buying a disco

[90Mike]

Hi there folks i am toying with the idea of buying a discovery mainly to be used off road but must be road legal for short trips and travel to events so the family can see what i get up to i will be planning on doing all of the work my self over a period of tme but the problem is i dont know much about the disco i am more of a suzuki man myself  :D so i have a few questions that i could do with answering  :oops: if any one can help before i make my mind up i should have a budget of about £1500 after selling my suzukis
1. whats the diffrence between a 200 tdi and a300 tdi
2. any one know the insurance categorys of the old V8 and TDI
3. is there a speical insurance avaliable for part time use of a 4X4
4. how good are they off road i am looking at doing a set of wheels / tyres and suspension lift to start off with
5. is it the same diesel engine in all the discos until the td5 or are there more optiions and what are they like off road i would of liked a V8 but a bit costly in many ways
6. is it possable to fit front and rear difflocks to these
i would look forward hearing from you all even if its to tell me how stupid i am many thanks mike

[MudRat]

Firstly, my disco is as good off road as my 90, it has a longer overhang, but nothing to worry about, if you do then cut it back.

For 1500, you can get a reasonable 200tdi, the 300's start at 2k+ essentially a 2" lift and set of muds can cost as little as 400 quid, use the site and 2nd hand can reduce that cost. you can get limited insurance try Adrian Flux, and stick with a diesel, i have had V8s, petrol and diesel engines, you name it i've had it, V8s with an EFI are tempremental off road (guaranteed you will get loads of emails to tell you V8s are best!! and i am wrong!! :lol: ), V8s do not enjoy water and are a little thirsty, I prefer and will keep driving Diesels!

Look out for rust on the inner wings and sills, outriggers and rear x member, otherwise good luck![/quote]

[Skibum346]

Mike, can't answer all your questions exactly but my best guesses are...

1. whats the diffrence between a 200 tdi and a300 tdi
300Tdi has an Exhasut Gas Recirculation valve (EGR Valve) that most people remove and blank off to improve performance, other than that, not sure of the diffirences
2. any one know the insurance categorys of the old V8 and TDI
My V8 costs us about £300 for insurance, not sure of the category.
3. is there a speical insurance avaliable for part time use of a 4X4
There are lots of specialist insurers who advertise in the Land Rover mags, check them out as they have lots of options depending on a) what you want & b)what you can afford!
4. how good are they off road i am looking at doing a set of wheels / tyres and suspension lift to start off with
Although every vehicle is only as good as it's driver, and you'll notice the diffirence form the Zuke... they are as capable as defenders but a whole lot more comfortable!
5. is it the same diesel engine in all the discos until the td5 or are there more optiions and what are they like off road i would of liked a V8 but a bit costly in many ways
AFAIK the options are 2.0 Mpi, 3.5/3.9 V8, 200tdi, 300tdi & td5. Diesel is great for being able to trundle along and will pull you out of anything, V8 sounds great is nippy on road and has stacks of power off road but the elctrics can be vulnerable in water.
6. is it possable to fit front and rear difflocks to these
Yes, front and rear lockers are available for Disco. Same basic chassis & transmission as RRC & Defender

Hope this helps.

Skibum

[freeagent]

for £1500 you'll find a sound 200Tdi disco (upto and including 'L' reg) but i think you'll struggle to find a sound 300tdi (from 'L' reg onwards) for that sort of money..... you might be lucky.. and i'd certainly look for a 300 if you can because they are a bit nicer (slightly more modern front end and interior) and i prefer the 300Tdi engine. :lol:
don't buy a V8 unless you realy want one, as they can be tempremental and generally require a bit more looking after... :?

my Dad will soon be selling his 'J' reg disco 200Tdi, its done around 150k, is structurally sound and in tidy condition with 10 months MOT, i know he wants £1500ish... 8)

...where as, i bought a loverly 300Tdi 'N' reg in april, 101k, FSH for £2200.... 8)

Dsico's are superb off-road, with 235/85's and a 2" lift, they'll go most places a similarly equiped 90 will go... as the others said, the only weak point is the overhangs, but that can be delt with...

