Short answer... NO
These trucks, especially at high miles can be nightmares.. expensive ones at that. Not to mention. they require premium gas, and you may get 12-14 mpg.

 

Depends.

 

Drive mine all the time gas consumption is a problem. I have never used premium in mine and for 60,000 miles have never had a problem. I do use gas with no ethonal in it though. They are fun and the best off road truck I have ever owned.

Jason

 

I too was attracted by the good looks, low price and fancy name, but no, not dependable.

 

I would say yes... for the most part in my experience. I have done a ton of driving the few years I have owned mine and I can't say that it has ever left me stranded. Now pissing people off for oil stains and always carrying coolant in the back I can't say the same lol... Just have to remember MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE

 

Now pissing people off for oil stains and always carrying coolant in the back I can't say the same lol... Just have to remember MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE

Word

 

BTW...I paid $2500 for a '99 back in October and have driven it everyday since I bought it...hasn't left me sitting yet!

 

If you can get any info from the seller then do. If you like it go and take a look and drill the seller with questions. Have the head gaskets been done, trans fluid change etc... These engines can be very dependable but it is almost just the luck of the draw. The reason they sell for so low is because of the crappy gasket designs and such that they used in the beginning, and people who would have to leave there car at the dealers for months at a time for repairs. Because of this they have a very bad rep for being unreliable. Many of the issues have been resolved over the years and a few of the main ones still prevalent are old head gaskets and the ABS errors. Most of those are with the earlier DIIs. From what I have read the 4.0 motor seems to be slightly more reliable than the 4.6 in terms longevity, but the key word is slightly. Stay away from 2003s and earlier 2004s within the oil pump failure VIN range. The 99s to early 2001s are a very good deal because they have the transfer case with the center diff lock if you would want to hook it up. You want to find one that has been well maintained and hopefully owned by a rich person who could afford to get all of the scheduled maintenance at at the dealer haha. If you look hard enough then you will be able to find a very good truck well within your price range!

 

Dont get me wrong, I love my truck and wouldnt trade it for anything, but as a daily driver I think it makes more sense to go with something a little easier on the wallet. If you go with a higher mileage truck, as you noted. expect spending some money on getting it caught up on maint.

 

Go for it!

Cant agree more with what most have said,great vehichle and a blast to drive,mine has 163,000 miles and going strong! Very easy to work on,wouldnt trade mine for the world.

 

I've had mine for almost 6 months now. The only time I haven't been able to drive it was due to the coolant expansion tank cracking and I just had to wait for the part. The only problem I had besides that was having to replace a window regulator and motor. These trucks are pretty easy to work on. They do get terrible mileage. Almost all my driving is city, stop and go, up steep hills and I'm averaging around 10-11. Probably 16-17 when I get on highway. I feel like the price difference between the disco and some other options I was looking at makes up for the poor mileage though.

 

I have had my 2000 d2 for a year now, and I absoultly love it I have never had more fun in a truck. But that being said if you cant wrench on your own things you will problably be upset when you take it in for every issue, because the closest dealership to me charges 175 dollars an hour. Also if you can work on your own rigs expect the parts to cost four times as much as the same thing for a Chevrolet, my next 4x4 is a Rover!

 

I've had my 2002 DII for about 6 month, honestly I've beat the piss out of this thing, Its never left me stranded up here during this winter. I've done all the maintence thats needed to be done myself so it hasn't really cost much to keep her going. In the summer I'll be switching back to the Jeep Wrangler though cause it has no roof or doors and it awesome to pound the pavement with.

 

I would say that they are good rigs if you have one that was taken care of and if you don't squeeze out extra miles between servicing. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Hey, it is not a Toyota or anything....hmmm...I guess that is a good thing right now.....

 

Great for 'short' commutes, no so the longer ones; also great for long highway trips, except for that empty wallet thing...

But these things are finicky, and MUST be maintained properly.

Oil leaks? If there isn't oil under it, there isn't oil in it. Actually, mine doesn't leak (yet).

