Brookers Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Title says it all but I will expand a little, after 8 months of looking for a motor for my partner we have finally decided to reduce our fleet to just 2 vehicles The idea is to get rid of my 101 and RRC and her Frontera and spend around 8-10K on a series 2 Td5 which we will set up for off roading, daily driver and long range tourer. The plan is to set it up with the usual kit (winch/bumper, rock sliders, diff guards, heavy duty rear bumper, maybe a lift, snorkle and cage etc.) and have 2 sets of wheels and tyre, AT's and MT's. Im not budgeting for the mods in the 8-10K! So having looked a little I see my money gives me plenty of choice and would get me a facelift model (she likes the lights ) So what should I go for? Face lift or not? Auto or manual? Which ones came with diff lock? Which ones can be converted to diff lock? Are there any that can not be converted to diff lock? Only need 5 seats but that wont get me air suspension, should I worry about that? At the moment im quite tempted by a fully loaded ES auto with all the toys, am i mad? Cheers Brookers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I have a D2 ES auto as my daily driver ES is a must any fool can be uncomftable I like the auto as my old challenge truck was Auto and my current big RRC toy is auto and I used to drive from Southampton to London every day. diff lock I wouldn't bother with but that's IOMO TC is very forgiving easy and surprisingly effective I will be fitting the face lift lights I bought two years ago and never got round to fitting I drove round Slab MOD recovery training site reccying all areas and my D2 followed fridges 109 and a D-lander with no issues but I chose so softer lines but still in 2ft deep sand rutt's it got though fine I'm very tempted to beef up my D2 as its lost sooo much money its not worth selling (I have done well over 100k in mine) mine has BFG AT's and ARB bumper and a golddigger rear bumper on the way. I have not fitted any other toys yet but there is still time and it has to look tidy as my company still give me a car allowance for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynall Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Jules is spot on ES every time. I prefer the manaul as auto 2 to 3 mpg worse, but hate the manual in crawling traffic and my wife hates the manual gearbox full stop! Air suspension comes in either 5 or 7 seater depending on model spec and whether option or not. Have a look ere. www.lefouanglais.co.uk Lynall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookers Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Cheers for that guys so its a ES im looking for then. Were they available in Manual in ES spec? this may be a silly quesion but all the ES's I see are Autos. Cheers in advance, im sure I will have LOTS more questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I would say buy the latest your cash will stretch to as they generally come with more goodies and have had all of the niggling things sorted that were discovered by the volunteer testers who bought the earlier ones. On the whole, I'd say a centre diff-lock is a very worthwhile feature if you're planning on any significant off-roading. The traction control is good, but ultimately it relies on a wheel to be already slipping before coming into play. A centre diff-lock can prevent the wheel slipping in the first place in many conditions and when both are used together, a DII becomes almost unstoppable. Also, if a centre diff-lock is retrofitted properly, it makes it possible to disable the TC altogether, which can be handy is certain circumstances. Finding one that already has a centre difflock seems to be quite tricky but what you really want is one that at least has the spigot on the transfer box, as an actuator (either mechanical or electric) can be retrofitted. It can be retrofitted to those without the appropriate spigot too, but it just costs more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Oh, and yes, the ES was available with a manual box but they don't seem that common. I guess most of those who bought them new saw having to change gear as something that happens to poorer people The auto box really is excellent though, particularly if the engine has been tuned with a decent remap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookers Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks for the info Darren, is there anywhere I can find out which ones had the spigot on the transfer box? or will I have to get underneath each one with a torch and have a look? Can anyone recomend any good disco web sites with information on series 2's and possible mods? Cheers Brookers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumps Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks for the info Darren, is there anywhere I can find out which ones had the spigot on the transfer box? or will I have to get underneath each one with a torch and have a look? Can anyone recomend any good disco web sites with information on series 2's and possible mods? Cheers Brookers Hi, Go for a "retail" G4. It comes with climate control, twin leak points in the roof (sorry - sunroofs), Diff lock which doesn't disable the TC, 7 seats, air suspension, facelift (with all the associated mods), A-bar and light guards to protect the lights from branches, easy wipe clean upholstery, front & rear heated screens and if you go for Burago or Tangiers you'll never lose it in a car park or off road. It doesn't have electric seats but then it's less to go wrong!!! Available in Manual or Auto , I've done 41,000 miles in mine in 29 months and love it to bits. Regards Scrumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks for the info Darren, is there anywhere I can find out which ones had the spigot on the transfer box? or will I have to get underneath each one with a torch and have a look? It's a bit of a lottery, I'm afriad. In theory, all of the early ones should have it, after a couple of years a bean counter decided he could save a few beans by omitting it but when the facelift model arrived the CDL was offered as an optional extra (due to customer demand). However, in the early stages they couldn't actually fulfill any orders as they didn't have the parts. It became more available a year or so into facelift production but it's really hit and miss whether those without the option specified still have the appropriate spigot - presumably as LR were using up stocks of parts that they had. So, in short, the answer is yes, take a torch Can anyone recomend any good disco web sites with information on series 2's and possible mods? There are quite a few people in the DOC who have some nicely modded DII's, although you'll have to pay to join to get the full benefit. You could also do a lot worse than have a look at the Discoparts website. It's obviously commercial, but they have a nice range of good quality DII bolt-on goodies (including CDL retrofit kits). Other than that, Discoweb can be quite inspriational (albeit US based). