Our faithful series 3 pickup has failed its MOT and is going to need a new chassis. We don't have the time or the know how to fit this ourselves, nor the money to pay someone for the forty hours labour it will take to put it back together again!!! We would really like some advice. We have an eight month old baby and two other vehicles as we both need to drive to work. Economy is a major consideration in our future purchase. We are thinking of getting rid of the series 3 and one other of our vehicles and getting a discovery which will handle our 4x4 requirements as we keep sheep but will also double as a family car.

So, our questions!
1. should we get a late 200 and avoid early 300's?
2. are discoverys really as expensive to upkeep as some people say?
3. should we expect 28mpg from a 2.5 tdi?
4. we are seeing some vehicles at the weekend, what should we, novices
be looking for as problem areas?
5. a '94 tdi 300 good condition 132k-price 2.5k. too much too little? Has full service history.

Could a Discovery be the family car we can get on and off the fields, tow a trailer, get 28mpg for work commute, and spend about £500pa servicing?Our main worry is the maintenance required for the Disco's - have heard things about the gearboxs and electrics.....

Oh - and what tyres should we try and make sure we have - taking our requirements into consideration. There will be more road driving than off-road. (What would we expect to pay for a full set of 'said' tyres?)

All advice welcome!

What could we expect for a series 3 pickup mot failure that really needs a new chassis or extensive welding and has seen better days. Has a good Ifor Williams cab, good wheels and tyres and an engine that purrs like a pussy cat?

You have a quandary. I have just bought a '94 300Tdi Auto with 100,000 miles, 80,000 of which were dealer serviced. If that 300 tid you are looking at has dealer service history, that may be a good purchase. If the history is independent garage, then I wouldn't buy it. Dealer services take into account alot of stuff that independents will not do, such as lubrication, transmission, suspension, etc. I don't think they are as expensive as some make out to service and repair, as long as you keep away from the main dealer. Find a good independent garage. I had to go through3 garages before I found a one-man band who was meticulous in his work and honest too. Difficult to find these days, someone who takes pride in their work!

28mpg for my auto, standard 300's get around 30 mpg.

The early 300's do have some bad rep, but apart from a head gasket change (due to the garage not tightening the bolts up during a previous job ), mine is wonderful. Of course, you never can tell, the one you are looking at might be a croaker!

Mine cost £2,750 BTW, and it has air-con, luxury pack, side skirts, those plastic wheel arches and is in superb condition.

Check out one or two of my previous posts, I have detailed one or two things to look for when purchasing a Disco. There are a number of other posts on here too, that detail the good and bad things, so spend a little time and search them out.

Wot yer doing lettin an 8 month owld baby drive?????
an as for sendin the poor bugger to work at that age...yer should be ashamed o yersell

In my experience a Disco makes an ideal dual purpose vehicle and economical at that. My first was an M reg 300tdi with 128000 on the clock when I gave £2400 for it, during my 18 months with it the fuel consumption figures worked out at,
Towing a trailer with my Rally Car on and spares with 4 people on board = 25mpg
Using on the Motorways going to Ford test days (high speed) = 32mpg
Using to commute to work each day on "A" & "B" roads (18mile each way) = 34mpg
Servicing I did myself, but nothing major was replaced in that time nor did anything fail. The car was sold on eBay for £2500 with the mileage showing 145000
After a gap of a year I missed the Disco that much and hated the Mondeo that had replaced it, I had to have another. Back onto eBay and I bought an L reg 300tdi for £1850 showing 138000 on the clock (now showing 142000).
Now this Disco is a totally different beast from the other, being an early 300 there is no egr valve or cat in the exhaust.
It pulls from lower revs and is achieving 5% better fuel consumption figures.
This one has more electrics fitted, central locking, electric windows, but everything is working as it should.
Once again I do all my own maintenance.
Hope that this helps, Barry

Thanks for all your comments. We have just picked up an M reg 300tdi. We took along a friend and neighbour who works exclusively on landrovers and he gave it a thorough examination. He said for it's age and mileage it's a good tidy car. Now it's just a matter of selling our series 3 and the Mondeo!!!