Wanting a disco.

[Fingers]

Hi all,
Im currently looking into getting a disco to start off roading with, and wondered if you disco fans could point me in the right direction?   :D

Which are the models to go for and which ones to avoid?  Manual or Auto? Petrol or diesel? 3/5 door?

What are the "Must have's" before going off road, and how capable is it standard?

Finally, where can the mods for them be baught from (ie winch bumpers, bars, racks etc)?

I know its a lot to ask, but i dont want to get something ill be un happy with (ie, getting a diesel then finding out the petrol version to be much better  :( )

All help greatly appreciated,
Cheers, M

[RichardM]

The short answer is "it all depends"
petrol Discos have a good performance but are thirsty.
As far as off roading goes it depends what you have in mind, the standard discovery, with no mods is a very capable off roader, either manual or auto.
Give us some more detail about what you plan to do with it and you will get lots of answers

[suggs]

as above depends on what you plan to do, a totaly standerd car with mud tyres fitted is quite good but will suffer in more extreme off roading.

V8's sound nice and have the grunt, but are jucy and dont fair well in water, personly i have a 300 tdi and rate it highly off road, i have also owned V8's

if you are serious about off roading then you will need to mod the supension and also fit underbody protection.

theres endless places to buy toys from, Paddocks MM4x4 Bullfrog and many many more, buy a copy of a land Rover magazine theres several in most local shops, you will see all the adds for kit..

cheers

[Fingers]

The short answer is "it all depends"
petrol Discos have a good performance but are thirsty.
As far as off roading goes it depends what you have in mind, the standard discovery, with no mods is a very capable off roader, either manual or auto.
Give us some more detail about what you plan to do with it and you will get lots of answers

Well, it will most likely be a daily driver (at least to start with) so has to be reasonable of fuel.
I will only just be starting out in off roading as there hasnt been much opportunity to get involved, so green laning etc will be what ill do at first, although i would like to push it a bit, which is when i will start modding it.

Suspension lift and underbody protection first, then whatever i need the most (wellies probably).

It all depends on where i can go in the north east (dont know many places yet) to get me started and who i go with as to what i will end up doing i suppose, which will dictate my route with regards to mods.

I am handy with a spanner, so could probably manage all mods myself.

Does that help any?  :lol:

[Disco_Stu]

Personally I'd go for a 300Tdi, as new as your budget allows. I too have had a V8 rangie. If i was to have a truck purely for off roading I would go for the V8 but mine was thirsty on petrol, good on lpg, but didnt like water, or much else tbh. It burned out on the M5 after the lpg electrics melted.

The first thing to remember is there are literelly thousands for sale every day and you should have a good look at each one before you buy it.

You're handy with a spanner. Good. you'll need to be :) Though very tough and very reliable most Disco's have covered a fair bit of ground by now and usually require a bit of somthing or other doing.
If you take it off road, you will break it eventually. If not there and then it will show up current frailties and you'll be replacing somthing.

Off road accessories are readily available (Links below) and are generally a doddle to fit. Again, if you get a rusty old [!Expletive Deleted!] then half the the bolts will round or snap and everything will be a PITA.

http://www.paddockspares.com/

http://www.mm-4x4.com/

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=landrover+accessories&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Also have a look at Ebay.

Stu.

[Rebel3]

I have a 5 door manual 300TDI with the usual off road mods - 2" lift - mud tyres - steering guard etc and it does what it says on the tin very well.
If I were buying again it would still be a 300TDI but it would be a three door – easier to cut the rear bodywork if you intend to go extreme with your tyre size, and I would go for an automatic instead of manual – smoother take up of power for mud or rock climbing work

[a88ott]

sorry to but in
i am wanting one myself
but havent a clue what model etc...
i have been told to get a 300tdi like mentioned above but stay away from auto's?
as there very costly to repair if they go but is that true :?:

also for a 300tdi 2.5 what mpg would i be getting

[Disco_Stu]

The best advice I can offer about MPG is forget it and on concentrate on miles per £.

15 litre drums of vegetable oil can be had from Tesco's for £8. Chuck 2 of these on top of £30 diesel and you'll get 450 miles ish. Don't know what the mpg is but I know I get 7/8 of a tank for under £50.

Stu.

[muddyjames]

I have a 300tdi auto. I rate this set up very highly as it likes water (had water half way up windscreen  :shock:  !!) and off road it seems to fair well as when it changes gear you dont loose power to the wheels unlike a manual.

mpg. As someone above said. forget it! I get about 22mpg. But again as mentioned above, just buy veg oil. you dont need to pay tax on the first 2500litres you use in a 12month period. Thats about 12000 miles. Not bad for 36p a litre!! Not even LPG is as cheap as that.

If you are going to tow with the disco then I would advise on a manual. It has taken me 18months to get used to how to tow with it. I am used to towing with a pokey 2litre petrol manual so a diesel auto is bit of a difference up hills!!!

First mods to get. I would say certainly a snorkel as you dont want to sieze up your engine!! also for any off roading you want proper recovery points so jate rings will sort that and are easy to fit. I have mainly body protection ie steering guard, rock / tree sliders and snorkel. I'm not into raising suspension as they wollow enough without lifting them! I now have police spec springs and shocks. Tinted rear windows are handy for hiding your tools and recovery stuff.

But the options are endless. the only person at the end of the day to know what is best for them is obviously you!!!

But basics. I would go for a 300tdi. 5 door if you have a family or 3 door if you want to trim arches.

good luck in your quest. A disco WILL change your life and lighten your wallet!! :lol:

[davy2xl]

hi i get about 32 out of my 300 with 221k on it

[Telaren]

Hi, Hope I am not being too cheeky but My Disco is currently up For Sale if interested.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160128508740&rd=1&rd=1

Feel free to contact me if interested.

