looking for my first land rover

[tonkatoy189]

hi all,

okay, i'm looking for my first land rover. i'm thinking discovery (but there is a 72 series III on craigs list). what i'd like to know is what to look for in a used disco. i'll be looking at pre 98 trucks. probably with 100k to 130k miles on them. i'm my own mechanic. i already have 2 MGBs and an Alfa gtv6. my 84 toyota pickup 4x4 was stolen yesterday so this is a possable replacement.

what are the weak points of the truck? how many miles are these engines good for? how is the auto tranny? where are all the standard tranny vehicles? how is parts availability, stock and after market? lifts and lockers? any common electrical problems? do the difs have limited slips in them? i believe these are full time 4x4. has anyone converted theirs to part time 4wd?
how is the gas mileage on these things?

thanks for any input. i'm sure you've heard all these questions before.

david

[smileyq]

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

how many miles are these engines good for?

I've heard of them lasting well into the 200k if treated well and kept lubed up very well. It all depends on how you treat it.

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

how is the auto tranny?

Its a good tranny but some years are known to shift at awkward times. Overall its a powerhouse though.

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

where are all the standard tranny vehicles?

They are not found in the states I believe there are a few but overall all auto[/quote]

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

how is parts availability, stock and after market? lifts and lockers? any common electrical problems? do the difs have limited slips in them?

You can find almost any part you need from online retailers such as D.A.P. Inc, Atlantic British, Rover's North and many many more. Price wise they do cost more than lets say your GMC but not by too much. Some Disco's come with a CDL locker DII's have Traction Controll which works very well by utilizing the brakes to keep power in the wheels with the most traction.

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

i believe these are full time 4x4. has anyone converted theirs to part time 4wd?

Why would you want to do that?

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

how is the gas mileage on these things?

Umm well save your money you'll be around 15-16 on interstate with a non modded Disco and as low as 12 with a modded. So not a very economical vehicle but non the less one of the most durable every built.

[Disco Mike]

If you are looking at a 98, think lower mileage, there is on on e-bay right now in the 70,000 mile range.
mike

[TerryS]

R380 Discos show up pretty regularly on ebay. There were very few in '96, none beyond that, but plenty in the early years.
You can't convert it to 2WD, but in the event of a front (or rear axle or diff) problem, they can still be driven with the CDL locked.

[tonkatoy189]

i just got back from the "all british field meet" here in seattle. and was told that the 85 discos might be a little problematic because of first year bugs.

i guess i always thought that the disco was smaller than the range rover. i guess they're very close in size. so i'd consider a range rover too. i'll be using it on the street but plan to build it for off road as well. so do you rover nuts have a prefrence, disco vs range rover? also i noticed that many discos have abs brakes. can this be shut off? i dont want this off road.

oh yea, my question about defeating the awd was mostly for gas mileage reasons. also off road its sometimes nice to turn off the fronts in order to make a tight pivit turn.

thanks
david

[WCURoverD90]

www.landroverexchange.com

Tons of vehicles on this site....

[TerryS]

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

i just got back from the "all british field meet" here in seattle. and was told that the 85 discos might be a little problematic because of first year bugs.

The Discovery didn't come out till 1989 Model year (late 1988) in the UK, but wasn't imported to the US till 1992, as a 1993, I think.

[OkieRover]

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

i'm my own mechanic. i already have 2 MGBs and an Alfa gtv6.
david

You sure you're gonna have time to work on a Rover?
Just kidding good luck.

[tonkatoy189]

oops i meant "93". how are these rover engines? well built?

david

[Bleed Green RRC]

Originally Posted by tonkatoy189

My 84 toyota pickup 4x4 was stolen yesterday so this is a possable replacement. david

Who would steal an 84 Toyota pickup? . . . .Anyways-good luck man. Welcome to the Land Rover World.

[WCURoverD90]

Originally Posted by Bleed Green RRC

Who would steal an 84 Toyota pickup? . . . .Anyways-good luck man. Welcome to the Land Rover World.

Shit, the 80's Toyotas were beasts.....

[Bleed Green RRC]

Originally Posted by WCURoverD90

Shit, the 80's Toyotas were beasts.....

If you’re going to steal something, why not steal something nice? My Old Yota would start up with a Penny, Screwdriver, or anything you could fit in the ignition. That suck's but I think they did him a favor. I’ve been through my share of Toyota’s.

[tonkatoy189]

my toyota would go anywhere. but i've always loved land rovers and i guess this is my oportunity to try one. the hard part is starting from zero again. i had lockers front and rear, 33X12.50 swampers, 5:29 gears, winch, on board air....etc. i'll miss it alot.

another question about discos. size? how do these things do on tight trails?

also i was looking at spring kits on line (OME, ARB). whats the diffrence between the medium duty and the heavy duty? and they only seem to have 1.5" lifts available. do discoers find that to be enough? i had 3" on the toyota and i usually had the lowest rig with my friends.

lockers? i could only find ARBs available on line. are lock rights or detroit lockers available? are the stock axle gears low enough with say 33s? what tires can i fit under the disco with a 1.5" spring lift?

thanks
david