Help!! I have three teenagers and need a LR with three proper seat belts in the rear row of seats. I love the classic RR but this has a middle lap belt (I believe I could fit a harness for the middle occupant but this would involve bolting a cross member behind the seat losing boot flexibility). I like the Disco III but I am currently getting rid of a RR Sport (buying it was a mistake) and I am heartily sick of bleeding money in depreciation. I also have a RR Classic soft dash (see above) but this is about to dissolve in rust (sills, A posts, rear floor etc. etc. etc. etc.). P38 is out of the question (not least because they are awful in so many ways but also they have centre lap belts). I do like the Disco II (TD5 era) and they benefit from the proper middle seat belt however I don't find the faults associated with the TD5 too appealing. Has anybody fitted a 300 Tdi to this era of car? How reliable would an lpg'd V8 example be? Any other suggested solutions appreciated... thank you.

You need one of those slitty people carrier things mate, or get rid of the kids.

douglas bader said:

Help!! I have three teenagers and need a LR with three proper seat belts in the rear row of seats.

I do like the Disco II (TD5 era) and they benefit from the proper middle seat belt however I don't find the faults associated with the TD5 too appealing. Has anybody fitted a 300 Tdi to this era of car? How reliable would an lpg'd V8 example be? Any other suggested solutions appreciated... thank you.

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The TD5 if well serviced is a fine vehicle and has all the attributes you are searching, as does the V8 cousin. However fuel consumption is quite different between the two; 29mpg is what I get overall from my TD5 auto and I would guess 16mpg would be about right for a V8 DiscoII.

Of course you could lpg the V8 but that's another layer of complexity.

Re the TDi 300 into a TD5, it'll be not straightforward as there are numerous electronic systems that talk to the main engine ECU and if you take out the TD5 motor plus it's ECU, what/who are they going to talk to - they'll be lonely

Run that lot by me again....
You had a Range Rover Sport...therefore you aren't short of money...why not get a Disco 3 or 4?

Richard Martin said:

Run that lot by me again....
You had a Range Rover Sport...therefore you aren't short of money...why not get a Disco 3 or 4?

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The answer to this question of life is that if I keep buying new LR's I will surely end up being short of cash. The RR Sport is costing me £190 PER WEEK in ownership costs (EXCLUDING FUEL). That's servicing, tyres etc but is largely depreciation. The RR Classic costs bugger all by comparison as it has very low value and therefore does not suffer depreciation. The problem with a newer LR (Disco 3 or 4), lovely as they are, is either unacceptable depreciation (high purchase cost) or risk of failure out of warranty (Disco 3). I do enjoy the thought that the loverly Classic is cheap to own but is not good for 3 kids, hence my thread

I'd not bother with the 300tdi engine, it is a good lump but by the time you've got that sorted out, you'll have got fed up with the vehicle!

The two engines for the Disco II have their pros and cons:

TD5 - strong engine, reliable if looked after, subject to a few wallet-numbing problems with flywheels, cracked heads and oil on the engine loom. The rest of the vehicle is mechanically identical to the V8 otherwise.

V8 - fuel costs are significant, but a much smoother and nicer vehicle to drive around in. If water levels are watched carefully and the head gaskets are sound, it would be my choice again if we got rid of our present one.

The V8 is relatively easier to maintain IMO, plugs are long-life, just regular oil and filter changes, using the best oil you can get.

LPG is well worth having, ours runs fine on it, but we do run on petrol for 10% of the time to keep the petrol ECU in trim.

Both share the same chassis parts, brakes etc so no difference there.

Peter

i would get the v8 and do the lpg thing, the v8 will be cheap to buy as the mpg frightens people, get it without lpg and get it done yourself as it probably wont have done that many miles and it will be cheaper to buy well thats what i would do

douglas bader said:

I do like the Disco II (TD5 era) and they benefit from the proper middle seat belt however I don't find the faults associated with the TD5 too appealing.

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All vehicles will give trouble at some stage or another. I have just completed a 3000 + mile tour through europe in 9 days, both on and off road, in my 10 year old Td5 D2 and she performed faultlessly. This involved a serious engine and g/box workout over the Swiss, French and Italian Alps including the Stelvio Pass, not to mention the Navara region of northern Spain.
Some days involved 500 miles or so travelling with little more than a lunch break before hitting the road again.

As well as the many offroad jaunts whilst en route to each destination we also went on an offroad area in Val d'Isere (near Mont Blanc) which is far more a workout than you're likely to find anywhere in the UK due to it's mountainous terrain and again she performed without any issues.
The fact I didn't have a functioning difflock was due to the 3 Amigos which were already unwelcome friends before we left the UK.

In preparation for the event I stocked up with plenty of fuses and relays and it wasn't until the last day back at Calais and ready to board the ferry home that I needed to replace an indicator relay and fuse.

I would suggest that if the D2 Td5 fits your needs then perhaps consider that people often raise the bad points of their vehicles, rarely the good points. This will always paint a bad picture of any vehicle.

I rarely see positive points of ownership on forums so I guess everybody either owns heaps of unmaintained crap or they just get locked into criticisms and niggles.

Yes, the Td5 has its faults, what doesn't?

The head problems are on the early TD5's. Why not simply get a post 2002 TD5? Fine they do still suffer from oil in the injector loom but at £40 to rectify the problem I hardly think it will break the bank in the case of it happening.

^^^ WHS ^^^ a post 2002 TD5 is the best option.

Having said that putting a 300Tdi into a D2 has some appeal as a project

This is exactly what i am trying to do. Any of you guys in this thread tried this yet?

get away with it in a base spec td5 defender but the disco td5 a bit more complex

I agree with some of the other posts, a later TD5 sounds like it fits what you want. The oil in the injector loom is cheap to rectify, autos dont have the flywheel problem and the heads are better on the later models.
All cars have faults including the v8, get a slipped liner and its a new block time, i know i`ve been there twice.
Other than that i think you will be looking at a diffrent manufacterer, as i think the engine swap could be expensive and time consuming.
Mark