What to look for when buying my first Landy ?

I have £2000 to spend on my first 5 door Land Rover (if it has leather its a bonus).
I was wandering what would be the best one to go for ?
I have been looking at Freelanders and Discoverys as i know 110's and Defenders are out of my price range
(Await the slagging Freelanders aint real 4x4s :blabla

What are the best specced Freelander and Disco models to go for ?
E, S, GS, ES Xei, Di, V6 Tdi, ??

I have a good mechanical knowledge and know to look out for the usual

• service history,

• cambelts/timing chains, tensioners and water pumps that are overdue

• head gaskets that have been done on 1.8 k series engines

• overheating and coolant leaks

• leaky and whining diffs, gearboxes and power steering

• electrical gremlins, starting problems, bad connections on lights, switches and a/c not working and engine (ecu) dash lights etc

• pulling to one side under braking, suspension leaks..

• blue or white smoke on start up

• leaky sunroofs and wet footwells

• bolster wear on seats and dog damaged interiors

• as well as the usual offroad damage underneath and rust on body around bottom doors, windscreen edges, sills and rear arches.

Is there anything Land Rover specific i need to look for ?
How do they take mileage ?

How gutsy are the petrol Discos ?
And how do the Disco 200 and 300 Tdi's fair as the miles go up ?
Do they have any Head Gasket, Gearbox issues etc ?
Or it's all down to how they've been looked after in the past.

As i think a TD5 is out of my price range



Am i correct in guessing 100k + mileage aint really an issue if there is history and receipts to back it up ?


It'd be used to tow the odd car trailer but thats about it unless i get the off roading bug.
So am i guessing a Derv is the way ahead due to the torque ?


Any tips and advice is appreciated.

Richard

The best advise you could get off anyone is dont buy a Freelander......

If you must buy one at least make sure its a diesel ... do search om ear loads of freds....

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The Cowshed said:

The best advise you could get off anyone is dont buy a Freelander......

If you must buy one at least make sure its a diesel ... do search om ear loads of freds....

:

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But all the Discos seem rotters and high as hell ileages, thats why i added Freelanders in.
And diesel is what i'm trying to find.
I guess i'll have to try the search box again although it brings up a lot of irrelevant ****e

High mileage is to be expected but 200/300 diesels will just keep going forever (longer than the body in most cases).

Petrol models will cripple you. Literally. Try explaining to Dorris that she can't buy any more shoes cuz your landy drunk your pay cheque and you'll see what I mean.

Dufty said:

High mileage is to be expected but 200/300 diesels will just keep going forever (longer than the body in most cases).

Petrol models will cripple you. Literally. Try explaining to Dorris that she can't buy any more shoes cuz your landy drunk your pay cheque and you'll see what I mean.

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I did wander how they took the miles
And finding one that aint rotten aint gonna be easy

I guess thats why the petrols are so cheap

Lol

Keep looking, there are plenty of discos out there which are a little red underneath but manageable. I was lucky, Red was the first one I looked at and she's in great shape for a 16 year old motor.

And since you like tinkering, a disco's the perfect garage-companion. Easy to fix most things yourself. Hell, even I can do most jobs!

Good luck looking.

Dufty said:

Keep looking, there are plenty of discos out there which are a little red underneath but manageable. I was lucky, Red was the first one I looked at and she's in great shape for a 16 year old motor.

And since you like tinkering, a disco's the perfect garage-companion. Easy to fix most things yourself. Hell, even I can do most jobs!

Good luck looking.

Click to expand...

Will do
just a pain in the arse that so many are so far away

To be honest I kind of factor in a couple of hundred quid of welding each MOT time.. as long as you expect it it's not so bad......

d1ckyboy said:

but all the discos seem rotters and high as hell ileages, thats why i added freelanders in.
And diesel is what i'm trying to find.
I guess i'll have to try the search box again although it brings up a lot of irrelevant ****e

Click to expand...

dont use the search box, use the search tab (below and to the left of the google search box)

Dufty said:

High mileage is to be expected but 200/300 diesels will just keep going forever (longer than the body in most cases).

Petrol models will cripple you. Literally. Try explaining to Dorris that she can't buy any more shoes cuz your landy drunk your pay cheque and you'll see what I mean.

Click to expand...

LPG conversions however equate to about the same fuel costs as dervs but with that lovely V8 rumble

You have to keep up on the servicing a bit more due to the plugs and leads needing to be in top condition.

TBH im a bit biased when it comes to V8s (my favourite of all the lumps) and your probably best off with a 300 TDI IMO. Just giving you the options.....