Why are the LR guys over here raving about their Rovers!? Don't think you see many Cruiser guys in the Rover section raving about our Cruisers. I could be wrong, I never go to the Rover section!
Rovers are juuuuuunk! Read read read and you will see I am not making that up. Crappy electricals, weak axles, weak motors and on and on. Only good thing in them is the t-case. And I am sorry but you guys are tripping that your Disco will walk all over an 80 series on and off road. All the 80 needs is f&r lockers and 2" of lift plus 35's to walk all over just about anything else out there besides say a Rubicon. Considering you can find them with factory lockers, 2" lift costs under $1000 and 35's can be had for another $1-2k there is nothing else out of the box from the 1990's that even compares. You guys are sitting here trying to compare a 2004 Disco to a 95 Cruiser!? Nearly a 10yr difference, try comparing the Disco to the 100, oh wait, no comparison. 80's handle awesome on pavement, albeit a bit slow. Stand next to a Disco and an 80, compare them. The 80 rocks the Disco with bigger and better axles, a much stronger trans, bigger and better suspension components, it is night and day really. I mean really, the 80 has a 9.5" rear axle that is FF with 30 splines. Front is 8" with big HUGE birfields. Compared to what 10 coarse and 24 fine spline in a Rover? The control arms and links are much beefier than a Rover as are the coil springs. Frame on the 80 is way beefy and very well made plus very well rust proofed. I seen many an 80 frame still holding it's factory paint, inside and out. Like I say they just don't compare.
Yup seats my be trashed after 25+yrs. Guess what!? All new leather kits can be had for about $1,000.
My buddy just picked up a super clean 96 LX in SoCal for $4k. No lockers but 175k on the clock, Slee sliders and short bus bumper, 33's, did I mention it is super clean!? We are dropping a GM v8 in it, our budget is $10k. So all up he will be roughly $15k into it which sounds not far from these posts about the Disco that cost $2k plus $8k in work. But the 80/LX with a v8 is 10x the truck any day of the week.
IMHO, the Rovers are on par with the Ford Exploder in terms of quality and longevity. Hell I might even give that one to the Exploder!
And as far as the 100 goes price wise. I spent a month looking at dozens of 100s in the west. Price was $7-15k depending on mileage and condition. $7k one was a 99 with nearly 200k on the clock and the $15k one was a 99 too but it had only 85k on the clock. Both had the rear locker. Mine is a 2000 with 125k on it, no locker but very clean, I paid $11.5k. This was a $60k truck new, just 16yrs ago. I have a 2001 2500HD Chevy pickup I bought new. Granted it is a work truck but it is way more trashed than the 100 I recently bought. Bottom line, The Cruiser was/is the top of the line Toyota 4wd and it shows in the quality of the trucks.
Cheers
