Disco 1 Time to throw in the towl or punch harder?

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hoopfish

hoopfish

Well-Known Member
Posts
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Location
East Sussex
So for the history

Purchased an M reg Disco 5 years ago for the princely sum of £1200.00. It got me home but had to replace the steering box within a week. Since then i reckon we have spent a couple of grand on it including new interior and last year a new gear box and transfer box. Head gasket went, had it all tested, skimmed and re built. Plus alternator , brakes,hubs, bushes and all the usual stuff.

Question
It failed its MOT on many little things including brake lines starting to corrode , replaced them all about 3 years ago, rust coming through rear wing near seat belt anchor, cracked windscreen, rear shocks weeping, exhaust has a leek etc etc etc.
Do you think it is time to cut it up and use for pay and play days and buy a TD5 or is it worth sticking it in the barn, stripping it and do a re build?


@jamesmartin
 
hoopfish said:
So for the history

Purchased an M reg Disco 5 years ago for the princely sum of £1200.00. It got me home but had to replace the steering box within a week. Since then i reckon we have spent a couple of grand on it including new interior and last year a new gear box and transfer box. Head gasket went, had it all tested, skimmed and re built. Plus alternator , brakes,hubs, bushes and all the usual stuff.

Question
It failed its MOT on many little things including brake lines starting to corrode , replaced them all about 3 years ago, rust coming through rear wing near seat belt anchor, cracked windscreen, rear shocks weeping, exhaust has a leek etc etc etc.
Do you think it is time to cut it up and use for pay and play days and buy a TD5 or is it worth sticking it in the barn, stripping it and do a re build?


@jamesmartin
Click to expand...
TBH, I think this is a decision only you can make. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and move on, but it's never easy when you look at the money that has been thrown at a car.
 
Its not really about the money, that boat sailed away a long time ago, its more about is it worth trying to keep this old girl on the road so that my girls can learn to drive in a classic!
Will it ever become a classic?
And you are right TMHM the next motor will probably have many more problems that cant be fixed by me and £50 and a few spanners, without a computer in sight!
Are these things worth saving?
 
Agree doesn't sound to bad and you mention having a barn to work in,considering what you've already done I'd buy something else and take time to do a rebuild on it.
 
So this is the full list:
Battery insecure, Winscreen damaged, exhaust has major leak, brake disc contaminated by oil, seat belt anchorage excessively corroded nearside rear and front off side (outer sill), shock absorber worn bush nearside rear and offside rear, brakes imbalanced across rear axle.
Advisory:
seat belt anchorage corroded but not excessive offside rear, shock has a light misting of oil offside rear, bake hose slightly deteriorated nearside and offside front, front wheel bearing has slight play nearside and offside!!!!!!!

What do we think?
 
hoopfish said:
So this is the full list:
Battery insecure, Winscreen damaged, exhaust has major leak, brake disc contaminated by oil, seat belt anchorage excessively corroded nearside rear and front off side (outer sill), shock absorber worn bush nearside rear and offside rear, brakes imbalanced across rear axle.
Advisory:
seat belt anchorage corroded but not excessive offside rear, shock has a light misting of oil offside rear, bake hose slightly deteriorated nearside and offside front, front wheel bearing has slight play nearside and offside!!!!!!!

What do we think?
Click to expand...
If you still want/like the Disco then it's worth fixing up, dont see much on that list that can't be fixed with a weekend and a little outlay for some new parts.
As @The Mad Hat Man has so wisely pointed out, the next purchase could be a worse mine field, stick wiff wot ya no mate.
hoopfish said:
Will it ever become a classic?
Click to expand...
In the words of a wise man more wiser than me, "bluddy heck no!", closest it gets is it was based on a (RR) Classic.
 
Std armstrong shocks arent much more that 15 quid per corner
Exhaust new or out with the baked bean tin and some sealant.
Screen is going to be the only single expensive item and I would hazard a guess on not much more than a hundred for that.

Dont forget everything that goes wrong on a D1 also applies to the D2.
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
the next one may have as many problems.
Click to expand...

Agree - and that's a scary thought - IMHO, you are far better with the devil you know, and given its age, better out of the emissions control carp that applies to anything you would likely replace it with.

None of those issues sound too bad to me - and the corrosion is what they do - proper products can more or less stop it now, but LR never used anything proper at the time:rolleyes:

How do they know the rear brakes are imbalanced ? tapley meter won't tell em that directly - If they have had it on a brake tester, then, unless it was a four wheel one, you need a new MOT station!

I'd fix it - and I'll continue to fix ours until I depart this planet.

Doubt very much a claim for your windscreen will affect NCD - check your policy (obvious but.....)
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
Some dont
Click to expand...


Im pretty sure none of them asked before but in the last few years ive been asked it a few times so guessed things are changing, ie any excuse to ramp your premium up.
Many people will be surprised just how cheap screens are and i bet in many cases the charge you pay probably covers the entire cost of the screen unless its something special or quite new or the latest model.
 
If a little list of repairs like that is going to put the wind up you, I think you should give up with Land Rovers altogether. I have a Defender and I have convinced myself that whatever I spend on it will increase its value. It does go for some lengthy periods where it doesn't need anything doing, then several little jobbies come up altogether. Most jobs can be tackled at home with a set of spanners. I think the secret is when you do replace something don't go for cheapest which normally means made in China. Go for a better quality part, they do last longer in the end. Example, I replaced the ball joint on the A frame. bought a cheap one which lasted just over 12 months. Replaced it with a top johnny one which has been on there for over five years. Temperature sender unit. Went through three cheap ones in under three years. Bought a better quality one which has been on there for over four years. I replaced the twenty five year old Rad with one I bought off the internet. I know its not going to last anywhere near the original. I have kept the original which I will get reconditioned to go back on went this cheap one gives up. My list can go on. My motto is if you do a job do it properly and do it once.
 
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