[Discotel]

Hi Buddy,

Right here goes

Firstly please take this advice if nothing else, buy the best you can afford and NOT the newest you can afford, I looked at a few H & J plate ones in good order but bought a K plate one because it was newer, and had a few probs with it and it is a little rougher than the older ones.

And if you are going to use it offroad, including wading and water holes then please please buy a Diesel TDI...I have both a V8 petrol and TDI...The V8 has loads of grunt but HATES water, infact if you spit on it t will stall....The TDi however can swim the channel and not even cough...GO FOR A TDI........Petrol engines use a spark (sparkplugs) on diesel engines they use heat (Coreplugs)....water will kill the spark but not the heat so that swhy Diesel engines are better in water.

Hope this helps, Terry

[driftwood]

i have a 200tdi k reg, they are a very capable piece of kit standard!. mod cons are a pref choise if you raise it too much you will get into a whole new world with props etc, but alot of parts can be brought quite cheap!
as said before give the car a good looking over and go for quality rather than newness. have a good look in the usual areas as well as the boot floor and just behind the bumper as these are more then likely to go due time, check for offroad damage underneath.
i have driven a v8 and it has alot of grunt but this isnt always the best in certain obstacles although they do make you smile :D . the diesel will tank nicely through water whereas the v8 isnt at home so you will have to weigh up the pro's and cons for both engines. i dont think there is much difference in the 300 and 200 performance wise but i can pass a petrol station without filling up :twisted: ( ouch...waiting for grief :lol: )

if its play sites with low water then v8 could be fun, laning and general driving then diesel would be my choices, mainly down to feul costs

[Xtremeteam]

if you have the pateience then a V8 can wade as deep as a TDi,its all down to preperation  

[beast5680]

i would say have a good look around and be patient when buying as has been said the newest you can afford is not always the best, prices seem to be all over the place at the minute, a friend of mine has just picked up a "P" plate 300tdi for £500  :shock:  in good condition but it failed its MOT on one thing...the anti roll bar was not fitted :roll:  so the owner got rid

[disco maniac]

beast,

can your mate buy one for me  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

infact........................i'll have 2

[Mean Green]

Damn... I've been done! I paid a grand for my N-plate which failed on an anti roll bar linkage that had failed, so owner got rid!.

[tjsj]

I'm only 15 am on my 7th car that obviously only use off road, but managed to get hold of a 200tdi disco on a g-reg about 7 months ago for 650 quid which had no mot or tax and needed the boot floor doing. It had 235/85 machos on it with a 3 inch procomp lift and it was amazing at how much better it was offroading than my last 4x4, a 1.3 sammy. Would never go back and am thinking of converting it into a pick up now.

[90Mike]

Hi guys thanks for all the help its been very useful guess i need to start doing some work on the suzukis ready to fund the next project thanks again i dont think it will be the last you have heard me

[Ogbyte]

If the V8's can wade like the TDI's (based on RedLineMikes reply) then your only issue may be fuel costs.

What about a V8 on LPG - if you not to worried about the boot space, you could have it fitted there which will help with off-roading clearance.

40p/litre for LPG is what i'm paying (we have two 3.9 V8's) and shares in all the major oil companies  :lol:  :lol:

just an idea

Gary

[90Mike]

Hi gary i would love the V8 as iam a bit of a petrol head  :twisted: but i think my insurance company would love me more than the wife :shock:  iam only 25 and live in coventry

[Ogbyte]

hehe  :lol: I think the v8's are ins. group 14/15 but it's well worth shopping around for, especially if you can get a limited use policy.

IIRC at your age or there about's was when i insured my first car (i'd previously been a named driver on my dad's insurance)  I'd just bought a 1983 3door RRC and my first years premium was £1024  :shock:

when i hit 25 it dropped quite a bit.

worth trying some of the insurance places that advertise in LRO you might be surprised  :D or  :shock:

regards
Gary