The real cost of owning a old Discovery or similar

blue_monkey_2

Looking at that article, is a freelander a 'proper' 4x4?? All the ones for sale here are the 1.8SE petrol models which are fairly thirsty.

I did look at a Frontera but my husband said no, too thirsty too. I'd love a Frontera to be honest. Loads of room!!

Lum

Strider590 wrote: »

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/224610/Pothole-could-have-killed-us

That's a stupid article. If they were in something less tall than a Freelander they probably wouldn't have ended up on their roof in the first place.

OP: It sounds like you're not actually going to be driving off road, just dealing with some pretty poor roads and single track lanes. Maybe something like a Subaru Legacy/Outback would be a better option?

Hintza

Strider590 wrote: »

I didn't know 4x4's where designed to go over potholes.

The point being the profile of a 4x4 tyre tends to be a lot greater than most cars and in particular modern cars with very low profile tyres.

epninety

I've run nothing but Defenders and Discoverys for the last 15 years or so...

There are 3 real problems with an old Discovery :-

1) Rust - Say what you like, but the chassis and body design was effectively done in the late 60s (for the 'Classic' Range Rover) on a British Leyland budget. Series 1 Discovery was effectively a facelift on that design, for minimal cost - and it probably saved Land Rover. Series 2 Discovery is a bit further on, but not much, and you do see serious rust in some of these now.

2) Maintenance - Like most 'premium' vehicles, their third or fourth owners often tend to skimp on the maintenance. Land Rovers *are* tough (and fairly reliable - contrary to popular opinion!) but only if properly maintained. A complex drivetrain means a lot more bits to service and inspect, and more regular inspection too in my view. Either diy (best) or find a good local independent specialist. 'Specialist' is the key in my view, there's a lot of acquired experience that you can benefit from with a good one.

3) Maintenance (again!) - There are a lot of aftermarket parts suppliers out there, and some of the prices can be very tempting. The quality however, *can* leave a lot to be desired. Again, a good specialist will know what suppliers to use, and where money can be saved or wasted. Owners clubs and internet forums can be very helpful here too.

OP doesn't mention a budget, but I was offered a td5 Disco 2 the other day, one owner, decent mileage, for 'about' 3k. It needs a few minor things, but it'll be a bargain for someone.

For a tdi expect 27-28mpg average, I could get 36mpg from my Disco tdi if I wanted to. td5 likely a couple of mpg lower.

I reckoned the running cost of my current Defender at around 35p/mile over the last 150k miles, but that's almost entirely composed of fuel cost, since depreciation is almost zero (in my case - I can sell it for about what I paid 6 years ago, it's a specialist vehicle) and I diy servicing and repairs.

Lirin

Another suggestion I could make is a Proton Jumbuck. (I know, I'm heavy into Protons anyway.)
Handy enough price to pick up, good mpg, parts easy to source, and off the top of my head, can't think of anything drastically known as a problem- barring the usual- dickey window regulators, calipers stick occasionally on front left...
Definitely not as hard wearing as a Landrover, and nowhere near as strong, but nice alternative if the worst you'll have are country roads in rubbish conditions?

optimus_primera

Lirin wrote: »

The early Discos had a massive problem with rust- LR's had a slight problem where the chassis rusts to the panels. Used to be bad enough on some of the Series III models. They are fantastic, though- lovely workhorses and don't die easily.
Not overly expensive to run, unless you're ragging it. Bit more than a car, obviously, but I've had Dad's out and it's not too thirsty. Parts can be dreadful to find- pricewise anyway. Massive variation in pricing, LR themselves extremely high for things like brakes, clutches, etc. Can be sourced much cheaper elsewhere- worthwhile joining one of the owners clubs, there's always a breaker on them!
Their support is wonderful though- have had good help from them.
My dad rallies Landrovers, and I was taught in one- interesting early driving lesson. Always wanted a Series II 90.... Lovely looking!
The original mapping can be a little off from Landrover- we've had a few remapped as the original was not terribly good. Disco's have way more electrics in them, and can be slightly trickier to work with than older models.
They are good, and def recommend buying one- very sensible if you live rurally, as they don't die.....

The early type of discovery that the OP was talking about doesn't have any electronics that you can remap.


The rust problems are an issue,mostly caused bt the seal on the alpine windows leaking,which lets water collect in the soundproofing material under the boot carpet,which rusts out the boot floor.

Mechanically they are simple to maintain,parts are cheap,with a plethora of suppliers.
A well looked after 200tdi engine will go on for ever.

alyssa_liss

we have one but my partner is very good with cars so can fix anything that happens

we go offroading in ours quiet alot and they are great cars.

i use it to drive to work thought because my journey is alot shorter than my partners and with the cost of diesel going up it is costing a fortune to run compared to my diesel yaris

tax is dear aswell .

i do love it though.


my friend has just sold his though because his was always breaking and he didnt have a spare car so wasnt practical.

Dippypud

We have a 1990 Disco 200 TDi, brill vehicle, own servicing.

Last summer we were teaching number 1 son to weld, he did a damn good job of renewing the boot floor and rear wheelarch repair panels to seatbelt mounts, passed it's MOT no probs, not even an advisory.:D

Owes us nothing, we've had it 10 yrs, new brakes (calipers and discs), front shocks and springs.

But I'm very glad we have 2 strapping teenage boys, cos LRs are big tool type motors. If your good with Meccanno, LRs the vehicle for you.

forgotmyname

Potholes... Better off with an old citroen xantia than a discovery. Its pot luck with them.

Friend bought one & soon regretted it, Money pit on wheels. 4 months later had enough of the bills and
sold it. Nearly £2000 in repairs in that time.

I guess if you buy one thats been looked after and already had the money spent on it. Usually these are bought
from word of mouth and not from the classifieds.

Lirin

Thanks Optimus- I did know about the lack of electronics.... Spend far too much time with newer models now, thanks for correcting!

optimus_primera wrote: »

The early type of discovery that the OP was talking about doesn't have any electronics that you can remap.


The rust problems are an issue,mostly caused bt the seal on the alpine windows leaking,which lets water collect in the soundproofing material under the boot carpet,which rusts out the boot floor.

Mechanically they are simple to maintain,parts are cheap,with a plethora of suppliers.
A well looked after 200tdi engine will go on for ever.