What would you do?

Since I can remember, I have had a desire to be a Landrover owner.
My first car was a 1962 SWB Landy, then a few boring normal cars, then a 300tdi disco which was my pride and joy. This was upgraded (!?)to a TD5 disco, which since the day of purchase 7 years ago has been a total pig.
I have replaced or repaired the starter motor, battery, injection wiring loom, drag linkage, watts suspension linkage, bushes, all calipers, recon gearbox, head skim/gasket, ace pipes, rear chassis welding, water pump, power steering box, AC pipes, alternator, air suspension to springs, fuel pumps, clutch, wheel bearings, steering damper front prop and christ knows what else.

The interior is past its best, rust is showing on the body work and im just about fed up with it,

Is this normal for a 2000 reg disco? Or did I buy a Friday afternoon job?

Im so fed up I think the time has come to part company with it, and maybe the brand entirely.

My head says look at the Jap 4x4's or others but my heart says otherwise.

Im a competent DIY mechanic and will attempt most things, so am not put off by doing most small jobs, but draw the line at engine rebuilds and gearbox overhauls, as I have neither the time, space, tools or expertise.

So, here it comes, I have (or will have!) around 10K to play with.
Do I get a D3, which I love but potentially can not fix.
A TDCi 110 Defender, love the looks, know nothing about. Has it the creature comforts of a top spec D2?
A TD5 110 Defender (as above)
A 300TDi 110 Defender (as above)
A D2 and hope its not another heap of crud.
Or say balls, its time for a Land-cruiser or shogun ? (sorry, I know its bad form)
Im sick of always having to repair things, of the many motors Ive owned, none give me the joy a landrover does, but none were such unreliable heaps of crud as the landrovers, even my two frontera's were more reliable!!

So, what would you do?

Alex

id buy another d2 as i have,my first d2 id say was reliable but it did need stuff repairing as it wore out, any vehicle of 10 years or age is going to need some attention, buy new if you want no maintenance

Whilst the jap stuff might generally last a bit longer the landy bits are cheaper and plentyful.

If you get a Defender TD5 then at least you'll be familiar with most of how it works, and possibly have some of the right tools for it, so that it's not such a chore when things need maintaining. With these, I tend to think of injector wiring looms and steering arm ball joints as being like service items - if you keep the car for any length of time they'll need replacing. The same goes for bushes, bearings on propshafts, wheel bearings and the like. In a car that's between 8 and 16 years old you're going to need to do a few of those sooner or later.

Sad to say, but in your situation I'd go for the last option. The only people that stick with LR products, through thick & thin, are those who are really 'into' them & think with their hearts - everyone else thinks with their heads & buys Jap. You've only to read customer satisfaction reports (such as JD power etc) to see why. I love my RRC (plus the three that went before it) & had years of fun with several 'series' but I would never buy the company's later models.
Now, having posted the unthinkable on a LR forum, I shall do the decent thing - finish my brandy, take a quiet stroll onto the terrace & blow my brains out with the old service revolver.

The passage of time is inevitable, and any car built in 2000 is now 15 years old, and will need regular maintenance to stay on the road. Sadly, all the land rovers you can repair with a brick and a bit of string are now getting on a bit. Even the TD5 vehicles are now at least 10 years old. Disco 3 is a good motor but needs the diagnostic tools to be able to maintain it properly.

Personally, if you're desperate to stay with Land Rover, I'd go for a disco 3 and either find a good garage or buy some diagnostic tools yourself. TDCi defenders ask silly money for what is essentially a 30 year old truck with a transit engine- particularly as everyone wants one now production is ending. If your car is just a piece of equipment, the Japanese trucks are arguably a much better buy.

I've got a td5 defender and a disco 3. The disco doesn't have anywhere near the faults atm of the td5, but when they pop up they are not jobs I can do and they cost a fortune. The td5 by comparison has a list of jobs but keeps on going and cost buttons to repair.
In 4 yrs of ownership my D3 has had a new engine (big ends went common problem), auto box has had to be flushed as it was playing up, new alternator and battery, nearly 1K of suspension arms, air compressor £600, 2 sets 90 egr valves, front wheel bearings and rear calipers.
Touch wood it has been fine for the last 2 yrs and never misses a beat anymore. But those first 2 yrs of ownership hurt my pocket. A lot.
Belts need changing at 107k miles and is about 600 quid as the body has to come off. Same goes for turbo replacement.

Great cars but make sure you are clued up before buying.

Some of the jap car spares are hellish expensive. And all cars wear out.

But one big advantage with LR products is spares prices, availablity and knowleage. I expect you could find every part for your car somewhere and not at a stupid price.

Jap off roaders. some seem to crack heads, so no guarantee there

Agree with comments on age n wear n tear. Like loads of other manufacturers modern landys are not built to last. They are also too complex. Less is more. I run an S3 for everyday transport. Very reliable as long as you maintain regularly. So if it was me I'D go for the latter. Can't believe the amount of part's you've had to purchase.

Its my own fault, If I had never bought that first series landy, I may have saved myself a fortune and spent my life in a boring estate/hatch back etc.

After careful consideration and your valued input, I shall now pour my time into searching for the perfect 110 Td5 (along with everyone else!) or a D2, again!!

Thanks

Alex

codfather79 said:

Its my own fault, If I had never bought that first series landy, I may have saved myself a fortune and spent my life in a boring estate/hatch back etc.

After careful consideration and your valued input, I shall now pour my time into searching for the perfect 110 Td5 (along with everyone else!) or a D2, again!!

Thanks

Alex

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The TD5 is a fantastic engine, and I still think the D2 is a lovely car