Hi All - Considering a Landy...

[apostrophe]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to say Hi after finding this site and spending some time reading the forums.

Coming from England originally I've always loved Land Rovers. Now the wife and I are considering buying a 2nd vehicle (we bought a MINI Cooper last year) for the rough Canadian winters and to have something bigger than the MINI for when family visit etc, I am looking at perhaps buying a used LR.

I was thinking about getting an older Disco, 94-96 as they are reasonable in price and insurance, but from reading some posts around the internet I've been discouraged by the amount of problems Land Rovers seem to have and costs involved for parts and service. The other vehicle I was considering was a Jeep Cherokee 4x4, the parts and labour would be cheaper I'd imagine, but of course its no Land Rover.

Maybe a Range Rover would be a better choice than the Disco, but I don't know anyone with a Land Rover to ask for their opinions on what options there might be to me, I don't mind the thought of having to pamper the vehicle to keep it in good condition as the MINI is like that, but I don't want it to be in the shop more than my driveway which I've heard happens alot. I would appreciate any input from actual owners as to their experience before I start shopping for a vehicle in earnest.

Sorry for the long post, thanks!

James

 

[Slam]

James! Welcome aboard the forum. If you want something cheaper, buy an older disco. They are inexpensive, and the parts are much cheaper than a Range Rover. If you want a truck with lots of cheap parts that will break all of the time, go for a Cherokee. Labor will all be about the same.

I have owned a Disco 1 and a Range Rover Classic. I love the Classic, but switched to the discovery to save money on range rover parts. The discovery has been more reliable and more affordable for me. It also goes everywhere the Range Rover has gone, so I like it a lot. They are both great trucks.

 

[apostrophe]

Hi Sam,

Thanks for the reply So an older Disco isn't too expensive on parts? I thought maybe a 92-94 Range might have been better as I hadn't read as many problems there, but I guess fewer people own them in the first place.

I agree with you that the parts are cheaper for the domestics but from personal experience if the vehicle breaks down more often then it's not going to save you any money in the long run. If the Disco is reliable if well cared for I'd be happy to spend abit more to get it fixed than to have to have a make thats in the shop several times a year.

James

 

[Monty]

Welcome aboard James. I must say that I'm partial to my disco. It's fun to drive and seems to be pretty solid. I'm gonna say that the xj will be easier to get parts for and cheaper all together. Either way, good luck with your new rig!

 

[joey]

Welcome James, I hope that no matter which way you go that you enjoy you new vehicle. Jeep or LR either way if it hasn't been taken care of and maintained properly it will cost you more than you wanted to spend. I bought a '97 Disco even after reading all the bad things that people have said about build issues. So far (Thank God) I have had no major issues with my Disco in almost 2 years. The only things that have cost me alot of money are upgrades to things I didn't realy need to buy....Geez I hope my wife never reads this.

 

[Monty]

LOL! Just tell her that all the upgrades were preventative maintenance.

 

[apostrophe]

I think I'm going to start hunting down a 94/95 Disco, thanks for all the input chaps

Quite afew Discos in the Toronto area but doesn't seem anything in Niagara (looking in trader.ca at least), also the prices seem to go from 5k-10k which is quite alot of difference. I'm guessing LR Dealers usually don't keep trucks in that age as whenever I ask I get directed to 00's, 02's etc.

James

 

[Jeff Discos]

I think you're right...and you'd most likely end up getting a better deal from an individual owner anyway.

I bought a 97 Disco and after spending some cash in the beginning I haven't had to do any repairs for a while, at least nothing that wasn't cheap and I could do myself. So far.


Ignore my sig, hehe.

 

[vandermeulen]

Welcome, I don't post here everyday, but I browse quite often. It seems everyone on this board is quite friendly and eager to help out if they can. I have had my 96' Discovery for about 3 months now. I love it, however, I'm quickly finding out that I should have been more picky in choosing one. (I really wanted one and at the time there weren't alot of them for sale in Toronto). I have so far perservered and have changed out most of the parts that it needed it right away and have a few more to go. I have had no actual problems other than minor things like rear windows, rear wiper some leaks, alternator etc....but all easily taken care of, especially with the help of the folks on this board.
I'm not sure about Niagara but in Toronto right now it seems quite a few have come off lease and are reasonably priced. You only live less than an hour away and it might be worth it to expand your search here. The LR dealers do not keep used ones on the lot it seems so you will probably have to look at independant dealers. (I think LR dealers want to keep a prestige appearance- no used, leaky Disco's on the lot). Good luck!

(if you do go for one, I'm slowly compiling a list of compatible parts available in Canada or North America - the dealers are about 5 times more expensive for simuliar parts)

 

[vandermeulen]

P.S. I also took it from Toronto to my farm in Saskatchewan, less than a week after purchasing it. It's about 6000km round trip and I never had time to fully review the vehicle before the trip. Never had a problem.