Why should I buy a rangie rather than a disco?

[JimHovo]

As I'm a newby to the world of landrovers apart from my brother'sbrief experience with a series two landy, this is a serious question.
I'm looking at a vehicle from the late nineties to early naughties so 95 to 04
I've searched and read heaps on these forums and people who've owned both seem to think rangies are the superior vehicle. Why?
I want it for towing my caravan ( 2100kg) showing up my son's gq patrol and driving to work. I'm thinking a td5 would be easier on the hip pocket at the bowser, but I don't know if it is as good a tow vehicle as the v8 versions.
I'm 54 yrs old so it doesn't need to be a testosterone supplement
Any advice gratefully received.
Thanks
Jim

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Disco 2 have more luggage room than the Rangies

However Rangies have always been top of the model range, at a premium price, with more creature comfort, so more electronics etc.

However from 2004 the Disco 3 is on the same platform as the Range Rover Sport so a merging of the platforms with a slightly reduced engine options in the D3. The D3 are a very capable vehicle.

[Craig_Keira]

Full airbag suspension. Rangie wins.

[brend0n]

range rovers look heaps better.

Diesel disco are fine, plenty of power for towing. We towed an offorad buggy + tools/spares & camping gear for 4 (so probably similar weight if not more then your van) and had no worries. the hills on the Hume between the Wagga turn off and Yass, where mince meat and we'd be able to overtake other cars uphill. thats was a tdi d1.

Obviously v8 better but fuel economy suffers. Having said all that I use a RRC for towing my race car.

[Hoges]

Having lived with a 99 P38 for the past 7 yrs, there are a couple of aspects which are most frustrating:

It requires a constant effort to maintain it in good reliable condition. SWMBO tells me it's my second job to being officially 'retired'!!!

Compared to the VX Commodore LS1V8, SWMBOs 2005AH Astra and a Calibra 2.5 V6 manual I had for several years:twisted:, the P38 would have cost far more in time/$$ repairs than for 5 times its total mileage racked up by the other three vehicles put together... !

Its ride is nowhere as supple/comfortable to what I remember of the suspension of the early Classic which we used on field trips in CSIRO back in the very early 1970s... this maybe the Cooper HT tyres with their famed strong sidewalls... but with the air suspension it shakes the whatevers out of everything on broken bitumen etc... a big advantage of coil springs over airbags is the ability to engineer in a variable rate... OEM airsprings are linear for the most part...

The Thor engine has its max torque around 2600 rpm and there's a real dead spot in the mapping which cannot be engineered out due to the deliberate intent of BMW engineers to preclude any real adjustment when they put the Bosch Motronic system into the 3- and 7-series (and P38) in the mid-late 90s.

The engine characteristics may be OK if it were to be mated to a 5 or 6 sp automatic. As it is there's a substantial difference between the ratios and on long grades (e.g. Hume Hwy ... or Pacific Hwy) unless you're above the speed limit (around 120kph in top gear) in which case the vehicle fully loaded will "sing" and sail over all but the steepest grades. Drop back to 100-105 in top gear and it pants and you're back to third... and then you're left in the black emissions of Hilux/Navara diesels and other RR wannabes:( as they scoot past in the outside lane!! This is especially evident in the high country on the New England Hwy near Armidale...the engine seems to "die"... ooh! for a small turbo!!

The classic shape of the P38 with its sloping rear tailgate may be seductive in looks, but damned inconvenient in trying to pack a decent load for a trip.

All packed with 4 pax and luggage I average 12-12.5 L/100km on a long trip cruising just on/ below the speed limit.. Admittedly with a full load the suspension more compliant.

all that said, I enjoy it! It's put together like a Meccano set, RAVE has every connection listed / photographed like a MIL-spec manual and from a weekend spanner twirler I've replaced the ball joints/viscous coulping/replaced head gaskets/cam/ignition coil packs/heater o-rings etc.

On a 8,000+ km camping trip to Cape York towing a camper it was impeccably behaved and apart from adding a litre of oil I didn't put a spanner near it...

I've done a spreadsheet calculating the through-life cost of replacing it. I could spend another $10k on it and it would still take 10-15 yrs to realise the savings on a newer model instead...depreciation is the $$$ killer...

I have no experience of a D2 or D3... BUT if I were to 'upgrade" I would look for a decent D3 bearing in mind the need to splurge later on a rebuilt gearbox at some stage. I wouldn't buy another P38 (stuck with what I've got) and D2s likewise are reaching the end of their economic life.

A well maintained petrol V8 D3 over a 10 yr life cycle is probably cheaper than a diesel variant... and they are a big box which is great for practical stuff like carting furniture/camping etc.

The RRSport I gather is built on a shortened D# floor pan and is cramped by comparison and not really intended for spacious touring...others know more about this than I.

Whatever you decide, there are lots of willing folk here ready to assist!

