Help me get back into the LR family

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Martin Radoczi

Martin Radoczi

Active Member
Posts
79
Location
Royston, Hertfordshire
Hello

New member and first post here, so be gentle!

I'm not entirely new to the world of LR ownership, after stupidly selling my rather brilliant Defender a few years ago...a move I've regretted ever since.

I can't bring myself to pay what I'd have to, to replace what I once had, but I'm itching to get back into the family.

I'm not after an off-roader, as I was never really into it - I mainly used the Defender for occasional gentle green-laning, the odd day at Tixover, but mainly for camping/travelling about - expeditions, for want of a better term.

I want to get back into the same sort of stuff, so I'm thinking at least a Discovery 2 or, dare I say it, a Freelander? It doesn't need to do anything extreme.

Now, I'm fully aware of the chassis termite problem that Disco's suffer from, and as I have minimal mechanical knowledge (I know an LR is great to learn on, but I have no facilities to work on a vehicle properly,) am I potentially barking up the wrong tree? I prefer the look of the Disco over the Freelander, but I really have no idea what I'm looking for if I were to view one - just how bad is the rust, and where do I look for it?
Might a TD4 Freelander be better/safer? Once again, it doesn't need to do any thing no extreme, just a bit of a weekend toy and something I can use for going off on camping trips etc. (Possibly towing a camping trailer?)

I'd appreciate any thoughts or input!
 
Martin Radoczi said:
I was actually thinking of a D3, but what are the running costs like in comparison to my other options?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by running costs
Fuel? if so its relative to the miles you will cover.
I am averaging just under 30mpg but do mostly open road driving, not much in town.
I've just upgraded to the 3 from a TD5 and the difference in driving is massive.
I'm £250 fully comp for insurance which was around £30 - £40 more than the TD5.
 
Ooh, sorry, I meant maintenance costs. What is the cost of parts like in comparison? Are they more complex, so simple jobs, become harder? What is the TDV6 like for longevity?

I'm coming from an immaculate 300td Defenderi, so I'm used to simple and cheap!
 
I've only had mine a month.
I'm still in the honeymoon period.
Its my 6th Land Rover product
The newer the vehicle the more electronics are built in.
Parts seem on a par with the TD5 or perhaps slightly cheaper.
Full Service History is a must and cam belts including oil pump should be changed at 7 years or 105k miles.
Auto gearbox should be flushed between 80 - 100k miles
 
Discovery 2's, even with their chassis corrosion issues are a good buy, especially if you can do an amount of work on it yourself.

Spares for D1 and D2 are stupidly cheap compared with D3/D4, but there is a generation gap and change of company ownership between the two groups, in fact, D1 and D2 had different owners, D3/D4 was mostly Ford.

I prefer a D2 as everything is doable by the owner. The D3 is one to miss, better jump for the D4 as most of the issues of the D3 were sorted out.

We have three D2's in the family and we do almost all of our maintenance and repairs. I bought the 'new' one earlier this year for just over a grand, 63k miles, V8 manual GS. Needs work, but it's still going to be cheap to put on the road compared with the later models.

Peter
 
As much as I love the look of a D3, I'd prefer something simpler, and I think the D2 is where I really ought to be heading, although I'm not going to rule anything out just yet.

Any idea of good places to look for a good vehicle? It was always frowned upon, looking on the 'bay a few years ago.
A lot of the dealers I knew a few years ago, seem to have disappeared and I feel a bit lost right now until I get back into this good and proper!
 
Disco 3s and Td5s are so hard to compare. They both have merits and vices. The Td5 is a great work horse and very "home mechanic freindly". The disco 3 is far harder to work on on your back on the drive. But most of the common faults can be sorted. The drive quality is far superior in the D3 and they are just as off road capable. Spare parts are more expensive and the lack of breakers yards with D3s means second hand parts are hard to find sometimes.

Personally I wouldn't swap mine for anything (except a D4) go and test drive a smart td5 then a D3. You'll know what to do ;)
 
Littelwill said:
Disco 3s and Td5s are so hard to compare. They both have merits and vices. The Td5 is a great work horse and very "home mechanic freindly". The disco 3 is far harder to work on on your back on the drive. But most of the common faults can be sorted. The drive quality is far superior in the D3 and they are just as off road capable. Spare parts are more expensive and the lack of breakers yards with D3s means second hand parts are hard to find sometimes.

Personally I wouldn't swap mine for anything (except a D4) go and test drive a smart td5 then a D3. You'll know what to do ;)
Click to expand...

After a Defender, a D3 is actually my first choice for a return to owning a Land Rover. I love the look of them, always have...in fact I prefer them (looks-wise) to a D4 - the newer grill I don't like so much. It's just that, in my head, I've decided they're super-expensive to keep running, hence me "settling for" a D2 or Freelander.

What are some of the "common faults" that you mention? Alongside a Full Service History, what should I be looking for when viewing a vehicle?
 
Common faults include silly things like, bushes front and rear fail due to the weight of the vehicle. The turbos can fail or the actuators can stick. They are heavy on brake pads and disks again due to the weight. Mine has had new front pads twice since I've owned it (18 months) and I don't drive it hard particularly.
 
Yup, that's what I'd also heard - the LR workshop guide said it was a 40 hour labour job to put right? Thats why when they first came out, as soon as the warranty was up on them, the prices tumbled - a 40k vehicle was all of a sudden worth 10k. It's the main reason I'm being swayed from a D3 being my absolute must-have Land Rover.
 
Yes, the body has to come off for major work. However, it's not the big deal a lot of people think it is.

The first scheduled body removal is for the most major service, every 7 years or 105,000 miles. This includes all of the belts, including the cam belts. The LR specialists have this down to between £700 and £800, including parts. Sure, it's still a lot of cash, but it's a lot less than a 40 hour job and something that a lot of owners will never have to do.
 
Might be a good thing to take the body off as presumably it makes inspection/correction of the gubbins easier.
 
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