absolutely, if you do find a local parts dealer that carries common parts like water pumps, bearings, etc they are going to be crazy expensive..order all parts online.

 

As a long time Cherokee guy. The 242 Selec-trac was a pile of $hit! I never heard of anyone who swapped for that T-case, unless it was what they already had and were afraid to put something different in. My brother had a 242 in his 96 and I had it in one of my 99s. They are very temperamental and often have issues coming out of 4wd. The 231 is a much better transfer case. They are stronger, they are cheaper bc of their abundance, and they have more aftermarket support.

I loved my jeeps but always wanted a Disco and so far I wouldn't go back to a jeep unless it was strictly a dedicated offroad beater.

As for the Grand Cherokees I have always avoided them because my friends have never had much luck with them.

 

Plus the Discovery is rare! Mine is the only one in my neighborhood and plenty of crvs, jeeps, toyotas and explorers.

Easy to find when you park and everyone who rides it in loves it!

 

X2!!!!

 

Not so in Colorado. Quite the opposite in fact.

 

The description for the quadradrive is a little over my head but that does sound like a good system. It does look like standard on the Overlands and some Limiteds. Thanks for all of the info guys. I am a little more comfortable with the Rovers now. I am heading over the mountains tomorrow to look at a couple more D2s, and a GC. Wish me luck, I might come home with one!

Thanks all,
Joe

 

FWIW, my Rover has been a very reliable machine. I have a sunroof acting up, I think the track is messed up, and I need a headliner like everyone else but mechanically it's been no worse than any other vehicle I have owned. If you buy your parts online and do the work yourself it's like any other vehicle. Full time 4x4s are all about the same maintenance wise, neglect them and they will get expensive really quick.

 

Went from a 06 rubicon wrangler to my 04 disco. Needed more space, but equal off road ability. With a few mods my disco is everything the jeep was and more. Only thing I miss is the 6sp manual tranny. I love rowing through gears vs. Letting a electronic slush box do it.

But other then that the disco fills the need of weekend romper, toy, and project.

 

@MuleyJ, If you're in CO, then it would probably be a good idea to hook up with the Solihull Society http://www.solihullsociety.org/.

As your local LR group, they would probably be able to offer lots of advice, help you look a truck or two over, locate a good independent Rover shop for a pre-purchase inspection, and may even know of some good D1 & D2's available in your area. At worst, I'd think they could tell you what look out for and where/who to avoid...

 

i wish this was the case for me. the area i live is a bunch of nerdy microsoft people so every trophy wife and soccer mom rolls in a discovery it seems. they are everywhere. always look like they were just detailed and almost all have RR wheels added or something to take away from their off roadness.

my friend works in the four seasons in seattle and has seen people come in to valet new LR4's with M/T tires, full ARB bumper and winch. snorkle etc but the truck is spotless and no dirt of grime on the chassis or suspension. leading him to believe it has never actually been off road. this is common seattle practice. the local ducati dealer says the majority of their sales are to guys in their late 20's to early 30's who work in IT or software and can drop $25k on a motorcycle BUT have never riden before. they usually bring it back within a few weeks or sell it used with no miles and take a hit.

people in seattle are all about status, not function,,,it seems. that is why discos go for almost $3-5k more then the rest of the country.


rant over