Thread: thoughts and advice thanks

Hi Rich,

I would go for the 1997 300TDI SE. I have a 1999 one and wouldnt hesitate to recommend them to any one looking for a classy 4X4.

Thats about the Ks mine had when I bought it and it had the same work done on it pretty much.

By around 200,000 you will notice a few more oil leaks, mainly from the power steering lines and pump. An easy fix.

Thanx
Dave

I'd go the 95 if it's had its timing belt done.

Of the 300TDI's the 1995 seems like a great deal. A bargain infact. I've got a 95 300TDI and I paid way more than that. Without knowing specifically whether timing belt has been done, you would need to do this. I bought mine with 10,000k stamps in the service book, but when I opened up the timing cover, it was obviously the original belt. A stamp means nothing without listing what was serviced.

The TD5 is twice the price, so maybe just a question of budget, but I think you'd find the TD5 much nicer to drive. A bit more refined, and being a few years younger less likely to have the usual "old age" issues that any vehicle can suffer. I wouldn't worry about a 20,000 oil change.

If what you've written is the full detail of all 3, I would expect to have to spend a bit on the TD5 and 1995 TDI as preventative maintenance. The 1997 TDI sounds like it's ready to rock.

Good luck and please report back. We always welcome more Disco owners!!!

Also, would you be doing servicing yourself at all????

1995 TDI would need some service hours/cost added.
1997 TDI has almost everything done.
TD5, would need to add some service hours/cost onto it.

That may add to your decision...

Well I took the 95 model for a drive today. Mechanically it sounds and seems to run fine. Actually the engine seemed quite clean without looking like it had just been cleaned, However just after we put the car into diff lock hi and low (which seemed to run and work ok) we disengaged them (light was off) then drove forward 50 meters then did a hard right and heard a loud clunk. After this I could hear a wine coming from the front end, however I cant remember if I could hear it before. So I am not sure if this wine was there before or normal for this car or for a discovery, does anyone have any ideas of what could be the problem if there is one or is this a common problem and cost

Also the dash in front of the driver is loose and the tacho does not work. Has anyone had this problem before and what did it take to fix the tacho and cost

There was also a 50 cent size rust patch under the rear rudder seal of the roof window but I could not see or feel any dampness or water signs on the inside.

The car seem to be ok to drive but I can see how people say they are slow off the line and hill starts could be a problem (just saying), however once up and running on boost it seem to go ok,(I know its not sports car) The only other disco I can compare it to is the TD5 auto that I have driven, and it is notably more agricultural.

I will try to do as much of the servicing myself however things like timing belts, ? diffs, ? electrical faults I find that its easer to get some one else to fix it whilst I work an extra shift or two.

The 97 model was sold before I could see it.

Thanks again
Rich

Rich,

I'll tell you what I know...

My Disco definitely has a drive line clunk, but that's only at take off. Nothing to do with corners. If it's a suspension kind of clunk that was only induced while cornering it could be just rubber bushes worn out - but I'm just guessing as I've never had this noise before sorry. With regards to a whine sound.. My Disco sure makes a lot of noises in general , but can't comment much further sorry.

In terms of doing servicing yourself, I'm not much more than an amateur DIY guy learning as I go - since I bought my 95 Disco in fact! I did my timing belt myself and it's relatively simple, but you do need a decent set of tools and plenty of spare time. I just found it took much longer than most people suggested as I was learning every step of the way. I purchased a few extra tools to do the job, but even then I came out a bucketload ahead of paying someone else to do it. And it was very satifying when I turned the key and she purred.

Originally Posted by 27rich

Well I took the 95 model for a drive today. .... does anyone have any ideas of what could be the problem if there is one or is this a common problem and cost

.... The only other disco I can compare it to is the TD5 auto that I have driven, and it is notably more agricultural.

Hi, not sure how much experience you have but you could always try and convince some local members to have a look or have a look at thiers for comparision.

I'm in the Golden Grove area with a 1995 300Tdi and also have a 1999 D2 V8 here.

I always take a set of ovies with me, hammer, crow bar, multitool, multimeter and a few other bits and bobs when I look a rover over.
* hammer/crow bar - give the chassis a clang in any suspicious areas, though with the rust here (or lack of), not a lot of point most of the time.
* crow bar - check the bushes etc. your hand won't do diddly to check unless they are so far gone you will be terrified driving it
* multitool - handy, scrape stuff, undo things, poke things
* multimeter - check the battery condition, check charging

If they don't want you to bang, scrape and pry at thier rover then I wouldn't be that interested.... I've offered the tools to people when I've been selling mine.

For test driving, remember that you can pop the transfer box into neutral to eliminate gearbox and transfer box noises for drive line queries.

It was just ONE clunk, that’s it, whilst turning, nothing for every other corner on the way back of the test drive. If it clucked every turn then that’s different but only the once . For the money I don’t expect perfection but I also don’t want to start forking out huge amounts of cash either especially when we are talking about what can go wrong a 4x4 running gear and the cost of fixing it. Also there was no crunching or grating sounds whilst driving after just a whining sound (again not sure if it was eevn there before and i just was more aware after hearing the clunk), therefore could this be some thing simple or could it still be some thing broken in the drive eg, diff, tail shaft anything else

Anyone had the tacho not working ?