Mud Slinger Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 Hi guys Im new on here and looking to buy a TDI Disco . Can you please give me advice on any real prefference and differrences between a 200 and 300TDI. Is one better on juice than the other or stronger running gear etc??.. Where are the weakspots to look out for before buying one. Thanks Sparky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 i dont think the engine is the main difference tbh. 300 series discos are smarter & have nicer interiors, plus stronger axles. engine wise i doubt there is much in it, 300s might be a touch faster but i know people who say 200s are a touch more reliable. personally, id go for a 300 as its a nicer car. says me who drives a 200... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 i've got a 1996 300Tdi and my Dad has a 1991 200Tdi so i regularly drive both.... the 200Tdi feels more 'agricultural' and more like a utility landrover, it has less effective sound proofing, and is a bit more crude and basic inside.. having said that it goes well, pulls better than my 300Tdi and uses less fuel... the 300Tdi is loads more refined, quieter, has a much nicer interior, feels loads more 'modern' both to drive and just to sit in.... but it uses more derv than the older one, and can feel a bit sluggish (mostly down to the catalytic converter and the EGR valve, both of which are heading for the bin soon) i would buy a 300Tdi, there are some awesome deals out there, be VERY picky, don't buy one without full service records from a reputable service agent, and don't buy one from a dealer, mostly because they are dishonest scum, but also because they'll be making at least a grand out of you for washing it and painting the tyres black. there a lots of good, honest, family owned disco's out there that have only been used as cars, so don't buy one thats been thrashed off-road or used commercially. look for rusty boot floors, worn suspension, oil leaks, iffy electrics, repaired crash damage, uneven tyre wear, clunky gear boxes, etc. good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions, i just bought mine in april, and paid £2200 for a 1996, 3 door 300Tdi with 100k on the clock and full service history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDDYRAT Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 I agree, pick careful, my mate has a 300tdi up for 2700 pounds and its the ES version! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_a Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 If you aren't sure it woud probably be better to go for a 300tdi as the R380 is more likely to be in a good state. the 200s had LT77 which may or may not have been modified to not kill the o/p shaft. I have a 200 with an LT77 and it's pretty clunky and I expect the box to die sooner rather than later - but it was v cheap purchase. There is loads of advice about how to assess the wear, but I think unless you have seen a good one and a bad one it is pretty difficult to tell, there are a lot of places for slop in the drive train - o/p shaft, centre diff, prop shafts, axle diffs, drive flanges. So tieing the clunk down to the gbox is not straight forward IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 some R380s suffered the same gearbox fault as just mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Slinger Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 Thanks for the advice so far.. I like the quote "paid £2200 for a 1996, 3 door 300Tdi with 100k on the clock and full service history". Some people want silly money for a vehicle that is over 10 years old now and yours sound realistic ,im only working on budget upto £2250 .. I want to use the disco for weekend transport , some off roading as a bonus hence thats why a disco rather than a defender. A mate has got a 9500lbs "Warn winch" for me and judging by the refferences to weakness in gearboxes it seems both vehicles mostly suffer the same sort of faults then.. If the 300 is more refind i guess off roading might not be to good for it as may have more pretty trim to break??. Problem i have is the 200Tdi must be getting harder to get in good order due to being older and although it may get odd marks offroading i dont want a rotten abused one to start off with. I wont be wrecking it off road as i need it for transport too!.. Does anyone have spec's on making a winch bumper or any other protective items.. Picture always usful too as i'm a fabricator so make anything thats metal.. All advice much appreciated Sparky i've got a 1996 300Tdi and my Dad has a 1991 200Tdi so i regularly drive both....the 200Tdi feels more 'agricultural' and more like a utility landrover, it has less effective sound proofing, and is a bit more crude and basic inside.. having said that it goes well, pulls better than my 300Tdi and uses less fuel... the 300Tdi is loads more refined, quieter, has a much nicer interior, feels loads more 'modern' both to drive and just to sit in.... but it uses more derv than the older one, and can feel a bit sluggish (mostly down to the catalytic converter and the EGR valve, both of which are heading for the bin soon) i would buy a 300Tdi, there are some awesome