Advice from the wise LZ folk

Hi guys,

Hope all is well in the world of LandyZone?

I'm after some genuine advice from Disco owners if possible. I'm on the hunt for a new car and have an itch for another disco (My old one was a 2.0 MPI so I feel like I didn't get the best experience.. )

I quite fancy a facelift TD5 with a set of A/T tyres, a snorkel ETC just to make the most of our lovely Norfolk Green Lanes. A budget of around £4000.

The only issue I can see is that I do cover a fair few miles, around 15k a year at the moment.

What are the views of people who use them as an every day car? Will it drain my bank account with fuel, general maintenance ETC?

Really appreciate the advice, I wouldn't think to go anywhere else to ask the question

Jordan

The td5 doesn't go well with an auto, and I really like autos. Do enough gear changing at work.
Avoid active cornering enhancement anti roll bar assistance ace. More to go wrong. Has a Siamese reservoir with power steering fluid for quick reference.
If it hisses from the expansion tank when up to temp, walk away.

Thanks cooltide, shame as I quite fancy an auto!

I have read a lot about ACE & the fact people tend to remove it along with replacing the bags with springs.

Jordan

The secret to finding a good facelift Disco 2 is patience.
Be prepared to walk away if you don't like what you see.
The major points of failure with the Disco 2 are rust and rot around the rear half of the chassis and the rear cross member, and the ingress of moisture in the electronics. As long as everything is dry and working to start with it should be OK.
@neilly has done a good bit of work which might be of use to you here: https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/handy-buying-alarm-info.311291/
There are those who will tell you that the Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) is nothing but the work of the devil and it should be ripped off as soon as possible and buried so deep that it'll never see the light of day again. Others, usually Disco drivers will tell you that it's a good system when it's working and the usual faults are the pipes corroding and then leaking, OK the leaks can be a bit catastrophic looking but there are some mods about to change the metal pipes to hydraulic hoses. If you find one with ACE and it's working, go for it.
There are other who will tell you the same about the Self Levelling Suspension, otherwise known as the air springs, rip them off and put it onto coils. Once again, it's a good system, easy to understand and the usual faults are either a leaking airbag (change both at the same time) or the ride height sensors.
Some versions of the facelift Disco 2 will have ACE, others will have static ARBs fitted depending on the model. The air self levelling suspension I believe was a European requirement for the 7 seat vehicles.
A main problem with the Disco 2 bodywork is around the sunroof to the body seals and they might have to be dismantled in order to repair them all the instructions can be found here on the forum.
The Td5 lump is fairly robust, provided it's been well looked after, that's where the service history comes in, even if it's been done by an Indie garage rather than the main stealer.
15k a year isn't a particularly high milage, 15 k a week is a different kettle of fish! There's no reason why a Td5 engine shouldn't keep going with care, don't go driving it like you stole it.
MPG should be in the mid to high twenties per gallon, well it is 2 1/4 tons with all the aerodynamics of a house brick. Parts are relatively cheap these days, particularly for those bits which either break easily or require regular replacement.
Tyres will obviously depend on what sort of driving you do most of, road tyres will be around £100 a corner, especially online.
Mods like a snorkel are IMO cosmetic unless you're going into really deep water, the air inlet is fairly high up anyway under the nearside front wing.
As I said, if you find a good one then grab it, the small little niggles can generally be sorted out.

That's great advice Brian, really appreciate that!

I now have plenty to look out for when hunting!

Thanks a lot

Jordan