Hi all

Looking to buy my first landrover - run a small business but as im only 18 need a small "ish" engined car. Been lookin at a mpi discovery , wandering whats the main things to look for on a disco other than the engine and bodywork - is the gearbox, 4x4 system etc still good for high mileages - car ive seen is on 160k.

Thanks , Ryan

Don't do it!! The MPi is ****e.. Get a 200tdi engined disco engine is good for 250k+ miles..

Trouble is at 18, the insurers are going to see 2 things '2.5' and 'Turbo' and will roll out some quite big numbers.

If you can afford that insurance mind.... TDi all the way.

What to look for other than mechanicals... ROT!

Rear arches, and rear boot tend to be the worst affected areas, have a good poke around all of it. There's plenty of TDis around so it's a buyer's market, not so with the MPis however, but they are a bit crap for the vehicle they are in to be honest.

think insurance is an issue on anything at 18 but steer clear of the Mpi, gutless and not over reliable, you'll kick yourself for not getting a tdi

Well I've just insured a disco 200 for £1100 third fire theft with adrian flux and im only 19. That was the cheapest by far though, all the others were in the 2ks. So try Adrian flux first.

god for once i'm glad to be old

You would have more luck with a defender, 2.5NA insurance won't be too bad.

I've been told by several sources that the MPI is less powerfull than the 200 / 300 TDi's, combined with near as damit the thirst of the V8's. If it really is slower than the TDi's then you'd be better off getting out and walking mate.

Insurance.......

£1100 at 19 is a pretty decent price I reckon, although please listen to my words of advice concerning Adrian Flux.

I have only used them once, and that was when I was running a fully track day prepped 309GTI Goodwood. Think serious engine / brake / suspension upgrades, stripped out & half cage, etc.

I phoned around all the insurance companys, reading off a list every last modification to the smallest detail. Adrian Flux came back as being by far the cheapest, so I went with them, paying the policy in full, (not monthly).

A few days later the proposal and temp cover note comes through the post, but no mods are mentioned. So I fill in the proposal correctly and send it back via recorded delivery. 6-8 weeks must have passed and I still don't have my proper covernote. By now my road tax is due.

I phone up Adrain Flux to inform them that I still don't have my proper covernote, only to be told that during the phonecall I didn't mention any of the mods to them, (a lie!), my insurance had been cancelled by them several weeks ago, (no letter telling me so), and I could go whistle for my money back, (over £1600), as i broke my verbal contract with them by allegedly not declaring my mods. I asked for a copy of the tape of my original phonecall to them, the phonecall where I mentioned all the mods to be sent to me, only for them to say that they had lost it.

It took action by the FSA and a date booked in the small claims court before Adrian Flux finnally backed down and gave me a refund for pretty much the full amount, minus the couple of weeks that I had actually been insured by them. This was in the days before the widespread use of ANPR, so perhaps I was very lucky not to get a tug for no insurance. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Personally I'd suggest A-Plan, or there was a small firm who advertised in the back of one of the Land Rover magazines who were also competative. Perhaps see if you can also get a limited mileage policy, which are usually capped at a maximum of 9000 miles.

Oh, and just make sure that the coolent system is tip top. As a bit of a safety net I'd reccomend changing all the hoses, flushing the rad, and topping up with good quality antifreeze. Give all the fluids a change, put fresh grease in your propshafts, (often overlooked leading to disasterous results). The rest of the mechanicals are pretty robust.

On saying that, I simply cannot stress how much of an issue rust can be. Thats RUST. Ok? R-U-S-T. RUUUUUSSSSST!!!!!!!!!! Don't foget about the fooking rust. They can make 1970's Lancias seem good in comparison.

i have an MPI they are ****e , my kids are faster on their push bikes , don't do it , get a tdi instead as i am currently saving for ...

the mpi is the worst thing you can do! i had one of these and had nothing but trouble and with that kind of mileage the engine cant have much left. i dont think a tdi will be that different on insurance. what you need to spend extra on insurance will be cheaper than repair bills on the mpi!

Wot injun is the mpi one(ie wot else was it used in)?Seeing a few round but sounds like it would struggle on a off road course?

it's a 2.0l innit, guy round the corner has one, my work van has a better 0-60 and that's permenantly fully loaded

At 18, you might be better off with (dare i say it?) a freelander. A diesel one ofcourse.
I know they're not ideal, but it would be a better alternative to a disco mpi. And they do look the part, and if you go for the 5 door you get plenty of space.

goonarmy said:

Wot injun is the mpi one(ie wot else was it used in)?Seeing a few round but sounds like it would struggle on a off road course?

Click to expand...

Rover 'B' Series at a guess. Same as what was in the 420 / 620 / 820?

Disco Moneypit said:

Rover 'B' Series at a guess. Same as what was in the 420 / 620 / 820?

Click to expand...

That would be too small in a 800 too then?

the mpi is a 2 litre T series , don't know what models it used to be in , but judging by how slow mine is off the mark , 0-60 in about an hour , i wouldn't be surprised to find they were slow too !

that aint bad for insureance to be honest

i'm 24 and paying £500 fully comp an an r plate tdi disco

as for mpi - total cock, i drove one a while ago and told the owner how ****e it was, he took um bridge so i let him drive me tdi and he saw my point

rover t series copes ok in the big 820's
and then theres the vitesse 200bhp TURBO

why didn't they use the Kv6 from the 800's that would've been ok

it would be ok on the road, if you didn't expect it to go fast but if you rev them they go, you just have to know how to drive em

my old 820 viteese sport was lovely with the boost fuel and exhaust mods mmmmmm265BHP

Hi all.
I have a question about t-cases.
Here in Greece, due to heavy taxation,the Mpi is a a solution.Underpowered ,ok I know but when on low gears,it does fine.

I was wondering if someone has tried dual t-cases on the Disco 1.
You see,since the Mpi is underpowered ,lower t case gears and specificcaly low gears that can lower the high ratio as well as high ,will help the small engine to move the truck better.

What can be done to make the Mpi stronger as it concers gears?
For example ,my Sidekick (vitara) runs on 33x12,5x15 with 5,12 r&p with dual cases (vitara+samurai 410).So even if its only 1.6 LT ,it have enough torque to start easily even with 2nd gear from stop.I usually use only 3rd and 4th gear.Of course i Know that freeway speeds is out f the questions

Anyone here tried duals ?
Any other thoughts ?