New to the forum and this is my first post. Let me begin by saying that this is a GREAT community and has a wealth of good info tucked in almost every thread. Thank you all for that!

I am currently in the process of finding a pre-owned vehicle that will be used as kind of a family weekend get-outer/exploration rig. I live in Colorado, love to be in the mountains and frequent some of the semi challenging terrain that the state has to offer. I began my search looking for a Grand Cherokee but slowly migrated toward the Land Rovers as it seems CO residents are somewhat proud of their Jeep$ or have already sold them. After doing some extensive research here as well as a few other sites I am a little apprehensive. My predicament is that I can purchase a nice used Dico 1 or 2 for about $1500-$2000 less than a comparable Grand Cherokee (at least one that I can get to before it's gone.) Granted the Disco's seem to have their quirks, but the Jeeps have their weaknesses as well. I have no problems finding my way around a vehicle with a wrench, and this will be a third vehicle not a daily driver. I understand that parts might not be as readily available and might be slightly more expensive in some cases, but $2000 will buy a lot of parts/goodies. My question is are the Land Rovers so much more difficult that it would justify the initial expense of a Grand Cherokee? I have looked through all of the great stickys and several other threads about what to look out for and post purchase maintenance regimets but am still on the fence. Please help push me off to one side or the other.

Thanks, Joe

 

I was in exactly the same situation, and I went with the Disco. I wanted an extra truck as the "play" vehicle to take skiing, boarding, mountain biking, kayaking, etc.
The Jeep would be a smarter choice in my honest opinion, but it depends what you want/need. I'm a car guy through and through, so I gravitate to vehicles that are different and unique. There is nothing special or different about a Grand Cherokee, and it is just a cookie cutter of every other family SUV ever made. The Disco is timeless and different
For the Jeep, I feel their higher end 4X4 systems are better than the Disco as well as their engines. You do need to get the right ones though with the better systems. Parts overall will be much easier to find and far less expensive. You need a radiator hose, you don't have to special order it.... you just walk into Napa and walk out with one for $10. The engines are not finicky, and you don't have to worry about massive failures (for the most part). Regardless of engine choice, you will also see better fuel economy and you could burn regular instead of premium. I suppose overall the systems are more advanced and modern.
As far as the Disco advantages, I would say interior space and interior materials. The back seat and cargo area of the Jeep seem much smaller to me. Also, the quality of the leather/dash/interior feels like a typical cheap American car. The Disco, while not the most ergonomic inside, at least has a nice feel and look.
Good luck in your search! It took me a solid 5 months of really searching around to find the one I wanted. I'm happy with the truck and really dig all the unique qualities of it!

 

Don't confuse grands with other Jeeps like cherokees and wranglers. Around here cherokees/wranglers are in high demand but you can not give away a ZJ ('93-'98 grand cherokee) They have more electrial systems to fail, weaker more expensive CV joints instead of U-joints, less reliable engine and MUCH less reliable transmission)

As far as discos, a D1 or DII would make a good family off-roader vehicle especially if you do not like the cookie cutter look.

 

That is kind of interesting because the early WJ and later ZJ is mostly what I have been looking at. A weak transmission and even transfer case have kind of been the norm from what I have observed from looking around as well. On the other hand there are a lot more used parts around that don't require shipping.

 

oh yeah I forgot about transfer cases..the ZJ uses either a NP231 (good but rare in a ZJ) a NP249 and a NP242..I forget which but one has problems..the viscous couplers go out..pretty sure its with the NP249.

The discos have a bulletproof gear to gear transfer case.

 

The 242 is the good one and the one that most off roaders swap for. It is the selectable 2wd, 4 hi and low. The 249 is the most common and is full time 4wd but pretty weak from what I can tell. It seems like for the most part the transmissions and transfer cases on Rovers are a lot less talked about as problems go. I thought it was kind of curious to hear that the 4wd system on the jeeps might be better because my impression was that it might be the opposite. Especially because of the CDL on the D1 and abiltiy to have it on the early D2 without too much effort. Thanks for the replies guys!

 

You might factor in that the Disco will go farther on 31's than most jeeps will go on 33's because of diff clearance.

 

I think it was the Quadra Drive that was one of the best. It came on the higher end / bigger engine models. I was impressed with it. You could have 3 wheels with zero traction and be able to move. Fairly solid as well.
This should help with the systems. Was helpful with a friend who was picking one out.
http://www.wjjeeps.com/tcases.htm

 

around here most off-roaders swap in the NP231 since there isn't much need for a full time 4x4 option.

 

I was hesitant to buy a D2 because of reliability and other problems I read about. I have always loved the look and capabilities. I found a well maintained one and bought it! I love it so far besides the mpg, but knew that going in.

Do all the maintainance and you shouldn't have problems. I plan to do the fluids when warmer out and buy most parts online.