Which one - discuss?

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R

Rykard

Active Member
Posts
169
Hi,
I am hoping to get back into Landies. Looking for a Disco 1 or 2 to use as a daily driver (3miles ew commute) and general hack 2nd car.

I don't want to start a war with my second post, but can I get some feedback on pros and cons of 1 vs 2 and petrol vs diesel versions please.

Budget is around £5000 tops preferably lower, but it needs to be reliable..

Ducks for cover...

cheers
Rich
 
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Rykard said:
Hi,
I am hoping to get back into Landies. Looking for a Disco 1 or 2 to use as a daily driver (3miles ew commute) and general hack 2nd car.

I don't want to start a war with my second post, but can I get some feedback on pros and cons of 1 vs 2 and petrol vs diesel versions please.

Ducks for cover...

cheers
Rich
Click to expand...


Hi Rich, hope you have got your armour-plate ready.......................

1. Petrol V8's sound lovely but supp juice, you'll get 10-12mpg on that usage if you're lucky.

2. A well fettled diesel Disco of any sort should give you at least 25mpg, mine all give more than 30 but the usage is different.

3. All Disco I's rust, some a little, some alot!! Disco II doesn't seem to suffer body rust hardly at all, but can have some chassis rust, usually just superficial.

3. Disco II is a much more refined everyday car and just as competant as an offroad/towcar.

There, that's got the ball rolling, now stand well back........................

Dave
 
depends on what you want to do.

v8 is a great engine and thirsty but if you are not doing lots of miles would be ok, they are also good towing engines.

tdi appears to be a strong engine and cheap to replace parts / repair

td5 later engines are apparently better (post 02 iirc) but have no personal experience of these.

if you are running mostly on the road then a d2 is a better option, smoother, more power and better handling but comes with a lot of electrical gubbins so a hawkeye or nanocom would be a good investment.
 
I agree with pretty much all of the above:

The petrol V8 drinks fuel, but does make that lovely V8 noise. The TD5 is, IMHO, a lovely diesel engine, and is the one to go for.

You'll get a lot more Disco1 for your money, but the 2 just seems a little better put together and doesn't seem to corrode as quickly.

The handling of a Disco 2 on the road, when equipped with air suspension and ACE, is a lot better than the 1. Much less body roll and generally smoother.

On th flip side, all the added luxuries and electrical gubbins can and do go wrong, and are harder and more expensive to fix in many cases. A Disco 1 I would imagine is much easier to tinker with yourself.

Either way, you'll be getting a lot of car for your money, as all Disco's are great.
 
Most of the running will be on road, with the occasional green lane thrown in, maybe an RTV if I get brave.

What is a hawkeye or nanocom? Not really planning on doing much fettling, would also need to find a good indy locally..

Rich
 
Rykard said:
Most of the running will be on road, with the occasional green lane thrown in, maybe an RTV if I get brave.

What is a hawkeye or nanocom? Not really planning on doing much fettling, would also need to find a good indy locally..

Rich
Click to expand...

Hey Rich, HawkEye and Nanocom are 2 different electronic diagnosis machines that can be used on Disco II TD5's - indespensable in my opinion whether you do the repairs yourself or get a local garage to do the actual work.

Both cost about the same, HawkEye is my favorite as it is super easy to use and does all the systems on a DiscoII.

Cheers
Dave
 
hawkeye and nanocom will plug into your car and help when you have problems, they can read/clear fault codes and tend to pay for themselves with saved garage costs.

a d1 isnt as complicated and much easier to work on but you will lose out on comfort etc
 
..also would it be worth looking at other LRs (Not Freelander)? Would I get a reliable 110 forthis money ?
 
Rykard said:
..also would it be worth looking at other LRs (Not Freelander)? Would I get a reliable 110 forthis money ?
Click to expand...

To be honest mate the concept of reliabilty of any off-road vehicle is not the same as a family car, and requires a lot more preventative maintenance.

The air suspension is a classic example of this. On the forums you will see loads of owners who say "I have a problem ........my car keeps sitting down at the back..........it's been doing this for about a month........now the compressor has stopped working" Well of course it has you dopey bûggers, because you didn't fix it !!!!!!!!

Imo the air springs, being made of rubber need changing every five years - problems or not - to avoid being let down. The same goes for the ride height sensors.

I know owners who do significant off-roading with their air suspension Discos, but they look after them.

So, as with any vehicle related reliability question, the air suspension IS reliable if looked after.

If you want to get the very best from you Disco, be ready to do lots of regular work on her, before she says she needs it.

Good luck
Dave
 
Most of what I would say has been covered already.

Having said that I've got a D2 without the air suspension. Personally I'm please it's not got it.

The lower spec TD5 discos have coils like mine. There are also coil conversion kits available to change from the air suspension to coils.

I know a lot of people like the air suspension and I'm sure they have a place. However in your position I would ask if you really need it.

Same goes for the ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement). This system can also be expensive if it goes wrong. Some D2s don't have this. If I were to buy this one again I may have paid a little less and gone for one without.
 
some eye opening advice there, what is the situation regarding diff locks, my old 110 had one, but I vaguely remember that the discos went all electronic but some had a difflock?

As a slight aside my list of vehicles is growing outside of the green oval, would appreciate other views..

LR Disco 1 or 2
Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Toyota Landcruiser
Suzuki Grand Vitara

What are the truck cab puckups like to drive/live with? Nissan Navaro/Mitsi L200/Ford Ranger etc?

thanks for your help
Rich
 
Rykard said:
some eye opening advice there, what is the situation regarding diff locks, my old 110 had one, but I vaguely remember that the discos went all electronic but some had a difflock?

As a slight aside my list of vehicles is growing outside of the green oval, would appreciate other views..

