Thread: Why did you choose...?

I bought my first Land Rover looking for a cheap (budget was $6k on road) vehicle which could do 100km/hr and genuine off-roading. I bought a Stage 1 V8 wagon, which fit the bill, and then I got the LR bug. Current daily driver - a Series III ex-army - I got because I wanted something with a little more character

I had my eye on this County for ages...being my first LR...heh. I'd been out 4x4ing with it on several occassions, knew a lot of it's history (as in the last 6 years or so) and knew what I was getting into. It seemed the safest option of buying a Rover of any description.

Previous to that, I can still remember my parent's RR and how much fun that beast was (and what we put it through). Following in their footsteps perhaps?

Disco2. What initially attracted me was that I loved the shape, it had ETC, size was right, axles F&R for offroad ability.

I wanted a heavier to tow our van around Australia and have the capability to go off road to a few harder to see, senic spots. Was going to get an AWD Territory, however the new ones were beyond my budget and the second hand ones have a resale value that is totally opposite a Falcon

Then I started researching other vehicles.
I hate Asian vehicles with a passion and the dreadfull Magna I was silly enough to buy, confirmed it!

That left Yank, Euro or Pom.
Price dictated Land Rover and seeing that I already owned two Jaguars, I was well informed on Lucas and oil spills

Range Rovers were a little dear, Land Rovers too much like the Army ones I drove for 30 years, so it had to be a Discovery. So I went off to see my Jaguar/Rover wrecker at Kelvin Grove and asked him what to get. I figured he would know more about them that most.

He said, buy a V8, (cheaper to repair and maintain than a Diesel) and auto as the manual gearbox is too week for towing caravans. Go for any model between 1996 and 1998. After that ther are too many electrical gismos to go wrong and may do it in the wrong place. He also said the later ones wear quicker than the older ones, thanks to Ford who told LR to remember if they are too tough, no one will replace them with a newer model. Whether that is true or hype, I have no idea.

So, I bought a 1997 SE7 Discovery V8 that had been owned by a guy from Sanctury Cove on the Gold Coast, only 102,000km on it and it looked like it was new. He had also asked for leather seats in it
I took it to the Jaguar/Rover guy who went over it, sold me some missing parts along with a reconditioned Advance/retard unit to replace the stuffed one.

So far, the Disco has been a real gem and it does NOT leak oil !!! I must have struck a really good one

Apart from the fact that it does not have the pulling power of the Falcon, I love it

Cheers

Was looking for a capable off roader to get me out there for landscape photography... I started off looking at Toyotas! ... Eventually stumbled upon a great book called "The Of-road 4-wheel drive book - Choosing, using and maintaining your go-anywhere vehicles" after reading it, a Defender was the obvious choice. Before reading the book ... I thought there was an awful lot of restored post world war 2 landy's going 'round!!!

It was always going to be a weekender, so creature comforts were not on the top of my list... capability was, so the Defender won. As to how I got a 90?... that's a whole different story!... Suffice to say I was looking for a 110 for near 6 months, the the 90 came along!

I looked for a County-Isuzu after numerous electronic failures since my first car with electronic ignition in the seventies. My disastrous electronic experiences with a Falcon XH, the most unreliable car I have ever owned, convinced me to seek out an acceptable vehicle with no electronics, well proven reliability record, good fuel economy, easy speed limit cruising capability, and decent cargo space combined with decent towing capacity for my business. I also ruled out anything with a rubber band and/or a turbocharger as these are extra items for maintenance and additional points of potential failure.

As someone else pointed out earlier in this thread, I too am philosophically opposed to Asian cars, and always found Euros to be too expensive to maintain, unecessarily complex, and have high rates of depreciation.

The County-Isuzu was virtually the only vehicle that fitted the job description. I am very pleased with the old girl.

My first car was a SIIA shorty after a long story that I wont go into here, I was after another 4x4 originally I wanted a defender I love the timeless look but with all the upto date fruit. Unfortunately my kids said flat out that they refused to be seen in one so I bought a SI Disco instead. After I had done it up to the level I wanted the little buggers left home so I have a very capable disco but not what I really want in the end. so I intend to turn the diso into a project one day and buy a 2006/7 Defender cant deside yet as to which because I like the vents below the window but the new one is very good?

Blythe

I drive the sheds on wheels varients, the mechanicing is easy to get to and do and you clean the inside like you do the outside, by driving it through a river OR with a hose once every year or so.