Hey up all,

Do you think that a Discovery 2 is right for me based on the below? Is buying one a decision I’ll live to regret?

Firstly it would be my “main car” not a weekend hobby. I do 15,000 miles annually and drive a 25 mile round trip to work mon-fri either on an A-road or country lanes. I have about £5-6,000 to buy it with and probably have £2,000 ish a year for repairs.

I’m handy but have never done anything with cars. I have a small uncovered drive on which I could work on it if needed...

I was planning on only going for a diesel, 2004 based on reading forums and watching YouTube repair videos. Preferably an auto. Is that too exacting a standard? Are 03s ok to rely on? Or even S1s? (Or even a Disco 3?) Would getting a manual substantially increase my prospects finding a good’un? The alternative is a Mitsubishi Shogun.

I fell in love with LRs and Discos in particular when I was a kid and my parents had one in the 90s. It broke so they got rid of it. I love LRs and would love to have the above hypothetical disco for the rest of my life. But don’t know if I have the time and/or money to look after one yet. Should I just go with a Shogun?

Many many thanks,

Charlie

 

this is mostly and American forum and as such we are much more familiar with the petrol V8 engine and management system. very few diesel owners around.

you might try landyzone.co.uk as they are UK based and much more experience with the diesel variants.

if you do decide to jump in, Good Luck and have fun.

these SUVs are great to drive on road and off and have a distinctive, classic styling that i love.

 

Your budget to me looks very realistic, I don’t think you’ll need quite that much to maintain it, but it’s better to budget high (as I think you’ve done). You say you’re handy which is a big asset. I think in the UK it is easier to find a mechanic who is familiar with LR’s. I’m not familiar with the Mitsubishi, they’re even more rare than LR’s here in Canada, but I think you’ll much prefer driving a LR. I suspect the LR will use considerably more fuel. A well maintained Disco should be a very reliable and very nice to drive vehicle. If those were my 2 choices I’d absolutely get the LR.

 

@jastutte
Ahh bugger. Thanks very much anyway!

Also couldn’t agree more about the styling. Don’t know about the States but over here 4x4s/SUVs have all these curves and bulges and sleek nonsense. They look dreadful and embarrassing.

The disco and other older landrovers have a much nicer, harder, more utilitarian look to them. Absolutely love them.

 

Oh fab I was worried it’d be too low. Yes there seems to be loads of parts knocking about too.

Re driving comfort I’m 6ft5 so have always wanted a LR as I’ve sat in them and I actually fit. The Mitsubishi looks a bit small for the driver.

Im really glad to hear that. I always hoped that once everything’s been repaired once I can keep it going for awhile.

Thank you!

 

You'd have to be the long body short legged type 6'5" to fit a D2... The LR3 has much more room for the tall driver... But of course not the same thing.

As long as you have tested the fit yourself you would know what works.

I say go for it. Your budget is in line.

 

YOLO

Get the Disco 2

It's an adventure. When it breaks you fix it. It's great.

That is what you want to hear, right?

 

The root issue is you can't have just one!! They are inherently simple cars to work on with plenty of room so if you're handy or willing to learn then I'd say go for it. Parts alone aren't too pricey imo so that budget looks just about right, first year might be a little heavier but once you get it sorted you should enjoy years of relatively cheap maintenance years.

 

Your budget sounds about right. And the 200tdi is a pretty reliable little engine, and a very basic platform.

Plus, you have a wealth of parts suppliers and resources over there.

Buy one.