I read in this forum a lot of talk of the many problems with discos. That we should "learn to live with it". That is the purpose of the forum, but maybe a little positive talk would be welcome.

Briefly:

I have had my problems, but l stick with my disco because of the followiing:

The '92 disco was purchased used in Yemen, driven for two years in Yemen, shipped to Ecuador, driven for three years in Ecuador and now is on its way to Ethiopia. I have driven it in all kinds of conditions. You name it, my disco and I have been there, done that. Mud: back roads/tracks in the high Andes of Ecuador. Sand: miles of it along the Red Sea in Yemen. Ice and snow: I've driven it many times to 15,000 feet ending in snow and ice. Bad roads: four hours on one road in the Amazon rainforest resulted in four broken shocks. After two hours on a different road in the rainforest with my brother-in-law, he said that after one drive on that road with his new Buick he would have to just "Get out, close the door and walk away."

All of my driving has been to get me from here to there. And I have regularly passed other 4X4s unable to go further as I was steadily going up or over or down. And I say loud and clear, "This disco has never let me down. It has never "had a problem" in tough situations. So I fix it and transport it around the world.

pman

 

Thank you very much for your post. It is very good to hear. I have always loved the Discovery and you are one of the few who use it for what it was designed for. Keep up the good work and enjoy your vehicle.

 

It is not often we get someone talking positively about their Disco's, thank for your story.
Sounds like you and your truck are very comfortable together as I am with mine.
Take care and again thanks.
Mike

 

I have yet to take my 95 Disco off roading, waiting to install my OME 3" Lift and supporting mods. I have had a few problems here and there and I bet that is why the previous owner had it for sale (nothing major, just little things that were easily fixed), but I do prefer driving it over my two other cars (03' Cobra and 06' Solstice(wife wont let me drive it anyways)). I plan on keeping it till it literally falls apart like one of the cartoon cars. I seriously doubt that anything like that will ever happen but I love it and it fun to drive.

By the way, nice story!

 

Although I haven't put either of my Discos through the torture that the OP has, I wold agree. My '97 Disco gave me 180,000 miles with no major problems other than leakage. Sure, there were details that broke - passenger window crank, a few other things. But I also put on many thousands of miles towing fully loaded Uhail trailers (or the Pinzgauer!); or loaded to the gills with camping gear or work stuff or lumber or whatever I found discarded by the side of the road; or myself and 6 other hikers up bouncy roads (the puke in the cargo area was easy enough to clean off...). The paint and the interior held up well; the drivetrain never had a problem.

And I didn't need a 3" lift, or big tires, or a winch, or any of that. No, I didn't take it "rock climbing" but I drive through sand pits and DG and mountain trails and small water crossings - no Rubicon, but I was pleased to never question whether I could make it anywhere.

And I traded it in (actually sold privately, then bought certified) on a 2002. Found out about the CDL thing after the fact - it hasn't stopped me yet, but it did make me wish I'd yanked the diff out of the '97 if it would fit. I would have bought a D90 if I could have afforded it, or a Freelander SE3 if they were a little bigger and had a hell of a lot better service record. I almost bought a Toyota FJ Cruiser, but couldn't live with the horrible lack of visibility in comparison to the Disco (the rearview mirror should still be moved to the sunroof control panel, tho! And the top of the windshield could stand about 2 more inches of viz for a 6' driver so I could see traffic lights...) And the driver's seat is still a little cramped, tho I did find a modification for that, here.

Thing is, for most usage, the Disco is a hell of a lot better suited vehicle than the Defender. Highway, passenger, around town - it's a lot more comfortable. Light offroading - way overqualified. Heavy offroading - if you're the sort that NEEDS sliders and lifts and winches - it seems to be competitive with everything but heavily modified Defenders (and of course the bone-stock Pinzgauer!).

 

All great posts.

I agree, why be negative in the posts when the obvious reason we all purchased Disco's in the first place was because the positives outweigh the negatives.

I own a 04 TD5 Land Rover Disco and I must admit that until recently moving up to the North East Kimberley's of Western Australia I had never driven my disco off road.

4 Weeks into being here though I recently came back from a 3500km round trip from Halls Creek WA across the Tanami Desert Track through to Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Olgas, Kings Canyon, Palm Valley, West McDonell Ranges and back onto the Tanami.

I have previously worked for Toyota Australia as a 4WD Instructor and the road I just travelled on were the worst I have ever seen. Rough, hard cap rock and gravel, major washouts, creek crossings, bulldust and intense desert heat yet the Disco never missed a beat.

If you use the Disco off road you are always going to suffer some form of wear and tear but this is not brand specific.

The local RAC Roadside Assist Recovery Rescuer here can certainly vouch for that. He recovers vehicles from some of the most remote parts of the North East Kimberley's and he says all brands of vehicles break down.

The major cause of this - Driver Error - poor preparation, lack of understanding and knowledge of area and vehicle capabilites, poor vehicle service history.

The only negative issue I have with Land Rover in general is the lack of dealers throughout Australia. Yes the major cities have dealerships but its in the outback where you need the service and support. Thats what can delay your holiday adventures if you run into trouble. Waiting on parts to arrive can turn an hours 'fix it down time' to nearly a week waiting on the parts then subsequent repairs.

Anyway, the point of my post is I am totally satisfied with my Disco, it suits my every need.

Thanks,

Alan