Facts on Disco vs Defender

I have one of each although they do have different engines. My Defer is 300Tdi and the D2 is a Td5.

I can support that on the highway the Disco will be more economical than the defer due to a small aerodynamic advantage and the gearing. Once off road it will come down to your driving style 1st gear high range or 3rd gear Low range, etc.

Also I think you will find that the Disco 1 or 2 in petrol V8s will be a lot cheaper than the diesel Discos.

If you are mostly driving on road and don't have rear seat passengers older than primary school children then the Discos will be fine. The rear seat leg room is not much better in the back seat of a Defender but you do get a lot more space behind the barrier in a defender.

The Disco holds it's own off road, a slight disadvantage is the smaller rolling diameter of the tyres< Panel damage looks better on a Defender than a disco.

Well i would easily average 150ks a day mon-fri and more on the week ends in my 300tdi 110, there is a coolness about driving a defender that others wont understand, yes a disco is quiet and comfortable but is boring to me[thats me] compared to a defender oozing with character and modifications. Basically a defender stands out in the crowd where a disco blends in. When a defender is covered in dents and scratchs it looks good and tough, a disco covered in dents looks like an unloved dog....
Its not only my right foot that gets wet its also my elbow hanging out the window ready to wave back at other defender drivers that understand.
My 110 replaced the previous 2 rangerovers and a p6b, my mother drives a freelander and dad a td5 disco, for me i will stick with the 110

I have a Defender 130 300Tdi. I currently travel 1800 ks per week. I wouldn't want anything else. Even in the Monash traffic jams. I prefrr to drive this over my wifes new Grand Cherokee. It is not a car. It's a lifestyle.

It is mandatory to have a beard to drive a Defender.

It also helps to have Khaki shirt and pants , boots and a leather belt with Swiss army knife hanging off.

Oh and a battered felt hat even in the hottest weather.

All part of the lifestyle image.

There is a Defender parked in my street at the moment and you cannot see the floor for the dust /dead soft drink bottles etc. Admittedly its an old dunger 300Tdi.

Regards Philip A

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Originally Posted by redrovertdi

Well i would easily average 150ks a day mon-fri and more on the week ends in my 300tdi 110, there is a coolness about driving a defender that others wont understand, yes a disco is quiet and comfortable but is boring to me[thats me] compared to a defender oozing with character and modifications. Basically a defender stands out in the crowd where a disco blends in. When a defender is covered in dents and scratchs it looks good and tough, a disco covered in dents looks like an unloved dog....
Its not only my right foot that gets wet its also my elbow hanging out the window ready to wave back at other defender drivers that understand.
My 110 replaced the previous 2 rangerovers and a p6b, my mother drives a freelander and dad a td5 disco, for me i will stick with the 110

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We're getting emotional :D,,, but what do you expect ;), They just ooze character,,,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cruiserlux

I have a Defender 130 300Tdi. I currently travel 1800 ks per week. I wouldn't want anything else. Even in the Monash traffic jams. I prefrr to drive this over my wifes new Grand Cherokee. It is not a car. It's a lifestyle.

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I did that yesterday :(, but, as I looked around me, there weren't too many happy souls around me ;), and I can stop for a cuppa any time I want. (yeah I know, a well set up Disco can do the same)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhilipA

It is mandatory to have a beard to drive a Defender.

It also helps to have Khaki shirt and pants , boots and a leather belt with Swiss army knife hanging off.

Oh and a battered felt hat even in the hottest weather.

All part of the lifestyle image.

There is a Defender parked in my street at the moment and you cannot see the floor for the dust /dead soft drink bottles etc. Admittedly its an old dunger 300Tdi.

Regards Philip A

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Will a moe do? It is long ;)
I refuse to wear a knife,,, :eek:
It is a lifestyle, but I don't think its something that people "try" to portray, its just there.

There is another option, spend less on a Disco for trips to the shops, and with the left over money get a Series and build it into whatever you please.

I can't imagine owning a Disco. Would rather a Rangie classic except I don't like petrol motors. Though the only vehicle I would consider replacing my County with is another 110, a 130 or a Perentie.

No self respecting Defender owner would be caught carrying a Swiss Army Knife:wasntme: A real knife is really what should be carried by any Defender owner:p

I used to have a 1997 V8 Discovery. I loved it.

I now have a 2003 Defender and I love it.

At 6'2" the Defender seating was a concern initially but after trying a couple I found I fitted in it fine and actually prefer the seating/driving position in the Defender to the Discovery.

I found my Defender to be far more capable off road than the Disco but that is not to say the Disco was in any way bad - I can just take the Defender in places that I know the Disco struggled with / couldn't quite do.

Fuel economy wise, a TD5 is obviously a lot better than the petrol V8 - especially useful if you're ding lots of kilometers or want to do any long distance touring but I really, really miss the V8 roar.

The Disco was more 'refined' and easier to drive (being an auto) than the the Defender but the Defer has more 'poke' to it. And the brakes are better. You can fit more stuff inside the defender.

Maintenance wise, I am finding the Defender cheaper to service than the Disco used to be.



Having to grow a beard is the only downside to owning a Defender really and I really wish I could justify keeping the Disco as well as the Defender.

I like the fact that this time the post comes around I get to say the wise words...

If you have to take time to "choose" between a fender and a disco
Buy the disco

Fenders, like dogs choose their owners - not the other way around...

Steve

Well, you asked for the facts and you seem to be getting them thick and fast.
If you have a defender, you will have facial hair.
If you have to wonder - buy a disco.
Because defenders really DO pick their owners - "my" stornoway grey 130 dual cab chassis from Port Macquarie went to Darwin two weeks before I could get my deposit together. In my driveway now lives a Keswick Green 130 HCPU - from somewhere in south Sydney! I met it on carsales and it got itself delivered 6 days later.

I believe you're either a defender person, or you're not. It IS a lifestyle, but it's a lifestyle that chooses you - not the other way around. And it means different things to different people.

To me, it's no nonsense, get down to it - whatever it is at the time. It's simple. I know where the corners are. I know I can fill it to all those corners and it will handle it. I'm not expected to look or act or speak a certain way when I get out of it. It's versatile. It looks at home almost everywhere.

It doesn't compromise and it makes no apologies. If you don't like a wet foot when it rains or you want to hold civilized conversations in ultimate comfort with your passengers; you best buy a discovery.
And that's okay. Because landrover knows not everybody is a defender person. That's why they gave us options, of which the discovery is a very good one: economical (diesel), comfortable, jam packed full of features and innovations (for their time). Plenty of them around!

My fathers D1 V8 manual is just a fun vehicle to have a blast in. But last month he tripped over a 2011 110 wagon - and it followed him home...