(newb) Advice on Discoveries to purchase

[billybleed]

hi all, just registered here as I am looking to buy a 4WD and am in need of some guidance.

i'm a social worker and am burnt out with big city social work, so have decided to do locum work for 3 months at a time and drive around australia and work with remote aboriginal communities.

my budget is tight and maxed at $15k - I've been looking at landcruisers and discoveries as options but what i'm struggling to understand is why are the landcruisers more expensive than the discoveries? The discoveries all seem to lower km and are newer models.

can you please advice me on what i need to look for in a 4WD and should I look at other brands of 4WD

i've put a bit of a list together after looking through carsales of 4WD that I think are worth a further look.. Any thoughts to be shared?

This is the type of setup i'd be wanting.
2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY TD5 03MY SUV Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/land-rover-discovery-2003-13907207?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=28&page=3&eapi=2&__N=4294965541%204294965540%20903%201216%201282&num=15&silo=Stock&Range=Price%3aMin%2c20000%7e0.5&sort=default)

2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY TD5 03MY SUV Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/land-rover-discovery-2003-14077550?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=7&eapi=2&__N=4294965541%204294965540%20903%201216%201282&num=15&silo=Stock&Range=Price%3aMin%2c20000%7e0.5&sort=default)

1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY TD5 II SUV Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au (http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/land-rover-discovery-1999-14176763?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=18&page=2&eapi=2&__N=4294965541%204294965540%20903%201216%201282&num=15&silo=Stock&Range=Price%3aMin%2c20000%7e0.5&sort=default)

thanks!

[Disco44]

IMHO leave the 99 model alone,suffers from first of model blues.

[OffTrack]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

If you haven't already done so have a peek in the Discovery 2 section. There is a sticky at the top of the first page with pointers on what to look for.

From a quick glance, the 2003MY which has done 193K would be my pick of those 3. While the 1999MY D2 has done 40K km fewer K's I think the fact that from 2003MY the D2 was facelifted and had numerous changes and refinements makes it the better choice.

The 2003 & 2004MY got amongst other things:
- in cabin CDL lever (these sell for $5-600 used for retrofitting to earlier D2's)
- revised and improved ETC and ABS programming to account for locked CDL
- altered steering and suspension geometry to improve handling
- altered spring and shock absorber rates
- different front brake calipers to improve pedal feel
- redesigned headlights
- revised engine with larger intercooler and reprogrammable ECU (gives 340nm vs 300nm for older versions).

A well looked after Td5 should last 500K km.

cheers
Paul

[Grumbles]

I am not wishing to dissuade you from a Disco but it might be an idea to consider driving what every body else drives if you will be living in those remote communities - Tojos.There are lots of stories of mechanics in remote/rural areas who won't touch a Landrover and/or don't have "the knowledge". In fact many in urban areas won't touch them.

For $15G you would be looking at Hiluxes.