Buying a disco 2 td5.

[kingdong2]

Hi guys

very soon we will be looking at buying a disco 2 td5 auto as we have just sold my house, but need to ask a queestion about mileage i know when buying most other cars you go for the lowest miles but i know the td5 can be very unreliable at times but can also be very reliable with others aswell and want to no is there a mileage margine to stay away from say no less than 100000 miles or does it not really matter, also i have seen some low mileage ones go for a lot less money than higher mileage ones is there a reson for that?

graham

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1997 disco 1 300 tdi.

[sotal]

Personally I'd stick with the 300tdi providing you can keep on top of the body rotting away.

If you must go for a td5 then personally I'd go for one with good service history and plenty of receipts for work done etc. Mileage depends a bit on age but I don't think what you are saying makes a lot of sense. I'm guessing that you are assuming that a low mileage disco is low mileage because it's spent most of it's life off the road being repaired!? You might be right in a couple of cases but a low mileage one might be an excellent buy which has been driven careful and well looked after.

[kingdong2]

yeh the reason we want a td5 auto is we are buying a caravan in cornwall and want something a bit more comfertable and the missus has a weak left knee and finds the clutch on the our 300tdi a bit heavy also from time to time we want to tow a series on a trailer so want something with the power and comfat.

graham

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1997 disco 1 300 tdi.

[MartinK]

I've owned a TD5 from new, now 8 years old and 163000 miles...the report is written here

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=51896

My experience would suggest (as Sotal says) that the TD5 is good for high milage if it's well looked after and well serviced. Use decent lubes, keep the rust at bay, and look after it...Watch for electrical gremlins - especially on higher end models with more goodies (like ACE). Coil sprung non-ace motors may give less trouble (look at the number of ACE and air suspension questions on here!) - so a lower-spec car from late 2001 onwards may be a good buy.

At 163000 miles mines showing no real signs major trouble, and I plan to keep it for a good while yet.

[SCADA]

Hi Graham,

I have a 51 plate Disco TD5 GS 57k which I have owned for the last 7yrs and like the others say I have had it serviced at regular intervals by L/R and when it's warranty ran out I had it serviced at an independant 4x4 garage.I have kept all the receipts for things that I have done to her. So as long as your prepaired to get under it, over it or even in to it you should have no problems with the car. My mistake was leaving her idle for long periods whilst I had a company car so that took it's toll on some of the electrics but thankfully now she is going great (31MPG). Go on get one as you wont know what your going to be dealing with until it is yours and trust your insticts when you see any for sale, as the tell tale signs are there to be seen if you stop looking at the shinny paintwork. Good luck with the hunt and dont bag the first one you see..

[nicks90]

our 2000 plate td5 now has 150k miles on it and (touch wood) still pulls strongly and keenly with no oil loss and over 30mpg on a run.

get it de-catted and chipped and its a lovely powerful motor to cruise about in and will surprise you offroad with all terrains fitted.

i know some on here scoff at the traction control and lack of centre diff lock, but so far i;ve never missed the cdl and felt the traction control has kept up great.

dont forget this lovely labour governments scandalous road tax hikes, so buy an early one and save hundreds a year on tax and use that money on rustproofing and servicing and it'll last a good long time.

ps early disco2 rot. especially around the chassis legs either side of the fuel tank and to a lesser extent the same places the earlier disco1 rusted.

[kingdong2]

thanks for that nicks90 at the mo we are looking at 03 / 04 plates do they rust much.

graham

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1997 disco 1 300 tdi.

[nicks90]

sorry - should have been clearer. ALL disco2 rot! Just the older ones are now getting to the point that welding is required for MOTs,

if anything, the newer ones will be worse as LR stopped putting their feeble protective coating on the chassis.

[JJ7893]

I have just bought a Discovery TD5 ES just had it's 10th birthday last week, so W Reg. 7 seats the extra's it has include are door scruff trims, side steps, roof ladder, 6 CD and head unit, built in composs in the rear view mirror. Full service history all done by Land Rover, no rust on it only odd screw here and there. 41,000 miles on the clock in Silver and only paid £5500. with 12 months tax and MOT. So you can find a bargin about!

......JJ