Buying a Discovery TD5...

[Benjaminpalma]

Hello all.

I'm getting a Discovery TD5 - maybe a 1999 or 2000 model.

Can anyone give me some pointers on what to look out for?

Thanks!

[cptsideways]

[300bhp/ton]

Ignore the idiotic reply above. The TD5 has been the Landy mainstay engine for years and is well proven.


As for a DII specifically. Check bodywork and chassis condition, although they aren't as bad as D1's and are evidently newer.

Check for off road damage.

Check all electrics work.

If it has rear air suspension make sure it seems to be working ok. This can cause issue, but usually when not looked after. If an air bag or pipe leaks, it causes the pump to run non stop wearing it out.

Apart from that just common sense really.

I know a lot of people who have or had DII's, as far as I know all were very reliable.

[Benjaminpalma]

Thanks, guys (both responses!).

[cpas]

Idiotic perhaps but still funny (IMHO!)

[cptsideways]

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!! They are ******** awful, shame really as I quite like them in every other respect apart form the overweight issues.

The best 4x4 to be going nowhere imho & any AA/RAC man too, fine if you like roadside adventures but I dont find the hard shoulder of the M6 a nice place to be in any weather.


http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/dependability...

Edited by cptsideways on Friday 12th March 08:45

[Zumbruk]

cptsideways said:

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!!

Utter b0ll0cks. My 2002 Disco 2 Td5 is the best car I've ever owned, such that I'm reluctant to get rid of it.

[300bhp/ton]

Zumbruk said:

cptsideways said:

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!!

Utter b0ll0cks. My 2002 Disco 2 Td5 is the best car I've ever owned, such that I'm reluctant to get rid of it.

+1

Both my uncles have had TD5 Disco's. One still has theirs the other a D3.

I know of 2 or 3 other people who have or have had TD5 Disco's. All without problems.

[cptsideways]

Zumbruk said:

cptsideways said:

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!!

Utter b0ll0cks. My 2002 Disco 2 Td5 is the best car I've ever owned, such that I'm reluctant to get rid of it.

Ask any AA/RAC man & tell me if I'm wrong, JD Power survey's are also usually a good guide & these models came 6th from the bottom out of 100 for their year, so thats good is it? Yes someone might have a good one but thats pretty rare!

Edited by cptsideways on Friday 12th March 13:58

[300bhp/ton]

cptsideways said:

Zumbruk said:

cptsideways said:

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!!

Utter b0ll0cks. My 2002 Disco 2 Td5 is the best car I've ever owned, such that I'm reluctant to get rid of it.

Ask any AA/RAC man & tell me if I'm wrong, JD Power survey's are also usually a good guide & these models came 6th from the bottom out of 100 for their year, so thats good is it? Yes someone might have a good one but thats pretty rare!

Edited by cptsideways on Friday 12th March 13:58

I think those surveys are taken to literally.

Partly because the British populace tend to bash British products, so they don't always get a fair comparison.

And also if you look at the actual scoring on these surveys. First and last are usually pretty close. It's only because they are forced into an order that it makes some look good and others look bad.

In reality all new cars are reliable and capable of being used as daily drivers year on year.

[RedLeicester]

300bhp/ton said:

In reality all new cars are reliable and capable of being used as daily drivers year on year.

And like wise all new cars are st and breakdown with the least provocation! They don't make them like they used to, etc etc.

If he wants a D2, go for it. No better or worse than any other similar age vehicle.

[cptsideways]

300bhp/ton said:

In reality all new cars are reliable and capable of being used as daily drivers year on year.

When these cars were new according to the RAC fleet services they had a breakdown rate of 3-4 per annum per car on average. I have a friend who sells these for a living & they used to bet how long it'd be till they arrived on a transporter back at the dealership after selling them.

industry stuff said:

Coming to a hard shoulder near you . . .?
What do Jaguars and Land Rovers built since 1998 have in common? No, it's not that they're expensive. It's that they rate worst for breakdowns among all cars built in the period.

