Buying Advice

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Originally Posted by Mercguy

I'm simply suggesting here that you need to stop hankering over one - clear out that feeling of dogged desperation to acquire any land rover and simply wait. Yes. wait.

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If i say i am not experienced in the mechanical ways.. this should probably steer me away from a LR.

Despite this, part of my aim at acquiring one is because i want to learn and am prepared to take the time to learn about how the engine works, start with basic stuff, then move onto other areas. I am interested in understanding and using a nanocom to diagnose issues etc. Trying to change my hobbies away from more unproductive stuff to maybe actually having a useful, interesting skill. Something that i can work on and be proud of. I dont think i will mind that it will have issues, i might blind myself and like to think it wont, but when they appear I'd like to get the satisfaction from solving them, if you know what i mean.

This is sage advice, just wait. The price is much more than i am prepared to pay for sure. Eventually something might come up - worst case I'd somehow find the money to go with a defender, but that is very unlikely.

Id be happy to put in a reasonable amount of money to keep it in good shape, but also know the difference between work i can do myself and work its better to pay a professional to do. Unfortunately I am not sure just yet the difference between these.

Literally trying to learn from scratch

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This one looks ok and is a manual..not too many kilometres.?.???

Don't be afraid to look outside WA, there are people on the forum who will help get it to you.

Hi Astrid, are you in W.A. as your location reads as Melbourne?

If you are, then the one Bradtot linked to would be a good place to start, the kilometres are low enough, and the price is fair if it's ok, just get someone experienced with them to check it over first.

The one you linked to is overpriced and if it is a 2002 it will have the later motor with the flashable ECU, but no CDL transfer case internals.

Don't be put off by some who have a lot of inaccurate stuff to say but very little experience with them ( especially TD5, which are very much a known after 24 years )

I've looked after 2 which had over 700 000 k's on the original engines and neither needed topping up with oil between services. Most I see are around the 4 - 500 000km mark including my own 2.

They are not prone to rust any more than any other brand, ( aside from rear window channels, and occasionally in the top windscreen corners usually when they've scraped the paint off on a windscreen change) unless used as a boat launcher.

But, ( always a but ) there are lots that have been systematically ruined by years of bad workmanship from both private and ( so called ) professional workshops, so beware of that.

A well sorted and cared for D2 or D2a is a great reliable, comfortable, do it all vehicle.

They are also a good and easy platform to bring up to modern power levels, as well as add modern niceties such as Floating screen head units with Carplay A.A. etc. ( It's always nice to choose the tech you want, rather than have it foisted on you ).

Good luck with your search.

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Originally Posted by discorevy

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Don't be put off by some who have a lot of inaccurate stuff to say but very little experience with them (especially TD5, which are very much a known after 24 years )

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This!

Prior to buying my Tdi, I also scoured as much info as I could re the electricals/gremlins associated with ECU controlled vehicles, and was put off by the 'horror stories' that a few had with the TD5.
So I chose to stick with tried and tested 'fencing wire compatible' old school stuff.
I don't regret choosing the Tdi, but almost got to that point.

Bro had his Patrol at the time, but it pooped it's pants(actually it's head) and then he started looking for a Disco. We discussed pros and cons about Tdi and TD5(electronic) so he knew what I discovered about potential issues.
So he bought a TD5!. He is nowhere near as patient as I am when it comes to reliability, and pretty much immediately after getting his TD5, it started giving problems.
On advice from the knowledgeable here, a few issues were sorted fairly easily, the major issue tho(the leaking injector seals) took some time to figure out, but again help from here(actually advice from discorevy) helped to diagnose it.

nanocom, nanocom nanocom! .. Can't be stressed how important it is as a workshop tool for a TD5 D2 for the average punter like us.
Bottom line is: after about 6 months of issues with the TD5 as we had no idea on how to fix issues that the previous owner offloaded onto bro ... was all fixed.
End result: once fixed, TD5 is as reliable and durable as any other motor out there, and (my experience) far more durable than any BMW engine I know of.
TD5 is now at 80K klms with zero issues, and very nice power delivery(thanks to member Shack [thumbsupbig]) as has just ticked over 400K klms in total.

side note: my nephew deals in BMW parts, and they aren't as good as the "German engineering" moniker would have you believe! Very easy to find horror stories of terrible BMW engine 'design'.

If you get yourself a TD5 D2, question is, will it break down in some way? Almost 99.9% for sure it will. What actually causes the failure is entirely up to what did the previous owner/mechanic not correctly fix, or are they avoiding?
The most common faults that the TD5 D2 will have are easily fixable with basic tools that the home mechanic can quite easily fix. eg. the issue we had with the injector seals, easily fixed in a couple of hours with no special tools.