Cheers and Good Luck

Taz

[Fingers]

Ok, so its looking like a 300tdi, but i still have a couple of questions to narrow it down * "Not more!" they all cry. *    :D

3/5 door.
I dont have a family (unless you call the better half and 2 dogs a family), but do often drive other people as im one of the only drivers out of my circle of friends.     So it would come down to: How much diffrence in space inside Versus the affect on off-road capability?
(At the end of the day, i dont sit in the back!   :D )

Manual/automatic
I normally drive manual and tend to prefer it, but can see the advantages of using an auto off-road (wont be tow much if anything).
So apart from towing, what are the pro's and con's?

Snorkel
Well i was planning on adding one anyway, but will it really sieze that easily without one?

Sills
I keep seeing ones on fleabay with knackered sills. I can weld (a bit  :? ) so is this a difficult job? (done it on an escort before).

Veg
Is it OK on veg oil? I ran a Tipo on it and it was ok, but my brothers Isuzu Trooper doesnt really like it (and smells like a fish and chip shop when warm).


Phew, thinks that all for now   :shock:

Once again, thanks for all the help.

[Fingers]

Hi, Hope I am not being too cheeky but My Disco is currently up For Sale if interested.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160128508740&rd=1&rd=1

Feel free to contact me if interested.

Cheers and Good Luck

Taz

I did see that, but unfortunatly i need to sell my car first.
At the moment im looking to get all the info and decide what is going to be best, so when i have the cash i can concentrate on looking at ones that suit my needs without wasting time on the others.

Cheers anyway though and hope it fetches a good price!

Cheers, M

[muddyjames]

Ok, so its looking like a 300tdi, but i still have a couple of questions to narrow it down * "Not more!" they all cry. *    :D

Not crying yet! happy to give what little knowledge I have!

3/5 door.
I dont have a family (unless you call the better half and 2 dogs a family), but do often drive other people as im one of the only drivers out of my circle of friends.     So it would come down to: How much diffrence in space inside Versus the affect on off-road capability?
(At the end of the day, i dont sit in the back!   :D )

Not much difference in the back. Harder to get into obviously but the leg room etc is the same IIRC. With a 3 door you have no door pillar to rust around the wheel arch area. It is a common place to rust. Down side is the windows dont open as much in a 3 door than in a 5door. Depends if you have air con or not and a hot summer again!

Manual/automatic
I normally drive manual and tend to prefer it, but can see the advantages of using an auto off-road (wont be tow much if anything).
So apart from towing, what are the pro's and con's?

No towing. I would go auto then. I love my auto for laning as you just pop it in drive and crawl along and watch the scenery. You can forget about gears. Also an auto is better in traffic jams!!!

Snorkel
Well i was planning on adding one anyway, but will it really sieze that easily without one?

All depends how deep a water you go through. the air intakes are located inside the wheel arch for added protection. It only takes one engine lung full of water and your stuck! I had this happen on a rover 620 in a flood that was deeper than a chap said. £1100 for an engine rebuild. Learnt my lesson. £160 for a snorkel it was for the disco before another engine rebuild! You only need to go through a ford a bit to quick etc.

Sills
I keep seeing ones on fleabay with knackered sills. I can weld (a bit  :? ) so is this a difficult job? (done it on an escort before).

Not had this happen to me yet but I have heard of some people welding rock sliders into the sills instead of new sills.

Veg
Is it OK on veg oil? I ran a Tipo on it and it was ok, but my brothers Isuzu Trooper doesnt really like it (and smells like a fish and chip shop when warm).

200 and 300tdi engines are fine to run on veg oil. I have 3 mates running on it. I am going to run on it from 1st July. If you want the whole low down I would recomend you pm a chap on here called Dr Ed. He has done the complete conversion to his 200tdi disco. you can mix the oil direct in your diesel tank. 50/50 in the summer and 30% oil 70% diesel in the winter. Who cares if you smell like a chip shop. Your not sat behind smelling the aroma!!! :lol:

Phew, thinks that all for now   :shock:

Once again, thanks for all the help.

Happy to try and help

PS. try and find a disco without sunroofs as they are prone to leaking. You can silicone them up if needs to be.

[muddyjames]

my pc has posted it twice again. grrr

[Fingers]

Cheers all.

Ill keep you all posted.

[thermidorthelobster]

There's no difference in off-roading ability between the 3 door and 5 door;  they're built on the exact same chassis.  I'd recommend a 5 door personally, you might find a 3 door is a bit of a PITA.

Without a snorkel you will be able to wade up to the top of the wheel arches without difficulty;  a few inches higher if you're careful.  With one, you can wade to the top of the windscreen.  The furthest I ever got was 2 inches deeper than the door mirrors, but be aware that they float (for a while), which isn't good.

[Fingers]

So what is the interior like?

Is it comfortable?  More importantly, if you decide to get it wet, does it leak or will you stay dry inside?   :D

(When stuck in a flood my Escort became an indoor swimming pool   :roll: , although i cant say i expected anything different!)

Cheers, M

[thermidorthelobster]

If you wade deep enough the door seals won't remotely keep the water out.  However, remember the floor is level with the bottom of the doors, so when you open the doors all the water slooshes straight out, and you just have to dry out the carpets.

200tdis have a rather dated Conran-designed interior;  the back seat is comfy enough for 2 but less so for 3, as the people on either side are tipped inwards.  The front seats are fairly comfortable as far as I'm concerned.

The 300tdis have a different interior with a dash the same as TD5s.  I've not travelled any great distance in a 300tdi so couldn't really comment on how comfy the seats are.