Is a £5K Disco' asking for trouble?

[ehonda]

Need a car for the nanny to use 4 days a week, which i'll have access to for the other 3 days.
I was yearning for a Defender anyway, but I think I should probably offer her a bit more luxury than that, and I'd be happy with a disco.
What do I want from the car?

• She needs something safe for carting the little one about.
• A big boot is essential as the pram fills the boot of my wife's 3 series tourer.
• I don't want to spend a fortune in maintenance.
• Fuel economy is not a huge issue as it won't be doing mega miles, although some would be nice.
• I want something that I can fill up the back for tip runs, garden centre trips.
• Would probably also use it for UK holidays for the next couple of years and possibly trips to france. So a degree of comfort is required.
• I live in the sticks and got snowed in twice and bogged down in mud once last year (rescued by a nice chap with a defender). Be nice to laugh in the face of these adversities.

If I buy a 5K disco is it going to deliver on these fronts or am I kidding myself? Of course I know that the sensible option is probably a diesel passat estate or similar, but where's the fun in that, dammit?

Thanks in advance.

[Zumbruk]

Providing you buy *very* carefully, you should be OK. £5K should get you an '01 Td5 ES. Some random thoughts (as usual);

- 7 seaters are worth more than 5 seaters, so if you don't need the extra seats, you can buy a newer car.

- Autos are worth more than manuals.

- Diesels are worth more than V8s.

- The fuel consumption of the V8s is terrifying, but if you don't do many miles, they can be cheaper to run overall, because they're cheaper to buy.

- LR dealers are all divisions of Ali Baba Enterprises. Go to an independent. And even then, the parts can be eye-wateringly expensive. (£120 for an electric seat switch in my case recently. For something that cost 3p to make.)

- Things to look for (over and above the usual); leaks, rear door locks, corrosion under the boot floor, leaks, everything electric, leaks, if an auto the interface switch between the box and the ECU. Switch the ignition off and on numerous times and make sure all the gearbox warning lights go out, leaks. And did I mention the leaks?

Don't get too depressed - I have a 2002 Td5 ES and it's the best car I've ever owned. Even though I have just had to have the OSR door lock replaced for the second time.

Edited by Zumbruk on Friday 10th April 22:50

[ehonda]

Zumbruk said:

Lots of useful stuff

Thanks very much. Should I be concerned about leaks?

[Ramthorne]

You should be more concerned if it doesn't leak, invariably meaning it's run out of oil

[xxplod]

Any Disco is asking for trouble. An RAC patrolman friend of mine refers to them as the Landrover Recovery.

[dnb]

Does it have to be a Disco?

I bought a 2001 v8 Range Rover vogue for less than your budget - it seems no-one really wants them. I particularly wanted one later than 2000, since it has no Lucas electrical parts, hence is more reliable...

It struggles to get more than 15mpg on local runs and 20mpg on the motorway, but I don't do many miles in it anyway.

Other than that, it easily meets all your requirements and is much more luxurious and comfortable than any discovery I've seen.

[Zumbruk]

xxplod said:

Any Disco is asking for trouble.

Have you been a tosser all your life, or did you come to it recently?

[jesta1865]

xxplod said:

Any Disco is asking for trouble. An RAC patrolman friend of mine refers to them as the Landrover Recovery.

odd that i have driven them for the last 16 years and never had to call out the aa to mine, the daughters fiesta on the other hand, well, aa charge is money well spent.

we can all talk about the nightmare stories we have all been told, but as the aa guy told me the other week, we get lots of calls for big 4x4s as most of the drivers have no clue what to do even if the fuel light comes on.

[jon811]

Have a look in the back of a disco they are roomy but not huge, there is probably more useable space in the back of a decent estate. With disco's its not what you spend or the age, its what you buy, meaning you will get a better more reliable car if you buy a very good, well looked after 96-99 disco 1 300tdi for around 3k than if you spend 5k on a ratty 00-01 disco 2 td5. Go for condition over age if not you could end up with some hefty bills particularly if you take it to a garage for work. Things to bear in mind; the tdi's are slug's (worse when connected to an auto box) but generally very reliable providing they are serviced correctly (cam belt!!) and will do around 26 mpg with auto box. V8 have more grunt and are nicer to drive but like to drink around 15-24 mpg, the 4.0's and disco 2 can be a nightmare reliability wise and imo best avoided if you want an 8 yet again you are better off going for a low milage v. good condition 3.9 (around 96-99 3k for a good one) because it is a stronger engine, although at around 100,000 it will need the cam doing so bear in mind when looking if it is rattley smoky or down on power walk away. manual gearboxes can also be an issue on both the disco 1 v8 and tdi (r380) it is a good box but I have know them to fail as low as 60,000 and will cost around 400 for a recon box or about 900-1200 fitted at a garage. so if it doesn’t feel right then walk away and there are plenty about to choose form at the moment so you can be picky, and make sure you get a good one if not you will be in for a rough ride.
Jon
Also if you want safety hd tubular/winch bumper is only around 2-300 and I would trust nice thick steel over a crumple zone any day of the week.

