What's wth those Disco's anyways?

[AndrewClarke]

Out of curiousity, I looked for LC for sale in Ontario to compare them to Discos. I found only one likely candidate. IIRC, it was a 1996, with 180,000km. They wanted $18,000. I got my 2004 Disco with 76,000km for $19,000. I can't imagine the LC would have been a better vehicle. I mean, I know it's a Toyota, but come on.

It also emphasizes the point that, at least in Canada, LC's are VERY rare which makes them even harder to get parts for.

How could it POSSIBLY get any easier than that? If this was a pre-OBDII vehicle, I'd be totally screwed with a bum transmission.

The nice thing about being in Canada is that we get to buy the 15 year old Japanese import Cruisers. Did you look at those? They're a little older, and in about the same price bracket, but SWEEEET. I will agree though that for the same price, a 2004 Discovery is perhaps a more rational choice (other than the tdi vs v8 issue).

Land Cruisers haven't been sold in Canada for a number of years so if you want a newer one you have to pony up for the Lexus.

I'll give you an example of why electronics and off-roading are incompatible. This happened with my '96 D1 a few years ago, so also goes to show that the D1 is definitely NOT immune to showstopping electronic issues (no it's not all just non-working window switches).

I (actually my buddy) was driving up a rather steep incline when suddenly the engine shut off. It wouldn't restart, so after rolling back down the hill we spent quite a lot of time fiddling with it. It turns out that there was a software bug in the ECU that somehow was tripped, and the truck decided it had been in an accident. It shut off my EFI and my fuel pump, so without an expensive computer system to reset the ECU, there was nothing I could do to field repair the system. Maybe I could have replaced the ECU, I dunno.

I had to get towed out of a dry wash, and flatbedded for a couple hundred km thanks to the kindness of a stranger. My mechanic (West Coast Rovers) upgraded the software in the ECU with a newer version from Land Rover that didn't contain the bug.

Later I had another similar situation, that was rectified by pulling a fuse and waiting a while. This experience went a long way towards me deciding to replace my V8 D1 with a 200tdi 110.

- Andrew.

 

[PTSchram]

I make my living fixing, modifying, and building Land Rovers.

If you want to be talked into buying a Land Rover, call me.

If you want to be talked out of buying a Land Rover, call me.

I regularly tell folks that in spite of how it might sound, I really do love them.

To clear up some misconceptions:

Rover V8s do not NEED premium fuel. I have been running my '95 Disco on E-42.5 for the past three months. Later engines are able to compensate for poor fuel quality.

Rover V8s do NOT need to be rebuilt before 200K miles. If the oil is changed religiously, it is never allowed to seriously overheat, and is allowed to reach operating temperature during each trip, the engines are very robust. Poor crankcase venting contributes to sludge in older trucks.

Coiler electronics in Discos are pretty robust compared to other Rovers of either earlier or later vintage. What electronic problems there are in Discos are almost universally due to uncontrolled water ingress.

All sellers of Series trucks should carefully vet prospective purchasers. A positive experience for both parties requires understanding exactly what a Series truck is (my wife says they are glorified tractors). That said, owning a Series truck can be a very rewarding experience.

Cheers,
PT

 

[kellymoe]

Whoa!!!!!

PT from outa nowhere:wings:

 

[PTSchram]

It's all AFIRover's fault!

I was instructed to come over to this site to see what it was all about.

The first thing I saw was this post with what I consider to be major-shall we say discrepancies-of how I view Discoveries and what had been portrayed here.

It looked like it needed some "clarification".

I'll stick around and see what happens before I say much more.

Premium fuel needed in a Disco indeed! LOL!

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Andrew, actually I did look at an imported diesel Cruiser. It was $25k for a... I don't even know what year. Real nice shape, but that price is just nuts. And any little thing goes wrong and you're trying to order parts from Japan. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

 

[AndrewClarke]

Andrew, actually I did look at an imported diesel Cruiser. It was $25k for a... I don't even know what year. Real nice shape, but that price is just nuts. And any little thing goes wrong and you're trying to order parts from Japan. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

I talked to a guy who said he brings them in and could get one to me for about $17k. That would be for a circa 1992 model year.