 

i would say YES
i have had mine for 2 years almost and its only ever had one problem when the heater pipe sprung a leak, but it still got me home with hardly any water in the tank
i was doing around 10 miles per day for around 12 months, then all of a sudden started doing 50+ miles per day and it well didn't miss a beat as the saying goes, i never have used special fuel and i have 94k now and its fine
so i would yes they are as long as you look after it

 

If gas mileage is not you first concern then I would say, yes. Particularly if you live in an area where it snows or can take it off road when possible. I wouldn't want one if I lived in a big city and drove the stop and go freeways all morning. You have to expect maintenance and expect the unexpected from time to time..it's nothing like a ford explorer class SUV. I have friends that have been through two of them before I needed any major work.

 

We'll cover 20K miles this year, we run on LPG and Petrol.

If you are happy to do your own work and watch out for coolant levels etc like a hawk, you'll likely be fine.

In the UK we have the 135bhp TD5 as well, but mechanically they are the same apart from the engine.

We don't have Secondary Air Injection either, just a few odd ones around.

They are easy to work on, the RAVE CD is a MUST to get hold of, I got mine within a day of buying our truck.

There is a very large forum-based owner group, both here in the UK and other countries, and almost without exception they will chip in with help and advice if necessary.

Lastly, the Disco 2 is a technically complex beastie, don't forget that.

Peter

 

Love/Hate relationship
2004 alternator, battery, coolant tank, T-stat, brakes, water pump, belt, and currently head gasket in past 18 months. 85K miles.

2000 starter, battery, O2 sensors, brakes and a few fuses. one controlled the ecu i believe, now runs like a champ. 130K miles

04 leaks oil, will be fixed when all gaskets replaced with head gasket job, 00 leaks oil and tranny fluid.

I've had 3 Jeeps and numerous trucks, tahoes and blazers, none gave me this much trouble but none could do what these trucks can do.

kind of like that hot chick you lived with in college, all the other guys wanted her, she was yours, but not sure she's worth the trouble

 

In my personal opinion only:

NO.

They were ranked the most unreliable car my consumer reports AND they cost a $$$$$$$ to fix. As a result I'm constantly worried about every little thing + they are gas hogs. If you need a daily commuter get a Prius.

I have this car because it's a love/hate relationship.

 

Ahh, you shacked up with hot chick too!

 

I have a 1999 Disco II. I have had it for 5 years and 130,000 miles. It is very low maint if you keep up with it. Oil changes etc.. It's much cheaper to do the little stuff yourself cuz when the big stuff hits, it hits hard and costs a lot. Make sure it does not over-heat. No water leaks, does not burn oil. I love my truck. Use it for a daily driver in the winter because I am usually at work before the plows are out. Never a worry about getting stuck. I run up to Green Bay to see my first grand daughter about every other weekend. From Milwaukee that is about 200 miles each way. Very comfortable ride. Never a worry. (I bought mine truck through ebay. Bought my car (Porsche 944-s on Craigslist)
markw

 

Had my 99 d2 for almost 2 years.
1 suspension kit
1 water pump
1 ps pump
4 new tires
3 amigos fixed myself for 75 cents worth of solder
1 set of brake lines
sunroof leak.. sister inlaw and wife fixed that while the brother and i played capture the flag
bumper had to be cut back due to brother and i taking the kids through 30 inches of water too fast.. wife and sister inlaw trimmed that while brother and i watched the bourne trilogy. looks like a trend here

go anywhere with this thing.. feel safe.. have no worries if i get hit by some rice burner.speed bumps are nothing.nice driving position.not bad comfort for a truck.



eats gas but what the hell .. they be making more..

Love this beast.. am now keeping my eye out for a rrc to go with it.

if you keep on top of stuff.. as the person who had mine before me did not.. then all could be fine.. then again it may blowup or eat your life savings.


OH and cup holders SUCK!!.. designed my midgets for the console ones.. and an idiot for the in dash spring loaded crap.

 

If you can afford the gas, by all means go ahead! From what I've read the D1 is a more reliable daily driver (since there is less to go wrong on it and all), but the D2 is more comfortable/larger

 

01 & 03 both daily drivers and I would not drive anything else with the exception of the LR3-4, RR, but you must take proper care of these trucks.