on a v8 petrol all day long imho.

Bear in mind with a v8 petrol/lpg combo you have two separate fuel systems, so the potential for twice as much trouble.

Test drive a TD5 std manual car, then imagine it better by 15% without loss of mpg and you'll be near what a re-mapped TD5 can do.

If you like performance the autobox will drive you nuts!!! The Torque converter spills too much engine power so even though the engine is producing the business it gets lost in the TC. You can get a modified TC but by the time your done it'll cost the thick end of £800 to change.

As said previously the remap done by Mike at Dynachip cost £225

Good luck

Dave

has to be automatic for me i'm afraid, mrs only has an auto licence (and i do prefer them to be fair). when I say performance I am a realist!! I know its not a 4.2tdi q7, been there and done that. I drive an iveco doublecab for work right now, and at nights its a 300 tdi. more about driveability than out and out power
hmmm

As Dave has said already, you need to be spanner-wise if you're going to run a Disco long-term.

The D2 V8 on lpg is fine, as long as the engine is sound and has the correct coolant mix. Ours has done 42k miles since we put a new genuine short motor in it, and is our main vehicle for towing out two trailer, 2600kg and 3500kg.

Ours is manual, by preference, I think the auto box is pretty good but there's going to be a fuel cost associated with it.

Most of the problems with early V8's revolve around liner/block rusting and liner movement. Later engines appear to have got round the issues, and a late D2 should have the cross-bolted block like ours.

LPG really needs to be set up properly and check annually, our guy does it with his laptop and updates the LPG ECU at the same time.

185bhp is good, but can be thirsty! we get 14mpg-16mpg running around, down to 10mpg with the big trailer in hills, but at 69.9p a litre that's bearable.

Peter