here is the link, everything you ever wanted to know.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20219
I swa the same creigslist stuff (there are about 5 of them over in Indy right now under $3500) and thought about it, but read up and decided to save up for a Land Cruiser.
It's your first step towards this!
http://bringatrailer.com/2011/04/27/1990-land-rover-discovery-off-road-rally-truck/
EricM wrote: I looked into Discovery I & IIs, There is some good explanations over on expedition portal. turns out they get about 11 mpg and take PREMIUM. so there is that, and they are broke nearly all of the time.
Yeah, they break all the time, but after they boil all the coolant out and develop odd engine knock noises you change a few hose clamps and add oil and they become a Kick Ass DD again! 
I read about them, and um, no thanks. There was a post on pirate4x4 about someone getting the alarm system unit wet and having to leave the truck and drive 5 hours home to get parts and 5 hours back to fix it and drive it out. Dont they also have some problem with the valves sticking in the valve guides? I dont think they are any better than a maserati biturbo. lol
In reply to Travis_K:
Nah, they almost always drive out.
Travis_K wrote: I read about them, and um, no thanks. There was a post on pirate4x4 about someone getting the alarm system unit wet and having to leave the truck and drive 5 hours home to get parts and 5 hours back to fix it and drive it out. Dont they also have some problem with the valves sticking in the valve guides? I dont think they are any better than a maserati biturbo. lol
5 hours later that alarm module was dry. One good side of not preventing the water from getting into the electronics is you don't prevent it from getting out.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: So basically... everything i'm hearing is that they're worse in pretty much every way than a Range Rover Classic?
No, I would say they're exactly the same as a Range Rover Classic but with cheaper interior materials. Basically the same drivetrain under a different body.
dculberson wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: So basically... everything i'm hearing is that they're worse in pretty much every way than a Range Rover Classic?No, I would say they're exactly the same as a Range Rover Classic but with cheaper interior materials. Basically the same drivetrain under a different body.
Hrmm... i never really had any real problems with my Rangie.
I think a lot of people hate of Land Rovers because they aren't Jeeps. My family in England has always had Land Rovers except they had one Toyota and they got rid of the Toyota because it wasn't as good as the Landies.
Lets just say there's a reason he wants to trade for a Toyota or Honda...
BoxheadTim wrote: Keep in mind that while the outer cladding of the body is aluminium, the frame and some of the inner structure is not, so you get plenty of scope for contact corrosion and holes developing in places you don't see immediately.
Found a Disco in the junkyard after cash for clunkers, looked immaculate from 10 feet. On closer inspection the brakes, undercarriage, etc were very badly corroded. Previous northern car from the service records in the glove box.
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Hrmm... i never really had any real problems with my Rangie.
How long did you own it? I've owned two and my dad has one. My first one had 36k miles on it and was immaculate - no serious problems but I didn't have it for very long. It had a steering shake I couldn't figure out prior to selling it, but it was a nice truck. It had better be with only 36k miles on it! I ended up buying a higher mileage RR classic years later, when I could afford to pay cash for one. It was a nightmare and cost me $5,000 in repairs over the course of 18 months or so. Everything broke on it, and this was a pretty well maintained truck when I bought it. The (qualified) mechanic that checked it out said it was in good shape. I ended up taking a bath on it when I realized it was going to eat me alive over time.
Then, my dad's rangie. Holy crap is that thing a perfect example of the "sunk costs" fallacy. We've replaced everything (exaggeratingly speaking) on that truck at least twice. All factory parts. But they just don't last. The engine mechanical bits are fine, it's the electrical parts (all of them), brake parts, transmission parts, steel frame parts, etc that don't last. My dad's gentle on it, the thing is babied, and it looks perfect but no matter what stuff just fails.
I've learned some really good lessons from that truck, including when to fold 'em. I ran far, far away from Land Rovers and haven't regretted it once. If a Toyota was even remotely as horrible they would never be where they are today. There's not a chance in a billion years that there's a single Toyota out there as systemically unreliable as a Land Rover. Maybe if you're comparing a rusted out heap of a 1969 Land Cruiser to a brand new under warranty Land Rover then sure.
Had it for about 2 years, put 40k miles on it, had 147k miles on it when i got it.
Iono. Granted, there were always some little electrical issues with it, but it drove great.
I look at it the same way people say to look at an E36 BMW. If you can ignore little things like the fault display going bad, switches falling off, etc etc etc and just focus on how it drives, they're somewhat cheap to own.
I realize that it's likely a different ballgame, but i'll look at it the same way. 
I would NEVER attempt to keep any Land Rover in pristine condition in all ways. I WOULD make it redneck as hell, though.
Did i learn anything from my experience? Of course. That's why SWMBO drives a 2000 Cherokee, and not a Land Rover. 
That said, i decided against this one. Not the right time, have two cars to build, and one to put under the knife again. Not to mention this brought back nostalgia. I want another Rangie Classic.
I know exactly what you mean, I still have a hankering for one from time to time. If you made it redneck, then heck yeah it might not drain your wallet too badly. It's the keeping it nice that's an exercise in financial ruination.
I keep looking at ads for them, then looking at the 1uzfe v8, then looking at brakes from the later LS400s, then thinking ... hm. British style and Japanese power. But it's not quite cool enough to tip me to taking on the hell that project would be.
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