Looking at a Discovery

Hi all, first post so be gentle

Looking at getting a Disco as my next car, will be used mainly on the road but will probably end up in the mud at some point, for any bikers on here I also have a KTM Adventure that regularly gets taken down the lanes

Anyway, the logic in getting a 4x4 is that the roads on the IOW are terrible, and work means I usually end up on building sites or having to park in silly places, I'm getting sick of grounding out the Focus I currently drive and would like something that's fairly comfy and relaxing to drive.

Sooo, been discussing the subject with a friend who has one already and reckon I'll be looking for a 300tdi of some description, a late model, and I'm just trying to find out if there are any things I should be aware of? I've already been told about the rusty rear arches and boot liner, it seems the rust is the major killer of the Disco, especially in the UK.

What other things should I be looking at or know about when buying?

- Are there any big services or major parts that need replacing at xxx miles?
- How many miles is the 300tdi engine good for? I probably rack up 10k pa so I'll be adding 50,000 to the mileage in the likely time I'd own it for
- Are the 300tdi models really that slow? I'm not looking for spaceship performance, I tend to drive fairly sedately anyway, if anyone could compare it to a 1.8TDCi Focus that'd be great...
- Is it possible to create a comfortable road going Disco that still has the balls to handle some mid-to-gentle off road stuff?

Budget is flexible, the idea being that instead of buying a £6/7k on a newer motor I'd spend ~£3k on a half tidy Disco and put the rest into a "Tarting up and replacing the bits that fell off" fund...

The newest 300Tdi Discovery is going to be 10+ years old by now. Also the late model 300s seem to hold their value as everyone runs scared of the early TD5.

Personally I would get the best and newest that you can afford and spend some money of decent set of "All Terrain" tyres. The BFG ATs that I have on my pickup get me most places and that includes across sandy soil and ex-gravel quarries when I am setting up trials sections.

With respect to major services items, the 300Tdi needs a cam belt every 70k miles. The TD5 has a chain and in theory this will not need changing. The only other major fault with a 300 is the "P" gasket behind the water pump failing.

If you want the performance of yer chav mobile, you want a tuned TD5. If you want a workhorse that is cheaply and easily repaired by yourself, you want a 300tdi.

300tdi's are good for 300k miles. As you already know tin worm is the main killer. you are better off with a rot free high mileage vehicle than you are a rusty low mileage one.

You should expect around half the exceleration of your chav mobile out of a good 300tdi lump.

I'm a regular visitor to the isle of corkheads and always bring my landy over due to the crap roads. If it's mainly the island that yer gonna be driving, the 300tdi will do you proud. You just gotta remember that they are top heavy and with the subsidence and dodgy cambers on a lot of the islands roads, you cannot drive it like you would yer car.

the_lone_wolf said:

Hi all, first post so be gentle

Looking at getting a Disco as my next car, will be used mainly on the road but will probably end up in the mud at some point, for any bikers on here I also have a KTM Adventure that regularly gets taken down the lanes

Anyway, the logic in getting a 4x4 is that the roads on the IOW are terrible, and work means I usually end up on building sites or having to park in silly places, I'm getting sick of grounding out the Focus I currently drive and would like something that's fairly comfy and relaxing to drive.

Sooo, been discussing the subject with a friend who has one already and reckon I'll be looking for a 300tdi of some description, a late model, and I'm just trying to find out if there are any things I should be aware of? I've already been told about the rusty rear arches and boot liner, it seems the rust is the major killer of the Disco, especially in the UK.

What other things should I be looking at or know about when buying?

- Are there any big services or major parts that need replacing at xxx miles?
- How many miles is the 300tdi engine good for? I probably rack up 10k pa so I'll be adding 50,000 to the mileage in the likely time I'd own it for
- Are the 300tdi models really that slow? I'm not looking for spaceship performance, I tend to drive fairly sedately anyway, if anyone could compare it to a 1.8TDCi Focus that'd be great...
- Is it possible to create a comfortable road going Disco that still has the balls to handle some mid-to-gentle off road stuff?

Budget is flexible, the idea being that instead of buying a £6/7k on a newer motor I'd spend ~£3k on a half tidy Disco and put the rest into a "Tarting up and replacing the bits that fell off" fund...

Click to expand...

Hi TLW, I'll do my best to give you some helpful comments:

Performance

Any TDi 300 Discovery no matter how well tuned will be an utter snail by comparison to a Focus TDCI. I used to have a Focus TDDI and I believe the CI is more nippy, so you are going to have to dial down your performance expectations SIGNIFICANTLY; just to put it into perspective, A focus weighs about 1300kgs with 90 to 100bhp so a pwr to weight ratio of 76 bhp per ton. A TDi 30 Disco by comprison weighs 2100kgs and has 111 to 120 bhp so a ration of 54bhp per ton, less the frictional losses of permanent 4 wheel drive.

A Fireball they are NOT !!

