Land Rover Differences

[7schulz]

Hi all,
I've been looking for a good expedition vehicle, I have searched and searched for a land cruiser in my price range but keep coming up short. I have noticed quite a few land rovers though, in my price range, but I don't know a darn thing about the differences between the years and models and engines and drive-trains. So thats my question what are the differences between the years like 98 or so to 2004ish. Disco or range rover or S, SE, HSE, etc. Is one engine like the 4.6L better then the rest for reliability, power etc. I know mileage is not good on any of the models. What about drive line, lockers etc. I probably wont use it to its full extent but will definitely need good in snow and wooded trails and maybe some light rock climbing.
Thanks for you info. If there is a link to this kind of info, I'm all for reading up on it.

 

[jham]

This is a good base to build on. It will give you a good idea of the model differences.

Snow, wooded trails, and light rock climbing... will it be a daily driver? Carry family? How important is onroad comfort to you? If you are looking for a truck that will see mainly trails and not a lot of human cargo, your best bet will be a late model D1. Throw a mild lift, some good shoes, underbody protection, and a winch bumper with winch and you should be set.

Discoveries don't require a whole lot of modification to be very successful exploration rigs. They are great stock, but with less than $2k of investments, you can double up and be just fine.

 

[Antichrist]

Have a read of the lrfaq site:
http://www.lrfaq.org/

 

[7schulz]

This will be a winter and bad weather daily drive, it's just me and the wife and the dog right now. I will use it mainly for packing up some hiking or camping gear and mountain bikes probably no more then a weekend trip. It probably wont get abused at all. Probably lay the seats down and put bags of rocks or mulch or salt, utility type things. I will probably use it for some nights on the town as well b.c they look sweet also. My other car is a high mileage civic that I don't like to be seen in lol, but gets 35mpg.

 

[weatherm]

haha.. awesome comment on the civic

 

[MuddyOval]

If you share your price range, we could probably give some examples of what is out there and what to look for. Personally, I'd stay away from the P38 Range Rovers and stick with a Disco II.

 

[7schulz]

Around 8-10K is my top. Are there any years I should stay away from? Did I read that like 2000-2002 didn't have locking center differential which is most handy in off road situations, and maybe some of them have air shocks that go bad? Is there any difference in the S SE and HSE as far as drive-train and engine and suspension, or just options and upgrades. Now I also read that the front seats don't move alot and I'm 6'5" tall and need leg room.

 

[MuddyOval]

Hmmm.. you're a little tall for one of these, but I know people your height who do ok with it.
You should be able to score a 2004 Disco if you are patient. I saw a sweet one go for $9600 recently.
Some early DII's have a center locking diff, just don't have the linkage for it. You can just add a DI or 04 DII linkage and you're good to go. My 2000 is set up that way with an 04 linkage, it works great.
Air suspension may be the ticket to getting a good deal- find one with bad air suspension and swap springs in it for under $300. Dealers scare the hell out of people with huge repair estimates when they fail. Can be a great negotiating tool knowing you can swap it at home in a couple hours.
I would avoid the ones with active cornering enhancement. It works well when it works, but huge bucks if it fails. Keep it simple and avoid the ACE cars unless it's a smokin deal.
S models have 16" wheels, the SE/HSE etc have 18's. SE/HSE have leather, S models have fake leather but most people can't tell the difference. Any DII with leather seats that doesn't have heated seat switches only needs the switches- elements are in the seats already. S models, no heaters unless fitted from factory w/switches.
Lots of little differences, but I'd hold out for an 04 if given the chance. More power, better brakes, diff lock, long term collectible.

 

[jham]

for your intended use, screw the DII. I'm sorry, but that's just a waste of money.

You're looking for a utility truck and a weekend warrior. Get a D1, use the leftover money for mods, maintenance, and savings.

 

[MuddyOval]

If you do Disco I, the 94/95's are great- old skool distributor. The 3.9 was a great motor. You just don't see the problems with the 3.9's that the later ones have. Cheap parts for earlier trucks too... but I still like the DII's better. You need to drive them and see what floats your boat. Earlier trucks are getting harder to find in good shape.

 

[Justin_Sherfy]

I second getting a DI. I had an '03 D2 and went to the D1. It's a lot simpler to work on. See if you can find a manual transmission. The manuals were available from '95 to '97. They may have been available in '94 too.

 

[Scott Brady]

95/95 DI gets my vote. I owned a 2001 DII. I appreciate the simplicity and reliability of the 94/95, and the availability of a 5-speed, cloth seats, no sunroof, etc.

 

[UofRichmondRover]

D1:
94/95 for simplicity and serviceability, harder to find in decent shape.
98/99 had the best build quality and most of the problems worked out that the 4.0 engine had

D2:
pre-01 for cdl, check for the nipple as not all 01s had the cdl
04, 4.6 and cdl, look for an S model with less electronic gizmos and 16" wheels

 

[Michael Slade]

My vote goes for a '93 RRC LWB. Hottest cam in all of the different versinos of the 4.2 and has gobs of rear leg room and the under-appreciated rear tail-gate.

 

[SCRover]

My vote goes for a '93 RRC LWB. Hottest cam in all of the different versinos of the 4.2 and has gobs of rear leg room and the under-appreciated rear tail-gate.

yep. an LWB would suit your height and your current requirements better than a D1 or a DII, and they can be had for a song these days, even in relatively good condition. just do the spring conversion with some MD/HD shocks (OME will suffice) and you're good to go. the '95 has the late D1 dash, which spruces it up a bit over the '93 IMHO.

good luck with the search. check out www.lrrforums.com and post your query.