LR Disco 1 or 2
Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Toyota Landcruiser
Suzuki Grand Vitara

What are the truck cab puckups like to drive/live with? Nissan Navaro/Mitsi L200/Ford Ranger etc?

thanks for your help
Rich
Click to expand...


Hi Rich, in your first post you said you were looking for a "daily driver and general hack" - if that is still the case, why are you thinking about 4x4's at all?

They are generally speaking, heavy, fuel-gulping, maintenance needing big lumps that have specific advantages for specific use - but not your use?

Are you sure you wouldn't be much better off with a large estate such as a Mondeo, or similar - loads more mpg, loads less maintenance.

If you want a Landy, then that's fine but want it for the reasons it's good for, not just as a "daily driver" - there are much better cars for that job.

Cheers
Dave
 
thebiglad said:
To be honest mate the concept of reliabilty of any off-road vehicle is not the same as a family car, and requires a lot more preventative maintenance.

The air suspension is a classic example of this. On the forums you will see loads of owners who say "I have a problem ........my car keeps sitting down at the back..........it's been doing this for about a month........now the compressor has stopped working" Well of course it has you dopey bûggers, because you didn't fix it !!!!!!!!

Imo the air springs, being made of rubber need changing every five years - problems or not - to avoid being let down. The same goes for the ride height sensors.

I know owners who do significant off-roading with their air suspension Discos, but they look after them.

So, as with any vehicle related reliability question, the air suspension IS reliable if looked after.

If you want to get the very best from you Disco, be ready to do lots of regular work on her, before she says she needs it.

Good luck
Dave
Click to expand...
Hi Dave. Reading this thread with intrest. I have an air sprung 2002 V8. Not had it long, it has very low miles for its age (25k)...No sevice history! Its not a ringer, HPI checked, all ok. The history from the dealer is total pony (imo) Was made for a woman who was divorcing her husband and intended to take it to USA (VIN confirms its a USA export model ).She took it to USA, then bought it back again. It has been French ( controll Tech sticker in the window and a sticker showing an oil change in France this year on the bulkhead.But its on UK plates ? No evidence its ever been on French plates or US come to that. My question is I note the comment on air springs and sensors. Is it a job I can do as I guess nothing has ever been done. Anything else? Regards Paul.
 
spanishlair said:
Hi Dave. Reading this thread with intrest. I have an air sprung 2002 V8. Not had it long, it has very low miles for its age (25k)...No sevice history! Its not a ringer, HPI checked, all ok. The history from the dealer is total pony (imo) Was made for a woman who was divorcing her husband and intended to take it to USA (VIN confirms its a USA export model ).She took it to USA, then bought it back again. It has been French ( controll Tech sticker in the window and a sticker showing an oil change in France this year on the bulkhead.But its on UK plates ? No evidence its ever been on French plates or US come to that. My question is I note the comment on air springs and sensors. Is it a job I can do as I guess nothing has ever been done. Anything else? Regards Paul.
Click to expand...

Hi Paul, first of all a piece of info:

1. You can have a car in France, on UK plates but still with a French mot (Contrôle Technique);

Even though your car has not done many miles, it is still 8 yrs old and things made of rubber deteriorate with age as well as use.

Good preventative maintenace would suggest replacing both air springs (approx £150 the pair from Paddock Spares) and both ride height sensors - OE ones for sure - £60 the pair. These go bad because they are in a very hostile environment under the car and are critical to the correct functioning of the SLS.

Both jobs are easily within the average diy mechanic. Have you got a HawkEye diagnostic machine yet - if not why not :D:D:D

Seriously they are VERY useful - just another tool but because cars are ever-more electronic, you need electronic tools to ensure correct running.

Cheers
Dave
 
thebiglad said:
Hi Rich, in your first post you said you were looking for a "daily driver and general hack" - if that is still the case, why are you thinking about 4x4's at all?

They are generally speaking, heavy, fuel-gulping, maintenance needing big lumps that have specific advantages for specific use - but not your use?

Are you sure you wouldn't be much better off with a large estate such as a Mondeo, or similar - loads more mpg, loads less maintenance.

If you want a Landy, then that's fine but want it for the reasons it's good for, not just as a "daily driver" - there are much better cars for that job.

Cheers
Dave
Click to expand...

We also want to do some 'light' green laning and there are places we visit where the roads are very questionable and I don't want to rip the sump/exhaust off a car. Also want something a little more capable come winter time...
 
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L200 is bloody uncomfortable to drive. I'm only 6'1" but felt cramped and uncomfortable for even short journeys.

Ford Ranger is, IMHO, a great pick up. Same as the Mazda, and I'm rather partial to a Ford. Capable off road, and more creature comforts as standard than a 110 pickup. Would still prefer the 110 though (heart not head).

Not driven a Navara or Hilux.

Jeep feels cheap in comparison to my Disco.
 
Most pick ups (navara/l200/ranger etc) are built for purpose, they are workhorses and you would be better with a car for carrying the family. navaras/l200s are very uncomfortable in the back on long journeys, never driven a ranger but anything with leaf suspension isnt going to be as good as a disco/landcruiser.

Never owned a jeep but always hear problems of build quality, reliability and crap interiors. Also replacement parts are pretty expensive if anything does happen

owned a vitara before i started buying land rovers, nice car, reliable, comfortable but lacked ground clearance and replacement parts were a fortune. I dont think they do a 7 seater either, the long wheelbase has 5 doors and 5 seats with extra boot space compared to the swb iirc.

your best option for comfort is the shogun, land cruiser or disco if it is a 4x4 you are after. Otherwise in your situation have you considered the likes of the audi all road or subaru estates?
 
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