- Andrew.

 

[EricWS]

I was instructed to come over to this site to see what it was all about.

The first thing I saw was this post with what I consider to be major-shall we say discrepancies-of how I view Discoveries and what had been portrayed here.

It looked like it needed some "clarification".

I'll stick around and see what happens before I say much more.

Premium fuel needed in a Disco indeed! LOL!

That's enough out of you and Afi until you finish the 59! :xxrotflma

I am dying to get my hands on it....I have visions of a soft top and driving down Lake Shore Drive sometime this summer!

EwS

 

[ginericLC]

I'm a Cruiser guy, always will be, but I have to admit the RR Classics and Discos both one and two are very appealing due to the price. I wouldn't build one for the rocks as the axles are too weak, but for an everyday rig and an expedition style rig they might not be too bad of an option. They go for 1/2 to 1/3 of what a Cruiser goes for. You could probably fully outfit a LR for the cost of the purchase of a similar Cruiser. I've not been around Rovers much, SuperPowerDave and his wife are the only folks I know with them. It seems in talking with them they have their glitches just like anything else but they seem to be well documented and easy to work through if you are willing to do some searching. The other thing I've noticed is the LR folks are getting screwed by the aftermarket. I think Cruiser aftermarket stuff is expensive compared to Toyota 4Runner and Mini Truck and Jeep stuff, but the LR folks really have to dig deep into their wallets to pay for their aftermarket accessories. Another thing LR has going for it that Crusiers don't is the support from the manufacturer. Toyota has never supported Cruisers in the US, really they haven't supported anything off road until the FJ Cruiser. Both LR and Jeep have a long history of supporting the off road community. Where I would definitely not want to buy a LR is when it was new or just 1-2 years old, the market value takes too much of a hit. My last two Cruisers I've bought for less than I've sold them for, granted I outfitted them and had more into them than just the purchase price but they have typically held their value quiet well. But all bets are off with skyrocketing fuel prices. Even the Cruiser market which has been so stable is taking a beating.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

...(my wife says they are glorified tractors).

"Glorified"??? You sure that's what she said

Oh, and 150k miles on the '94 and not a drop of "premium" anywhere near it.....knock wood as I type that...

KAA

 

[Antichrist]

If you want to be talked into buying a Land Rover, call me.

If you want to be talked out of buying a Land Rover, call me.

Or me.
I've been driving and working on Land Rovers since the mid 70's. They are the only vehicles I've personally ever owned (outside of a VW camper for 2 years, and a BMW motorcycle).
So either they are fine vehicles when properly maintained, or I'm insane.

 

[stevenmd]

Whoa!!!!!

PT from outa nowhere:wings:

No kiddin'!:jump:

 

[revor]

No kiddin'!:jump:

Scary huh? First Afi, now PT. Heck pretty soon Pendy wil be here!

 

[Antichrist]

Huh? I haven't noticed anything unsual about series owners aside from the fact that most are cheap.

I think TeriAnn was was talking about as a daily driver. These days when the number of cup holders can make or break a deal on a car, a Series Rover isn't the sort of beast most people would want. Drivers today generally place "comfort" above all else.

I was a series daily driver from the late 70's until 2001 when I bought my Disco (only because my now ex didn't want our kids riding in the Series) and drove them all over the country. I thought nothing of hoping in for a 500-1000 mile trip. Now it's not uncommon to see people asking if they should drive their series 250 miles to a rally, or tow it behind their coiler.
Of the Rover owners in the US today, I would bet a very small percentage use a series Rover as a daily driver.

 

[greenmeanie]

Mark one up here for the series daily driver. It's my '71 88 right now. I used to commute 200 miles a day in the thing. For a while I used my 101 as my DD too. I'm now building a NADA 109 that will have a few concessions to modern comforts.

Cup holders...Hmmmmm...I hadn't considerd them yet.

 

[Antichrist]

Consider these for a Series.