LOGS_IN_BOGS

Well-Known Member
Afternoon, I'm looking into buying a Disco. I currently use a ford ranger for all of my off roading however it has gotten to the point where I'm doing things to it that are making it devalue fairly rapidly Which has resulted in the vehicle owner (not me) getting fairly angry. I don't have a lot of landrover knowledge and could do with some suggestions. I'm looking for something that's in the £1k to 2.5k range and of course a disco. I'm looking to turn one into a bit of an off road rig. I'm aware that this could cause a bit of a political mind field with everyones opinions so sorry in advance. I hope someone could help. Would be interesting to see some listings if anyone has any suggestions.

Many thanks
 
What sort of off roading?

Disco's of all ages are great. But you'll likely need to do a few things to one at this price range. Off road wise, stock they should be capable, but they can be improved depending on your exact needs.

Might be worth looking at Jeeps too, such as the XJ Cherokee or ZJ/WJ Grand Cherokee. Just as capable as a Disco and likely to be in the right price range too.
 
What sort of off roading?

Disco's of all ages are great. But you'll likely need to do a few things to one at this price range. Off road wise, stock they should be capable, but they can be improved depending on your exact needs.

Might be worth looking at Jeeps too, such as the XJ Cherokee or ZJ/WJ Grand Cherokee. Just as capable as a Disco and likely to be in the right price range too.


My off roading mainly consists of lots of mud and water, I visit Salisbury plain a lot and do a lot of byways around my area, deep ruts and lots of spiky stones. Thanks for the suggestion however, having already owned a jeep that led me round the bend due to the amount of electrical Gremlins and problems it had! Not that I'm expecting landrovers to be perfect either of course. I guess I'm trying to figure out Which engines tend to be more reliable or whether there's a particular model that I need to avoid when looking.
 
My off roading mainly consists of lots of mud and water, I visit Salisbury plain a lot and do a lot of byways around my area, deep ruts and lots of spiky stones. Thanks for the suggestion however, having already owned a jeep that led me round the bend due to the amount of electrical Gremlins and problems it had! Not that I'm expecting landrovers to be perfect either of course. I guess I'm trying to figure out Which engines tend to be more reliable or whether there's a particular model that I need to avoid when looking.
ok. Assume you rigidly stick to the legal byways on the plains and don't venture were you shouldn't? Personally don't recall the terrain being all that challenging in that area.

As for vehicles.

D1's will be in scope most likely. But prices are on the rise. The D1 is a good solid 4x4 and is pretty much identical to a classic Range Rover underneath. Which means it is also essentially the same a Defender, just a different wheelbase.

D1's are generally pretty simple vehicles and easy to work on. The chassis is normally good, but the body can suffer some rust, although usually quite repairable. You have a choice of 200 & 300 Tdi engines, which are both very similar and as good as each other. And the Rover V8. 3.5 for early models and 3.9 for latter ones. The V8's are faster, smoother and more refined. But expect 12-18mpg. The diesels are good engines and easy to tune at home. But less refined and make more noise. Expect 22-28mpg. Most diesels are manuals and most V8's are autos.

Off road the Disco runs smaller tyres and has longer overhangs front & rear compared to a Defender. And a bigger, wider body. Apart from that they are just as capable. Lots of off road upgrades if you want.

Remember all D1's are at a minimum of 14 years old and originally came out in 1989.

D2's are likely the most common in your price range. They look similar to a D1, but share nothing (no components) other than a similar design language. The D2 is very good, but introduces more electronics and are a more complex vehicle as a result. But have the potential to be better on road than a D1 and better spec, while still very capable off road. 4.0 V8 and 2.5 TD5 diesel. Bodies don't rot on these, but the chassis can be more of an issue. The D2 is still a proper ladder chassis 4x4 with very good native off road abilities. But a lot of enhanced tech too.

A D3 might just be in budget or near too. These are a completely different type of vehicle. Vastly more complex and much more road focused while heavily using tech to make them capable off road.
 
Are D1s still in that range now?

D2s are climbing in value.

D1 or D2, buy on condition first.

Diesels are more affordable to run. V8s fine if you do not do miles. I have driven a D1 V8 and it went OK but the roll took me by surprise, I have a D2 TD5 and it is livelier than the D1 V8.
 
ok. Assume you rigidly stick to the legal byways on the plains and don't venture were you shouldn't? Personally don't recall the terrain being all that challenging in that area.

As for vehicles.

D1's will be in scope most likely. But prices are on the rise. The D1 is a good solid 4x4 and is pretty much identical to a classic Range Rover underneath. Which means it is also essentially the same a Defender, just a different wheelbase.

D1's are generally pretty simple vehicles and easy to work on. The chassis is normally good, but the body can suffer some rust, although usually quite repairable. You have a choice of 200 & 300 Tdi engines, which are both very similar and as good as each other. And the Rover V8. 3.5 for early models and 3.9 for latter ones. The V8's are faster, smoother and more refined. But expect 12-18mpg. The diesels are good engines and easy to tune at home. But less refined and make more noise. Expect 22-28mpg. Most diesels are manuals and most V8's are autos.

Off road the Disco runs smaller tyres and has longer overhangs front & rear compared to a Defender. And a bigger, wider body. Apart from that they are just as capable. Lots of off road upgrades if you want.

