We have been scouring the Spanish used market for a 4x4 for the last couple of months. While I have been set on a used Patrol or Land cruiser, a 1990 model Discovery II with diesel came up. Both my wife and I have been suspect of reliabilty vs the aforementioned vehicles but this DII has a lot of equipment for a low price. So I thought where better to ask then here. Any thoughts?

 

Btw, here's the link to the one I'm talking about...

https://www.milanuncios.com/todoterr...-357918107.htm

 

Well it is a diesel that engine is pretty bulletproof, so really you will be dealing with maintance and electrical. It would help to know where you are though

 

I'm in Spain, Richard. I haven't viewed the car yet. I'm a novice at what to watch out for in 4x4's so bear with me. I do have a concern about the smaller spare tire.

 

@Zulujos Ah that helps a lot we get a few North Americans looking at importing Discovery's from Spain as the are left hand drive.

Ask about any engine codes and service history, last oil change, transfer case and differential service, age of clutch if it is a standard and any known issue even small ones.
It is a lifted truck so age and condition of shocks and springs
Any rust issues in the frame, the rear frame suffers the most


Most of the issues we see are with V8 gas engine so you avoid those

The TD5 is a good engine, the transfer case and transmission are all solid assuming they have had regular service
You can get an add on to allow you to mount a larger spare tire


Problems you can run into

Front drive shaft if it is an OEM they tend to fail and take out the transmission - it can be replaced with a greasable unit that will take care of the problem
Sunroofs can leak if it has them
Windshield leaks - pretty easy to fix
ABS system and wheel sensors can be troublesome - look up 3 amigos
Transfer case cables can get sticky if not used

 

Ok, so this primarily is a US based forum. We don't see many equipped like this in the US. The ad you shared shows a truck with cloth seats, standard transmission, and the TD5 engine. Most US trucks are leather seats, auto transmission, and V8 engine.

In our country, these trucks have the reputation for being extremely capable off-road, very luxurious, and very unreliable. Most of the reliability issues boiled down to crappy cooling system plastics that it shipped with and a few other weak points in the V8, all well sorted at this point in time. The TD5 on the other hand was more reliable (although it had the same crap cooling system, especially the thermostat, if you buy it immediately perform the inline thermostat mod). On top of that the standard transmission is even more reliable than the auto, and the auto is quite reliable.

There are some other ****ling issues with a 20 year old truck like door locks and door window actuators, but they are easily sorted and worth the hassle.

The trucks drive better than their contemporaries, better ride and handling, more capable off-road. More luxury features, although that truck does not have leather.

That truck is super well equipped for off-road use, winch bumper, lift, snorkel. tires.

BTW, truck like that would probably go for around $10k USD. Here the TD5 is very sought after

Parts are generally very cheap, very available, and lots of support available in forums like these.

BTW, where are you located?

 

Zulujos: I used to live in the Barcelona area (S Sandurni d'Anoia), and was turned on to the Disco 1 when I lived there. It is the perfect vehicle for the area. I have also had both a Patrol and a Land Cruiser, as well as an FJ... and the diesel Disco was the way to go. I towed boats, went off road regularly, and drove in the mountains often. The Patrol did not do well in the mountains, others did. The Disco required watching electrical issues regularly, but that is really all I had to learn, the rest was normal maintenance. I now have a Disco II that I keep in Arizona, and it is gas, and as noted above, has way more issues to deal with than the diesel did. If I was looking at your three options, I'd go with the Disco. I might get some vinyl seat covers, or aero covers, as the cloth seats were pretty hot... and mind your differential oils... your brake lines, and think about replacing most plastics that the cooling system runs through, if not done already. Don't buy without a test drive... and engage the low 4wd. Hope you have made some decision by now...

 

Hey, 777. Thanks for your insight. We live on the south side of the Sierra Nevada and have been looking for a ride to drive the mountain roads around our home in the campo. Did you get a chance to look at the link above?

 

Shout out to Extinct. Missed yours and Richard's 2nd contribution. All good info! To answer the question, I'm a Texan living in an area of Andalucia Spain called the Alpujarras. In today's current climate I could not have made a better decision than to be living in solitude up in the mountains on 10 acres.

 

1990 model discovery II doesn't exist, I don't buy imaginary things. Think that's as good a reason as any.