In my off and on search for a tow vehicle, I have come across some fairly decent looking discos for what I consider silly cheap. I am talking late 90s discos that go for a grand to 2 grand and look nice and supposedly run sweet.
What is the catch? I know there is one, there has to be one. It's the electrics, right? I have owned everything but a french and a british car, so I may need to look the prince of darkness in the face (if I can see him at night)
I am sure there was a thread about these a out a year ago. I have known two people who have owned them and they are at there best when parked. There is a reason why they are so cheap.
"Ride a Harley, ride the best; ride a mile, walk the rest..."
Yeah. It's like that.
They don't have that high a tow rating for starters (IIRC it's 5000lbs with the 4.0), have a drinking problem, the electrics aren't that great and you have to check for rust in various places. They also feel rather underpowered (same with my wife's Range Rover with the 4.6). It also seems that head gaskets on them are a maintenance items...
Oh, and most importantly - the thermostat on these tends to fail closed, with potentially dire consequences.
That said, in the UK they tend to be the tow vehicle of choice for the cut-price Mike Brewer types, but they tend to use the diesel that you can't get over here.
I'd rather pay more for a really nice one, with these it pays off in the longer run.
Be prepared for only the drivetrain to work and your expectations will be met.
Don't the Disco I's have really horrible, stupid problems with dropping cylinder sleeves? That alone is enough to scare me off.
Disco IIs are getting cheap enough to consider but you'd have to pay me to take a Disco I.
A second-gen Trooper is a better truck/deal in every area, fwiw.
My sister had both a Disco I, followed by 2 Disco II's. Why she subjected herself to repeated torture it beyond me. I could not possibly say one good thing about them other than they were more than capable in bad weather/road conditions, and that they look cool. I don't think there was one single system on that truck that didn't have an issue. And I mean all 3 of them. Anyone who has had good luck with one should probably play the lottery too. Same reasons I would never touch an old Range either.
They drive TERRIBLY on the road. Any sort of wind conditions feel like you're going to flip at any second, and most likely they will flip right into a shop for more repairs. Any $2000 Discovery is just waiting to rob you blind.
There are a lot of reasons they're cheap, and redhookfern covered most of them.
A friend tried to give me one to park next to my dead Range Rover. I said no. It's now dead in his yard instead of mine. If I could find a really early grey market Discovery 1 with a manual, I'd buy it, just because Camel Trophy. Otherwise, no.
If I really wanted a truck with a similar image/appeal, I'd seek out an early-late 80's Land Cruiser. Though, I have no idea what prices are like near you, but here in Brooklyn/NYC they have this sudden hipster appeal and rusted hulks fetch a few thousand.
It is a shame the disco is such a pug. I really like it's utlitiarian looks combined with the luxury is pocesses. The search goes on.. unless I am feeling masocistic. I did daily drive a fiat 124 for 5 years.
SlickDizzy wrote: Don't the Disco I's have really horrible, stupid problems with dropping cylinder sleeves? That alone is enough to scare me off.
Depends on who you talk to - all of the 4.0s and 4.6s can have that problem but according to our local Land Rover specialist, the problem seems to be worse on the Internet than it is in real life.
There are fairly inexpensive ways to detect if that has happened, too.
mad_machine wrote: It is a shame the disco is such a pug. I really like it's utlitiarian looks combined with the luxury is processes.
Sounds like they should have stopped at the utilitarian and skipped luxury.
you are probably right. If they had kept it like a real range rover, it probably would have been quite reliable. Maybe if I buy one and rip out all the luxury? I mean, who really needs power seats?
A friend and fellow sports car club ordered a Land Rover 88 from the factory while the was overseas in the service. He picked it up at the factory and had shipped home when he mustered out later. He still has it and it has great patina. The thing is a tank, but a very slow tank. The options listed on the sticker are rediculously cheap and it pretty much came with nothing.
I have a Fiat built by communists, wiring included, and I wouldn't dare touch a Land Rover Discovery.
A former co-worker of mine was given one as part of a buyout. He drove it for a couple of years and traded it in.
The tranny was smoking on the way into the lot.
They would be nice to pull harrows around the home quarter if the small tractor was broken. On the road, not so pleasant. Also, for some strange reason, the engines leak oil like early 60's Buicks...
mad_machine wrote: you are probably right. If they had kept it like a real range rover, it probably would have been quite reliable. Maybe if I buy one and rip out all the luxury? I mean, who really needs power seats?
Range Rover's were always about luxury. They created the segment. Land Rovers on the other hand, were utility trucks. It's the Range Rover by Land Rover. Not that there weren't a few simple Rangies made in the early days, but they have always been about the bells and whistles.
Well, I on and off daily drive my 99 DiscoII for 6 years and 50k miles, towing up to 6000# and driving through all sorts of craziness. It never once left me stranded, and the only major problem it had was head gaskets. Other than that, it was just minor stuff that was easily fixed from a great parts and support network. When it left my hands, the only things that needed attention were a trans temp sensor and O2 sensor, and the sunroofs didn't work anymore. It handled MUCH better than my dad's Lexus LX470, too.
I sold it to a friend who drove it home from PA to OK after a lemons race, and he chronicled the story here.
Part 1: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/01/capsule-review-1999-land-rover-discovery-series-ii-aka-the-great-southwest-escape/
Part 2: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/01/capsule-review-1999-land-rover-discovery-series-ii-aka-the-great-southwest-escape-take-two/#more-474418
hmm.. they are based on the old Buick engine.. LSx anybody?
I know it's not what you'd be looking at, but my folks had a 4cyl turbo-diesel disco for years, with no major problems. It was slow as molasses but drove real nicely; the kind of car you take for granted while it's around, and remember fondly when it's gone.
I'm going to try to remain serious, but I will fail.
If someone offered me a free Disco, I wouldn't even run away. I would stick my finger in my nose, pretend I didn't even hear the offer, and skip away singing "Teddy Ruxpin is My Friend" with a lisp so that the person no longer considered me a viable or productive member of society and wouldn't continue to beg me to remove his Disco from his driveway.
We had one at the shop come in with a seized engine and wasted tranny. The tranny is a Jatco. Not only did this one fail at 36k, they are a disposable transmission. Parts are expensive and rebuilding them is like trying to rebuild a Kraco stereo. Getting it "right" the first time is not possible. Getting it right after 30 attempts is like getting a blow job.... not a blow job from Heidi Klum, but a blow job from Rosanne Barr. When its all done, you gave way more than you got, and no amount of showering will remove the emotional scars.
My grandfather once said, "the Lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math." Buying a Disco (or any Rover IMO) is a tax on people who's penises are so small that they would rather own a non-operational status symbol than actually drive a real vehicle.
The catch is this: They are silly cheap because they are silly cheap. They are a pile of crap. If you get one, make sure you plan on a complete swap of everything; driveline, electrical, suspension... everything. As long as you ONLY keep the body and replace EVERYTHING else, you should be OK... unless you have the sunroof.... or the power windows.... or the power locks... or the rear air suspension... or the...........
Have you driven one? Even the driving dynamics are horrifying. The front springs are stiff, but the rear airbags are (at best) squishy and more suited to a go-kart. The simple act of crossing an intersection can make you panic that you're going to die.
There is a reason they are so cheap. Anyone who has purchased one will take pennies on their loan just to unload it before it costs them another $7000 to repair a windshield that was cracked by a large insect, or an ABS sensor that failed because it rained, or a fuel tank that leaks because they hit a pothole larger than 12mm.
When it breaks take the rover v8 out and put it in a TR7 or something. Win-win?
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