Remember all D1's are at a minimum of 14 years old and originally came out in 1989.

D2's are likely the most common in your price range. They look similar to a D1, but share nothing (no components) other than a similar design language. The D2 is very good, but introduces more electronics and are a more complex vehicle as a result. But have the potential to be better on road than a D1 and better spec, while still very capable off road. 4.0 V8 and 2.5 TD5 diesel. Bodies don't rot on these, but the chassis can be more of an issue. The D2 is still a proper ladder chassis 4x4 with very good native off road abilities. But a lot of enhanced tech too.

A D3 might just be in budget or near too. These are a completely different type of vehicle. Vastly more complex and much more road focused while heavily using tech to make them capable off road.


I've been roaming SPTA for a few years now and know where i should and shouldn't be. I'm always respectful to military activity also. As a general rule of thumb, if it doesn't look like you should drive down it DON'T. With regards to terrian , i agree most of it is faily safe however there are some extremely rough bits and its an ever changing landscape due to the amount of military vehicles traveling around at the moment.

Sorry I dont mean to come accross as knarky just want to make sure people dont think I disrespectful off roader.

Thanks very much for the information i was thinking perhaps a D2. I want something that isn't going to go badly wrong on me like maybe the D3 may do due to the vast amount more of electronic stuff.
 
I've been roaming SPTA for a few years now and know where i should and shouldn't be. I'm always respectful to military activity also. As a general rule of thumb, if it doesn't look like you should drive down it DON'T. With regards to terrian , i agree most of it is faily safe however there are some extremely rough bits and its an ever changing landscape due to the amount of military vehicles traveling around at the moment.

Sorry I dont mean to come accross as knarky just want to make sure people dont think I disrespectful off roader.

Thanks very much for the information i was thinking perhaps a D2. I want something that isn't going to go badly wrong on me like maybe the D3 may do due to the vast amount more of electronic stuff.

D2 Buying guide
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/handy-buying-alarm-info.311291/

Cheers
 
Are D1s still in that range now?

D2s are climbing in value.

D1 or D2, buy on condition first.

Diesels are more affordable to run. V8s fine if you do not do miles. I have driven a D1 V8 and it went OK but the roll took me by surprise, I have a D2 TD5 and it is livelier than the D1 V8.
I can see that your comparison of the D1 & 2 was not with new vehicles side by side, the ride was identical as I found back 1998 when I had a D2 as a demo car for a day while my 1997 D1 was in for its first service. What I did find was my D1 was faster than the diesel.
My RR rolled on round about’s from the day I picked it up at the dealers, now that was a surprise, after my sports car was put in part x on the same day.:(
 
My d2 has ACE and a remap. The v8 was not a revvy engine. And less power than a v6 car I owned at the time
 
I think you’ll struggle to find a decent d2 under 2k? D1 would probably be better for hammering as no electrics for upset.

daihatsu fourtrak….
 
I think you’ll struggle to find a decent d2 under 2k? D1 would probably be better for hammering as no electrics for upset.

daihatsu fourtrak….

okay, sounds like the D1 is the better one for tinkering with. I had considered the fourtrack, just not sure about availability of aftermarket parts would be great.
 
okay, sounds like the D1 is the better one for tinkering with. I had considered the fourtrack, just not sure about availability of aftermarket parts would be great.
Milners do bits for them I think. So many d1s are rotten but you could definitely get one for 2k.
 
okay, sounds like the D1 is the better one for tinkering with. I had considered the fourtrack, just not sure about availability of aftermarket parts would be great.
Owning both and hating electronix, i'd agree with you.
and incidentally, my V8 D1 goes like stink much better than my TD5.
300 tdi much easier to work on. can be souped up pretty easily and once the body welding is done, pretty good to go.
I have even heard of peeps putting D2 bodies on D1 chassis. Sounds mad but then.....;)
 
Milners do bits for them I think. So many d1s are rotten but you could definitely get one for 2k.
Owning both and hating electronix, i'd agree with you.
and incidentally, my V8 D1 goes like stink much better than my TD5.
300 tdi much easier to work on. can be souped up pretty easily and once the body welding is done, pretty good to go.
I have even heard of peeps putting D2 bodies on D1 chassis. Sounds mad but then.....;)

fascinating stuff, I think as it stands I'm going to look for both D1 and D2's however if a good D1 does come up thats been taken care of and isnt crumbing (which from my understanding is very rare) I will take the D1.
 
fascinating stuff, I think as it stands I'm going to look for both D1 and D2's however if a good D1 does come up thats been taken care of and isnt crumbing (which from my understanding is very rare) I will take the D1.
You could also look for a jap import. My son lived in Japan for years and explained at length why jap cars are so often good to import. Rust is much less of an issue and if they fail the strict MOT over there getting them to pass can be a real pain. so they often don't bother. Just flog em.
they did make a Disco under licence whose name escapes me. Oh yeah "Honda Crossroad"
If you get a D2 budget for a diagnostic tool, a Foxwell, or a Nanocom, or a Hawkeye. The last is the best but is expensive, the Nanocom has annoying issues re wheel sensors and the Foxwell is cheap and cheerful, mine has done so far what I want.
 

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