Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

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Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 01 Dec 2018, 10:33 am

I would like to buy an older 4wd to use as a shooting vehicle. I like the idea (but possibly not the reality) of the Landrover Discovery 2 as it has the live axle front and rear. Does anyone have experiences they can share here? Anything specifically to look for with these? I am well aware of their dodgy reputation for reliability. I get the impression you can get good ones. Or are they all ******?
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 11:55 am

I'm a Land Rover fan, wouldn't have anything else, but you are right, the early Disco did have some issues.
If I'm not mistaken like the Range Rover of the same era, they only have two steel panels, the bonnet and the bottom tailgate. because of the way the sit, the bonnets rarely have dramas but the tailgates of both are prone to rusting badly.

There can be some other issues, some reading below.

:drinks:

http://www.coventrywest.com/d2-buyers-guide

https://www.landroversonly.com/forums/f ... rns-64034/

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post ... -discovery
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Daddybang » 01 Dec 2018, 12:06 pm

Dad owned a 98 model that was good off rd
But as gaz said had a problem with the back door rusting . He sold it and brought a 2001 model that gave him a sh@tload of hassles with the electrics and corrugations running up and down the cape. :thumbsup: :drinks:
This hard living ain't as easy as it used to be!!!
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 12:20 pm

If you can find one I would strongly recommend a Range Rover classic, mine has over 460.000km and has rarely given an issue.

Unlike Britain they don't have diesels here, only V8s, but they are a fantastic engine.
If you really want a diesel, perhaps a defender would be a better option

Now waiting for Mr Murphy's Law to drop a truck load of sh!t on me for bragging :roll:
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 01 Dec 2018, 3:12 pm

Gaznazdiak wrote:If you can find one I would strongly recommend a Range Rover classic, mine has over 460.000km and has rarely given an issue.

Unlike Britain they don't have diesels here, only V8s, but they are a fantastic engine.
If you really want a diesel, perhaps a defender would be a better option

Now waiting for Mr Murphy's Law to drop a truck load of sh!t on me for bragging :roll:


I definitely don’t want a diesel. I prefer the petrol. Anything I buy won’t be a daily runner. If I can convince my wife of the merits of the idea(which is a huge if), I would like something to use for bush bashing and shooting. I am keen to avoid an unreliable money pit. The links above are really good. Obviously buying the best well maintained vehicle is the go. I am certainly not looking to buy the cheapest thing.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 3:21 pm

Bruiser64 wrote:
Gaznazdiak wrote:If you can find one I would strongly recommend a Range Rover classic, mine has over 460.000km and has rarely given an issue.

Unlike Britain they don't have diesels here, only V8s, but they are a fantastic engine.
If you really want a diesel, perhaps a defender would be a better option

Now waiting for Mr Murphy's Law to drop a truck load of sh!t on me for bragging :roll:


I definitely don’t want a diesel. I prefer the petrol. Anything I buy won’t be a daily runner. If I can convince my wife of the merits of the idea(which is a huge if), I would like something to use for bush bashing and shooting. I am keen to avoid an unreliable money pit. The links above are really good. Obviously buying the best well maintained vehicle is the go. I am certainly not looking to buy the cheapest thing.


In that case Bruiser, I'd definitely go for a classic Range Rover. Alloy V8, 4 speed auto, plenty of room and once you get used to the body roll, handles extremely well "right out of the box".

There's a good reason the British SAS used them for so long.

As mentioned in another thread, mine's had a lot of upgrade work on the engine, brakes and suspension to make it a "go beast" but even bog standard they are still the best 4x4xfar of that era.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 3:28 pm

One caveat to the above, they are full time 4x4, so handle differently to selectable.

When the Australian Army changed from Series Landies to Defenders they had, from memory, something like 12 roll overs in the first year.
Guys used to fanging into a corner and backing off the throttle to get some compression oversteer would find themselves upside down.
Apologies if I'm preaching to the choir, but with the full time 4x4 you jam your foot in and hold it there and they corner on rails.
Counter intuitive and ball shriveling the first few times but once you get the "right knacker dancing" great fun.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 01 Dec 2018, 3:48 pm

Hi Gaz, what year range for the Range Rover would you recommend?
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 3:57 pm

Anything 85-90.
Earlier ones are harder to find in good nick and later ones have too much break down at the worst possible time electrickery.

Avoid airbag suspension like the plague.

Sounds good in theory, and later versions got it sorted but the early version were a pox.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 01 Dec 2018, 8:02 pm

Gaznazdiak wrote:Anything 85-90.
Earlier ones are harder to find in good nick and later ones have too much break down at the worst possible time electrickery.

Avoid airbag suspension like the plague.

Sounds good in theory, and later versions got it sorted but the early version were a pox.


Thanks for the info Gaz. I am going to start my research. I will admit I also like the TJ wranglers with the 4.0 litre straight 6. I need to convince my wife that me using our nice 4wd is not as good as me using my own dedicated shooting bus. My motivation for getting one is me not worrying the whole time about damaging our nice tow vehicle.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 01 Dec 2018, 8:52 pm

If you do go for a Jeep, avoid the ones with the option that selects 4wd when it wants.

They have a rep for breaking down in a very expensive way.

Remember the Jeep ads where the neighbors disappeared?
Thats because their axle seals burned out and they were stranded in the weeds.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 02 Dec 2018, 9:54 am

I think whichever way I go I will need to proceed with caution.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 02 Dec 2018, 10:20 am

I'm not anti Jeep Bruiser, but they had the same sort of teething problems as LR when they decided to go from tried and true to magic electronic "make it easy" type jiggery-pokery.
But you're definitely right, lots of research before buying either.