[Stu R]

Can't really add to what's been said other than reinforce the 'buy carefully' statement.

I've had 2 discos, both in this price bracket, one was a nail, the other a peach, so to speak.
There's bags of them out there, and personally I'm a huge fan of them (until they go wrong). Take someone with you to look them over if you're not too savvy with them. But, the sheer abundance of them means if you're disappointed by a tatty one, a cleaner one won't be too far away to go and view.

Unfortunately I find anything V8 powered irresistable, and thus the harrowing tales of 200 miles to a 90L tank are still enough to make we wake up in cold sweats during the night ! Lovely sound though

I'd have another, happily. Whilst I prefer the likes of Patrols and Land Cruisers, the disco still holds a special place in my heart.

Edited by Stu R on Friday 17th April 03:36

[ehonda]

dnb said:

Does it have to be a Disco?

I bought a 2001 v8 Range Rover vogue for less than your budget - it seems no-one really wants them. I particularly wanted one later than 2000, since it has no Lucas electrical parts, hence is more reliable...

It struggles to get more than 15mpg on local runs and 20mpg on the motorway, but I don't do many miles in it anyway.

Other than that, it easily meets all your requirements and is much more luxurious and comfortable than any discovery I've seen.

Not really, no. an RR would probably suit just as well, I'll have a look at what's about.

Thanks everyone for the advice, I'm off to look at an S reg' ('98?), v8 tomorrow. From the pictures in the advert it looks very tidy and it does sound like it's been cared for. Fingers crossed it's as good as it sounds.

[xxplod]

Zumbruk said:

xxplod said:

Any Disco is asking for trouble.

Have you been a tosser all your life, or did you come to it recently?

Oooooooohhhhhh! Saucer of milk over here please!

We had them in the police as rural 4x4s. They were dire. Spent more time in workshops being repaired than they did on the road. They were replaced with the Nissan Terrano and running costs on average, across a significant fleet more than halved.

Family friend had a new one a couple of years ago. Broke down in France and had to be recovered.

RAC tell me it has the worst breakdown record of any vehicle in it's class.

JD Power Survey - well below average for the last few years.

[ehonda]

Well, thanks for everyone's advice.
The deal was done today on a very tidy gleneagles edition V8. It's a peach (hopefully), spotless underneath, very tidy inside and out, obviously cherished by a LR nut. Plus I didn't get anywere near the upper limit of my budget.

Thanks to xxplod too for presenting the opposing view, hopefully I'll not be agreeing with you in a couple of years. Time will tell.

I'll be back with a bunch of dumb ass land rover newbie questions soon.

[ehonda]

You've ruined all my fun now though

[Meeja]

TVR Moneypit said:

ehonda said:

I'll be back with a bunch of dumb ass Land Rover newbie questions soon.

Congrats.


To get the ball rolling and pre-empt some of your questions, I'll make a start giving you some answers......



In the bowls of the dash below the stereo
26psi front, 33psi rears
95lb/ft
Try Paddocks. Around £65 IIRC
Yes, look on ebay. Plenty on there.
2"
OSR, by the chassis leg & fuel tank. 14mm nut.
Yes, but an old Ford Mondeo one fits for about £10 from a scrappie.
Yes you will, about 5%.






Ok, who's next?

That deserves a

[jo'bo]

Yes, but an old Ford Mondeo one fits for about £10 from a scrappie.


got the other ones, what the question to this answer ?

[Stu R]

TVR Moneypit said:

ehonda said:

I'll be back with a bunch of dumb ass Land Rover newbie questions soon.

Congrats.


To get the ball rolling and pre-empt some of your questions, I'll make a start giving you some answers......

In the bowls of the dash below the stereo
26psi front, 33psi rears
95lb/ft
Try Paddocks. Around £65 IIRC
Yes, look on ebay. Plenty on there.
2"
OSR, by the chassis leg & fuel tank. 14mm nut.
Yes, but an old Ford Mondeo one fits for about £10 from a scrappie.
Yes you will, about 5%.

Ok, who's next?

[anonymous-user]

TVR Moneypit said:

To get the ball rolling and pre-empt some of your questions, I'll make a start giving you some answers......

In the bowls of the dash below the stereo
26psi front, 33psi rears
95lb/ft
Try Paddocks. Around £65 IIRC
Yes, look on ebay. Plenty on there.
2"
OSR, by the chassis leg & fuel tank. 14mm nut.
Yes, but an old Ford Mondeo one fits for about £10 from a scrappie.
Yes you will, about 5%.

Come on share the wealth! I'm in the market for a £5k ish Disco 2 myself!