At least that's what those involved in the annual study of car reliability conducted by the Consumers' Association say, as reported in Which? Among older cars (1992-94) Ford has the poorest breakdown performance, followed closely by Citroen. In what Which? describes as recent cars (1995-97), it's Land Rover at the bottom of the league again, followed closely by Renault.

Now, you're going to say that you haven't recovered that many Jaguars or Land Rovers - which includes the Discovery and Freelander - compared to some other makes. And of course you haven't, because these two makes have relatively small market shares.

Which? reckons that six per cent of cars up to two years old had a breakdown during the year (the same as in the previous year's survey). Against that figure, the breakdown rate for Land Rovers was around 18 per cent, and for Jaguar, 16 per cent. Not surprisingly the breakdown rate rises with age, and the average for recent cars (1995-97) was almost 13 per cent, while for older cars (1992-94) the figure was almost 24 per cent. These are figures which will tie in with recovery operators' experiences - you get called out to more old cars than new ones.

Plus
[i]The least reliable brand in the Index is Land Rover, with a breakdown rate of 46.74%. No other manufacturer comes near to this, though Renault (more bad news for the troubled French car maker), Saab and Jeep are closest with figures of over 35%.

http://www.motor-trade-insider.com/index.php/2009/...

[Zumbruk]

cptsideways][i said:

The least reliable brand in the Index is Land Rover,

Then that's b0ll0cks, too. I've been running Land Rovers for 20 years in which time I've owned 5 and I've broken down, er, once.

[lotuscorsa]

i have a tdi300 and a td5 and not had any problems .a few mate have tdi and break them often but that due to offroad abuse ,so can only say i think they are great cars .

[jagracer]

Zumbruk said:

cptsideways][i said:

The least reliable brand in the Index is Land Rover,

Then that's b0ll0cks, too. I've been running Land Rovers for 20 years in which time I've owned 5 and I've broken down, er, once.

It depends what the definition of reliable is. To me reliable is something that gets me home every time, in 10 years of Disco ownership I've never not got home, I've had problems that have been a pain but the car has only once made me curtail a journey when the clutch fork broke and I had to drive home without using the clutch.
The only thing that would put me off buying a TD5 is the cost of injectors and afaik they do sometimes give up.

[Blackpig2]

JD Power?, they are the ones who rate Toyotas are'nt they?, Bunch of Toss.

[Rimmer123]

I had a 51 plate Disco 2 last summer for 4 months as my work car. it was my office,bedroom and tool box for most of that time I did 17000 very hard miles in that time as i was working in the Ukraine it only required 2 suspension bushes it went everywhere... autobahns at 100 for hours at a time very rough ukrainian roads and lots of off road work in fields I could not Fault it and would have one tomorrow! it was 100 times better than the f-150 I have as my current work truck!

Any one know of any good RR classics for sale... preferably v8.. auto and have leather other than that not fussy...

[anonymous-user]

cptsideways said:

I was'nt joking with the above image!

Seriously one of them will leave you stranded by the roadside on average 3-4 times per year!! They are ******** awful, shame really as I quite like them in every other respect apart form the overweight issues.

Edited by cptsideways on Friday 12th March 08:45

Thats strange because my dad had a td5 disco and did around 18000 miles a year in it, keeping it for about 3 years after buying it as an ex demo and it never broke down once.

Just dont buy one that has been owned by someone who cant afford to service and maintain it.

[Graham]

I've had my 03 disco 2 since new and 70,000 miles. at least half of that towing a big covered car trailer.

Its never left me stranded at the side of the road. I did split an intercooler but its an after market unit and I run more boost than stock.. so i can hardly blame LR for that..

The rear air has been fine as well, great for raising and lowering the back using the remote to load trailers.. I dont have the ace on the front so cant comment on that..

Early D2's did have a problem with the injector looms leaking oil into the ecu connector, so pull the ecu connector off and check that.