...so for all the fears this forum seems to instill upon those of us who are paranoid about the next "weakest link" in our disco, I've lost sight of just how great these things really are. I bought my '99 disco II as a "beater" a little while ago for really cheap (with numerous little issues) but have since fallen in love with the thing, and spent a lot of time restoring her.

Although there were still some variables and unknowns in her service history, (head gaskets, water pump, driveline, little random stuff like that..) I decided to take her down to Sunset Beach, NC from Northern VA instead of getting a rental (considering I squeeze 34mpg out of them, it saves me ~$70 in gas.. roughly half the cost of the rover's fuel guzzling, and the entire rental is only $90 for a 4 days SO really the rental is only $20; not such a bad deal).

But, I wanted to get some use out of the disco and see what it was all about - so I picked up two friends in Richmond on the way and set off southbound. Everything worked perfectly (especially my aftermarket viair SLS compressor and solenoid, which was cool to see working with the extra loads!)

Well, it got 17mpg but that's exactly what I was expecting.. and considering the distance, temperatures (nearly 100 degrees on the way back yesterday) and traffic in richmond (I tried to keep her in 1st gear so the waterpump flowed a little better instead of shifting into 2nd and back to idle rpm) I'm not going to complain. So she's got nearly 152k miles now, 6 of which are mine.. and all the electronics worked perfectly (outlets, solar power, cb radio, gps/aux in/subs.. all using the original HK system, etc).

SO DON'T LET THIS FORUM DISCOURAGE YOU!

I didn't get a picture of it, but I passed another DII LOADED UP with a full roof rack, hitch shelf, etc on 95NB and that made it even better.

I'm actually contemplating selling the mustang and getting an ~'06 RR sport or LR3. The more fun I have driving the disco, the more paranoid I get about driving the 'stang and putting miles on it.

 

Glad to hear your trip went swimmingly.

 

See, DII's can do it too!

 

I've taken my DII back and forth between NYC and Buffalo a couple dozen times. It is around 900 miles round trip. I've done it in summer, winter in good and bad weather including stuck for hours in new york traffic in a 100+ degree heat wave with the AC cranked. 120,000 miles and it never has let me down yet.

 

I take mine from Michigan to Alabama a couple times a year. Everyone tells me that it's a much better ride than my old Cavalier. I'm almost to 100,000 miles! eek!

 

Not trying to make you paranoid...just aware...

Glad you had a great trip.... all it did was rain here in florida all weekend..

You have to admit getting a rental that gets 33 mpg for $25.00 a day.....and then beating the living hell out of it and then handing them the keys back is a great feeling....

 

I'm with you. I keep up with oil changes and maintenance and wouldn't hesitate to drive cross country at any time. I love using the Disco for Road trips. I do it all the time! Comfortable ride, great sound system, and commanding view of the road can't be beat.

Last October I drove from Columbus, Oh to Ft Walton Beach, Fl and back (speeding the whole way). 1,668 miles round trip and not a single hiccup

The October before that I did Columbus, Oh to Bar Harbor, Maine and back. 2,082 miles round trip.

July before that drove it on my move to Columbus from Lubbock, TX - a 1,280 mile haul.

Back and forth to Louisville, KY for weekend military duty. 446 miles each time, once a month, year round.

While great fun offroad, my Disco doubles up as a road warrior too. The key is just treating her right and keeping up on maintenance. She's never left me stranded out on the trails or on the side of the road.

 

Glad you and the Disco made it! I posted similar about our vacation in the D1 section. It adds a little to the vacation experience when your not sure if the horse pulling your covered wagon is going to make it. It is similar when we travel in one of the Saabs or MG. The biggest difference being with the Saabs, contents can easily be swapped to another car. With the Disco, it's packed so tight a U-haul may be the only option.