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BTW, didn't the Disco come under heavy fire a few years ago because of the location of it's gas tank??? You didn't mention that.
Yes, an 18-wheeler will crush the Mini. Pound for pound, the Land Rover did NOT get top scores with it's OWN WEIGHT. How do you expect to do with something that is heavier???? I don't understand your logic. At least, the CRV did amazingly well for it's class (again, highest possible scores). Are you soooo sure that the CRV will do worst than Disco if it crashed with another 5000 lbs SUV??
Try and ask these questions to your physicists who never assume things. Or should we resurrect Einstein for this discussion??
On pavement or off and dry conditions or wet.
those photos were taken the day after the wreck. i wasn't even sore.
i replaced the wrecked 97 di with a 2001 dii.
-tommy
You really need to go back and reread my initial post to understand what I said. Your arguments against me are for things I neither said, nor implied, nor intended.
Read the wording on my post and all will be clear.
Best,
SUVinLA
For what it's worth, I was rear-ended by a woman in a Camry this winter on icy roads. I saw her coming and did my turtle impersonation, and *WHAM* she got me.
I put on the emergency blinkers and went back to survey the damage. Her Camry was a mess, with the hood, snout, both front fenders, headlights and turning indicators smashed. There was plastic, glass and fiberglass all over the road. I crawled under the Disco to have a look, and there was a small fleck of black paint chipped off my hitch receiver. That's it. It didn't even crack the dirt caked onto the receiver or the bumper.
She was very apologetic and very anxious to be on her way, so I helped kick all the parts off to the side, and helped tie up the loose pieces with some rope I had in back... and away she went.
ps: she never came near to my fuel tank, and my receiver took out perhaps 2' of her hood. There were no marks at all on my frame rails. I believe it's tucked up in there pretty well.
Mike
-Tommy
r178
Good luck with your search!
-Tommy
Thanks ... still interested in getting an older one if nobody screams at me not to... but am aware they've been criticized for expensive repairs and lack of reliability. (In these cases when something has bad press, I'd still like to hear anecdotes from actual owners and aficionados.)
Alright, trivia time. I did some quick calcs, not promising the math's perfect, but...
From price-as-new, it looks like according to the Kelley Blue Book, the Discovery has lost value year by year at roughly the same rate, percentage-wise, as Mazda Miatas. (Yes Miatas are quite different. They are at least lauded as durable little cars.)
I think the '94 model year Disco is now at 28% of original price, whereas the '02 model year is at 80% (of the '02's) original price. The Miata varied by only a couple percentage points on one of those percentages and was right on, on the second.
This is based, by the way, on the price of a 2002 when new, vs. what you'd have to pay a dealer to get one of whatever model year.
Kelley Blue Book is kind of an interesting read if you're feeling very geeky about checking out vehicles.
2002 Disco II SD when new: $33,995. Buy used at a dealer now: $27,100. Buying a '94 model year at a dealer now: $9,425.
Having a tank with a body style roughly analogous to the newer models? Priceless.
It is not in great shape, but I am afraid I won't find another manual. So how much is a cloth seat stripper 96 worth, in fair shape and how common are 96 five speeds?
Also, does anyone have any ideas if Ford is going to match what GM is doing with their 0% financing on all their products (includes Saab)?
Thanks
I got my 03 Disco HSE in October 02, I have 12K miles on her and not a problem so far. I researched alot before buying LR and came to the conclusion that while there may be some issues with them (LR), all cars are going to have some problems. And, if you look back at the Disco track record you'll find that Discos of model year 2000 and later have far fewer repair issues than do the 99 and earlier models. I owned a Toyota 4Runner for 10 years prior t the Disco and it had tons of problems throughout it's life with me. I don't think the Disco could be any worse.
Good luck,
Dave
Caster
A couple of things though,
1 - When I am coasting to stop, either the front axle or the center differential makes a whining noise. I don't remember hearing that on the test vehicle, has anyone else experienced this? Is it normal?
2-Do the lo-beams seem like they are aimed too low to anyone else? Can they be pointed higher? High-beams work great.
What you're hearing comes from the transfer case. Land-Rover is one of the only, if not THE only, 4WD manufacturers that uses a gear-driven transfer case. It makes the case immensely strong but you hear geartrain whine for awhile. It occurs as the teeth in the case mesh together and get acquainted. Trailing throttle has the backsides of the teeth meshing so they'll whine longer (more months) than the leading edge do, which wear together under throttle and thus wear into perfect mesh sooner.
