What are the comparative trade offs between a '04 Disco and say a mid '90's Defender SW? The reason that I ask is that assuming I can buy a 90 - 100k mile Def for $20k I can buy a '04 Disco for half of that and then put $10k of up grades on such as lockers, lift kit, bumpers, ect; all of which would go on the Def as well.

So in a heads up stock to stock comparison is the Defender that much better off road than the Disco?

Thanks!

 

not sure where you are located but here in the states the defenders are rare, that's a big part of their higher price.

 

Good luck buying a NAS Defender for $20k.
Hands down the Defender will be the better off roader, a DI would be equal to a Defender as they are the same truck underneath.
The DII has more electrics gizmos to help you off road but the Defender has raw muscle to get you where you want to go.
If you want reliable and easy to fix with bailing twine and bubble gum, get the Defender or a DI, if you want to trouble shoot and carry a OBDII scanner and read codes all day get a DII.

 

Last D-90 I saw for sell was a 94 soft top that needed work for $35,000 USD
or was it 32,K if you have found a D-90 for that price get it.

On trips the D-90 has a 16 gal fuel tank and the ride is not as nice a Classic Disco I,
You will have a truck that will keep is value in a D-90 so you may not want to use it as hard as a old Disco.
A Disco II I can not tell you much about , I have only driven the LR3, D-90 NAS ,,
D-110 NAS,,and my classic Disco.

 

A defender is basically a farm vehicle. Its better offroad than a D1 / D2 ONLY by its standard height clearance and its approach / departure angles. The running gear is IDENTICAL to a D1, although the transfer box is geared lower so top speed on road suxxx.Both the D1 and D2 can be "modded" to be as good.

If you want a road going vehicle as well, then a Disco is the better choice by a MILE!!, and as you have seen MUCH better value for money, its the same over here ref cost to buy, why ? who knows, I would have a Disco in pref anyday.

A standard D2 with a CDL (04my or retro-fit) and TC will go further than ANY standard D1, Spike likes his D1, but one day he will convert

 

Thanks guys for the info.

I actually am looking at a nice plus, (7-8) '95 D90 SW w/85k for $20 so they are out there.

The basic question seems to have an answer in that while the D1 or 2 are a lot more complicated in terms of electronics, this group has reported that they are not that much different in terms of off road capabilities. While I really like the D90 SW looks WAY WAY better than the D2, I still want to be able to drive this thing on the road for 4 hours (Crested Butte CO to Denver) if I need to.

That said I'm thinking that a D2 with a lift, tires, new drive shaft, CDL (if '03), ft & rear bumpers and a lot of preventative maint will get the job done off road just as well as the D90 and will get the job done on the hwy.

Am I missing anything?

Tks

 

A standard D2 with a CDL (04my or retro-fit) and TC will go further than ANY standard D1, Spike likes his D1, but one day he will convert [/quote]


Yes the 2004 Disco is much more like a Classic Disco I with CLD but still
has those three little lights to messup the whole thing "way to go BMW".

 

Ditto!!

Also, the only reason the Defender handles better of road, running all the same drive train, is because it is 1500#'s lighter, other wise they are both strong vehicles off road.
The up side of a Defender is the fact they are rare a certainly different, wanted one when they first came out and settled on a D2, that after certain modification, will usually allow me to be an equal off road and a lot more comfortable on the road.
Either way you will like them both.

 

There are a few Defenders under 20k$ out there. 5 speed!
I just ran across this on Craigslist (Boston).

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/1165760522.html

 

In Colorado, you'll appreciate the added power of the 4.6 in the 2004 Discovery. Very happy with mine- climbs the hills great on the highway and pulls hard on the trails. I'll keep the '04 as she lasts.

Dave