Thread: Thinking of buying a 1995 Discovery diesel

93/93 was the 200 / 300 tdi changeover from memory.

the 95 model is a 300tdi

the 95 disco has better air con, a decent glove box, and a few other goodies the earlier models didnt have.

95 tdi manuals seem to go from $11,000 ->$25,000 depending on service history and extras etc etc etc.

IMHO the auto is a much better vehicle, slightly better horse power and much smoother and quicker 0-30kph.....

Changeover from 200tdi to 300tdi was March '94.

Other changes that occurred at that time:

Gearbox from LT77S to R380
New dash with BMW style gauges and heater controls
Bigger headlights
Airbags available as an option

A few others that I can't recall at the mo.


Paul [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

The change point was at the "MA" model year. Get the VIN of the Disco the two letters that precede the last 6 numbers is the Model Year. MA is the 1995 Model Year although the MA was introduced in 1994 Built Date.
Most manufacturers do this odd thing of introducing say a 2005 model in 2004, I think it must be a US thing to encourage buyers to upgrade to the latest year model.
Can you recall if the engine had the black rubber looking sound insulator on the top, the 200 tdi did not have this.

My opinion is the 300 Tdi auto is the pick of the bunch. The autos are virtually trouble free. From memory the 300 Tdi auto was 4wd of the year for it's first 3 years in Australia.

Hope this helps

Alan Howard

230,000k isn't that far considering it's a 10yr old vehicle and the average k's of most vehicles is 20,000k per year. Some say diesels are only just run in at 200,000k whether that's a sales ploy I'm not sure though they do last a while.

Providing you can find the service history will tell you much more than an odometer reading. Quick way to check if it's been serviced regulary is take the oil filler cap off and peer in the hole. If everything has that highly polished clean look, then there is a good chance it's been looked after. If it's got black gunky looking carbon stuff on everything, stay well away from buying it.

Yes.... '94 was the changeover. The easy way of delling is the differnt headlamps and the lights mounted in the rear bumper.

The 300 TDi Disco is also known as the "Facelift" so together with the engine, there were a number of cosmetic changes. IMO, the facelift version if the one to go for and if you don't mind the auto then that's a pretty good option (IMO - LR have never really made a decent manual box!!).

HTH

Mark.

Just remembered another difference between early 200tdi & later 300tdi discos. The axles changed from flimsy 10 spliners to not quite as flimsy 24 spliners.



Paul [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

Thanks all. You blokes are really helpful.

I've since learned a bit more about the thing from the previous owner. Apparently it's a 1996 model, so must be an update model with the 300 TDi motor and R380 box. A couple of years ago it "threw a crankshaft". Started running roughly but he stopped driving before any serious damage was done. The whole bottom end of the motor was redone. Any ideas what this episode might indicate? Should I still regard it as a decent vehicle worth investigating further?

To those who suggest the auto transmission version, I see your point but I've been driving an old auto Benz for a couple of years and I'd prefer a manual for a while now.

The dealer is asking $14500 including stamp duty which doesn't seem out of the way if the service records show regular services. Has aircond, power steering, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, dual battery, better seats. No warranty though. I think it might be worth trying to negotiate one.

Roger