Discovery buying advise from the experts.

[Reggieroo]

Hi there,

I'm just in the process of convincing the misses to buy a Discovery & would like some advise on what to look for & what not to buy.

At the moment I'm thinking of getting her a Discovery 2 as its a bit more modern & she does a lot of motorway miles but is there any reason why I should buy a Discovery 1 instead?

The reason I ask is that I bought a RRC instead of the P38 because of all the problems P38s have + I want to off road it as well.

Also diesel or V8 (on LPG of course)

I don't know which is more reliable or economical but at the moment she's anti Turbo because of some problems we are having with a 52 Reg Astra Turbo Coupe with a blown Turbo   :x , that's the reason she wants something else......oh & I'll need pulling out when I'm stuck....lol

You guys seem to know what your talking about in these forums so your advise would be greatly appreciated (flattery gets you everywhere)  :D

Regards
Paul

[TDi90]

if you have the money go for a diesel

[Evilgoat]

Thats an illogical reson to not like turbos :)

seriously, you're looking at a more reliable engine anyway rather than mass produced GM tat (asbestos undies on, I own a 2.6T ecotec engined car) plus you'll be hard pushed to find a decent deisel that isnt a TD. Still...


Theres always superchargers :)

[Budgie]

Disco 1's: Look out for rot on the rear floor & inner wings (around the battery box) and leaking sunroofs. The 300 TDi is a good engine and the only real problems are occasional head gaskets going and you must make sure the timing belt is changed every 60k miles or so.

Worn items in the suspension and steering can lead to a wobble in the steering so take it upto motorway speeds on the test drive to make sure.

I don't know much about the TD5 Disco but there is a lot more electronics in them to go wrong & you need to plug it into a computer to see what the problem is. Plus the throttle is "fly-by-wire" which tends to lead to a delay between putting your foot down and the engine responding.

[RichardRRC]

I once read somewhere that the DII has a more "robust" update of the P38a electronics, and to be honest, I think that's probably true.
You can work on/service the DIIs in the same manner you would the RRCs/D1s, the only thing I do extra is I have the DII "plugged in" once a year, just to make sure all the ECUs are happy.
The only thing you might find is that if your good lady is used to an Astra Turbo, the TD5 performance (or lack of it :lol: ) might be a bit of a let down :) But then, you can allways get V8 performance by having it "chipped" :twisted:
Regards,
Richard.

[Reggieroo]

I once read somewhere that the DII has a more "robust" update of the P38a electronics, and to be honest, I think that's probably true.
You can work on/service the DIIs in the same manner you would the RRCs/D1s, the only thing I do extra is I have the DII "plugged in" once a year, just to make sure all the ECUs are happy.
The only thing you might find is that if your good lady is used to an Astra Turbo, the TD5 performance (or lack of it :lol: ) might be a bit of a let down :) But then, you can allways get V8 performance by having it "chipped" :twisted:
Regards,
Richard.

No worries about performance, she's also got a 94 Suzuki Vitara which is gutless & rattly, that's whats she's driving at the moment as the Astra's been in & out the garage for the last 6 months with various problems.

Hence the reason she wants something else which is reliable.

[thermidorthelobster]

TD5s are nothing like P38s, having had both.  The TD5 is a pretty decent motor.  Yes it's a bit more complex than a 300tdi but not nightmarishly so.

The main reason to go for a 300tdi would be (a) they're dirt cheap, and (b) on balance if you want to run the truck for hundreds of thousands of miles you'll probably find the 300tdi is more bombproof.

In the TD5's favour is extra space in the back, a more civilised driving manner, a more modern look and some nice little bits like ACE if you choose to go for that.  ACE is fantastic technology but it does add complexity and can go wrong.

If you're looking at a TD5:
- drive a few and you'll find some run more smoothly than others
- check all the factory recalls have been done, definitely absolutely!  A dealer should be able to tell you if you give them the reg number
- if it has ACE (look for a hydraulic ram in the front right wheelarch, attached to the anti-roll bar) then make sure it's working;  hammer it round a corner and you should get very little body roll
- the ACE pump should make a barely audible noise a bit like a turbo, but it will change constantly with the engine revs;  it shouldn't be noisy unless it's on the way out
- check the air suspension seems to be operating OK if it has it.  It should sit level and stay level overnight, if you get the chance to find out.  The EAS is not as complex as the P38 and usually operates fine, but it is something to keep an eye out for
- if the coolant level is low, that doesn't mean it's leaking coolant, they tend to vent a bit of coolant if they're topped up
- look out for oil leaks, there are plenty of places for it to leak from (totally unlike any other Land Rover product of course)

If you have ten grand or more to spend then you can definitely get a decent TD5.  If it's more like 6 grand then I'd consider getting a mint 300tdi.  The TD5 will give you about 10-15% lower economy, sometimes worse.  The performance isn't anything particularly spectacular but they're easy to chip.

By the way, I've never heard of ANYBODY having problems with the turbo on a TD5, and only with astronomical mileage on a 300tdi.  Don't let the turbo put you off.  My view on LPG (my P38 was a gassed 4.6) is that on modern, electrically controlled engines it's too much trouble and just causes grief.  If you had a carburetted 3.5 I'd say gas all the way;  but not on the Thor engine.