1st Oct 2004, 06:34
Land rovers as with any 4X4 need to be hammered off road, this does keep them a bit more in tune than when used daily as a family minicab. This is not there designed use and as such will cost you money. My battered old 96 er has been thrown between road use and towing 4 tonne tractors through 9 inches of wet, clinging mud and back again. Use it hard, top up the levels and away you go!!!
21st Apr 2005, 06:40
I have owned a 1996 Disco 1 for approximately 8 years and have run into your everyday common problems and then not so common. Overall, I would have to say it has been faithful and reliable. I have put over 100,000 miles on it and had to replace the following; brakes once, tires once, and the left catalytic converter (with an after- market = $65.00). Now if you are willing to do your own basic operator maintenance, aside from catalytic converters, these vehicles make for much enjoyment. For those of you who require assistance changing your oil, these vehicles are probably not for you. By the way, there are several good Land Rover forums for the "do-it yourself" mechanic on the Internet, which offer invaluable advice and insight into the inner workings of the land rovers.
9th Nov 2009, 00:23
The vehicle does great on off-road trails! However, it is a maintenance hog with leaky seals and that maintenance nightmare aluminum radiator system (main radiator and cabin heater) that dissolves away if you don't use analytic reagent grade ingredients, viz, don't use tap water, or else they dissolve and leak. It's scary to hear the local mechanic say they still only use tap water to fill radiators in this day and age.
Eats brakes, tires are expensive, seals don't seem to hold up. You do need to be able to do your own maintenance in order to own one of these.
I do love the heater, A/C, ground clearance and great ride. But they do cost a lot to maintain if you go to the approved mechanic.
14th Aug 2004, 14:58
I will keep it short. I am looking for a second reliable car I can use as a daily driver. I'm then retiring my M3 e30 to collectible status and driving it much less. I can't complain about that car. It has been great. I keep it inexpensive by turning my own wrenchs which I enjoy. I wanted a disco as the daily driver, but have come to the conclusion that you have to turn your own wrench (do your own repairs on this car as well.) a lot on disco's and reliability is more of a luck thing with them. So I wouldn't buy one of these unless you "expect" a project car.
As for me, its no sale I will pass on getting a disco and stick to my BMW's. Good Luck.