Making a Discovery Road Legal

Monster · April 22, 2008

Hi guys,

I dont normally venture this side of the website to offen but;

I am coming to the uk next month on hols and was considering purchasing a nice tidy discovery 1.

Well i am going to need some wheels and a car hire is an option! Unfortunately for the 39 days i am in the uk a 5 seater 1.6 is going to be around £700s!

I will on occasions need to have a 7 seater when friends go on outings with us. This will cause all sorts of complications as i am not sure if the hire company would take to kindly to me swapping to a bigger car for outings. (I am also based in a different place to where i will pick up and drop off car).

I have been thinking of getting myself a discovery and this seems a viable option now and could add that 700 towards the purchase cost!

I am not fussy about looks to much but mainly a solid dependable vehicle would be great.

My question is if i were to purchase a disco what do i need to do? I know that i would need some sort of insurance. How do i make it road legal? Could i do this be done in a day or do i need to get things in the post etc.

What sort of region of total outlay am i looking at to be legal?

Also will the discovery carry 7 people comfortably? Do they have seat belts is the far back?

How are they to drive around town? Hard to park? (Although i own a lr out here, it is as no way congested like that of the uk!)

If done properly i can see some benifit in going down this route over hire drive but thought i would check the background.

I like to see what the experts say first.

Thanks for any advice.

Coastcard · April 22, 2008

Hire a car!

You should be able to find some smaller rental co's who will be flexible on vehicle and do you a deal for a month.

"I am coming to the uk... and was considering purchasing a nice tidy discovery 1" :hysterical:

DefcoL · April 22, 2008

it all depends what you intend to do with the disco after your 39 days ....

if you intend to (somehow) keep the disco, then it may be worth the effort and time to

find one that suits your needs---- if not then hire a car

if you find a disco that has enough Road tax and MOT (certificate of road worthiness)

at a price that makes sense then it may be woth while. but you have limited holiday time so again

car hire may be more practical especially when you factor in the reliability issues.

you will be able to arrange insurance in a day, but short term insurance is not cheep

if your holiday is about learning to repair a land rover; then you will have a fulfilling time with your discovery

sotal · April 22, 2008

You would have to buy a discovery with more than 39 days tax and MOT left which wouldn't be hard - a lot will come with that. Then you just need insurance, go with a company that allows monthly payments and cancel after the 39 days.

Where about's in the UK are you coming to? Different areas have more or less congestion, if you are going to London then just about any car will be a nightmare to park etc.

I've just driven about 6 miles to work and until the last 1/4 of a mile I only saw one other car, probably about 10 cars in the last 1/4 mile - so it's not all congested.

I find the Discovery is the easiest car I have ever driven, especially with it being an auto.

The back two seats aren't bad for shortish journeys but adults wouldn't want to go to far in them. They all have seat belts. I believe though that now children can't sit on them since the law came in about children using booster seats (you can't put booster seats on side facing seats)

Technically you could buy a discovery with MOT and Tax, and phone up and instantly get insurance and you are good to go.

The other thing is do you have a valid driving licence to allow you to drive in the UK?

Also what are you going to do at the end of the holiday?

lynall · April 22, 2008

Very cramped in the back for large child or an adult and as said legal stuff regarding kids.

Only thing to watch on hire car is the excess as it will prob be more than the hire charge for the whole period you are here.

Lynall

lrfarmer · April 22, 2008

hi you could keep an eye on ebay and see if you can pick one up one with tax and mot for the time your over and when you go back put it back on ebay or sell it to one of the many forum members who may be happy to help you out

Monster · April 22, 2008

hi you could keep an eye on ebay and see if you can pick one up one with tax and mot for the time your over and when you go back put it back on ebay or sell it to one of the many forum members who may be happy to help you out

Hi,

Good idea.

Thanks all for the input. Very good ideas. I am totally green to all uk laws. I have an Ascension license that is usable for 12 months i believe.

I was kinda thinking maybe of shipping the disco back to Ascension. I dont mind doing a bit of work to it here but hopefully will be reliable whilst in use in uk!

