300TDI for 1st LR

[RWB]

Hi there,
I'm considering buying my first 4x4 and looking for some advice or unbiased opinions, the latter has been hard to come by;)
I'm looking at a 98 Disco 1 diesel with the 300tdi engine, it has around 225k on the clock. Is this a reliable engine and is diesel more so than petrol? I've been told to forget Land Rovers as they are too costly to repair and maintain. How true is this as I see a lot on the road but understand off road may be another story. I'll be using it for some off road adventures and don't like the idea of long walks home.
Any advice or wisdom would be much appreciated,
Thanks.

[loanrangie]

Dont listen to that rubbish, landy's are as reliable as any other make.
The 300TDI is a good robust engine if maintained , i have just clocked up 315K in my 98 TDI and have had no major issues.

[manic]

With the 300tdi engine there is not a lot that can go wrong. Look after your timing belt, head gasket and install a low coolant alarm and it will get you home every time. In most cases you will be warned of wear and tear with smoke, knocking, banging, clattering long before failure. It will not shutdown and throw a dash warning or enter limp mode, it will want to keep going even if it trashes itself.

If you are happy to service and maintain it yourself it will cost you relatively little time and money. If you know nothing of servicing cars all you need are some basic tools and a manual.

The 300tdi is a great motor for reliable adventure. Getting from A to B it's as reliable as walking, but not always as fast! :)

[bigcarle]

yep head gasket at around 250.000km, check when the timing belt was done and FIT A COOLANT ALARM this latter object will tell you when the disco drops water for any reason (hoses, plugs etc) and prevents huge expenditure.
great vehicle and you can drive by many petrol stations:):D:):D

[tonic]

Great truck. Just remember, it is a piece of machinery, look after it and it will look after you, neglect it and it will let you down.

Easy to work on once you learn a few things. For long trips look at uprating the radiator. For everthing else keep reading in here.

As for other makes, people like what they know.

[Reads90]

I love all these Toyota's and Nissan drivers dissing Land Rovers.
Makes them cheaper to buy second hand for us lot.

I bought my Disco 92 200 tdi with dual fuel tanks and duel batteries , snorkel , bull bar , UHF and loads of other toys for $1800. Due to a jap 4x4 dealer, the bloke selling and advertising it as" Pomie girls 4x4". Great truck and a bargain.

But as for parts.
I was talking to to the bloke who did my roadworthy on my disco and he told me he could not believe how cheap the parts on Land Rovers are compared to Toyotas and Nissans
I needed a new rear A frame ball joint. He did could not believe it was only $50 as he told me they are $160 for a Toyota. But he has had it with lot of stuff that land rover parts are cheaper in general than Toyota and Nissan.

But also the fuel economy on the TDi is unreal compared to the toyotas and Nissan.
When we did our trip around Aus people would come up to me and say. Is it true you can get 10-11 ltr per 100k out of that defender. They can't believe it compared to what they get out if their diesels.

[gazby]

I agree with all that has been said, for many years I owned Jaguar cars and I used to think Jag spare parts were expensive.................until I bought my first Toyota 4X4.
Land Rover parts are both available and relatively cheap, and as one of my old Landy mates says, "The grown mans mechano set", they are simple to fix and inexpensive to buy and if you can avoid having to take them to dealers for repairs you are on a "winner".
Arguably the most capable 4X4 in the world in standard form, and guaranteed to put a smile on your face every time you drive it.

[Blknight.aus]

so simple to work on that a guy who drives a v8 auto, another guy who needs milk crate to see over the wings of a deefer and my wife can strip one ready for a new head and gasket in a day AND not manage to break anything extra in the process while i was in america

True story, that engine lives on today in a state of tune that is described as "less than subtle"

[Reads90]

As I have always said when it come to complicated mechanics.

Land rovers are just one step up from a lawn mower.

[luke68]

As everyone has said before. Mine is a last of 1998 Tdi disco's. 340K since new. Only changed the head at about 318K due to neglect. (several losses of coolant in preceding 3 years, still towed a caravan from Darwin to Melb before spitting the dummy totally.) Head replacement from UK very cheap.
If you can maintain it yourself go for it. Also they are worth more in parts than to sell as complete vehicle. shame when 15yrs ago it was worth $44K.

Good Luck.

[Phil H]

I have a 99 disco Tdi 300 manual. One of the very last imported into Aus.
Magic car BUT.... get the big end bearings checked/replaced.

Apparently the 98/99 had a few that let go..... mine is sitting in the back yard waiting for an engine transplant after No.1 big end let go.

256k on the clock and religiously serviced every 5k.

It started with a tappet like tick, then sounded like an exhaust manifold gasket failure followed by the worst knocking I've heard for a long time.....all in the space of 2km.

Not fun with the family on board and caravan in tow.....

big end bearings are not that expensive ... less than $100 I think and a mechanic should be able to replace them in 3 hours or less.

I wish I'd have known this when I bought mine :(

[RWB]

Great, thanks for the all the advice everyone it's a great help. I'm pretty sure the one I'm looking at has a good service history, so if I get it (just made a first offer) I'll make sure I take care of the things that have been suggested.
Thanks again for putting my mind at ease. Hope to be back here again with my new LR.

[DiscoMick]

They're a relatively economical, simple and reliable engine, which is why so many armies liked them for remote usage, and they are favoured by round the world people for the same reason.
Just keep on top of the maintenace and you should be fine.
Parts are relatively cheap too, particularly compared with Toyotas, as others have said.

[JohnF]

If it has plastic plugs on top of the thermostat housing replace these with brass. only $5.50 each-- you may need two.

Otherwise timing belt as mentioned, and should be okay. I would get another 300TDI if I could not find an Isuzu--rare.