Hi all,

I'm considering replacing my current off-road truck with a Land Rover Discovery 94-98 model. I currently have an '88 pathfinder. I bought it in 2001 and I've only put about 20,000 miles on it. It's my 3rd vehicle and I use it for off-roading, snowy days, towing stuff and hauling canoes.It's rusted like crazy and I'm getting a little tired of having to patch it up. so I'm considering replacing it with something less rusty.

When looking at possible replacement vehicles I've considered a few. The discovery SE7 model is getting the vote from the wife once she found it had 7 seating capacity. This would add one more use the truck could be handy for (theodd day we need to haul more people). So I've started my research on what Land Rovers are like. I live in a stupid small town so it is unlikely I'll get to test drive many (or any) locally. Could be the first one I drive will be the one I own.

Anyway one thing I haven't found out is what years had R12 freon and what had R134a? Also are there any other big year differences? I've noticed some trucks advertized as just and SE or SD but yet had the seating capacity. Is there a way to decode the VIN to know if it has the 7 seats? Which models had LSD? or how can I tell the truck has one with out touching the vehcle (most sellers are clueless).

Some pros and cons I see with the Land rover are:

Pros
4 wheel ABS and 4 wheel disc brakes.
The engine is aluminum block
7 seats.
V-8 with 180 HP
5,000 lb towing capacity

Cons
The 4wd is full time. I like part time with freewheeling hubs to reduce drag.
I prefer OHC engines and I see the LR is pushrod.
Friends and Neighbors will say "ohh a Land Rover".

More about me and my use of the vehicle. I do all my own work for the most part on my vehicles (except a/c). I've owned mostly nissan vehicles in the past but did have a jeep cherokee for a year. Like I mentioned the truck is ocassional use and may sit up to 1 month without being touched. (the nissan has been great with alwaysstarting and going even after sitting. It is one reason it is stayed in the family for so long). I'm looking in the $2,000 - $3,000 range. Dents and scratches aren't a big concern. High miles isn't a big deal either (my pathy has 220,000 mi).

Any info you guys could provide would be great. If someone has had both the pathy and a disco and could contrast them that'd be great too.

 

http://www.robisonservice.com/servic...er_advice1.asp

That link will give you tons of info.I do not know if there is a way to tell if it is 7 pass by the vin or not, but it will say **7 on the side.
SD is the base model, HSE is top. There are 3 trim levels not including the 7 pass which was an option on any trim level. Trim levels changed from year to year. They used the 3.9L engine until 1996, 1997 was the first year for the 4.0. 3.9,4.0,4.6 are the same engine. And just a side note, you MUST use premium gas. If you dont you will get less MPG and the exhaust valves will carbon up and you will need to do a head job.
All years have R134 in the A/C. It was mandated in 1994? by the Feds that no more R12 could be manufactured. So your Pathfinder was before that.
www.atlanticbritish.com is a good place for parts, but you can get most of them at Autozone.
The D1 is really easy to work on, I have a '97 and I do 90% of the work myself. I have 171k on the OD and it runs like a top. We get 20mpg on the highway and alot less around town.
As far as sitting for a month, as long as the battery doesnt go dead, why not?
Most likely the check engine, ABS lights will be on. New plugs and wires cures 95% of the CEL issues on these trk's. Bad brake pads will cause the ABS light to come on, brake dust mess' up the ABS sensors.
If you go to atlanticbritish.com and www.discoweb.org they both have tech tips that are very useful.
All Disco's have dual HVAC controls for the front passengers. You can be cold and your wife hot.
The 7 pass, the back two seats are only good for kids and you lose cargo room.
The body is aluminum so outer rust is almost non exsitant. And if you overheat the engine the cylinder liners will drop and your engine is toast.
But as far as off road go's, you cannot beat a D1.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyb9CCWQog

 

Craig's list is a good place to look for Land Rovers. You should easily be able to find one in your price range. They depreciate like a rock. This is good for getting a good bargain. You can get a lot of vehicle for the $$. You won't beat the "ooohhh Land Rover" effect. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE seems to stop in mid sentence and ask about the Land Rover once they hear ya have one. They all will think you spent a lot.

