I just purchased my first Disco II, I am really excited, and honestly open to the idea of a car that may require some work...that doesnt bother me. love the projects, and the finished product... but i spent a good amount of time researching these cars, listening...learning about the ins and out, and honestly reading all of your posts... and i have to ask. With ALL the problems that everyone talks about... (three amigos aside) it sounds like the majority of people on this forum runs their cars QUITE hard. (maybe i am just hoping so...) Don't get my wrong...i plan on doing the CDL and having fun on my weekends off...but is the reason for alot of these problems because of the use that everyone puts them through in their off-roading, or are alot of the members here actually using the car as an everyday or family car and just seeing these major problems come up? It just struck me as funny because in alot of other makes and models of cars, seeing long lists of problems on a car... (aka my last 3 series bimmer) people would just jump and say "another damn lemon...let's try something else." but i do have to say part of what drove me to buy the car is how damn dedicated everyone seems to be making it work! just curious....would love to hear ya'lls personal feedback on use....

BAS
99 Disco II, 140k

 

I could go on with a response but I'm going to keep it short.

1. work on a Land Rover is never finished LOL.

2. I've owned a Honda car for the past 15 years and they are about as maintenance free as it gets. The Disco is the complete opposite, but I love driving it. It has some sort of character or something that just gives it an "allure". I bought my Disco as a second car to use as a "beater"/winter car and I think it isa good choice for this role.I had a Ford "Exploder" before for this task, the Disco is ten times better. Compared to the Explorer the Disco looks like a military vehicle underneath. I think once you set the Disco up right (I.E correct plugs/wires, hi flow cats, new O2 sensorsetc etc) they are pretty reliable. Plus I have the Acura (Honda) to drive when the Disco is acting up.

 

We have been Jeep owners for a long time. 94 Grand Cherokee and a 97 Cherokee Sport. GC, I put alot of money into and have just recently replaced it with the Disco. The 97 has 198,000 and I have tuned it up and changed oil. Other than a water pump, no real work done! So, I also read and researched as much as I could. It seems that owners either love them or hate them. Just like most cars there are lemons out there and from what I can see, some of that comes from how well they were kept up. I have spent some money in getting mine back to where it should have been. I love driving mine! Will probably never go off road in mine unless it is the camping trip to the Gorge or to the beaches in OBX. I am not overly mechanical but can read and figure out most stuff. I also looked forward to a vehicle that was not the norm.

 

I have a Disco I, a '96, and I've had it about 6 or 7 years. I have done most all the work on it myself and I don't believe I could've afforded the truck if I took it to a dealer or even an independent to do every little thing. I love the truck though, and it is built like a tank underneath. There is maintenance like any vehicle, only a little more. More things to grease, more fluids to change, more bushings, and premium gasoline only. I did have to do a valve job on it due to a sticky valve, but the engine runs like a top andis very smooth and reliable. I have only had it off-road a couple of times, but that was great. You gotta use the CDL or lose it !

 

Here is my story, I was a Mercedes owner times 2 and was looking at the ML Benz, and wanted the luxury and the ability to tow. The Benz other then the ML500 soon did not become an option, because of price on the ML500 and the others just couldn't tow like I would use it in the mountains. After driving the my 01 Disco SE, I found this had everything that I needed and didn't sacrifice the creature comforts either. I checked out the reviews just like you and found that repair expense if you can do most of the work is not that bad, certainly about the same as the Benz and believe it or not a lot less complicated. After getting this one home and towing a trailer in the mountains I am very impressed with it, infact I was going up and down washbord 18% grade dirt roads where bigger fancier 4X4s struggled. Going down if using the vehicle correctly you won't go through the brake pads like all of the reviews, (let the engine do the work). Following that and letting my wife drive it, she fell in love with it, so Ihad to find her one. Found a good deal on a 95 Disco SE7, and I can't get it out from under her at all. A tune up on that one and it was good to go. A couple of months ago, I was talking with my banker and he said I see you like the Land Rovers, how about buying the repo he had, so I bought that 88 Range Rover Classic as a project, and as a learning vehicle. Am I crazy going from 2 Benz and a S Blazer to 3 Rovers? I don't think it is an obsession but they are truly worth the $$$$$ if you can do some of the repairs your self.