Should you get a TD5 or a Patrol of some kind? Answer is just yes! Doesn't matter which, as long as you have patience when something needs attention. Is the Patrol more reliable? No! TD42 engines commonly overheat. Well known issue. (then again so does the 4.8 petrol too!). 3.0lit diesel is know to blow themselves up too.

My Patrol fanboi mechanic advised bro to avoid them for this reason, so bro bought the 4.8 which cooked itself less than a year later.

Can you fit enormous tyres on the Patrol, of course you can. Question is, should you? I reckon that was the main reason the patrol cooked itself .. but then again I'm just a casual observer, not a mechanic.
D2 is harder to 'over tyre' than the more common bush bashers. Can be done, and is done by many. Question is, should it be done? That is, when contemplating mods, think about other consequences that arise with those mods.

My take on TD5s. They have issues, of course they do. But they seem to manage very high mileage. It's largely peripherals that let them down, and some of those can be a bitch to change. But I love mine. It doesn't have a Shack tune[bigsad]as it's an MSB ECU, but it is chipped and goes reasonably well. Biggest issues I have had with the car have been transmission related, and if I'm honest a lot of those were self inflicted, firstly by towing a heavy car trailer in high temps without knowing about how to tow with one, exacerbated by cheaping out on the repair by trusting a certain indie who shall remain nameless. I also did a HG at around 240K, due to the plastic dowel issue. Early 10P engine. Pretty much all 10Ps will have had that corrected by now, and later engines didn't have the issue in the first place.

As for the TD42. They don't call it a kettle for nothing.

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Originally Posted by Bradtot

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This one looks ok and is a manual..not too many kilometres.?.???

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thanks, this one does look good!

Yes i am based in melbourne, quite tricky trying to search aus using marketplace. I did find this one, which is a little closer and looks fine?

2001 Land Rover Discovery series II TD5 - Manual | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Tea Tree Gully Area - Hope Valley | 1318527942

I think it has CDL and the owner says a spare transfer case, which would be handy down the road? Though it mentions a leak?

Funnily enough its almost the same price getting one shipped from WA - Melbourne as it is from SA - Melbourne... $200 difference

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Originally Posted by discorevy

Hi Astrid, are you in W.A. as your location reads as Melbourne?

If you are, then the one Bradtot linked to would be a good place to start, the kilometres are low enough, and the price is fair if it's ok, just get someone experienced with them to check it over first.

But, ( always a but ) there are lots that have been systematically ruined by years of bad workmanship from both private and ( so called ) professional workshops, so beware of that.


Good luck with your search.

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1. I am in Melbourne, not WA :)
2. The one i linked is overpriced, i really understand that now, the dealer tax.
3. Regarding getting a car from interstate - how could this be checked over by someone experienced? Just a chat to the owner and trip to a local roadworthy place? or do i need to know somewhere specific to tell them to bring it to.
4. The goal would be to inherit a well looked after one so I would do my best to do the same/learn in the process.

Thanks for the info, appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Astrid14

thanks, this one does look good!

Yes i am based in melbourne, quite tricky trying to search aus using marketplace. I did find this one, which is a little closer and looks fine?

2001 Land Rover Discovery series II TD5 - Manual | Cars, Vans & Utes | Gumtree Australia Tea Tree Gully Area - Hope Valley | 1318527942

I think it has CDL and the owner says a spare transfer case, which would be handy down the road? Though it mentions a leak?

Funnily enough its almost the same price getting one shipped from WA - Melbourne as it is from SA - Melbourne... $200 difference

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CDL with "cable operation from outside the vehicle"?? That's weird. Makes no sense, kinda defeats the purpose of the CDL. Not insurmountable though. Genuine CDL lever/cable stuff is idiotically expensive, but there are many options to be able to operate it properly from inside. Ideally the CDL is operated on the fly, within reason. Ashcrofts do one, and yes apparently they are back in stock.

I would have that car on my shopping list. Good accessories, if in fact you need them. Probably be able to sell them if you don't.

Getting it to Melb? Fly over, have a look, and drive it home. Great way to get to know it. If you want it looked over then maybe someone like PCB could do it. Wrong side of town, but Adelaide is small.

Just my two bob's worth.

Wherever you find a car, there will be a forum member prepared to check it out, to determine if it's worth the cost of a professional appraisal, by a knowledgeable indie.