My '96 has gotten over it in the last couple years but I kind of miss it now.
For what it's worth, Rover uses German ZF transmissions, transfer cases and power steering parts. ZF transmissions are also used by THE highest-end Mercedes and such, and are very durable. I was recently at an oil change shop chatting with my buddy the owner, and a guy came in with a Disco. It had 65k miles on it and had NEVER had a transfer case fluid change. We sort of shuddered to imagine the carnage inside (no filters) but when the lube came out it still smelled good and was surprisingly clean. Almost no sludge and it was still translucent. Unbelievable.
This is what you're getting with a Land-Rover. They put their dollars into the parts that MATTER, like the drivetrain. If you maintain it and keep the lubes fresh, it will last as long as you want it to.
Best regards, -Bob
To accomodate I aim the low beams higher (simple adjustment under the hood) and then drive at night to see if the highs are low enough to be useable. I had mine too high so I fudged them up and down until I got them "good enough." Still, much of their pattern was a bit too high so I went to stronger bulbs, 90w/100w Osram, and now I'm burning the hide off of moose at 300 yards. But I'm awfully careful using my high beams... they're truly dangerous now. And illegal.
The more I drive the Discovery, the more I like it. I've had quite a few different vehicles and driven more than just that from Ford to Chevy to Volvo to Hummer H2, and this is by far the most fun to drive for me.
Regards!
Thanks for any input/suggestions -Pete
Bike racks: I have the Rhode Gear hitch receiver rack and it easily holds 4 mtn bikes. I had to take the plastic "biscuit" off my spare tire so it wouldn't rub but now all is well. It swings away by removing a pin. I rarely use the rack, preferring instead to take off the front tires and throw the bikes and the gear inside the back. It's safer that way and two mtn bikes fit easily.
-Bob
Seriously, I'd glue it or look in a wrecking yard.
If you need to make a glued joint really strong, put a bunch of superglue on the seam and press the parts together. Then when it oozes out sprinkle some baking soda on the wet glue. It absorbs the superglue and sets up like concrete. You can build up shoulders around posts and things this way.
I have had my 2002 DII for 4 months, and I still love it. I still look forward to flying back home, and leaving the airport in my DII... This past weekend, I gave my DII a very needed cleaning (sometimes I really hate snow). When all was done, I noticed little spots around the vehicle. There were some on the roof, and on the side panels. It looks like rust. (little orange color dots). Anybody know what this is? NOTE: My DII is white in color. Also, I seems to have a "big" problem with my brakes. They seem to work fine, but I am going crazy with the squeaks.... My truck only has 19k on it, so I better not have to replace them already. The dealer said he does not think they need to be replaced, just that some glazing has occurred, and there is not much they can do. He suggests I find an empty road, and slam on the brakes a couple of times. I did this, and the problem went away for a day or too, and then the squeaks were right back. Anybody have any suggestions?
Kimo B.
Read the directions on the box at the store - you'll need some spray on "lube" to use with it. Basically you spritz some fluid on the car and gently rub the clay bar around. The bar picks up surface contaminates.
Steve, Host
Take a magnet to it and see if it will stick where the spots are. If it won't stick, then it's aluminum and you've got rust specks on top of the paint.
It used to happen to the sailboat all the time when the fishing boats would park beside it and chip their hulls.
As for the brakes, you have hard compound sintered steel pads. I'd drive the hell out of them and replace with nice soft pads (wagner or lockheed) and save the rotors.
Thanks
Jim
(I realize this can vary quite greatly, but would appreciate at least anecdotal experiences. One thing that did scare me a bit was that over on the Range Rover board, someone mentioned buying a Range Rover with a year or few months left on the warranty, and $6k in repairs occurring in that time. FWIW, he says he's thrilled with the vehicle, now over that pricey pothole.)
SuvinLA, I just turned over 80k miles on my '96 and she has absolutely *nothing* wrong with her. She drives nearly as well as new, except my tie rod ends (ball joints) are slightly loose. Other than that she uses no oil, doesn't drip, has tons of power, and everything works as new. She even still smells good inside.
Over the next year I may have to replace the muffler/exhaust (but she sounds deep and rumbly now) and who knows when the alternator will go south? Dang I shouldn't have said that. Rats. But at this point, with a blindfold I couldn't tell her from a new truck.