 

People with the money to buy brand new rovers can afford to keep them maintained, and usually do. A lot of other 4x4's i've seen get abused and not taken care of, that's my logic that turned me on to a one owner used rover.

 

Here's my experience:

I've got a 94d disco with 90K miles. Had it for 4 months now. I did my research and decided to commit to the work involved because I wanted a car for the winter in the midwest. The thing with these cars is that they are really fun to drive. Problem is that maintenance is way too expensive at the dealer. I don't think they require that much more maintenance than your average American or European car built in the same year, but to keep it affordable you do the work yourself. That's why I think you hear so many people talk about so many problems. If I search for 1994 ford explorer repair forums, I'll find much less information, leading me to believe people don't have issues. But they do, only we don't hear so much about it because mechanics take care of the problems and people pay the bills without knowing every detail of what went wrong like we do.

Also, you have to pay attention to the mileage people report in their posts. People talk about broken drive shafts, cooling issues, etc. but most people here have high mileage (over 75K) yet we want the car to run like it did years ago (we're a demanding bunch). Many people here expect their cars to run 70 MPH on the highway, then the next day run 5 or 6 hours off-road, then deal with stop and go traffic. I don't go off-road, but last week I drove 160 miles round trip to the airport, on the way back it was snowing and people were doing 30mph while I could safely manage 60. I got back to my city where there was 2 inches of snow on the ground and more coming. This versatility is definitely worth the repairs I make on a 13yr old car.

 

I think the perception is caused largely due to the forum attracting a lot of people with the same type of vehicle, who end up bitching and moaning about things a lot. Not that that's a bad thing... it's just it makes it seem worse than it is because you hear about everybody's problem every day.

It's not just the LR's either. I have owned 6 Focuses. Now there's a car with a quality repuation. But the reality is... yes, my 2000 was terrible. Lots of recalls and problems. My 2001 had less recalls and problems, and I still have that car. I've been beating the snot out of that car for 4 years. It's turbocharged, putting out twice the power on the stock engine, and I run it hard on track days, and it just takes it. I haven't had a problem with that car in years. We had a 2002, that was pretty decent. Couple problems in as many years. It was around that time, that the Focus actually was recommended by consumers reports. But, most people's perceptions of it are still bad.

Now we have a 2003 with 95k on it, and it's been amazing. Only 1 problem in all that time! Just one! I also have 2006 I'll be getting rid of. It's had 2 problems, both very minor.

Yet, you go on the Focus boards, and you'd think it was the worst car ever.

I think there are some cars like Toyotas and Hondas that see to go forever with no problems. Everything else... I think it's really hard to distinguish.

And even with Toyotas and Hondas, I think if you really look at them... they aren't necessarily that much better than the other cars. They just have a perception of being better, so people complain less. Plus, not many Toyotas have enthusiast followings. So again, you just don't hear stuff.

 

96 DI with 120k. Bought from my sister with @25K. I have finally broke down with neglect. I think the real reason I put off most of the maintenance is I felt it was way out there as far as mechanics, and would rather push it off a cliff rather than take it to the dealership.

I just put about $1300 in parts (minusnew paint and materials). I did the work myself (minus pressing some bushings) and what a simple and fun car to work on. The truck has not run, rode or looked this nice in years! Parts really are more difficult toobtain than they are expensive. Thank youinternet!!

The true blessing I have found is the support and guidance I find on this forum. Happy Rovering...

 

Yeah they really are pretty simple to work on. Mind youit seems the D1's are a lot simpler than the D2's.The biggest issue I've had is figuring out which bolts are STD and which are metric? Seems like most of the chassis & body parts are metric, and the engine bolts are STD?