G'day all, just joined this site having just bought my first ever Landy - a 1997 Discovery 300TDi with one previous owner, 166K on the clock and a 2-inch thick wadge of bills to show it's been looked after. Not too rusty, either, so should have a good few years in it yet. It's the farmers' version, 5-speed and steel wheels, although some idiot specified sunroofs (wind-your-own, thankfully) and airbags when it was new.

Didn't start out well, though - driving from Derbyshire to Hull for the ferry to Holland on Monday, late as usual, following my wife in her P--g--t, the immobiliser, well, immobilised me while in a servo. Wife, 3 kids and mother-in-law made the ferry (just) while father-in-law and I waited for the RAC man. Luckily the servo sold Old Speckled Hen ... Turned out to be a broken connector in the little plipper-thingy on the key ring. RAC man soldered it up and I was on my way - home, that is - had to get the ferry the next evening instead, several Old Speckled Hens later.

Early impressions: the old diesel pulls like a train and growls along at 70 on the motorway sounding like a rottweiler with a headache. Feels pretty lively through the gears, and drives surprisingly tightly for a high-miler. Glory be, the sunroofs hadn't leaked in an overnight downpour. The driver's doorhandle intrudes and makes my knee hurt after an hour (I'll be taking it off). Everything electrical works. Excellent gearchange (gearbox and transfer box replaced at 144K probably explains that). Excellent dry-road grip and quiet ride from the Pirelli Scorpion S/Ts it has all round, but haven't tried them in the wet or in a field yet - they look pretty road-biased. All in all, I like it a lot.

I'll be looking through this site over the next few days for hints and tips and useful info. If any of you have top tips for a newbie, let me have them! Look forward to "meeting" you all here. Cheers, Gavin