Coastcard, what smaller hire companies do you refer to as being more flexible? Preferably I would like to book prior to my arrival rather than shop around after. Can i contact these companies over the internet or need to call them?

I guess it is funny to expect a nice tidy discovery! What can sort of price could i expect to pay for such a thing?

I am looking more at the lower end of the market, possibly a low mileage 200 or a higher but well looked after 300.

Any idea of what sort of cost i would be looking for insurance? I understand a few of the guys use NFU.

I plan to go to a few LR meets whilst i am here maybe could pick up a bargain there???

I have started a thread elsewhere on your guys preference to where the best meets are. Could you also add your opinions there also.

I look forward to your comments.

paintman · April 22, 2008

Look for a Disco on ebay that satisfies your criteria. (Don't buy it yet!)

Note the details - model, year of manufacture, fuel type, engine size, registration number (Don't look at any modified ones) & ring some insurance companies to try & get insurance for it.

IF you can find companies that will insure you then you will know whether car hire is going to be the cheaper option.

sotal · April 22, 2008

We had an overseas student in on work experience for 6 months, he was 29 and was looking at getting a cheap 1 litre corsa or fiesta but gave up in the end when the best quote he could get was about £1000 on his international license. So he was looking at group 2/3 insurance cars, and I think the Disco's are about group 14 so to be honest it's probably going to be stupid money to insure a discovery on an international licence.

As others suggested have a look on Ebay or Autotrader.co.uk, to find a Discovery of the age you want, then try various UK insurance companies to get quotes. Try Direct Line and other popular ones, make sure they let you tell them it's an international licence. You may have to phone them for that

disco tony · April 22, 2008

I think you may have trouble getting insurance as you are not at a British address permanently. I think that the stress you would endure trying to sort this would make the hire option best for you. There are companies who hire 110 csw's or minibuses. another option may be a people carrier. I think at £700 you wouldn't see much difference in price. Insurance is legalised highway robbery, stand and deliver!!

jasp · April 22, 2008

i agree with most people, to buy a disco and pay for repairs insurance tax and mot will probably come around the £700 mark or maybe more :blink:

Coastcard · April 23, 2008

Coastcard, what smaller hire companies do you refer to as being more flexible? Preferably I would like to book prior to my arrival rather than shop around after. Can i contact these companies over the internet or need to call them?

Don't know if you are basing yourself with a friend or just cruising around. If you have a base then google local vehicle rental firms in the nearest town and either e-mail or phone them.

lrfarmer · April 23, 2008

Hi,
I was kinda thinking maybe of shipping the disco back to Ascension. I dont mind doing a bit of work to it here but hopefully will be reliable whilst in use in uk!

I guess it is funny to expect a nice tidy discovery! What can sort of price could i expect to pay for such a thing?

I am looking more at the lower end of the market, possibly a low mileage 200 or a higher but well looked after 300.

Any idea of what sort of cost i would be looking for insurance? I understand a few of the guys use NFU.

I look forward to your comments.

buying a disco that needs work could mean spending all your visit working on the thing.

i payed 1200 for my 200 2years ago with 6month mot & 1months tax still got it now but it has been an on going money graber (gearbox, transferbox, head, welding,welding,welding,and i'm welding at the mo for the mot)

but saying that i've covered some miles in 2 years and towed some loads too.

nfu would be worth a try, but as your over for so short a time many insurance people may want more than the cost of a higher car.

BogMonster · April 23, 2008

I have an Ascension license that is usable for 12 months i believe.
Coastcard, what smaller hire companies do you refer to as being more flexible? Preferably I would like to book prior to my arrival rather than shop around after. Can i contact these companies over the internet or need to call them?

I think it is six months, we are in the same boat (well the same plane, strictly speaking!) though I also have a UK license so that is not an issue.

If you are arriving at Brize (and there aren't many other options!) last time I was over there I used National car hire who have a desk at Brize, they were really good and reasonably priced, don't bother with Europcar as they don't seem interested in customers from Brize any more (most of the time there is nobody on the desk!) so after some years of using them I gave up on them.

Monster · April 24, 2008