The LandRover itch.. Do I scratch it?

[henchy3rd]

My 12 year old Kia Ceed (very boring car) is getting to the point where things keep needing to be changed, got about £1000 to spend to keep it going. Its not in the greatest state cosmetically so not really worth anything. I did have an ancient series 2A LR in the past, so I am used to the associated "fun" in owning old landies. So with a budget of under £5K I have been considering going down the old disco route. It would be used for getting to work 2 days a week (30 miles a day), driving to the range, and outdoor type stuff. I would probably remove the centre seats to extend the load bed (somewhere to kip) and fit a roof rack with an awning. Probably going to be a 300tdi S1 or TD5 S2. I have a couple of buyers check sheets with where it look for rot, electrics checks, etc. just wondered if there are any old disco owners on here? And any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

Jon

You should check out the disco forums first,You either love um or hate um.
It’s a thirsty engine & the electrics can be a problem. There not to good on short journeys either(30mpg if your lucky)& When the EGR valves give up the ghost(which they will with short journeys)blank them off or fit an emulator & save on fuel & get more power..I’m speaking from experience..plus the road tax is expensive.
Even the older ones are regal to drive with an air of grace about them.
Maybe have a look at a 4x4 Volvo estate or similar, you’ll be amazed what you can do with one.
My A6 all road fits the bill for work & pleasure with comfort & reliability.
Just saying.

 

[Broch]

You should check out the disco forums first,You either love um or hate um.
It’s a thirsty engine & the electrics can be a problem. There not to good on short journeys either(30mpg if your lucky)& When the EGR valves give up the ghost(which they will with short journeys)blank them off or fit an emulator & save on fuel & get more power..I’m speaking from experience..plus the road tax is expensive.
Even the older ones are regal to drive with an air of grace about them.
Maybe have a look at a 4x4 Volvo estate or similar, you’ll be amazed what you can do with one.
My A6 all road fits the bill for work & pleasure with comfort & reliability.
Just saying.

Your absolutely right; As I said in an earlier post, I teach off-road driving and there are no 'bad' 4x4 vehicles. They are all designed to fit a compromise between road manners, comfort, price, ground clearance, wheel articulation etc. To get the 'best' 4x4 for you, first define what you are going to use it for, then select a vehicle that best fits your needs within its set of compromises (and they all have them).

A 'soft roader' wouldn't fit my trekking needs yet some smaller 4x4s will go places my Defender can't go. Even a Disco Sport can go up grassy slopes that the 110 can't go up even with diff-locks in and traction control on.

 

[FerlasDave]

I doubt what I have to say will be much compared to the wealth of advice already given here but as another fellow fan of the green oval machines I’ll give my two Penney’s anyway.
I’d firstly do a fair amount of research before you buy, but….

Personally I’d stay clear of old 90/110 machines, they’re mostly rot boxes and very rarely have been looked after. I’ve been involved in a few chassis swaps on these and they’re always the same.

D2 early ones are generally better IMO, if they’re still around on the road it means they’ve been looked after and the later models are more appealing for the young mud slingers and they don’t know a single thing about how to drive one let alone look after it so I wouldn’t buy one that has been messed about with like that.

D3/4, I have an early D3 now. It’s a fantastic machine, but can be costly. I wanted something that wasn’t too bogged down with computers or euro 6/7/8 rubbish, though I do have a HSE spec for comfort in my old age lol. They’re becoming a little more affordable at present due to a few things but mainly people upgrading. This does mean though that the young mudslingers have started messing about with D3s now, and they are quickly becoming the new D2.

Mostly just be careful what you buy and be sure it’s what you want. Service history is good, but a tidy motor will speak for itself if you know where to look.

And if you want a series LR…. That’s where the real magic happens!

 

[cbrdave]

I have toyed with buying a td5 disco but the horror stories and a couple of test drives of some real bad ones put me off, i love the look of them and i like the parts availability and have no doubt they are great off road,
I have had a frontera which was surprisingly good offroad, a 2.8 shogun lwb which was amazing in every way til it needed welding every year to rear chassis and the head went,
Currently own an 06 Shogun sport and an 07 L200k74, the sport has had a head replacement and rad, the L200 has had a full engine rebuild and now has gearbox problems, boost issues and brakes need replacing, both are more tractor like and lack proper comfort and in need of a re-map as they are real sluggish.
Something tells me i should have saved for a decent td5 disco.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

I loved my TD5 disco. As long as you keep up with maintaining them there really isn’t that many issues with the TD5. The internet is full of horror stories but people are not going to be posting about the good times in general. Unfortunately mine got written off in work I then went for a disco 3 which is a completely different vehicle. The loading space is epic in the back but they suffer commonly from the crank shaft bearing failing which is a engine write off. My one did this. I’m now in a L322 3.6v8 and wouldn’t look back but the only down side is the smaller cargo space in the back compared to a disco 3. The ride comfort makes up for this.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

 

[swyn]

Could you not fix that with gaffer tape?
S

 

[TeeDee]

View attachment 72225View attachment 72226

Go on then.

Which Tree jumped out at you?

 

[Broch]

looks like buddleia to me



Sorry SP, couldn't resist. I hope no one was hurt.

