Hey guys,

New member here and whilst I've said hello in the newbie section I've got something I'd like to throw at you all. I'm a young man @ 27, never owned a 4x4 before and tbh I havnt had a car for almost 6 years, mainly because I've always had a company van (heating engineer by trade).

For the last 6 years I've been enjoying motorbikes and still do to this day, however a recent change in job means I no longer have a van for private use anymore. Now a good friend of mine who also enjoys his bikes has got a disco 1 300tdi, and he never stops talking about how much he loves it!!

Now me and the wifey both have company vehicles but they arnt practical cars at all so my head has been turned by my mates love for 4x4's. At first I went through thoughts of getting a truck or something like that but my mrs quite likes the idea of a disco. Weve lived in deepest darkest Devon for 5 years now and enjoy the rural life, but with our dog aswell we really could do with something a bit more agricultural, something we can jump in and enjoy without worrying.

Now what's pulled me in about land rovers is there awesomeness, they are very popular down this way obviously with the farming community, and having done some green laning on 2 wheels I quite fancy something with 4 me and my mate can go and have some fun with..

My question to you all is; which discovery would u buy as a first 4x4 and why? Also how much would u spend on your first love!

Bikes are my first love in life and have been for 49 years, Landies run them a close second. I am on my third series Landie but...... you have to want to drive a series and be a good mechanic as well.
For what you want I would go for a Discovery just be really picky with rust issues, lift carpets and peel back trim, talk to people who have one. A Defender may suit but not many wifes/ girlfriends like them and once again look for rust. Most Land Rovers die from rust not worn out parts.

I have a disco td5 and it's a lovely motor to drive on and off the road. I go to lots of pay and plays with it and it might not get where all the defenders do but I know I am more comfortable driving home lol picked mine up for 2K and it's been great!

I've always wanted a defender , had 3 now, never ever wanted a discovery, too much like a car

Atm the landys getting more love than my ninja but thats just because its been put away for winter
Ive always had road bikes 1st love again
But recently sold my car and thought ill treat myself to a newer bike and knowing defenders from army + at the time my mate buying a disco so with 1700 in my pocket left after buying the bike i thought illd get one aswell
Did a search seems the 300tdi is the best
So on the hunt i went for a decent one
Found mine paided everything i had for it and absoultly love it , its not the best 300 out there for sure but not the worst

But for 1500 -2000 you should be able to get an alright one

Serious question,

I'm looking at 300 tdi's & V8s for the LPG reasons. Now in my book a very good conditioned D1 v8 should be worth around 1.5k, does the fact it's got an LPG kit fitted too it warrant paying more?

Reason is there's a lovely jap import v8 near me with 58k on the clock and it's got lpg kit on it, garage is asking 2750 for it, steep?

This may sound silly but if you are going for LPG make sure you have a local station which sells it, nothing worse than having to drive for miles to find some. Also if it has the LPG conversion make sure the tanks are big even a 100l tank will only give you about 300-350 miles of range. Also find out the make of the LPG system and who installed it with certificates and when serviced.

If all is well if the car is as tidy as it sounds and such low mileage thats not silly money just at the top end for a decent disco from a dealer.

Fowlersrs said:

My question to you all is; which discovery would u buy as a first 4x4 and why? Also how much would u spend on your first love!

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If I was starting from scratch with Land Rovers, I wouldn't buy a Discovery I would buy a Defender. The Discovery is just like any other 4x4 car and just as expensive to maintain.

The only reason I have a Discovery is because I couldn't afford to buy a Defender.

If you really want a Discovery go for an older one with a solid chassis, D2's have less corrosion problems than the earlier D1's and the D2 has the TD5 engine which is better for economy (if that's a consideration).

As for price? Well that depends on how deep your pocket is

Day to day driving?
Got to be a Discovery.

If you want to bugger about off road on the cheap buy a series 3 - you can pick them up for peanuts these days. But absolutely not for every day use.

The trouble with series style vehicles is that not everyone can drive them in comfort. I like them - I just can't drive them. I get chronic pain in my right leg.
Have a good test drive. It'll either be one of those and nothing else will do or you'll get out of it and think "actually, this is pretty crap". If you're used to the seating position of a van you may well get on with a series or defender.

There's plenty of models out there to choose from for all sorts of budgets.

A discovery or range rover classic on the other hand - it's more like a car and less like a piece of farm machinery. As much as I like series vehicles they only ever last 5 minutes when I buy one.

If I were starting over again, I'd buy a RRC.

MGBGTV8 said:

Day to day driving?
Got to be a Discovery.

If you want to bugger about off road on the cheap buy a series 3 - you can pick them up for peanuts these days. But absolutely not for every day use.
.

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ballcocks!!!! lol, I have covered over 15000 this year in a 2.25 diesel 109 csw.... however it is a bit die hard lol...

series 3's are now starting to fetch more than a comparable 90 / 110 at the cheap end of the scale.. if u can get em for peanuts start buying fast... ive seen a v5 alone make £500 for a tax exempt series

if u haven't a lot of experience then get a coiler, and as you have seen you can get far more disco for your money

ive seen a few stunning jap imports, the condition usually adds a premium and do you want to wreck a minter playing off road??? you will dent n scratch it

mechanically disco n fender are as good as identical so parts are very similar

disco bodys rot where it counts for an mot... fenders have no body as such but mistreated chassis can be a big bill

my advice is buy the best chassis you can possibly find.... everything else virtually bolts on or is easier to fix

cheers steve

ebbadger said:

ballcocks!!!! lol, I have covered over 15000 this year in a 2.25 diesel 109 csw.... however it is a bit die hard lol...

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I once did 250 miles in our '72 S3 diesel 2.25 - had a banging headache and back problems that took me 6 months to recover from!

15k? you deserve a medal!

Also I would like to point out that you are not a young man, you will be thirty in less than three years.

You may be already going bald.. have you checked on top in a mirror? :lol:

MGBGTV8 said:

I once did 250 miles in our '72 S3 diesel 2.25 - had a banging headache and back problems that took me 6 months to recover from!

15k? you deserve a medal!

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fortunately I have disco seats and my hearing is shot from too many years firing the slr / sa80 and maiden concerts ... therefore my s3 diesel is bmw quiet lol

and the fact i'm on veg oil at 70p a litre helps the pain... in the wallet at least lol

I did 235 miles today from lancs back to barracks in London lol ... slow but so much fun .... people wave , smile n laugh.... probably 'at me' rather than 'with me' but im never in a rush


cheers steve