Hello,
I live in the south of England and am considering buying a D2, so I asked a friend of mine who has one what they're like on maintenance. He said that his is pretty reliable but they are prone to chassis rust, hence his is on a galvanized chassis. My question I suppose is, is the D2 pretty reliable, especially when compared for example to the Jap cars, which nowadays have an excellent reputation for reliability and low maintenance? What I'm looking for is a rugged decent machine, capable of off road (though not primarily for that), something with a good amount of room in the back so I can throw in the dogs and go shooting or fishing for example, and even take the family in it - but not if it's prone to breaking all the time.
I am hoping you seasoned pros can help me on this!
Many thanks in advance,
William

 

If you (and previous owners) perform(ed) maintenance at scheduled intervals, I'd agree with your friend's comment. However, the reality is that the engineers and Sulihill factory workers did not build vehicles that were as dependable as Toyota. The diesel engines do not, from my understanding, suffer from the issues that plague the US V8s, so you're certainly better off from this perspective (and you'll note that this forum is largely comprised of US members). Fortunately, the Discovery 2 was made prior to when Land Rover began introducing more complex electrical systems into their vehicles, and they are easy to work on. Chassis rot is an issue without question, but in my view that's less of a reliability concern and more of a longterm longevity concern.

At the end of the day, you'll experience breakdowns in any old high-mileage vehicle due to the age of the components. I don't think anyone can disagree with my statement that a Land Cruiser would generally be a more reliable rig than a Discovery 2. The Discovery is usually regarded to be more comfortable than a similar-era Land Cruiser or similar.

 

It won't be as reliable as a Toyota, however you will fall in love with it, talk about it, spend lots of money on it, unlike a Toyota.

They generally break when they're ignored, have water leaks, or go too long without maintenance. If you are on top of things, and pay attention to the truck, and do lots of research online, and you can work on it yourself, I think it's worth every minute and penny spent!

It's really what YOU are looking for. I wanted a truck that looks super cool, can do anything with the dogs and/or in the woods, and isn't boring. I enjoy my '00 Discovery much more than my old 2016 Range Rover Sport. FYI: I probably spend more monthly on the Discovery too, even with the hefty loan payments I had the RRS.

 

Thanks v much boston4. Yes, I was looking at that model precisely because my friend told me it was the last of the non-electronic models, so that you could actually work on them yourself. I take your very good point about longevity vs reliability. I expect that's exactly why my friend has a galvanized chassis.

 

Thanks v much nashvegas. You've hit the nail on the head there. It's a toss-up between having a great truck that I'd really enjoy vs the relative peace of mind of a (I have to say comparatively boring) Toyota! A lot of head scratching ahead, I fear.

 

Depending on the age of the toyota in question you would still be dealing with a 20 year old vehicle roughly. All vehicles have issues popping up at that point. The D2s are incredibly simple imo to work on (I have no experience with the TD5 motor however) and really have a great feel to them. They are an experience and a very enjoyable one at that. I wheel with a bunch of toyotas and in the small sample size the D2 has been the most reliable (and one could argue capable) of the bunch, however none of these vehicles in question are stock.

 

Thank you all very much!

 

My son has a similar age Forerunner and he works on his as much as I work on my LR’s. A well maintained LR of this vintage is a pretty reliable vehicle.