Things to look for

Rust is THE killer of early Discos ('90 to '98). Look at the boot floor, you will need to remove the carpet and rubber sound-absorbing mat to get to the metal.

Next the rear wheel arches, where they meet the 'C' post

Inner and outer sills are very susceptible to rust as are the front inner wings in the engine bay.

Mechanically they are quite strong, just budget for a full service with all oils and filters, new coolant and brake fluid, irrespective of what you get told by the vendor.

There is every chance that: the Difflock lever will be seized (money off time!!); the viscous fan bearing will be seized (ditto); rear brake calipers will be shot;

The Good News

Parts are cheap. There is no need to bodge on a Disco, just replace the worn part with new - why wouldn't you if the parts are reasonable money??

EG Full exhaust £40, brake discs and pads £35, filter kit of air, oil & fuel - £7

TDi 300 are great vehicles and autos are brilliant (122bhp) and really good to drive offroad.

Popular mods

The two best value mods are :

1. De-EGR - kit costs about £20 time taken 1 hr;

2. De-Catt - new downpipe costs £23 and takes 30mins to do

With these two mods you will improve performance and mpg.

Don't buy your Disco for the next couple of months - prices are daft right now because of the bad weather you've been having. For a 1998 TDi 300 with about 100,000mls you should be paying around £1500.

Hope that helps, don't hesitate to ask for more

Cheers and good hunting

Dave

Thanks for the info guys

I'm aware that the Disco is a brick compared to pretty much any smaller road car so my expectations are suitably adjusted, when they were new and "I were a lad" my dad had one of the early Tdi models and the V8i model after that, remember the Tdi being asthmatic and the V8 being comically fast but comically thirsty as well...

TBH I'm torn whether to go for the workhorse or shiny model - Finding a well cared for workhorse is difficult but the first time you plant £5k worth of polished metal in a tree it's going to sting (I know, I've done it with the bikes)

Pleasantly surprised to hear that parts are reasonable, I'm more than happy spannering my own machines including engine work so maintenance costs should be fairly good. Auto box is a consideration (as I said I've had my fill of speed on the roads) - will have to test drive one as I've had manuals all my driving life and not sure how I'll like it...

toy for weekends-v8
diesel as run around.
If the thought of £50 every 200 miles hurts=Diesel.

the_lone_wolf said:

Thanks for the info guys

I'm aware that the Disco is a brick compared to pretty much any smaller road car so my expectations are suitably adjusted, when they were new and "I were a lad" my dad had one of the early Tdi models and the V8i model after that, remember the Tdi being asthmatic and the V8 being comically fast but comically thirsty as well...

TBH I'm torn whether to go for the workhorse or shiny model - Finding a well cared for workhorse is difficult but the first time you plant £5k worth of polished metal in a tree it's going to sting (I know, I've done it with the bikes)

Pleasantly surprised to hear that parts are reasonable, I'm more than happy spannering my own machines including engine work so maintenance costs should be fairly good. Auto box is a consideration (as I said I've had my fill of speed on the roads) - will have to test drive one as I've had manuals all my driving life and not sure how I'll like it...

Click to expand...

The way I rationalise the performance thing is - I've got a Bandit 1200 for that

If you're looking at a 300TDi then I'd suggest not to spend £3000 on it. The reason is, the difference between a £3000 car and a £1500 one will be that the more expensive will be a dealer price, from a dealer, with a half-baked reassurance that its good - when in fact that means nothing in law, for a 10+ year old car. Basically, even if the engine fails after a month, as the law stands, they'll say its fair wear & tear for that age car. You're better off spending the going rate on a reasonable private sale one and keeping some money back to do a full service including timing belt, gearbox fluid, brake, coolant, etc, and holding some back for teething troubles which may occur.

Obviously make sure you check out the car thoroughly and if you have the cash, you can look at the "top end" of the private sales. Check for rust, unless you can weld and have plenty of time/patience then its the biggest cost item you'll likely come across.

Alright dude, who let you in? Standards must be slipping

paul_c said:

Check for rust, unless you can weld and have plenty of time/patience then its the biggest cost item you'll likely come across.

Click to expand...

Ha haa, was he listening in on our conversation, also you might want to get Squirrell to check your brakes

Saw this advertised and thought it might suit someone

Land Rover Discovery Tdi Estate One Owner From New north london London Cars

If you're going to spend £3K, then you could get an earlier Disco 2 with none of the worries about rusting. Ours is 11 years old (actually built in Nov 1998) just had the rear mat up because of a wet carpet and leaking sunroofs, not a sign of any rust at all.

Mechanical bits you can repair fairly easily, rusting bodies not so easily.

