Land Rover Disco's: are they really that shite?

[John F]

If you have one that's got a suspension lift, change it back to standard, they ruin the handling and unless you intend to drag it around a "pay & play site" there is nowhere in the UK where you'll really need it. I've done a lot of greenlaning in the past, and there are very few places a standard disco won't go

 

Seconded.

[Skizzer]

Mine (very late Disco 1 3.9 V8) has done 160k and not had a major fault in the couple of years I've owned it. A few minor niggles, but nothing 'mission critical' or expensive. MOT tester (who knows his Disco/Rangies) reports much solidity underneath.

 

I do find working on it a bit of a pain sometimes because of muddy/rusty bolts and it's just so damned heavy duty, but it's not complicated. The engine in particular just seems indestructible.

 

I think it's a lovely thing to roll around in - comfy, wallowy, great view out, easy to drive, relaxing on long journeys- but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea. Turning circle has never bothered me.

[Guest Hooli]

 

Also, contrary to what has been said above, Disco 1s do have anti-roll bars and are available with ABS, electric sunroofs, leather interiors, etc. I wouldn't bother getting one with sunroofs though, they all seem to leak.

 

 

Agree on the sunroofs, but anti-roll bars depends on age. Mine was a '90 H plate & didn't have any fitted from the factory.

[John F]

Hooli, on 03 Mar 2017 - 12:24 PM, said:Hooli, on 03 Mar 2017 - 12:24 PM, said:

 

Agree on the sunroofs, but anti-roll bars depends on age. Mine was a '90 H plate & didn't have any fitted from the factory.

 

 

Fair point... I know that some (later?) 200 TDi models have them, and AFAIK all 300 TDi models have them.

 

Although by now, many of them will have been removed by OLLIs for "better axle articulation" – which, admittedly of some use when seriously off-road, turns the vehicle into the automotive equivalent of a riotously pissed fat lass trying to dance on a table when driving at speed* on country roads.

[anonymous user]

I had an Mpi, it wasn't that bad.

 

Having said that I wasn't expecting too much as it was a lot cheaper than a TDI or V8

[richardthestag]

Disco2 is ideal when faced with Audicunt who "dont reverse"

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Landrover-Discovery-2-TD5-2000-Great-runner-daily-use-Drives-Lovely-No-Mot/132111319858?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41396%26meid%3D757b9bd56e7642cca23481fc758fd12d%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D182471389571

 

Still some way off the tipping angle and I would like to think it was the audi pilote who got it wedged in

 

[richardthestag]

BTW these are the type of comedy wheels/tyres/spacers that make any form os steering tricky

 

Anyone who has ever driven an "out of the box" disco off road on standard size MTs will know that this level of comedy tyrage at the very best is going to get the thoroughly inexperienced driver stuck so far off road that only a tractor is going to recover it. 

 

BUT Note also optimistic lack of recovery rings, bet he has standard diffs too. fucking awesome. So what olli has done here is throw a load of utterly pointless shit at a car, I reckon a standard disco 1 on a normal 2" lift kit could perform better.

 

verdict = for all but the Darien Gap utterly pointless

 

[Longblackcoat]

Disco2 is ideal when faced with Audicunt who "dont reverse"

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Landrover-Discovery-2-TD5-2000-Great-runner-daily-use-Drives-Lovely-No-Mot/132111319858?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D41396%26meid%3D757b9bd56e7642cca23481fc758fd12d%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D182471389571

 

Still some way off the tipping angle and I would like to think it was the audi pilote who got it wedged in

 

 

From the broken Disco indicator, the driver's had to swerve for the Audi. Could be the Audi's fault, equally could be a bellend in the Land Rover.

[twosmoke300]

That hill in the Vitara video - I reckon id make a good stab at getting my Ducato van up there 

[rml2345]

No real experience of these bar a hurl in a diesel auto Disco 1 some years ago. It seemed slow and rolled alot but that's probably more to do with unfamiliarity of such things rather than deficiencies. Being that high up had a novelty of it's own.

Aren't those OLLI lifted fat tyre specials substansially less stable than standard?

[Skizzer]

Those fat tyres are fairly useless for most things, in fact, except maybe posing in pub car parks if that's your thing. Rocks maybe, and soft sand if you let most of the air out. For mud, or snow, skinny tyres are your friend.

 

Verdict: poseur

[sierraman]

A good friend of mines father has one, had it from new I think it's probably say 16-17 years old. Never welded, he seems happy with it but then it's meticulously maintained.

