my bloody cars...I wish I could have just a bike

[Austin]

ok 'crap' is a bit strong... lets say NASTY.

the problem was the freeloader design was out sourced by landrover to a private company with the express mandate to design a vehicle that would capture the market that the current vehicles did not, it could be branded as a LR but not actually require the labour intensive build or investment in parts.

Result was that they designed something thats a total mish mash of other peoples used and old design bits, they then built it like a car with no true chassis again to save costs and finally trim it out with the cheapest plastics they make... result was a a very cheap and nasty car thats not very good at anything but appeals to Land Rover wannabees that cant actualy afford a Land rover (note not 4x4)... for example freeloader i think has a towing weight of 2000kg (some verision just 1100kg!) a disco is 3500kg!

If you must buy LR then go with a good mk2 disco (facelift model) get one with a 300tdi thats NOT egr or fly by wire) as these are reliable and simple to repair with just a couple of ecus. The Disco as a bus is ok if they havent leaked (not so much an issue on mk2's) as the leaks rot out the floor pan. The 300tdi is a bit of tractor lump so its not quiet but it basic and the bits cheap, there are also no major problems with the 300 unlike the 200 which will eat the cumbustion chamber inserts and turbos! Ironically the auto boxes are much better than the manuals as the lt77 is the weakest box they ever made. If your not high mile user then forget the TDi and buy a v8. Fitted with an lpg kit they can be reasonable on fuel (equates to around 30mpg/£) but the feel and drive of the vehicle is completely different... you WILL enjoy driving a v8 disco everytime you get in it.

thall said i'd still buy the toyota!

Wow, thanks Jenna. See what you mean now.

I had a 300Tdi Disco before the shogun. It rotted away and was sold for scrap in the summer. I did like it though but it has left me doubtful that I could find a good one when they are all now 10+ years old. The Shogun is a nicer place to sit in for a few hours.

Mileage wise I don't do that much now - the bikes do all the commuting miles - and when I was looking at the Disco in 2005 I turned down a really nice V8 Disco and have been kicking myself ever since. There's a guy near me who deals in old land rovers who also swears by the Disco Mk2's V8s in a high spec. He says the ES and HSE (I think these are the specs - look for a leather interior he says) are much better all round with higher build qulaity, and crucially in his opinion the chassis and other steel structures don't rot.

I haven't dismissed the Land cruiser option yet. The search starts at the weekend

[Jenna]

yep the later the old spec disco you can find the better if your looking for a v8 unlike when buying a diesel one.

The v8 is the best engine land rover ever built (but i may be biased on that lol) its so versatile as its so under stressed. In general the v8s be come more problematic as the cc increases and the spec is newer, the disco 3.9 fits nicely in the middle with not being to basic (uses the later spec block, heads, efi system) but isnt over done with closed loop electronics that the 4.0ltr p38 and above has.... look for a vehicle that is last of the dissy driven or first of dissy less (serpentine thor) builds as these were the simplest.

Tweaking wise the sky is the limit, you can get your mpg up with the help of a basic LPG kit (DIY fit or dealer install) if you want more go then a few basic mods to the induction system can go a long way, if your wallet is fat then look for an air research supercharger kit as again there simple and reliable.

The later discos dont suffer so bad with the rot problem (and if you can find one of the few with NO sunroofs) your 99% the way to having a long term surviour for sure. As you have had one you know change the bushes to poly and not rubber, fit a deceint handling package (factory one is not fantastic) and ditch the crappy oem shocks for bilsteins (you need to get the non-factory setting valved ones!).

If your looking for a v8 be aware there are severial different gearbox options too, land rover had a habit of using up what was kicking around and as most are an easy swap you often find an owner may have swopped it aswell.... do not touch a v8 with an lt77 5 speed manual as there are a disaster waiting to happen. Best spec was the lt85 or auto, the hp24 auto is a great box if its had the oil changed (and more importantly the oil filter) regularly, wind the kick down cable out a few turns though as these boxes are a bit sluggish on down shifts. Land rover had a major issue with gearbox tail shafts being machined wrong (some turkey left out the oil lube hole..dohh) and this caused the shaft to chatter on the splines and wear out the tail shaft and tbox input gear! off the top of my head these were all sorted before facelift models but you may want to have a hunt round the owners forums to get the exact models and years as its been a while from my factory days.


that all said you could buy the first toyota you find and drive it forever and not have a problem... but its not a Land Rover, yer I know

[BobA]

Breaking News!! How about a nice new Dacia Sandero??

[datsun fan]

Hi Austin,

My vote would be for the landcruiser everytime -

Bought mine - VX 4.2 TD in 1999, it is a 1993 model, so 5yrs old then, cost £36,000 new, bought for 13,000 with 74K on it, still got it now with 130 K on it, towed heavy trailers all over with it, haven't needed a clutch yet.

25 mpg usually, seats 8 with belts ALL facing forward not like some others,

Nice velour seats, better in winter and summer for me, heated!

Hosts of extras as standard - including front axle, rear axle difflocks, plus centre diff lock, lots of other 4 x 4 only have two.

the only things I have had wrong are front stub axles worn where previous owner didn't have the wheel bearing tightened frequently, (£600 just on parts), window motor (notorious on these)

That's the only problems, engines are supposed to be good for 250K,

The photos above, do you like my small roof-mounted Angel of the North model?

The last photo is one my mate bought, he was so impressed with mine,
he got it last year, 1993, 120K, paid just £3950, not a hitch yet

They will going cheaper now, look around on the web there will be good ones out there. You get a ton of vehicle (actually 2.5Tons), and extras for not much money!


Don't go for the cheaper Isusu, citations etc,, Early Nissan Patrols are leaf sprung.

The VX is the one they all try to copy but have a look around - all the UN use them, and in my trade, they are very common on the Fairgrounds (among with crewcabs!)

Test drive a few, the manual version are harder to find, the road ride is great, I have Michelin Synchro tyres fitted £100 each, they have done 20K and only half worn!

I prefer the older rounded version as to the newer facelift model from about S, T reg onwards, (like the one picture Bob posted)

If you buy anything else, everytime you pass one on the road you will think - "Hmmm... should have really have got one of those......"

If you have any queries just ask

[datsun fan]

Just for fun Austin, the landcruiser is quite large!

We went on the Cromarty Ferry which is very small.
It only takes two cars at a time and has a turntable system on it.
The car overhangs abit so when it turns you have to drive forward a bit to clear the rear!

When you watch the video you can hear them shouting - it's going to hit something!!

Our fellow members north of the border will know it better - it's a right laff, and it is subsidised cos it doesn't make any profit!!

[StumpyFingers]

Those VX models are definitely the bees knees.

[datsun fan]

Anyone here get the Mail on Sunday today?

More importantly - any one have time to read the supplements - the Live one?

For those who don't - let me quote from todays article about the Toyota car company.

"The Australians have a saying:
'If you want to get in to the Outback, take a Land Rover.
If you want to come back, take a (Toyota) Landcruiser.'"


I feel a warm, fuzzy, sense of satisfaction that it isn't just a few forum members that preach from the pulpit!