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 One more point about the Traction Control. It will only work if the ABS works, which is why the 'three amigos' come on together. And, as you all know, or will find out, the ABS is possibly the most unreliable bit of a Disco II. We tell people not to travel in the bush if they don't have a CDL that is usable, as if the ABS gives trouble you are basically driving a 4x1 vehicle. If you have the mechanism but not the lever, you can, in an emergency, lock the diff with a 10mm spanner. You could get a bit dirty if you are up to your axles in mud though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 A lot of D2's don't have the mechanism in the t/box though. Mine is one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookers Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Scrumps, if you can find a G4 spec for 10k let me know where! Oh and I'm not allowed Orange, been told it will clash with the brickwork on the house (women!). Darren, thanks for the site info, MMmmmm shiney bits! Anyone know who can suplie and fit a Protection and Performance cage in the south west? Don't fancy the drive north just to get a cage fitted! Thanks for all your comments guys. Brookers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumps Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Scrumps, if you can find a G4 spec for 10k let me know where! Oh and I'm not allowed Orange, been told it will clash with the brickwork on the house (women!).Darren, thanks for the site info, MMmmmm shiney bits! Anyone know who can suplie and fit a Protection and Performance cage in the south west? Don't fancy the drive north just to get a cage fitted! Thanks for all your comments guys. Brookers Brookers, Try E-blag... "Land Rover G4" is showing a Java Black 65000 miler for 10995 (or best offer). Try your luck!! Scrumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 A lot of D2's don't have the mechanism in the t/box though. Mine is one of them I thought you could get a after market kit for that (Diff lock). Mark at Disco Parts makes them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I thought you could get a after market kit for that (Diff lock).Mark at Disco Parts makes them You can (Ashcrofts) but it means stripping the transfer box to fit it which is an expense I can do without. Anyway if I want to go anywhere much off road I take the Defender, because whatever the brochures say a Defender will dump all over any amount of Discovery traction control electronics when you go somewhere interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Yep and far less likely to do damage. I'm off to look at a new toy myself in a mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Back to the original question, I'm actually going to disagree with the theory that ES is a must. I had the opportunity to get an ES (new) for only about £1000 more than I paid for my D2 when I bought it. I thought about it, and had driven both types (base/S and ES) and decided I wanted a more basic one for the following reasons: 1) I didn't want 7 seats - no need for them and the bins are more useful 2) I didn't want air suspension - something else to go wrong 3) I didn't want ACE - something else to go wrong Six years on I have not regretted that decision and have also found that the cloth interior on mine has worn much better than the leather interior on a similar age ES here which has similar miles on it. I have no worries about keeping it for a few years more (it is garaged and gets very little use now) as there is a lot less to go wrong under the vehicle than there would have been on an ES. Just my 2p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookers Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 Quick update, we went and looked at a S yesterday, she likes the drive but can't decide on spec so we will be test diriving a few more over the coming weeks. Thanks for all the help, I will keep this updated if anything happens! Brookers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshall4771 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Quick update, we went and looked at a S yesterday, she likes the drive but can't decide on spec so we will be test diriving a few more over the coming weeks.Thanks for all the help, I will keep this updated if anything happens! Brookers Just for the record I have a Disco 2 ES auto and love it. The ACE is a great piece of kit and realy improves the handling. The Disco is my every day familly car as well as my weekend play thing and as we know its very capable in both roles. My mate has just bought a java black G4 manual with 60 k on it for 10595 , they are out there. Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynall Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 You have got to get the ES model as you wont be able to live without the compass auto dimming rear view mirror! Lynall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Go for GS 5 seat - why? Well: It's the highest specced model that still has coil sprung suspension all round. Therefore no scarry problems with airbags, and I tow 3500kg with it without needing self levelling. It still has climate, sun roofs, ACE, TC, ABS, twin airbags, electric mirrors, windows, remote locking. Do you really need compass dimming rear view mirror, leather blah blah blah? You do need the heated front screen though. Mine has the Harmon Kardon stereo upgrade - good, until I busted all the speakers and it's a manual - bad because the clutch is so heavy, but I still prefer manuals. Mine is a 1999 and I paid £6995, from a dealer, warranty, full service history, 100,000 miles. And it was mint, then I played off road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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