 

If I had one it would have to be the poverty spec Montego engined MPi in base spec white. Gr8 4 pulling up tree stumps.

[Guest Hooli]

I had 235/85R16s on mine, standard 110 size. It went damn near anywhere a which challenge 90 went (just with more body damage) as I also had a detroit locker in the rear & a tru-trac in the front. I still had 10 spline half shafts though, so it ate them for fun.

[hpi_matrix]

Well I think I'm convinced, I just dont think ive bonded with the Vitara. Its been great fun off road, but I'm just afraid of breaking something every time I go out.

 

From one rust bucket to the next.

 

[Guest Hooli]

If you can, get a 300series one. They've got a lot stronger back axle than the 200series.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Can I just mention Pajeros, without any irony.

I can't personally see where a Discovery wins in any stakes against one if you intend to spend most of your time on road. They are also more than capable off road.

I'm in no way trying to argue against any irate OLLIs, I understand that I won't win as there are more OLLI fans.

[drum]

I loved my td5 despite all its faults.

A great family car, tow car, off roader, dog wagon, load lugger, ....

 

Quiet and comfy on the road and I thought it was quite spacious inside being wide.

 

There aren't many cars that are so versatile. Car, truck, van, land rover all rolled into one.

You have to put up with the foibles though. Water ingress and warning lights on the dash were frequent issues. I did quite a lot of work in mine over the years and found it easy enough to fix.

[skoda_norman]

I had a D2. I'd always wanted a Land Rover and this was my first. What a bag of crap. Air suspension failed (replaced with coils) in the end, injector loom failed, front track rod end failed. And it had this annoying thing where if you turned it off but didn't remove the key the immobiliser would kick in and it wouldn't start for 30 minutes or so (as DW can testify!). I owned it for 6 months and it was off the road for almost half that time I'd say. And the chassis was made of cheese. 

 

Having said that, I'd love another. I think they're great! But you have to have deep enough pockets to keep them going. 

 

This is how I like to remember it...

 

 

 

This is how I should remember it! 

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

If you can, get a 300series one. They've got a lot stronger back axle than the 200series.

 

S1 back axles are all the same aren't they?

 

I've had 5 Discoverys.  They need an 'enthusiasts touch' but all of mine have been 100% reliable and economical too.  I currently have a '95 300TDi 5dr and a '93 200TDi 3dr.

Both do 30mpg in everyday use.  Fix with a hammer and a cable tie.  Yes, you will need spare parts but there are an army of parts suppliers out there and everything is available, very cheaply.

Britpart cheapy parts are on the whole total junk but fine for paper gaskets/ things that aren't meant to move.  Britpart also supply better quality stuff, look out for the letter G after the part number.

 

The Discovery 1 will go anywhere you'd ever need to in standard form.  It'll take you and 6 friends on a road trip at 80mph/ 30mpg.  It'll transport a massive amount of stuff with the seats folded down and you can get it in the tip as it's technically a car.  Just remember, it's more a small truck, rather than a big car.  You do need to 'get' the whole Land Rover thing.  You'll be maintaining it regularly and fighting the rust, but overall they have always been good to me.

[Guest Hooli]

The 300 series got the 24 spline half shafts & diff. These are a lot better than the 10spline internals the 200 Tdi got. I believe the casing is identical.

[gdhaydock]

24 spline diffs came in around 1993 so the late 200s got them as well

[AMC Rebel]

 

If I had one it would have to be the poverty spec Montego engined MPi in base spec white. Gr8 4 pulling up tree stumps.

Try finding one - they weren't exactly common at the time.  I think they have all died or been re-engined.

[scruff]

I don't think they are really any stronger after 20 odd years, ten spline stuff is a bit harder to find these days though, the diffs get snapped up by people dropping Tdis into series Landies. And now RRs are being restored expect a knock on effect price wise.

 

Nothing to add to the above except have you noticed how rare it is to see a 200 shape these days?

[AMC Rebel]

Can I just mention Pajeros, without any irony.

I can't personally see where a Discovery wins in any stakes against one if you intend to spend most of your time on road. They are also more than capable off road.

I'm in no way trying to argue against any irate OLLIs, I understand that I won't win as there are more OLLI fans.

 

I agree, and yet I have LRs instead.  I can't explain it either.

[dieselassist]

I have a 99 Discovery1 300tdi '3 door van' which is a sort of workhorse Tug daily; I have it 2 and half years now; I was 50/50 to say the least on buying it; I just needed a daily at the time, but its surprised me with its can do 'pretty much anything that's thrown at it; including some heavy towing...