[Grumbles]

Q - Why should I buy a range rover rather than a disco? - UQ.
Because they exist and because you can and because there is nothing else like them on the planet. :D

[Grumbles]

Double post deleted.

[slug_burner]

I think the p38 could be had at a reasonable price as they have the RR reputation of being expensive to fix. A d2 V8 is also cheap but the the Td5 will be a bit more expensive as will a D1 300Tdi.

The ZF gearbox on the D2s may be getting to the stage where a rebuild is required unless you manage to get a hold of a low mileage one. I have a D2a Td5 and am happy with it but if buying now I too would be looking for a D3.

[Jazzman]

No one here has mentioned the suspension articulation of the Range Rover Classic is far superior to the Disco. This is the reason I chose the RRC. I just wish I got the 3.9lt with the 24 spline axles rather then the 3.5lt with the 10 spline axles. I could run 33 inch tires with no concerns then. My old man had a P38 with air bag suspension, as cool as it was I don't believe it was as nice to drive as the Classic. My old lady has a Disco 2 and I really don't like the back seat or the suspension. I'd love to take the motor out and put it into a 94 Classic with normal suspension rather than air bags. That would be perfect.

That is my opinion for what it's worth.

[fonfe]

I'd have a RRC or an LM (or vogue as they are known as here in oz)
I wouldn't buy a p38 in million years. Reason being as a landy tech other than servicing I only ever see landies when they are poorly. Yet a p38 rolls through the door for a service, 9time out of 10 the extra work quote is HUGE. There is ALWAYS something wrong with em. It is mostly the EAS to be fair, and if your willing to put a coil spring kit in it then you problems are a lot less in the future.
I've got 2 RRCs 87 and 93 LSE (87 is dead though and soon to be stripped) and I wouldn't chose a disco over either of them. But if I was I'd have a td5 over a tdi just as I'm a big fan of the ole td5 providing its had a chip and an exhaust (power and torque is simply great!)
So all in all for the cheaper option get a classic, if you have the money to spend get an LM. BUt NOT the BMW engined petrol one, get the td6 or the later jag/Aston powered ones. If you really got the money get the 4.2 supercharged....I can not express what a pleasure they are to drive, at any speed doing anything. When one comes through the door at work I'm going "me me me me pick meeeeeeeeeee! I want to work on it! Meeeeeeeeeeee"
like a primary school child at show and tell day. LOVE EM!

[Classic92]

Q - Why should I buy a range rover rather than a disco? - UQ.
Because they exist and because you can and because there is nothing else like them on the planet. :D


Totally agree with you in regards to such a profound statement. Smooth , Comfy , Sleek and superlative .

[loanrangie]

I like both but for me I was after something newer and with less k's so it was either a late rrc or d1 - the diesel won.

[PhilipA]

Having owned 3 RRCs and now a D2, I think the heart says RRC but the mind says D2 TD5.

I would not buy a 38A or for that matter an early L322 as every L322 owner that I have spoken to has had a transmission failure.
I have driven a 38A and was surprised how poor the ride was compared to my RRC. The complexity and poor design just make them too much of a risk.

The L322 seems to have fewer problems but they can be eye wateringly expensive, like the transmission, the steering column, the ignition switch, the turbo, the plastic water pump, etc .

The D2 has a much inferior ride to an RRC and I don't know how they managed to make it so bad.LOL

However my D2 has been MUCH more reliable than my 91RRC, and the lack of suspension articulation doesn't matter so much because traction control is excellent.
In addition the D2 is a BIG box with the spare on the outside, and you can fit a lot of stuff in the back especially if you remove the rear seat for long trips.
The economy of the D2 TD5 is excellent and I get about 12L per 100Km while towing a camper trailer at 100-110. This translates to a good range of over 700km while towing.

With an early 2000s car I have gone for the simplest option of a lower spec D2 with springs, but it has climate control that works well , electric windows, central locking, reasonable sound system , IMHO all you need.

While some praise ACE and rear airbags, I just see them as something else to go wrong, an attitude reinforced by stopping to help a bloke near Mildura whose ACE pump had done a seal and he was stopping every couple of ks to refill. It would have been a real tow out problem at somewhere remote or even if not enough hydraulic oil was being carried as the ancillary belt relies on the pulley to be there and turning freely.
Regards Philip A

[rick130]

The D2 has a much inferior ride to an RRC and I don't know how they managed to make it so bad.LOL

[snip]and the lack of suspension articulation doesn't matter so much because traction control is excellent.

Regards Philip A

I realise this is a really old thread, but anti-roll bars stiffen the ride up a lot in single wheel bump, (as well as reducing articulation off road) and not having a load leveller in the rear so you can run really soft rear spring rates doesn't help either.

It's similar to the ride of an old 110 from the mid/late eighties vs a Defender, any Defender.
There's just no comparison.

[RANDLOVER]

Here's an article for and against RR's in general from The Telegraph....

Access Denied (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/range-rovers-popular-yet-unreliable/)