The motor is a GM-designed small block that they used to put in Buick/Olds in the early 60's. They leased the technology/tooling to L/R. In my mind, that's good as it's easy to work on, especially if you are familiar with small block chevy's like I am. Parts aren't too difficult to find. I buy most of my parts from our local Land Rover dealer. Prices aren't a whole lot more than GM/Ford in most cases (but some things are a shocker). Overall, I'd saythe vehicles are finicky due to all the electrical items/relays, etc. and aluminum motor. Honestly, if you buy a high-mile rig,youshould plan to spend a good amount of time fixing all the deferred maintenance items and getting it into shape. If you don't do mechanical work andneed to take it to a shop to get each and every item fixed, I'd say it's a safe bet that a Land Rover mightcost you a lot of money to maintain. You should carefully evaluate weather it makes good financial sense to get one.For example, you could get a Jeep Cherokee with a 6 banger that any shop can fix and will run practically forever (except the rust). Not trying to steer you away from a land Rover, there's been a few on this forum that have thrown in the towel because they didn't have the mind-frame to handle all the little things these vehicles need.

As far as driving one, they are heavy, like a tank. That'sone reasonthey get about 15 mpg average. Power isn't neck-snapping. If you live in mountain areas, I think they're kind of doggy up mountain roads. On moderate hilly roads and general flat areas, they are just great. The steering takes about1.5 turns of the steering wheel more than any other vehicle out there (wierd). If you drive it everyday, you don't notice, but switching between vehicles ya do (not a big deal, though). Off road they should last a long time as far as the frame goes. The axles and frame seem super heavy. The seating is high, which is kind of nice. It's higher than a Pathfinder, almost like a 3/4 ton truck. The seats on mine are really comfy, especially for long trips. Getting in/out isn't as easy as most SUV's if you have small kids. There are a bunch of small quirks that you get used to, and even begin to like after a while.

 

Is the "ohh a Land Rover" supposed to be a con? Is it like "oh. a land rover..." or "OHHH a Land Rover!". Either way, I think you will love a disco. If you can work on it, you will love it even more. I have come to realize that Land Rover is more of a lifestyle that just a auto brand. Sure, some people hate them, but that just means that arent right for the LIFESTYLE i mentioned. You can throw these things around and they will keep chugging. If you take care of any disco it will roll out tons of miles. 71% of every Land Rover ever made is still running today. As for the full time 4X4, i didnt like the idea of it at first, but now I appreciate it. Good luck with your search, keep us posted on what you find.

 

WOW! Where did you find that stat about 71% of every LR is still running today? With the current housing market I'm thinking about buying a place out of the city with some land buying the odd cheapLR to part out or fix up in my limited free time.

Yes they do become a lifestyle not just another car/truck. As per my prior paragraph. I've had mine just on a year now and I want to buy more of them! If you do most of your own work and are only using it once a month I think it will be a good choice. I bought mine with a similar plan, it's my 2nd vehicle and I only use it in the crappy weather or to tow a trailer etc. Mine has sat for 3 months in the summer totally untouched and it fired right up, with even a crappy Autozone "Duralast" battery on it. They guy I bought it from said it was sitting for over 6 months when we fired it up when I was looking at it.

Once you sort out the "quirks" they're quite reliable. The issues I've had with mine were poor ignition system & decarbon intake/combustion chamber, and oil pressure issues. All of which you can find lots of help on here to fix as they're VERY common problems. If you find one that runs rough most likely it's the plugs & wires and you can make a low ball offer and fix it for about $100 & an afternoon. The 1st one I looked atbackfired & ran like crap and it scared me off, since then I know a bit more and it would have probably been a simple fix. I've also since fitted an oil pressure gauge to my Disco so I can keep an eye on the oil pressure.

As far as the rust, the body shell is still steel, but the front fenders, hood and door skins are "birmabright" which is an aluminum alloy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmabright

They all had the CDL up to about 1999 I think? Someone can correct me? (Central Locking Diff)

Good luck!

 

and as for the reliability, there is no other vehicle manufacturer with a higher percentage of vehicles still in operation on the road than Land Rover. I read that in a business article about a year ago. It had that date from when that count started, I want to say it was around the late 60's early 70's but I could be wrong. Either way its an amazing sat. I also heard it on Top Gear as well, if that means anything.

My main thing to tell any buyer... If you are willing to take care of it, you will not go wrong with a Land Rover. Be careful because like any car company, there are SOME duds, just look for the negative signs.