 

[Broch]

Actually, I'm confused, all the trees are in leaf! When did this happen?

 

[FerlasDave]

The loading space is epic in the back but they suffer commonly from the crank shaft bearing failing which is a engine write off.

I actually don’t think that’s accurate at all.. when you consider how many tens of thousand of these vehicles have been made globally, the percentage that have suffered this issue is minute. Not to mention the fact that this engine is used in 4 or 5 different vehicles which are not known for the same issue.

LR has a big following, lots of online forums and such. I’d argue that bad news travels fast is more the issue here, that said I’m sorry to hear you were one of the unfortunate few.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

I actually don’t think that’s accurate at all.. when you consider how many tens of thousand of these vehicles have been made globally, the percentage that have suffered this issue is minute. Not to mention the fact that this engine is used in 4 or 5 different vehicles which are not known for the same issue.

LR has a big following, lots of online forums and such. I’d argue that bad news travels fast is more the issue here, that said I’m sorry to hear you were one of the unfortunate few.

The jag engine still suffers the issue as a 3L. The issue being that it was designed from smaller lighter vehicles the torque that’s demanded by the auto box in a D3 D4 and the newer L405 Range Rover stresses the crank to the point of failure. I’ve also had jag XF with this engine and it was superb. They have tried to lessen the strain by adding the 8 speed boxes and changing the gear change ratio.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

Actually, I'm confused, all the trees are in leaf! When did this happen?

It was June a couple of years ago. The Abs system kicked in whilst I had a sticky calliper pulled me side ways into a willow

 

[Broch]

It was June a couple of years ago. The Abs system kicked in whilst I had a sticky calliper pulled me side ways into a willow

Ah, yes, the old unbalanced brake system oversteer skid (can happen on any car) - something we have to teach about on our courses.

 

[MrEd]

Get one.
I have had mine a decade. I love it.

 

[swyn]

I doubt what I have to say will be much compared to the wealth of advice already given here but as another fellow fan of the green oval machines I’ll give my two Penney’s anyway.
I’d firstly do a fair amount of research before you buy, but….

Personally I’d stay clear of old 90/110 machines, they’re mostly rot boxes and very rarely have been looked after. I’ve been involved in a few chassis swaps on these and they’re always the same.

D2 early ones are generally better IMO, if they’re still around on the road it means they’ve been looked after and the later models are more appealing for the young mud slingers and they don’t know a single thing about how to drive one let alone look after it so I wouldn’t buy one that has been messed about with like that.

D3/4, I have an early D3 now. It’s a fantastic machine, but can be costly. I wanted something that wasn’t too bogged down with computers or euro 6/7/8 rubbish, though I do have a HSE spec for comfort in my old age lol. They’re becoming a little more affordable at present due to a few things but mainly people upgrading. This does mean though that the young mudslingers have started messing about with D3s now, and they are quickly becoming the new D2.

Mostly just be careful what you buy and be sure it’s what you want. Service history is good, but a tidy motor will speak for itself if you know where to look.

And if you want a series LR…. That’s

I doubt what I have to say will be much compared to the wealth of advice already given here but as another fellow fan of the green oval machines I’ll give my two Penney’s anyway.
I’d firstly do a fair amount of research before you buy, but….

Personally I’d stay clear of old 90/110 machines, they’re mostly rot boxes and very rarely have been looked after. I’ve been involved in a few chassis swaps on these and they’re always the same.

D2 early ones are generally better IMO, if they’re still around on the road it means they’ve been looked after and the later models are more appealing for the young mud slingers and they don’t know a single thing about how to drive one let alone look after it so I wouldn’t buy one that has been messed about with like that.

D3/4, I have an early D3 now. It’s a fantastic machine, but can be costly. I wanted something that wasn’t too bogged down with computers or euro 6/7/8 rubbish, though I do have a HSE spec for comfort in my old age lol. They’re becoming a little more affordable at present due to a few things but mainly people upgrading. This does mean though that the young mudslingers have started messing about with D3s now, and they are quickly becoming the new D2.

Mostly just be careful what you buy and be sure it’s what you want. Service history is good, but a tidy motor will speak for itself if you know where to look.

And if you want a series LR…. That’s where the real magic happens!

My dads S3 LTWT next to a very nice S2 complete with the wire spoked steering wheel. Both of these vehicles had been rebuilt onto a RC galvanised chassis.
He bought his LR ex surplus in the early 80's and it was sold in 2012 when he got too old to drive it. As far as I know it is still going as the rest of the bodywork was regularly sprayed with waxoil mix during his ownership.
S

 

[Broch]

Yep, I definitely think we should start a Land Rover gallery

(maybe a different thread?)

 

[TeeDee]

I have an older friend whom is a lover of the Rover.

He has I think around 8 Landrovers at his homestead in various states of repair.

His favourite is the one thats the same age as himself.

Named Tilley she's a sprightly 62 years young.

 

[FerlasDave]

My S1 in its current state of restoration… it’s already been a 5 year ordeal and not over yet!

 

[Broch]

My S1 in its current state of restoration… it’s already been a 5 year ordeal and not over yet!

View attachment 72234

I hope you've got a few more pieces