THINKING ABOUT BUYING A DISCO

[90Mike]

hi guys have got a real urge to sell my sj's and get a landrover but could with some help in deciding which one. i have got a wish list that may be a little bit hard to fulfil on a budget of about £1500 to £2000
1) discovery or range rover?
2) needs to be used as a everyday car for me and my wife and kids.
3) be able to do some green laning with the family.
4) would love a v8 on lpg but i think the insurance would hammer me i am only 25 and live in the city.
5) do lpg underside tanks effect off roading capablity?

would appreciate any help or your thoughts on my situation.

[mark300]

hi, i have sold my v8 lpg ranger and gone for a disco 300tdi es auto for the same purpose.i wanted a nice reliable economical family car,but i also wanted to be able to play, ie: green laning,throwing the dog in the back,camping,fishing etc. i loved the power and comfort of the ranger but it also had its faults, all my mates have tdi discos and we did a green lane in wales,the ranger loved it till we came to the first ford and cut out at the first sign of water,also v8s on lpg dont mix well,after time your talking headgasket or engine rebuild plus the room the tanks take up, and also finding somewere when your low on gas when your in the middle of nowere, the disco i purchased is near mint,turbo diesel so loss in power not that bad,has full leather (wipe clean) all the mod cons you want + you can get diesel anywhere,doesnt cut out at first sign of water,seats seven and the mrs loves it because she says its easier to drive than the ranger due to the controls being more closer than in the classic. best £2,000 ive ever spent so far.but thats just my opinion.mark   :lol:

[Steven]

Well we have got a disco 300 tdi and we use it for everything 3 school runs soon to be 4, sometimes 2 holidays a year (trailer, 3 bikes and roof box) shopping days out and off course offroading. And thats mainly standard only got some spot lights at mo!

So discovery 200 or 300 tdi i would say

[90Mike]

thanks for your comments guys i was looking at the diesel discos but for my sort of budget the only ones i can find are the ones with high miles

[Steven]

what kind of milage are you wanting on your new disco???

[mark300]

hi, my disco is a late 1994 on a l plate its one of the cleanest i have seen its done 123,000 i paid £2,000  seller wanted £2,500 as i said fully loaded twin elec roofs,air con,leather,twin air bags its got the lot,it took me a bit of time to find the right one, as i wasnt to concerned about the millage,i was more concerned about the overall condition.there are cars out there with lower miles but when you look over them they have been worked hard or just not cared for,i also looked at  n and p plates but either knackered or too pricey try auto trader web site,  just be cheeky with the cash in your hand and grab a bargain.  :lol:

[90Mike]

hi there thanks again guys sounds like you got a real bargain with yours almost too good to be true i would be scared to take it off road in case i broke anything, i have been looking on ebay and have seen a couple but mileage is usually between 140000 to 160000 and with very little or no history with the vehicles plus i am a little bit concerned about getting something with that many miles on and then to start taking it off road ok it may have sat on the motorway all its life but not to sure how it would handle the stress of being off road with that many miles.

[Steven]

no you cant stress about that as long as you keep it in tip top condition i think it will be fine. Ours has only just begone life at 130,000 miles :lol:  :lol: but before yeah you do need to have some history really with it

anyway what does everyone else think???????????

[90Mike]

its just something i have always had in the back of my mind with buying a car with 100000+ miles i have always managed to stay clear of them but it does not look like i have much choice in this case i suppose its just finding the right one i would not mind paying a few hundred more for the right one that has been well looked after and comes with history

[fish]

A high mileage car with a good history is a better than a low mileage one with no history. I bought a cheap 200tdi on 122K, with no history! And consequently spent loads on cam belt, brakes and much more!

You have to keep shopping around, as there are loads out there, have you tried autotrader?

[barnhill4x4]

I have a 92 V8i. When I bought it 58k was on the odometer. Now there is 163k! I bought it 5 years ago and put the gas on myself, over 100,000miles later running on gas and the only things I have replaced on the whole car are a couple of water pumps, a few sets of tyres, 2 exhausts, 2 batteries, Radiator, Shocks and springs (rear only!), 1 CV joint, Power Steering pump, a few sets of brake pads and the odd steering joint here and there! The petrol pump has gone on it now but its been like that for a year and done over 20k starting on gas with very little trouble.
  I know I have been lucky and the discs have needed replacing for a while, it needs some bushes and the clutch will need doing in the next 10k but this has got to be the most reliable car I have ever owned!

 Dont go for the undersill tanks as these are cr&p off road, I fitted them first but took them off later and fitted 2 where the petrol tank was and fitted a smaller petrol tank

[chaosego]

milage pah dont worry i paid 2500 for my 2 door 300 tdi auto it has 168 000 miles on it took it to south of france 2 weeks later found out the radiator was about kaput half way up the pyrenees she has a new one now . you will get a right bargain on eblag this time of year get one close so you can inspect it . go for the no reserve ones and dont worry about milage go for condition a high miler thats been well looked after better than an abused low miler i guess.i just picked one up for my dad a few weeks ago a jap imprt 100 k ish on clock mint for 3000 go for it glyn.

[winchman]

Discos are fab family cars.
Mine isnt as cheap to run as my 405 was but what a work horse, been every where with it, dispite the increase in running costs I feel its worth it for the safety and comfort.
My mate is selling his k reg 200TDis in fantastic condition, he has owned it over 10 years, any thing needed has always been done, 7 seats, ladder, top of the range cloth trim, nice alloys, tow pack etc.
No rot at all, waxoyled every year
I had my name on it two years ago but bought one in the summer, he was looking for £2000, but I think he would Take £1700 or so, make him an offer
12 months mot.
Its just off the M56 near Chester

[90Mike]

OK OK i am sold it sounds like a diesel disco is just the all rounder i am after i must admit guys i did post the same on the range rover forum but no one was as convincing as you guys and some even recommended the disco i have been looking in the local trader but at the time i was only looking at the v8 4.0 and worrying about the mileage but now with your help i know better and yes i will be knocking on your doors asking for help if goes wrong one last thing 200 or 300 series man or auto  :?

[loyalduke]

Agree with everyone about high miles not being a worry if its been looked after. There will always be things that need replacing at some point what ever the miles but at least with Disco there are loads of spares around at good prices. And for advice don't forget the Discovery owners club which is a very family focused club with some great camping/caravan weekends.

www.discoveryownersclub.co.uk

With mine off the road after being smashed in to by a 60 mph Fiesta driver when parked outside my house I am also looking for a 100k N reg ES model so if anyone knows where there is a clean one for sale give me a shout.

[Baron-Red]

Hi I got my 300TDi with 141K on the clock when I got it in Feb '06 (with an obseen amount of history) FULL Service history and now has 152K on the clock, just keep up the servicing, just look in the usual places (boot floor, sills and wheel arches) :lol:  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

With a good service history I'd say you need to be more worried about the gearbox than the engine, they canexpire early on the manuals.

I think the thing about RRC vs Disco is that you have kids, the Disco was aimed at famileis, so YOU basically, and there are more about.  If you find a nice RRC with good history, straight bodywork, drives nicely and you can see you and the family in it, then buy it.  You will have more choice with Discos and the Diesle option is far better unless you can find a Soft Dash 300 TDi RRC.