 

I've read the statistic too, and I think it was Land Rover than came out with that number (FWIW). I think this topic bears closer examination to help uncover why this might be.

Traditionally, many Land Rovers are (were) sold in developing countries. They were also marketed heavily to farmers in the UK after WWII when resources were scarce. These represent large capitol investments to people in these regions.In all the developing countries I've visited, vehicles rarelyget scrapped like they do here in the US. The scrapping industry for cars and trucks just doesn't exist like we know it. Unless thecars or trucksare so totally destroyed they are not worth rebuilding, someone is almost always willing to spend the time or energy to restore/rebuildthe vehicle.I've personally seencars like Fiat 124's, what most in this country would consider beyond junk, get stripped down to the very shell, sand blasted, rewelded as needed,and each and every piece of the car cleaned, painted, restored, re-upholsteredand get put back together like a new car again. Labor in these regions is incredibally cheap, and craftsmanship is way beyond what most garages in this country exhibit.

Land Rover trucks and SUV'sfall into a very highly prized cagetory of desireable vehicles in these countries. Toyota trucks/SUV's also are in this category (even more prized).In England, where many Land Rovers are sold, there is more of a salvage mentality, butsame spiritof rebuilding these vehicles is present. So, I submit that the notion of the high number of Land RoverSUV's still in operation is likely valid. I would also urgue thatthe vehicle's reliability is less of a factor.

 

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=S0uSxqHPWGk

Here in America we all want to keep up with the Jone's so whenour car gets old (4-5yrs) we need to get rid of it and get back into debt.
We have more disposable income than other country's, the EPA wants old cars off the road because they pollute more. The President wants us to buy new cars to keep the economy going. And we want to buy new cars to look good to others.
You know the American way, bigger house, bigger TV, bigger boat, bigger weekend cottage, my kids better than your kid, my second wifes boob job is better than your third wifes nose job. You get the idea.
Me, my trk is paid for and unless it is wiped out in a accident we will be keeping it forever. New engine when needed, but a new engine is cheaper than a new car. Run it through the car wash once in awhile, condition the leather once a month and it will still be looking good 30 years from now.

 

Hey thanks for the info guys. I figured it take me a while to buy one but as luck would have it I found one forsale in my area and it's a small town. Go figure. Anyway it's a 1999 with 85,000 miles on it. Good condition but may need some engine work on it. Didn't have the 7 passenger seating but it was only $2200 so I couldn't pass it up. It appears to be the Disco I style not disco II based on the little I know. I believe the jump seats can be added to a disco I. I only have 2 kids anyway it was just an added perk. Most everything seems to work except the front sunroof. Well I haven't tried the 6 disc changer yet. All the power goodies make me laugh. My pathfinder didn't even have power windows. It's missing a few interior bits but the seats are leather (or appear to be leather) and are in good shape. So far I think its a decent deal.

The engine work may be a head gasket. At least that is what I am lead to believe. Until I check it out myself I won't really know. It starts and runs strong. Idle is a little unsteady (bounces a little). Exhaust has a coolant smell. I drove it home which is about 20 miles and it didn't over heat or anything. I'll have to spend some quality time with it and researching on the board.

I'm not worried about costs for repairs as doing all the labor saves tons. And usually (but not always)saves many miss diagnosed problems. I don't expect many miles on it since right now it is my 5th car and only two drivers. Yah I see some forsale signs in my future.

"Is the "ohh a Land Rover" supposed to be a con?" Well for me it is. I got a old BMW last year (paid $1600 for it) and it got more attention than ANY car I've ever had. It was slower and in worse shape too. Go figure. I'm just not into being all flashy like that. Nissans are great that way. No one notices them. Oh well. I'll stick out in the Land Rover but in a good way.

I don't have any pics hosted yet and I dont' see an upload button so here is the link to the add for the truck I bought http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...:IT&ih=020

 

Yes that is a D1. The D2's have different taillights and LCD OD and climate controls.
One of the nice things about these trks is that no matter how old they are they still look good. Most people cannot tell how old they are.
Being a salvage title what happend to it? Did you find out?
And you are correct, most likely a bad head gasket. Autozone sells this stuff that other guy on another forum used call Bluedevil? He said that he had a blown head gasket on his D2 and figured he had nothing to lose, so he tried it and it worked. Leak is gone and he is still driving it.