deals out there, be VERY picky, don't buy one without full service records from a reputable service agent, and don't buy one from a dealer, mostly because they are dishonest scum, but also because they'll be making at least a grand out of you for washing it and painting the tyres black. there a lots of good, honest, family owned disco's out there that have only been used as cars, so don't buy one thats been thrashed off-road or used commercially. look for rusty boot floors, worn suspension, oil leaks, iffy electrics, repaired crash damage, uneven tyre wear, clunky gear boxes, etc. good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions, i just bought mine in april, and paid £2200 for a 1996, 3 door 300Tdi with 100k on the clock and full service history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 i'd say they've both got equal amounts of plastic trim to break, go and look at one or two of each (200 and 300TDi's) then you can make your own mind up. there are fewer good, solid 200Tdi's around these days, you'll find a sound 300Tdi with around 100K on the clock that suits your budget. there is no logic when looking at the prices of secondhand landrovers, some dealers are trying to get huge prices for vehicles approaching, or even over 10 years old. keep an eye on autotraders website, and on the landrover mags sites (LRO.com, mud club, etc) as discos do come up regularly, and as most landy owners are canny buggers, who know they won't get away with inflated prices when selling to other enthusiasts, you'll probably get a good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Slinger Posted September 5, 2006 Author Share Posted September 5, 2006 Been to local auctions today.. Not to buy as never do from auction, but used it as a way of seeing a few disco's to see where they rot etc.. 3 there today H- K- M- reg. H was a absolute rotbox,rough chassis too, K had ruff screen pillars and some rot in one rear body mount , rear x member was poor but not rotted through. Boot floor was plated in few places as was the inner arch that covers the back of the sill, but this was only very small area. M was a prince to look at, strong sills,chassis mint, as was body mounting points, but boot floor had more patches than floor left... Good to have a look as i now have some idea where to look for the rot Sparky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 other places ive seen rot in a few discos is the inner wing under the battery tray (& the other side in the same place) and the bottom of the A-posts. good luck with your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Slinger Posted September 6, 2006 Author Share Posted September 6, 2006 Cheers Andy.. other places ive seen rot in a few discos is the inner wing under the battery tray (& the other side in the same place) and the bottom of the A-posts.good luck with your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 no problem, ive had about every fault they list as typical for a disco in the 4 or so years ive had mine. plus a few no-one had heard of before. just remembered another one, rear bodymounts rot out - easy to see just infront of the bumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Slinger Posted September 8, 2006 Author Share Posted September 8, 2006 Ok Going to look at a 92 Tdi tomorrow. Its supposed to be sound but untidy but will see when i get there how much body is left I wont be picky as its only £700 and i can weld which costs me nothing compared to parts.. Its MOT'd 6 months, got a few goodies on it including the late alloys, bull bar etc etc... I see Disco tdi's fetch near that money as a scrapper so a worthy greenlaner possibly.. Looked at a "96 N reg" Tdi at auctions today, it had various blisters under the paint on doors, around the rear lights etc, but looked fantastic with its met red paintwork.. Ticket on window said 3 owners, full history ,118k, hpi clear etc.. The chassis was good but the sills were breaking up along the lip "whole length crumbling!" and if you grabbed the rear arch you could pull the whole 1/4 panel in and out as the inner arches were shot . It seems even well cared for ones rot bad too... Sparky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted September 9, 2006 Share Posted September 9, 2006 rear arches arent attached to the inner arches. have a look up inside the arch, the 'seal' is made by a rubber strip attached to the inner arch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Slinger Posted September 10, 2006 Author Share Posted September 10, 2006 Thanks for the advice.. I think this disco showed me everywhere a disco can rot and more.. Hard to beleive it was a road vehicle as it looked like something a farmer would use on his land! I could see the boot carpet from under the floor same as the front carpet too.. Sills breaking up the whole length, door posts and arches rotted it was just appalling, the list was very long indeed.. On to the next one rear arches arent attached to the inner arches. have a look up inside the arch, the 'seal' is made by a rubber strip attached to the inner arch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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