 

Mine needed drivers side sill doing (crumbled to branflakes with some poking with a  screwdriver) - had it off the road for 5 days welding that up - longest stint its had off the road in my ownership; Ive also changed the front seats to 'Raceland Recaro copies' I had lying about the unit; stock seats were very uncomfortable for me...

 

Mine is rusting in various places like the inner wings, but its appantly not an issue to the tester here, bits of the top bulkhead have similarly fizzled round factory bungs blanks n grommets, but it soldiers on - reliability never an issue; parts like bearings n seals are ridiculously cheap; rubber prop couplers fail; you can buy a cheap version that lasts all of 2500 miles, britparts quality seems very poor for some components...

 

Ive done 450miles in the last 2 days; I just jump in it n drive- 36mpg average; boringly but reassuringly reliable...

[jon928se]

I shouldn't type this

I shouldn't type this

I shouldn't type this

I shouldn't type this

I shouldn't type this

 

I'm on my second 3.9V8 DIsco. The 1st a '95 I left in NZ when I moved to AUS, only thing that went wrong with it in 18 months was the power connection terminals on the factory stereo corroding due to getting a seawater enema on 90 mile beach a week or two earlier. I've now had a '98 Series 1 (AUS got them longer than the UK) for 9 years and has never FTP in that time. Being AUS the chassis and stuff is pristine. It has about 220,000km (About 150,000 miles) on it and other than routine maintenance the only things to go wrong so far are a leaking water pump and intermittent ABS faults due to a sensor backing out of the hub. 

 

Obviously tomorrow it will blow up and take the house out with it if I so much as look at it.

 

I also had a '93 Classic RR with 3.9V8 that was also reliable but the lower boot tailgate rusted so fast you could see it happening. 

[Guest Lord Sward]

Can I just mention Pajeros, without any irony.

 

 

 

My TD5 is over 13 years old and has covered 134k.  We are currently looking to replace it with a new Shogun.  Theres nothing wrong with the TD5, its had a few faults, but its been great.  However, we're getting jittery about towing a caravan to the south of France in it.   We know for a PHACT! that the Shogun will cost a shed load more to maintain and fuel, but its the closest thing to a Disco thats affordable.

[dollywobbler]

I had a D2. I'd always wanted a Land Rover and this was my first. What a bag of crap. Air suspension failed (replaced with coils) in the end, injector loom failed, front track rod end failed. And it had this annoying thing where if you turned it off but didn't remove the key the immobiliser would kick in and it wouldn't start for 30 minutes or so (as DW can testify!). I owned it for 6 months and it was off the road for almost half that time I'd say. And the chassis was made of cheese.

 

Having said that, I'd love another. I think they're great! But you have to have deep enough pockets to keep them going.

 

This is how I like to remember it...

 

 

 

This is how I should remember it!

 

Can I remind you that the gold Disco 2 on the left has covered over 260,000 miles and been very reliable? Proof that a well cared for Disco can be very good. Yours, like mine, had definitely been through some tough owners.

 

Pajero or Shogun are good shouts, but the 2.5 has pretty much no power at all, and 2.8s can crack heads. They do usually have a lockable rear diff though, which makes up for the lack of axle articulation.

[dave21478]

I am a serial Land Rover pervert, but have to admit that the constant list of niggly wee things that ALWAYS needs done gets tiring after a while when you realise that most other brands dont require such fettling. All the jap based 4x4s I have owned have just worked regardless, but I still love LR products and will own more in the future.

The closest I have found in character and in the "get you home anyway despite something serious breaking" spirit to a Land Rover was my old Lada Niva.

 

 

The best Disco I owned was an early 90s three door manual with 200tdi. When the rot took it, I sold it to someone I know who re-shelled all the mechanicals into a mint chassis and shell he had. As far as I know, its still running well.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Can I remind you that the gold Disco 2 on the left has covered over 260,000 miles and been very reliable? Proof that a well cared for Disco can be very good. Yours, like mine, had definitely been through some tough owners.

 

Pajero or Shogun are good shouts, but the 2.5 has pretty much no power at all, and 2.8s can crack heads. They do usually have a lockable rear diff though, which makes up for the lack of axle articulation.

The 2.5 swb mk1 I had was ridiculously slow.

Until I spotted they run a copy of a Bosch V.E.

Then it was a lot better after a good tweak up.

Head cracking is definitely a known issue, on both engines, but a well sorted coolant system should keep that at bay.

I'm on my 4th now, my first 2.8.

I love it, it's the best one I've had so far.