The V8's are very nice to drive, we have a 4.0 with LPG which gives the equivalent of 28-32mpg on gas, 14-16 on petrol, depends on how you drive it. Both the TD5 and the V8 have their problems, the TD5 has cracked heads, leaking fuel into the sump, dual-mass flywheels that break up, oil getting onto the injector loom causing misfires and so on. The V8 has issues with head gaskets and/or cracked liners mainly; I'm fairly sure that a lot of that is due to not using the correct coolant or letting the water get too low, our rebuild is too young to show anything yet.

I prefer manual to auto, but that's a personal choice thing. The R380 box is pretty sturdy, the LT230 transfer box is used on both manual and auto. Most of the other bits and pieces are the same for either engine, just the trim level differences.

Disco 2 front axles are easier to work on, the CV's are not enclosed, there are no swivel housings or seals to leak oil, the discs are a doddle to change, unlike the earlier models.

There are issues with ACE system pipes fracturing (repairable) and the '3 Amigos' (repairable and moddable, depending on the fault)

There is much more electronics on the Disco 2, less leaks from the alpine windows and rear windows as they are bonded, sunroofs leak until you do the job properly, as do the roof bar mountings.

Ours is 1999, (built in November 1998) and possibly better finished because it was a very early production vehicle, but we've done 12K miles since last July when we put it on the road after an engine rebuild (we bought it with an engine pressurisation problem) with no issues apart from the ABS '3 Amigos' issue which we fixed ourselves.

If you are handy with tools and get the RAVE manuals (downloadable) then get a Disco 2.

We haven't got aircon so can't comment on the performance of that.

Peter

LPG isn't an option really as there's only one supplier on the Island, and they're a good 25mile round trip from where I live, as opposed to only a few hundred yards from the office

Shame as I love the thought of a V8 - but realistically I'll be getting a Diesel...

Ref:

There is every chance that: the Difflock lever will be seized (money off time!!); the viscous fan bearing will be seized (ditto); rear brake calipers will be shot;

How do you check these?

Thanks

Chris

Mate I looked at this one in Sunderland....I know its not exactly on your island but low mileage and good condition

(EBAY item number 250587712549)

P REG.

300 TDI
46 THOUSAND MILES ON CLOCK

MINT CONDITION, ONLY SELLING AS WIFE WANTS A SMALLER CAR

NO DINTS OR SCRATCHES, USED FOR SCHOOL RUNS AND SHOPPING

MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
TELE PAUL ON 07961860868


THIS LANDROVER IS A AUTO..
STARTS AND DRIVES AS GOOD AS NEW..
RECENT BATTERY..
NEW HEATER PLUGS..
WELL SERVICED..
THERE,S RECIEPT,S FOR THOUSANDS..FOR WORK BIN DONE..
ALSO PURCHASED RECIEPT..OVER 7,GRAND..
SEPTEMBER..TEST..
TAX..NEXT MONTH..

Personally I think there is a bargain to be had here but others may disagree, just see what you think.

Happy Hunting

Just a quick one to say thanks for the advice all

I'm a little tied up for the next few weeks so it'll be a while before the search begins in earnest

I,m the original lonewolf! Beware of imitations... Welcome lol

the_lone_wolf said:

Hi all, first post so be gentle

Looking at getting a Disco as my next car, will be used mainly on the road but will probably end up in the mud at some point, for any bikers on here I also have a KTM Adventure that regularly gets taken down the lanes

Anyway, the logic in getting a 4x4 is that the roads on the IOW are terrible, and work means I usually end up on building sites or having to park in silly places, I'm getting sick of grounding out the Focus I currently drive and would like something that's fairly comfy and relaxing to drive.

Sooo, been discussing the subject with a friend who has one already and reckon I'll be looking for a 300tdi of some description, a late model, and I'm just trying to find out if there are any things I should be aware of? I've already been told about the rusty rear arches and boot liner, it seems the rust is the major killer of the Disco, especially in the UK.

What other things should I be looking at or know about when buying?

- Are there any big services or major parts that need replacing at xxx miles?
- How many miles is the 300tdi engine good for? I probably rack up 10k pa so I'll be adding 50,000 to the mileage in the likely time I'd own it for
- Are the 300tdi models really that slow? I'm not looking for spaceship performance, I tend to drive fairly sedately anyway, if anyone could compare it to a 1.8TDCi Focus that'd be great...
- Is it possible to create a comfortable road going Disco that still has the balls to handle some mid-to-gentle off road stuff?

Budget is flexible, the idea being that instead of buying a £6/7k on a newer motor I'd spend ~£3k on a half tidy Disco and put the rest into a "Tarting up and replacing the bits that fell off" fund...

Click to expand...

Hi. I had a TD3001994 and done 196,000 with no problems sold it and is still going you should be able to pick up a lot cheaper in uk and a good buy.good luck

Td5 all the way ,

LONEWOLF said:

I,m the original lonewolf! Beware of imitations... Welcome lol

Click to expand...

Considering I registered 4 days before you I think you'll find I'm the original article

But I agree, beware of imitations...

Fair comment,, i think theres room fa the both of us,