Discovery interest

[Marksman]

Hi, :)
I am interested in getting a discovery, uses will be on road 50%, trundling aroung the shoots 30% (quite taxing for a 4x4 some of our areas are slippery and steep) and fishing 20% (beach / gravel) so the questions I have are related to the suitability of a disco (or should I be looking for a defender)
1, traction, I plan to put a good set of AT tyres on,
do discoveries have traction control ?
do discoveries have locking front and rear diffs ?
Hill descent ? is this only on freelanders

2, day to day running, looking through this site day to day running seems fine

3, Fuel, Diesel, perol or LPG ? each have their merits but I feel drawn to a TD5 any suggestions (clean ones)

4, Essential mods, what are the mods / attention I should be looking for on the vehicle I'm looking for or indeed put on a disco I get ?

Thanks for any assistance, sorry for so many questions (youve probably been asked them over and over) :confused:

[James Withnall]

i agree with you a discovery td5 has ample power, is comfortable on road long journeys, and more than able off road with a decent set of tyres, and if possible get one with Centre Diff Lock. The vehicle has hill desent control as well as traction control. It is less thirsty than the disco3 and believe will happily do everything you want it to.

happy shooting and fishing and enjoy the vehicle;)

[Marksman]

Thanks for the repy James I now need to increase my searchrs for a suitable vehicle within my budget £4000

[LandyV8]

Hi, :)
1, traction, I plan to put a good set of AT tyres on,
do discoveries have traction control ?
do discoveries have locking front and rear diffs ?
Hill descent ? is this only on freelanders

2, day to day running, looking through this site day to day running seems fine

3, Fuel, Diesel, perol or LPG ? each have their merits but I feel drawn to a TD5 any suggestions (clean ones)

4, Essential mods, what are the mods / attention I should be looking for on the vehicle I'm looking for or indeed put on a disco I get ?

Thanks for any assistance, sorry for so many questions (youve probably been asked them over and over) :confused:
Hi, if you go for the Td5 Disco II then yes it will have traction control but no diff lock as standard (I believe you can get a aftermarket one to fit) although the traction control does work very well and does not need the diff lock. Beth’s father has a Disco II and that is great off road. He has BFG AT's and they perform very well on the road and off road. Things like side steps; bumpers etc are very vulnerable on the discoveries. Especially the back as there is a big overhang. As long as you are not doing any major off roading then it will be fine. I recommend either going for the Discovery II Td5 diesel or the V8 if you can get one with LPG. Otherwise will cost a bomb to run.

[LandyV8]

Thanks for the repy James I now need to increase my searchrs for a suitable vehicle within my budget £4000 oh you have a budget. :( i was typing my reply whilst you must have posted again.

I doubt you will get a disco II for under £4000. in that case you would be looking at a Discovery I 300tdi. I was looking on auto trader yesterday at 300tdi discos and there are a few if you don’t mind a little drive to go look at the right one. my search was £4000 too, so there are a few nice XS and ES trims on there. all around 100,000 miles on the clock but if well serviced you shouldn’t have any problem.

[Marksman]

Budget is a little flexible :eek: £4-£5.5k does this bring a Discovery II into the frame ?

[LandyV8]

Budget is a little flexible :eek: £4-£5.5k does this bring a Discovery II into the frame? I have just done a national search on Auto Trader and it did not bring up any Discovery II's at £5000. you are probably looking at around £7000 + for a 1999 Discovery II Td5. you may fall lucky on one on eBay. there is a Disco II V8 on there at the moment @ £4800 but I can see it going up a little. have a look click here (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1999-LAND-ROVER-DISCOVERY-V8I-GS-series-2-TD5-SHAPE_W0QQitemZ4595377553QQcategoryZ29748QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[Marksman]

:( Does discovery I have traction control and hill descent ?

[Jon v8]

:( Does discovery I have traction control and hill descent ?No they dont,if you do decide to stretch your budget and go for a td5 - go for an auto without self leveling suspension and active cornering enhancement.They are lovely extras to have on a young car in warranty,but on an older one with lots of miles they can be expensive and difficult to put right.I dont care what anyone says about Lpg - 4.0 v8 disco 2's dont like it,the bosch injection system is too clever for it and most are poorly set up.Remember its still an old rover v8 and prone to porus/cracked blocks.300 tdi disco is probably the best option,in reasonable nick these are very reliable and able vehicles,They are also repairable at home, (mostly)
or a local garage.Some small garages are reluctant to get too involved in later more complex vehicles.