Again, apologies if I'm stating the obvious, but when you do choose one to look at, go for a grovel and look at the underside. Not just oil leaks, old Landies seem to have them as a design feature :D , but for dings and scrapes on the chassis, it's a good indicator of how it's been used.
When I bought mine it was down to 2. One looked good, paint and interior, no dents but the motor had timing chain issues and smoked more than I did at the time and the other looked the goods outside but the chassis had some fearsome dents and some serious rust. The owner was a keen fisherman and it spent a lot of time running on wet beach sand and the salt knackered it.
Then out of the blue I got a call about one in mint condition that had been a doctor's "Toorak Tractor".
All the goodies you could think of and never been off the tar. That was 20yrs ago and I'm still in love.
With the car, thst is.
Good luck with it mate. :thumbsup:
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Ten » 02 Dec 2018, 6:21 pm

The series 11 petrol is the one. Series 1s are prone to rusting but have no electronics, which can be a source of trouble as with the P38 Range Rover. Choose a late model series 11 Disco with the locking centre diff. I use mine as a daily driver and am extremely happy. Terrific off-road.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 02 Dec 2018, 10:13 pm

Thanks heaps for the information Gaz. It is very helpful. I am not in a hurry, so will do my research so I know what a good one looks like when I see it.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 02 Dec 2018, 11:08 pm

:thumbsup:
My pleasure Bruiser, good luck with it.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by PaddyT » 03 Dec 2018, 10:48 am

Just bought a 2014 FJ cruiser, very happy so far , havent done any "serious' 4wd and am not really planning on it, it tows my 18 ft boat really well and everything works on it . I didnt need a "full size 4WD" as 90% of the time i am by myself or with one passenger, I was very reluctant to buy a second hand diesel.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by trantor41 » 04 Dec 2018, 8:14 am

I have a 2000 Discovery---288000 ks---replaced crank angle sensor and alternator--brake linings also. Goes very well on or off road --V8 power is allways there when needed. Excellent climate control and entertainment system. I have it serviced every 20,000---you can't go to wrong with one of these---still the yardstick that others are measured by.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by bullzeye » 04 Dec 2018, 12:29 pm

The V8s absolutely guzzle the fuel. Is that an issue for you?
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 04 Dec 2018, 12:55 pm

bullzeye wrote:The V8s absolutely guzzle the fuel. Is that an issue for you?


True, they can, but it depends how you tune them and how enthusiastic you get with the load pedal.

My Rangie has a 300hp 4.6 stroker and if "Boy Racer" raises his head, sucks it down like crazy. The Motec engine management is set to give grunt rather than economy.

However, I installed a duel fuel system with LPG.
2.34t vehicle with the aerodynamics of a house brick, and I can run at 110kph, on gas, for 19c/km.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Bruiser64 » 05 Dec 2018, 7:18 am

bullzeye wrote:The V8s absolutely guzzle the fuel. Is that an issue for you?


No, as the car wouldn’t be a daily driver. Which is why I would also consider a 4.0 litre straight 6 Jeep.
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Member-Deleted » 06 Dec 2018, 8:25 pm

Gaznazdiak wrote:I'm a Land Rover fan, wouldn't have anything else, but you are right, the early Disco did have some issues.
If I'm not mistaken like the Range Rover of the same era, they only have two steel panels, the bonnet and the bottom tailgate. because of the way the sit, the bonnets rarely have dramas but the tailgates of both are prone to rusting badly.

There can be some other issues, some reading below.

:drinks:

http://www.coventrywest.com/d2-buyers-guide

https://www.landroversonly.com/forums/f ... rns-64034/

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post ... -discovery


A land rover fan, so am I, I had a TD5, Disco, it was one of the best vehicles I have owned, it pissed all over the 6 cyl Patrol I had, I used to tow a dual axle boat trailer and 4.6 heavy aluminium boat when I was in the Territory, it out pulled the Nissan and did not over heat everywhere it went, the temp gauge never got over half way, no matter how hot it got and how much weight I was towing, bloody good on fuel and comfortable, even on the roughest of dirt roads. :thumbsup:
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by Gaznazdiak » 06 Dec 2018, 9:20 pm

Member-Deleted wrote:
Gaznazdiak wrote:I'm a Land Rover fan, wouldn't have anything else, but you are right, the early Disco did have some issues.
If I'm not mistaken like the Range Rover of the same era, they only have two steel panels, the bonnet and the bottom tailgate. because of the way the sit, the bonnets rarely have dramas but the tailgates of both are prone to rusting badly.

There can be some other issues, some reading below.

:drinks:

http://www.coventrywest.com/d2-buyers-guide

https://www.landroversonly.com/forums/f ... rns-64034/

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post ... -discovery


A land rover fan, so am I, I had a TD5, Disco, it was one of the best vehicles I have owned, it pissed all over the 6 cyl Patrol I had, I used to tow a dual axle boat trailer and 4.6 heavy aluminium boat when I was in the Territory, it out pulled the Nissan and did not over heat everywhere it went, the temp gauge never got over half way, no matter how hot it got and how much weight I was towing, bloody good on fuel and comfortable, even on the roughest of dirt roads. :thumbsup:


I had wondered why the Army changed to the G Wagon. Perhaps they knew this was the next Drfender generation.

https://www.motoring.com.au/new-land-ro ... ay-115967/

:drinks:
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Re: Land Rover Discovery: your experiences?

Post by landyvlad » 01 Aug 2019, 11:29 am

Bruiser what did you end up buying?
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