Hey everyone, I'm trying to convert my buddy over to the dark side of rovers but I need some ammo to back me up. :P He's looking at a 1996 and 1999 discovery right now and wants to know what you guys think about those years. Both are around 150000km and both look in very good condition. He'll be using it as a winter driver and during the summer for camping and light off roading. Any advice on pros and cons or personal experiences would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Zbiggy
New to Land Rovers
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roverz92
- Grease Monkey
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:34 am
- Location: Kelowna
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davran
Great trucks in my opinion, but beware that if a 4.0L Rover engine hasn't had head gaskets it will, period. If the owner can't show a bill for a head gasket repair, take $3,500 off your lowest price.
I don't know other engines, but I got hit with a $3,900 bill after my wife bought her Disco II. Love these rigs, but be prepared for this bill.
I don't know other engines, but I got hit with a $3,900 bill after my wife bought her Disco II. Love these rigs, but be prepared for this bill.
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Rob
- Greasy Fingers
- Posts: 762
- Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2004 12:37 am
- Location: Ladysmith
Love the Disco
I’'ve had a D2 for two years now and love it - I was a die-hard series guy for 25 years but found out about coilers a few years back with my first Range Rover Classic and have been driving a coiler ever since.
David is bang on about head gaskets - the 3.5, 3.9 and 4.0 all have head gasket issues though my D2 with the 4.0 only has a small weeping at the outside at one end so I just keep the coolant topped-up every now and then and it's good to go.
Pros - amazing ride on and off-road, good off-road ability, big support network (look up disco web and you'll find piles of resources) and lots of after market stuff available. Pretty cheap to buy nowadays - you can get a really nice Disco for the same price as a dilapidated defender, maybe, or a tired series truck… RRCs and Discos are the deals to be had if you are shopping for a rover.
Cons – hard on gas (V8), earlier D1s were more troublesome than the later years. Some imported or modified “diesels” are up for sale but tend to be pricey – cool ride none the less. Watch-out for inner body rust, leaky head gaskets and the dreaded three amigos (ABS/SRS/Check Engine light) none of which should remain “on”. Electrical system is pretty complex and some find the trucks challenging to work on, so far mine has been pretty well-behaved and only needed “professional” help once.
Some folks look down their noses at the Discos and RRCs as plushmobiles or soccer-mom cars and not “real” rovers but lots of people also recognize that both RRCs and Discos can be a lot of fun, are good daily drivers, decent off-roaders and you get a lot of bang for your rover buck. I would buy another in a heartbeat.
David is bang on about head gaskets - the 3.5, 3.9 and 4.0 all have head gasket issues though my D2 with the 4.0 only has a small weeping at the outside at one end so I just keep the coolant topped-up every now and then and it's good to go.
Pros - amazing ride on and off-road, good off-road ability, big support network (look up disco web and you'll find piles of resources) and lots of after market stuff available. Pretty cheap to buy nowadays - you can get a really nice Disco for the same price as a dilapidated defender, maybe, or a tired series truck… RRCs and Discos are the deals to be had if you are shopping for a rover.
Cons – hard on gas (V8), earlier D1s were more troublesome than the later years. Some imported or modified “diesels” are up for sale but tend to be pricey – cool ride none the less. Watch-out for inner body rust, leaky head gaskets and the dreaded three amigos (ABS/SRS/Check Engine light) none of which should remain “on”. Electrical system is pretty complex and some find the trucks challenging to work on, so far mine has been pretty well-behaved and only needed “professional” help once.
Some folks look down their noses at the Discos and RRCs as plushmobiles or soccer-mom cars and not “real” rovers but lots of people also recognize that both RRCs and Discos can be a lot of fun, are good daily drivers, decent off-roaders and you get a lot of bang for your rover buck. I would buy another in a heartbeat.