Thinking of buying a 98 TD Discovery

[Gazman]

Hi all. I am thinking of buying a 98 Disco Turbo Diesel as the tow van for my 15 ft Rapid Caravan. Have read vastly differing accounts on other forums regarding the suitability of the disco's for this type of work and was looking for a bit of advice. Couple of questions....reliability? cost of service and repair? towing ability? I really am a newbie as far as this stuff goes and would appreciate any advice. Cheers.

[incisor]

what weight is the van?

i haul a camper trailer around with mine and have no problems to speak of.

i wouldnt like to do it in a manual, i have to say, the auto is a much better choice imho.

maintenance is everything with diesels and the disco is no exception.

make sure you get something with an excellent service history, and make sure the timing belt has been done when needed.

the disco has a 2.5l engine and needs to be driven as such, once you get used to them they are as capable as any 6cyl diesel used in the jap 4wd's but considerably more economical to drive and maintain.

[spudboy]

I've got a 97 TDi Disco Manual (TDi 300) and it has been pretty faultless since I bought it from new. Main replacement was the timing belt gear which had some design fault and LR wouldn't cover it. Cost $600-odd from memory.

It's been to Cape York, into the Simpson, etc and we live on a farm, so it doesn't have an easy life. It tows a 2,000Kg tandem trailer very nicely, but you would have to say the acceleration is somewhat lacklustre when towing all that weight! How much does your caravan weigh? They are rated at 2500Kg (with brakes).

Servicing is done at an independent Land Rover specialist, which I reckon is about half what the main dealer charges. They are excellent.

Fuel economy is outstanding and I haven't even bothered to put in a long range tank like most of my previous 4x4s.

I thought about trading up to a new Disco 3 (I fell in love with that new diesel V6) but really, there is nothing wrong with the old D1 and the dealer would only give me $12K-13K as a trade in, so I am hanging on to it.
HTH a bit.
David

[spudboy]

Oh yeah- one more bit of advice (from the dealer who sold it to me) and that is, drive it like you hate it and it will get up and go. It's very different to driving a petrol.

[Gazman]

WOW.....thx for the excellent response. Sorry, should have included the weight of the van...its about 1200kg loaded. I am looking at buying the disco becuase it looks as if the addition of a turbo, a/c, tyres and suspension to my 91 2.8 litre hilux diesel will cost around $8000 (which is about the resale value of the car!). The price I have been given is around $16000 and the vehicle has 144000 on the clock. I know the info is vague but is it a reasonable price???? Thanks again for the help.
P.S Not sure about the timing belt but it has just had the diff seals done and has been regularly serviced.

[Scouse]

If it's a "WA" (in the VIN) then you shouldn't have any timing belt problems. It only affected the 95-97MY Tdi's (MA, TA, VA).

1200kg - you'll forget it's on the back https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .

[dullbird]

what was the problem with the timing belt???

as i'm now a proud owner of 96 disco tdi............
but it has (VA) in the vin so maybe not quite so proud now :cry:


thanks

dullbird

[Scouse]

Originally posted by dullbird
what was the problem with the timing belt???

as i'm now a proud owner of 96 disco tdi............
but it has (VA) in the vin so maybe not quite so proud now :cry:


thanks

dullbirdIf it's a VA, then you are the proud owner of a 97MY Disco https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .

There was a misalignment problem that led to premature wear of the cam belt. It affected some cars more than others.

The affected cars are now roughly 10 years old so if the car is running now, the problem would have been sorted out by now.

Most were repaired under warranty but there may have been a few low Km cars that didn't show the problem until a few years later.

You're supposed to be able to look into the wading plug hole at the bottom of the timing cover to inspect for belt debris.

[Ace]

Hi Gazman, go for it mate. I have a 98TDi Disco and love it. There are a few good things about the 98 is that the Lucas electrics were replaced with Bosch around that time, mine has Bosch electrics so are far more reliable than the lucas clad vehicles, not that the older ones are bad they sometimes suffer electrical problems, not bad one just niggling problems that more **** you off than anything.

I towed a 1t car trailer and a series III wagon from glenbrook to Rylstone through very hilly country and it handled it fine, cruised along flat stuff easily at about 100km/h and up some of the steeper hills was reduced to about 50km/h but we are talking seriously steep hills.

If the vehicle has been serviced and you continue to service it reliability wont be a problem, but remember if you tow on a regular basis wear and tear will be higher. If you want to to the Auto gearbox is the way to go, turbo lag is a bit of a pain in the manual. Matt

[dullbird]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>If it's a VA, then you are the proud owner of a 97MY Disco https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .[/b][/quote]


now i'm confused it says the manufacture date is 07/96 so its 96 model

be nice if it was 97

dullbird

[Scouse]

Originally posted by dullbird
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>If it's a VA, then you are the proud owner of a 97MY Disco https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .


now i'm confused it says the manufacture date is 07/96 so its 96 model

be nice if it was 97

dullbird[/b][/quote]97MY production would have actually started in '96. They start making them early so they won't have any of the 96MY cars left for sale when 1997 comes around.

PM me your VIN (last 6 digits) & I can confirm for you if you wish https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .

[dullbird]

pm sent

dullbird

[Scouse]

Originally posted by dullbird
pm sent

dullbirdNothing's arrived.........

Try email if there's some problem with PMs at the moment.

[DiscoMick]

We tow a camper trailer which weighs 900-1000kg depending on what's in it (water etc) and have no particular problems with our 95 Disco Tdi auto. Its no rocketship, but if you plant the foot it will go. And its very economical.
The auto is excellent.
Timing belt needs replacing every 60,000km (or is it 80,000 km? One of those).

[dullbird]

email sent!!!

lets try again :wink:

dullbird

[Scouse]

Originally posted by dullbird
email sent!!!

lets try again :wink:

dullbirdThat's better https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .

[Gazman]

All I can say is thanks to everyone out there for all the helpful advice. By far and away the best and most helpful forum I have been on. Will be sure to post back with any further questions.....am test driving the disco tomorrow so we will see how we go. Again, Thanks all.

Gazman https://www.aulro.com/afvb/