Thread: 300TDI for 1st LR

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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"

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

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