Which Disco would you have?

I'm going to get a V8 Discovery but don't have sufficient experience of them to make an informed decision about which model is the better one,

Option 1: Discovery 1 with a 3.9l engine, seems to be plenty of low(ish) milage models around c 1997-199

Option 2: Discovery 2 with 4.0l engine again c 1999-2001, a bit newer and a bit more expensive but still within budget.

Which one would you chose and why? I do like a bit of tinkering myself and the vehicle is going to be used for trips and holidays abroad rather than daily commuting,

Any info regarding bad points to look fo when viewing vehicles gratefully received,

Cheers

Dave

They are exactly the same engine, 3954(?)cc.

D2s tend to have a lot more electrickery and fancy gizmos, many of which can need a computer or trip to suitable dealer/independant essential to tell the car its been fixed.

hey mate they are the same engines but the 4.0 has more power i think.

I would second what was just said the disco 2 has alot more wires which joe bloggs cant fix, so if you like to do stuff yourself then get a good disco 1!

According to the data I have, indeed the one badged 4.0 has more horsepower after 1999.

Its not a difference most folk would notice, 185hp v 182hp. Its also having checked 3950cc for both engines, not the the 3954 I had in my head earlier.

Buy a D1 that has history of lots of religiously regular oil changes.

I have a V8 disco1, i would love to get a facelifted disco2 but the things stopping me are a:the price and b:the electrics-lots of em.

do a search on D2 electrical problems and there are loads of them. (3 amigos etc) Hence probably the need to take it somewhere to get fixed rather than do it yourself.

Not saying D1s dont break, but hopefully when they do you can fix it yourself.

with Discos there is an element of luck involved, and budget. you could go for an older disco coz its simpler but you may have more problems because its older. If you can afford to, buy a minter of a Disco2, but if you cant, buy a minter of a Disco1!

looking on the RPI website recently i stumbled across a good bit of info, (google RPI V8), it goes to say that when it comes down to the rover V8 engine its not so much what miles its done but how its done them, when mentioning determining the condition of the engine it goes on:

"We all need to start somewhere, and this is for sure the best and most reliable place to start!
Take a good look inside even if only through the oil filler hole.
Oh, and you will need a torch, a Penlight is best.

A good look inside the rocker covers through the oil hole will help you to determine the internal condition, if your are unsure, it will fall into one of the following categories.

Silver Alloy surfaces? Sounds like a new engine
Brown tarnished? Very low mileage, dark brown? Perhaps higher mileage, but well cared for.
Black? Getting poor, a full rebuild/replacement should be considered.
Black Coated & becoming dense? Very poor condition, A rebuild is normally required
Black and very sludgy? Dead on its feet.


You can be sure this method is a reliable way to determine what you have, and to help you decide what you should do"

really good site, goes on to tell you all the weaknesses the rover V8 has and what to look out for but ive found in my instance a little information can be a bad thing, now im worried every little noise is impending doom!


oh yeah and if you go for a D1 get one after 1994 and get 1 thats been LPG converted

D1. 3,947cc, max torque 314Nm @ 3,100rpm, max power 181.8bhp @ 4,750rpm

D2. 3,947cc, max torque 340Nm @ 2,600rpm, max power 182.0bhp @ 4,750rpm

So a little bit of difference in the two engines power and torque outputs.

I went to have a look at a 2000 v8 gassed disco priced at £2800 which i thort was a good price took it for a test drive and thort better of it... came across me 97 v8 for £1250 and apart from it having a recon box its been great i wouldnt swap it for anything else at the moment its grown on me big time as i only bort as a stop gap, Find a good un and you wont regret either i recon

110Hardtop said:

I'm going to get a V8 Discovery

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Dave,

Just out of interest, why do you want a V8 and not a Diesel?

For shear driving pleasure

110Hardtop said:

Any info regarding bad points to look fo when viewing

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Check absolutely everything!! Literally!!

It depends whats your going to use the Disco for...The Disco 1 is much older and much simpler....the Disco 2 has much newer technology and is more of a "car" in terms of build quality/ride etc etc.
Yes The D2 has alot more to go wrong, but at the same time has more to offer than the D1 as far as day to day use is concerned.

Good luck with whatever you choose i'm sure you'll be happy

nathan5346 said:

For shear driving pleasure

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Why on earth are you after a landy then????

robhew86 said:

Dave,

Just out of interest, why do you want a V8 and not a Diesel?

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Mainly because I have previously had deisels on my 110's and I fancy a bit of quiet and smooth, plus the extra power. And the sound it makes as well

nathan5346 said:

I went to have a look at a 2000 v8 gassed disco priced at £2800 which i thort was a good price took it for a test drive and thort better of it... came across me 97 v8 for £1250 and apart from it having a recon box its been great i wouldnt swap it for anything else at the moment its grown on me big time as i only bort as a stop gap, Find a good un and you wont regret either i recon

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#
hi nathan,
I am considering a buy similar to what you said, except hopefully i can find one with lpg. what kind of spec did th disco have i.e. mileage? Was there any welding work required or any major jobs? (obviously I know this deopends on the vehicle and owner but im looking for an average kind of mark)

Well guys, thanks for the help you have given,

I have just brought a minter of a D1 earlier today, Its 1999 ES 3.9 V8 with 62k genuine miles on the clock and comes with supporting documents. MOT's etc. Followed the advice about a penlight in the oil filler to look for engine wear and this engine has a nice golden honey colour to it. That was a great tip.

Everything else about the car supports the milage too. And the rear floor is absolutely immaculate. No damp anywhere.

So, I'm back with a Landy again

Aaaah the joy of it all

Lets see how long I keep smiling once I get it home tomorrow but funnily enough I don't care about what may be lurking within it. I'm looking forward to keeping it running for another 10 years.

That's the problem with Landrovers, it's a love hate thing but you keep coming back to them.

Wish me luck

Dave

110Hardtop said:

That's the problem with Landrovers, it's a love hate thing but you keep coming back to them.

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I totally agree with the above!! Having spent hour upon hour upon hour yesterday (and im really not over exaggerating!) fitting a fuel pressure reg to my TD5 and a lot lot lot of F'in and cursing I still love her

Glad your happy with her.

I got rid of my '00 110 TD5 Defender in February for £8750 and bought an '03 D2 TD5 ES with everything apart from sat-nav for £7500. I needed less seats but still a good towing capability.
It's awesome. Miles better to drive, (I prefer driving it to the wifes '08 Audi A6 Avant). So far I've got through one prop shaft, one suspension airbag and I've had it chipped. I can't tell you how much I prefer it over my Defender. I was quite 'into' driving a Defender and I now realise how much I put up with its shortcomings because I was looking at it with rose tinted glasses. I love my electric seats, my heated screen, my 6CD changer, the fact that I can use my hands free kit above 30mph and still hear it, the nice wide load space at the rear, the fact that my kids seats fit in there (safely), the arm rests EVERYTHING!!!
You will have less Kudos from people on the outside looking in, but you'll feel so much more smug, nice and warm (or nice and cool in the summer!) inside your D2. Maybe I'm going soft, but I don't care!
As far as going for a V8 is concerned; Yes the V8 is mechanically the perfect engine, it sounds great and has grunt and can be worked on easily at home. However a friend of mine is now selling his V8 D1 after I left him for dead at the lights a couple of weeks ago!

If you've got the cash go for a D2 - mine has a full LR main dealer service history and fingers crossed it's a good one.
Good luck!