Discovery Series I :-S

[Ptarmigan]

Ummmmm,

Not wanting particularly to get crucified but I've left the Surf parked outside the house in Brasil (still available to rent btw ;-) and now looking for a 6/7 seater in the UK. I'd love another surf but I've never seen a 7 seat conversion.

That leaves me with 2 options as I see it: A Pajero or a Disco and I'd really appreciate the educated, combined expertise of the forum to help me through this minefield.

After a bit (read tiny bit) of research it seems a manual Series I 300 (2.5L TDi) could be a decent option as it has a centre locking diff, and the very last year they made it (1998) they produced a 50th Anniversary version with a leather interior which is going to be very handy to keep SWMBO happy.

Now common sense dictates that buying a total rust bucket is a no no but is there any chance this could be a half-decent idea? I'd ask over on the Disco forums but I can't stand all the rah rah flag waving nonsense and I actually need a non-biased opinion. I saw Mud Skipper had a disco before so maybe there are also others who can give me a heads up about what to look for? If I can't find something with a half nice looking interior, SWMBO will force me back into FF car ownership again - :-(

Not too much hate mail please; my heart still belongs to the beast in Brasil and, as they say, it's not cheating if you're in a different postcode :-P

Cheers,
Jon

P.S. Did I mention how much I love this forum and how intelligent and good-looking everyone is?

[trev1968]

what about a landcruiser some have got the 7 seats in ????

[mud skipper]

plus point of a late plate 300tdi
1 stonking engine
2 very good on fuel compared with a surf .a realastic 35mpg
3 big airy interior
4 loads of leg room
5 big load area with seat 6 &7 folded
6 big towing capacity..3.5 ton
7 50 anniversary is fully loaded and will be a pleasure to drive


find a rust free one and you are halfway there find one with sensible mileage i.e. under 50k

avoid auto if fuel consumption is immportant.

prepare to now your mechanic, as you WILL be spending a lot of time with him.

make sure you have break down recovery

it's a great pity that there isn't a toyota discovery, if toyota made it, it would be a world beater. imagine a toyota 90 4.0 v8.....

alternatives

mitsi shogun/pajero
toyota land cruiser

me i would stick with the japs

[Ptarmigan]

Thanks for the tips

Thanks for the feedback,

I went to see my first discovery today and quite liked it; a bit smaller than the Surf and pretty sluggish compared to mine too, although I wasn't putting the boot in so to speak. It looked quite clean and was, I think, an SE spec. I can't stand auto boxes; I just don't trust the reliability so would go with a manual anyday.
I found the clutch very heavy (more for the wife that) and I couldn't get it in difflock for love nor money without really forcing it, which I definitely wasn't going to do. It seems a simple enough lubing up fix from what I've read. Driving around, the ride seemed very nice and the interior is a million miles away from my tractor style truck.

So the tough bit is finding something with low miles; this one had almost no rust but 120k on the clock and that seems about average. I think finding something with less than 100k is going to be tricky and less than 50k will just cost mega money; ditto landcruiser being expensive and also very thirsty on petrol.

On the reliability side, I have to say I'm really impressed with the price of parts for the disco I so I'm sort of thinking I don't mind too much if I need to shell out for a new head gasket / water pump / rad / alternator straight away as long as the chassis or transmission doesn't break. I would probably try to put free wheeling hubs on since I'm used to them now although I have no idea if that is "the done thing".

The main thing that put me off was that the engine just seemed really sluggish; I mean damned slow. No smoke at all coming out of the back and the guy assured me it doesn't burn oil or water but my Surf on 33s could very easily out accelerate this thing.

Well the quest continues; in about 8 weeks I'll have made a decision and bought something so can update the forum as to which way I've gone.

I'd love a LandCruiser 80 but the up-front price and potential fuel bills are saying "no way".

Cheers,
Ptarmigan

plus point of a late plate 300tdi
1 stonking engine
2 very good on fuel compared with a surf .a realastic 35mpg
3 big airy interior
4 loads of leg room
5 big load area with seat 6 &7 folded
6 big towing capacity..3.5 ton
7 50 anniversary is fully loaded and will be a pleasure to drive


find a rust free one and you are halfway there find one with sensible mileage i.e. under 50k

avoid auto if fuel consumption is immportant.

prepare to now your mechanic, as you WILL be spending a lot of time with him.

make sure you have break down recovery

it's a great pity that there isn't a toyota discovery, if toyota made it, it would be a world beater. imagine a toyota 90 4.0 v8.....

alternatives

mitsi shogun/pajero
toyota land cruiser

me i would stick with the japs

[mud skipper]

heavey clutch = clutch fork id on its way out
diff lock seized from lack of use = worse case tranferbox off strip and lube
free wheeling hubs = sorry your stuck with full time four wheel drive
parts are cheap as they all need them, mates disco is on its third viscous fan this year :0 only 50 quid a time. 100 for a toyota fan but a toyota will only need 2 in its life not a year
good luck take your time as there are loads to look at.....be fussy