1995 Land Rover Discovery 3.9 Liter from North America

Summary:

A Breaky Money Hole

Faults:

Constant minor breaking, things like the turn signals, windshield wipers, fan switches, turn signal switch, power windows coming apart, etc... the list goes on and on.

General Comments:

To quote William Gibson: "never trust the British to build anything larger or more complicated than a hat if you want it to work properly" this truck breaks CONSTANTLY, and the service department at my local dealer is downright rude, at one point telling me straight up: "this is a 12 year old truck, don't expect us to want to service it." Excuse me? Land Rover sells these things on the image of durability, an off road heritage, etc... then turns around and tells a customer to go away because his truck is 12 years old? Never again! The new Land Rovers (LR3) rate at the very bottom of customer satisfaction surprise surprise, I have had much less expensive Toyotas that ran and looked great with well over 200,000 miles and without all the constant breaking. Shame on you Land Rover!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th March, 2007

28th Apr 2007, 09:03

Wow, you've got 160,000 miles on that 1995 and you're upset because it breaks? The pre BMW Discovery is a turd, be happy you got this far and push the "eject" button and go buy a Toyota Pathfinder or something. Dealer does'nt want your turd in their shop, they train on new stuff and having a crate of eggs stinking up their shop isn't how they do business. Your sitting next to a guy in the service lounge who paid $50,000 for an LR3 and probably crabbing at everyone with all your complaints and demands about your $3500 pile of junk.

1995 Land Rover Discovery 2.5 300TDi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A Land Rover gem in the rough, and I'd buy another!

Faults:

Failed oil seal on n/s front swivel

Failed o/s/f hub.

General Comments:

This Discovery was originally owned by a farm and was driven beyond destruction. It was therefore comprehensively revamped prior to my buying it.

Despite this hammering, it retains its poise and performance (comparatively speaking) and is still returning over 34mpg despite having done over 115,000 miles.

Being a base model, it's not suffered from a lot of usual Discovery failures because it's not been fitted with them - no sunroofs to leak or air con to give out.

This may be a big clue as to what sort of Discovery to buy - get a basic one and you'll be surprised how long they last without problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th February, 2007

14th Feb 2007, 11:15

34 MPG!? I guess this is in another system of measurement. The Land Rover Discovery's on this side of the Atlantic measure only 15 MPG! Talk about a stark difference right there.

6th Apr 2007, 11:05

I believe the reason the owner of this Disco is getting that many MPG may be that he has a diesel motor. The disel motors are more common in Europe.

1995 Land Rover Discovery Tdi 2.4 turbo diessel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Quirky. Fun. Brilliant off-road and for hauling heavy loads

Faults:

Front offside drive shaft.

Water pump - twice.

Exhaust cracked near manifold

Body shifted off rear axle - potentially a fatal fault.

Front headlights - frequently switch off - normally nearside.

Rear offside flasher unit - frequently blows bulbs.

Dashboard warped - apparently common on the model and subject of a manufacturer's recall some years ago, Never did manage to get mine agreed.

Windscreen liable to cracking - I'd guess this is from the very upright shape and therefore more vulnerable to stones flying up from road.

General Comments:

Poor quality build. Lots of knobs, switches malfunction, fall off.

Rusty around rear door, rear bumper, under rear-floor pan.

Lighting problems really should not be issues.

Indicator stalk sometimes jams, disconnects front headlights.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st December, 2005

1995 Land Rover Discovery from North America

Summary:

A Financial Nightmare

Faults:

I have replaced the Alternator twice.

I have replaced the battery.

I have replaced the ignition.

Car has stalled on numerous occasions.

Passenger side door lock does not work.

General Comments:

I really loved the way the Discovery looked when I purchased it, however, I have had to put more money in this car in such a short time than any other vehicle I have ever owned.

The engine is great. The cabin is very roomy. The gas mileage is not bad. However, the number of repairs that I have had to make far outnumber the benefits. It has just been one thing after another.

In addition to the price I paid to purchase the truck, I have had to put in over another $2000 in a year's time.

I would NOT buy another Discovery ever again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th January, 2004

17th Jun 2004, 14:57

Luck of the draw. when you realise how many are sold every year, they are still the best production 4x4 on the market. I have had mine 5 years and apart from annual service, has cost me nothing. just look after them,

23rd Jun 2004, 13:30

I have to agree with the financial nightmare appraisal. My 95 Disco had repeated failures of several expensive parts -- sun roof tracks, window arm thingy, fuel pump relay, etc. As for towing, it did have good torque, but the engine couldn't handle the load. After blowing a second engine I sold it for parts. I'm done with Rovers.

21st May 2006, 13:23

I have bought 2 Disco's, both used and both are doing well, one 95, one 98, speaking for my friends, family, and myself, we all enjoy the roomy and luxurious interior and the space is good for making trips to the airport, having a big family, I do that a lot, and off- road there is no comparision to Land Rover.

2nd Jul 2007, 21:23

If you have Gas in your oil then you've probably got a compression problem. In short your piston rings are probably bad and seeping unburnt fuel, due to the fouled plugs into your crankcase. If you think its because there is water in the gas it probably is... the water from your cooling system. Check your radiator for a foamy white film on the top of the rad. cap. This would be from oil getting into the cooling jacket around the cylinders from a blown or leaky head gasket. From what you mention it sounds like you need an engine.

9th Sep 2007, 04:03

Fact is mate, you bought that Landy second-hand with a few miles on the clock.

I have some wisdom for you when buying a second hand vehicle.

You never know if the previous owner was a Knob who buggered up the car. So track down a mechanic, pay him a couple of bucks to come with you and check out the workings. If the seller says 'no' then you know that he probely pulled the car through his plumbers crack.

My wife bought a Toyota corolla with 200 000 km on the clock and it is still like new, I can see that the previous owner looked after it.

British army uses landies and they go every where.