I wanted to post a thread and get some feedback from guys who drive their series I discos on a daily, or semi daily basis. I'm considering buying one and will be driving it to college, about 1 hr 45min from my home town, and also off-roading in it when I can. I will only be driving it 2-3 times a week around town, and other than that just back home every now and then. I have a motorcycle so I can afford to have it sidelined as long as I don't need to go anywhere far. I have some mechanical experience and can perform preventative maintenance well but don't have much experience with bigger projects.

Just wanted to see how those of you that drive these trucks daily, and hit the trails on the weekends have to say.

Thanks!

 

I drive my 97 D1 every day, but I typically drive less than 10 miles. I usually hit the trails/camp once a month and as long as you have a backup vehicle for the times your truck is down you should be fine. You should read as much as you can here about what to look for when buying before you hand over the money.

 

definitely buy a solid one if youre using it as your primary enclosed vehicle :P

im not a fan of driving trucks as dailies for a variety of reasons, but i suppose the D1 isnt any worse than other trucks for the same money.

 

Hope you have a full time job while your away at school

 

I drive mine everyday, about 35 miles round trip, mostly expressway.
Has been a daily driver since I bought it back in 4/07, back then it was the family car.
I dont off road as much as I'd like to but it's great in the snow.
Stay on top of maintenance, repair little things before they become big things, keep the gas tank full and you should be fine.
They require premium fuel, if you use the cruise and keep it set around 65mph your trips home wont cost so much, you can get high teen's in MPG that way.
For a broke college kid, I'd buy a Civic or Corolla.

 

I'm currently in the process of selling two Alfa Romeo GTV's a 72' and a 74' so I have some experience with niche cars, and cars that need maintaing regularly. Luckily I can sell one of them for around 12k which is where my landy budget will come from. Gas mileage is not much of an issue since I will barley use the car around town, I ride my motorcycle most everywhere. I average filling up my current vehicle about once every 5 weeks. I daily drove my 72' Alfa for a summer (the 74' is a racecar/family project) and I got used to meticulously maintaining it. It had more small issues than one can imagine and has had a few larger issues, namely a driveshaft replacement. Dealing with a car that I have to take good care of and treat properly is no inconvenience to me. I know these cars were designed to last but it seems like a lot of the used ones out there have not been treated properly. I want a unique, fun, inexpensive car that I can use for a while, and the D1 with a 5spd manual seems to fit the bill. Like I said before, the more feedback from people who own one or have owned one the better!

Thanks!!!

 

Daily driver here, round trip about 50 miles...2-lane road, 55mph limit. It serves its purpose. Fuel efficiency is that of a large truck, so get used to <300 miles per tank. I find it more interesting than driving the bimmer, which ends up being frustrating because it's such a slow road and I know I could go much faster. I just sit back and enjoy my audiobooks in the disco to/from work.

 

Sounds like the DI would be perfect for you then.
They are very comfy cruising the expressway, nice and quiet and well mannered.

 

I drive my 94 Disco everyday about 32 miles round trip and I usually fill up once a week. However I do not have a back up vehicle just yet and I know it is inevitable that I will be stranded at some point. These vehicle need TLC and a watchful eye on everything. Make sure the little things are taken care of before they turn into bigger issues. Download the RAVE and you should be good to go. Read anything and everything you can in this forum because it is all very helpful.

 

are you able to work on the vehicle at school?