Hello, I have been a lurker on this forum for quite a while after seeing a few lifted Discos online that look absolutely stunning! I have owned German cars for years now( Porsche, VW) and love them, although I would like to get a four wheel drive vehicle, preferably European, rather than stooping down to buy a Jeep. I do see ALOT of Discos in the town I live in, and love them, but am about half scared to consider buying one after reading some of the stories you guys write up about these things! My question is, is it worth it to buy a Disco, or should I look into getting a Jeep? I am pretty mechanically inclined and do know how to repair alot of things on cars( thanks to the Porsche ) but would it be wise, as a college student, to buy a Disco and depend on it to get me where I need to go on a day to day basis? I just see so many around, I cant believe people buy them if they weren't somewhat reliable. Right? Please, give me your honest opinion! Thank you!

-Tyler

 

dude, you're on a disco forum, few of us are going to say go buy a jeep. hah.

long story short: if you plan to maintain your truck REGULARLY, and are willing to do the work yourself, then the Disco will treat you right. even better, put $500-$1000 in reserves so you don't get caught off-guard.

if possible, buy a vehicle with maintenance records. many of the "reliability' issues with discos are because people maintained em like a toyota. they are NOT a toyota. if you're buying a high mileage vehicle, it's best if the head gaskets have already been done.

 

If you enjoyed tinkering with Dr. Porsche's work, you'll LOVE the way Discos are built. Plus they are so much easier to work on (and you will work on them!) Think PRO-active maintenance and the Rover is loyal and dependable, that's something no Jeep has given since *****'s sold the company.

 

the Jeep 4.0L is bulletproof, most inline engines are..it's inherent in the design. Ever wonder why porsche won't issue extended warranties for a $75k car with a boxer engine over 130k miles?

 

i went from a 06 rubicon to my 04 discovery.

the rubicon had lockers and better tires off road and clearance stock. BUT it had no room. was uncomfortable to drive. got 14mpg no matter what. was loud. and had no creature comforts. what else do you want for $30k?

you can buy a discovery for $12k with under 100k miles. put $5k into it and have a absolutely BAD *** off road rig that will go damn near anywhere AND you can park it at a nice restaurant for dinner with a date or whatnot. its a land rover.

JEEP = Go anywhere

Land Rover = Go Anywhere in timeless style

 

sloppy. stock rubicon vs. stock disco off road? big difference?

 

https://landroverforums.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=21328

 

almost none. the biggest issue i found off road was comfort. the LR drives well off road and is a pleasure to cross streams. climb rocks. climb mountain trails in the snow etc etc. the LR could use 2 more inches of clearance and more aggressive tires (which can be done for under $2k to the rover).

in small trails ,the rover though not being a LARGE rig does show its size over a 2dr rubicon in cases where turn radius and height are a factor.

the rover will allow you to haul way more stuff into the trails or the woods without use of a roof rack. the jeep (once i removed the rear seat) could take my dog crate, a sleeping bag and a small cooler. that is it! the rover is a cave,,,

on snow and ice the rover is planted and sure footed. its weight will pack snow down and give you a good steady foot print. i have traveled further into and up the mountain trails in december snows in the rover on 18" street tires then i ever could in the rubicon. the jeep seemed dicey on snow and ice. i believe it was a case of being a light vehicle and seemed to want to skip over snow and ice vs. roll over it. in other words the jeep wanted to dig in while the rover wants to steam roll over.

when i searched out parts they are basically the same price as rover parts. in some cases the jeep parts are more money.

the 4.0 inline 6 is like a anvil. it is simple and does its job without fault. BUT it always sounded like it was gonna let go of the pistons. it is a loud engine. NOT the silky smooth V8 of the rover. a 4.0 V8 and the 4.0 I6 are pretty close in power but the 8 gives more torques. if you are talking the 4.6 V8 then from a 03-04 rover then it is in a whole other league. its a torque maker! gas wise you do have to use premium fuel in the rover BUT the I6 gets 14mpg NO MATTER WHAT!!!! my rover with a 4.6 V8 gets 18 on the highway and about 14 city. so that kinda makes those even.

the rubicon does have something that we all wish would install and that is lockers. my 06 rubi had electronic lockers. with a push of a button i could lock the rear diff. the front diff or both diffs. i will say it was a awesome thing =) BUT the LR with the CDL and traction control and Hill decent works just as well for those of us who are not trying to crawl boulders in moab.

interior wise the jeep is miles of plastic and cloth. the rover,,,well isnt. BUT the rover is more complicated and can be hindered by its electronics. but i think for something you want to live with everyday power everything is much nicer to have then power nothing.

on road a jeep is darty and bouncy. its low weight and short wheel base cause this. they typically are loud and uncomfortable. again,,,a rover is a rover.

and lastly. jeeps are driven by teenage boys, women in their 20's, and by people who would rather drive around in the sun with no roof then to ever get them dirty and muddy. LR's at least where i live are driven by middle aged women to tote diaper crappers to and from. they never ever go off road and i would be willing to bet those with CDL's have never had them engaged. its a shame.

overall they both do what they are supposed to do and do it well, but if i had to steer a first time buyer towards their first off road machine,,, i would tell em to buy the british rig every day of the week. CHEERS!

 

Thanks for everyones input! i do understand that I'm in a Disco forum and you guys may be a tad bias , although I just want some personal opinions about how you think Discos compare, in every aspect to a wrangler. I mean dont get me wrong wranglers look very cool lifted, but theres so many people who have them! I have no seen one lifted Disco around where I live, and want to be the first person to do it! It sounds to me like the preventative maintenance is not too terrible difficult to tackle myself. I am considering buying a Disco II, 2004 if I can find a nice one! Although what about the other Disco II years? I heard of the problems with the 03's, but what about the other years? Comparable to an 04? Come on! Talk me into getting one of these things! Why do you think I posted this on a Disco forum instead of a Jeep forum? I want the Disco guys!

 

Get a 2004 if you can find one - best year for the DII model. If you can't, get a '99 or '00 and put in a CDL shifter as the transfer case is equipped with the CDL mechanism, just no shifter. I don't know much about the DI except they use Lucas electrics, which I personally would steer clear of. The brits were the first to patent disfunctional electrical systems; the Italians were the first to patent rust.....