[Marksman]

Auto :grab: never considered that.

[Jon v8]

Try both, but unless you really dont like autos I bet you dont buy a manual ! The td5 engines characteristics are ideally suited to auto -and its more reliable.Mind you the 300tdi autos can be good too,I bought an almost immaculate one for a work truck 2 months ago,it flies along ! The early 300 autos (pre 96) can be sluggish though.

[manthing]

got to agree with Jon V8 about pre 96 disco's, if I had known about it when getting the second car I would prob have hung on for another P plate.
but it was a good car at a good price, soo...............
if you can stretch it go for a late 300TDi rather than an early TD5, less bugs to sort out.
and yes autos are very copm off the tarmac. its 1 less thing to worry about when you have your head out the window negotiating a rock....

[Roger Whittle]

and yes autos are very copm off the tarmac. its 1 less thing to worry about when you have your head out the window negotiating a rock....

I was driving my TD5 Auto off road last weekend - off track as well and on road tyres (don't ask; I haven't looked yet). It was very, very slippery on the grass which was virtually saturated. I was following a Cheap Jerokee and a P38 Rangie - until I saw the Rangie was in serious sh*te at the bottom of the valley. I could back and fill to turn and get about on wet forest litter a little later on because I could go very, very slowly and use very low revs. The traction control is unobtrusive, but very powerful, while the Hill descent is a bit scary - it's hell making yourself stay off the pedals! (And it growls and grunts at you, but it won't mind the trailer as well.)

The Auto is also cosmic for towing. As mentioned elsewhere, I had a simple electrical fault with the gearbox and it went into 'safe mode' - third gear. I was towing a 1.5 ton trailer and my 7 seater was full of adults. It towed beautifully, but I just wondered why it was a bit sluggish pulling away from the lights when on hills. Then I figured out I hadn't heard it change gear recently and must be in third; permanently!

[HarryD]

Apart from a recent alternator problem, I have had little in the way of unexpected problems from my 95 model 300TDi auto. It was £4000 although I could have got it for slightly less (wanted to make sure the other guy didnt get it). The first main job was to change a very ropey rear brake disc. I have uploaded a maintenance record just for info to http://www.harrydevine.com/Wigtown2005/Landrover/.
The Auto 300TDi is a joy. Plenty of grunt and averaging 30mpg. Fitted with Pirelli scorpions, they have been brill on tarmac and so so off road but that has been only a couple of times.
Make sure you lift the rear carpet and check for holes. Mine had a couple but fibre glass and resin sorted that. The diff lock is a must having had it and servicing is a doddle. The 300TDi is easy to get at and parts for the car are relatively cheap.
Images can be seen at http://www.harrydevine.com/Wigtown2005/Landrover/ and as mentioned, a maintenance record is there too, the spend has been £1500 in the last 3 months but it has made for a much better machine, this has been admitted by the previous owner..

[Marksman]

There seem to be number of imports available are these the same spec as uk vehicles ?

[reedrider]

The imports that are on the market are all UK spec cars and usually have a few more extras on them. In Japan they like all the toys in their cars and a Landrover Is a status symbol they are all dealer serviced by Landrover Japan you get a full service history with them but if you can read it you are doing well
They are coming into the country about 9 years old with no rust and low mileage on them 50,000-60,000 being average this is what I bought in July this year and have had to do the p gasket, timing belt, aux belts and a service but no major problems I've changed all the suspension but that was by choice
They make good investment in my eyes plus they are all Auto's :D

[Henk Coetzee]

:( Does discovery I have traction control and hill descent ?

The Disco 1 is a purely mechanical beast - no electronic devices to help you get deeper into trouble. Also no electronic devices to break.

My only experience of traction control so far has been in a friend's Freelander. It seems to work, although the vehicle gets through most things without needing it. (It is useful for towing T*y*t*s out of mud)

HDC looks like a good idea, although judicious use of the engine and breaks should get you down most hills (in a manual at any rate)