would you stay clear of a discovery with high mileage

[Martin g]

Have seen forsale a 2002 Land Rover Discovery TD5 S with 126,000 miles on clock for 6k.. At present I have a 2004 Free Lander S 1.8 petrol with nearly 50k on clock which is used for both family car and shooting.. Would I be me mad to consider changing for for something with so much mileage when I do about 12k a year.. Was the price that caught my eye which would be probably be within my budget if I was to change..

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=270571919621

[steyrman]

If and i say if it has full service history with the timing belt changed at the proper times then why not. Other wise i would leave it alone but thats just my opinion

[RC45]

I'd rather have the freelander if :blink:

[davecooper1]

Would stick with the Freelander, if it was me. :blink:

[JA3llis]

TBH milage doesnt mean a thing and befor anyone jumps on me in this months mechanics mag there is a bmw that has done 1,000,000 miles and all thats it has had done is serviced at the correct intervals. Thats not huge miles for a td5 im a mechanic and run one atm with 180,000 on and it runs really well. If it has service history go for it there are bargins around if you look hard enough I paid £1500 for mine. They are good for shooting but if your after a run about that goes off road every so often Freelander all the way.

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Oil in the injector harness causes the td5 to appear to be missing give it a good blast in the top of the rev range.

 

Fuel pressure regulator diesel smelling coming from the back of the engine bellhousing area.

 

Dont know if the S model has rear air suspenion but if it has prone to leaks shows up in cold wether more.

 

PM me if you want to know more .

 

Kind regards OTH

[Chris Bb]

OK it's high mileage, but to do that it must have spent most of its life in 5th gear on the Motorway. No guarantees, but it's been likely to have been driven by a professional and won't have had the clutch worn out. I note it's from a reputable (?) dealer, if it does have a full service history so it has to be worth a gamble. Not my money going on it but probably worth a go, mind I notice that you intend shoving another 12K a year on it, perhaps something younger would suit unless you intend keeping up the service regime and can live with periods off road for maintenance.

[luckytrigger]

I bought my '03' td5 with 85k on the clock over a year ago and only problem ive had with it is the fuel pressure regulator which needed replacing and is a common fault with these vehicles. If its been well serviced should be ok..

[Moors Man]

I paid £7500 for a 2001 TD5 with 44,000 on the clock with a full service history and 12 month warranty 12 montha ago, so it sounds expensive to me. I understand the TD5 has a timing chain which should last at least 200,000 miles, it will have air suspension which is great but expensive if it does wrong.

[RED BEARD]

if its been serviced regular it should be sound.i look at it this way,i'd rather buy a 100,000+ motor thats been looked after,than a 50,000 motor thats never been serviced and dogged mercilessly!

Edited June 10, 2010 by RED BEARD

[al4x]

Check what road tax you'd be paying first, then keep the freelander far better idea on 12k a year to keep your low miler that you know.

[Martin g]

Many thanks for the advice chaps with good honest opinions ..

[AlistairB]

I've got a 122K mile 300tdi, only thing that i've had to do was change a headlight bulb, change the oil and out in a new electric window regulator - the rest i did out of choice! Go for it, they are great cars.

[ryantidgwell]

the car is from bradford , so if its been a local car it as been well used , 70 % of bradford is hills and some big ones at that , so the clutch will be really well warn ! unless its had a new one fitted ,

[BattleFieldRelics]

I owned a TD5 for 2 years had mileage of 92K. It was the most unreliable vehicle I've ever owned. Ended up trading it in (just to get rid of it) for a jap off roader.

[gixer1]

It wouldn't worry me, my TD5 was fantastic, I replaced a Hub (due to a wheel bearing/ABS sensor) and changed the problem fuel pipe (they were prone to rubbing on the chassi and leaking but the replacement has that solved)

 

Discoverys are a fantastic practical/veritile vehicle, people seem to have need to jump on them when in fact they are no more unreliable than any other 4x4 when looked after correctly, and anyone would struggle to argue with -

 

a) there offroad ability compared to others

 

storage space

 

c) comfort for 5 adults (or 7 sometimes)

 

d) ability to perform well in a city, offroad or on a motorway

 

every manufacturer has faults with a range of vehicles whether it is the discovery with an oil filled injector harness, Nissan with it's toffee made crank, Mitsubishi with fuel pumps and light r's end, izuzu with suspension problems, suzuki's with rot...the list could go on and on.

 

The discovery will serve well well into 200k miles if looked after right - there will be issues but that can be said for any mechanical object.

 

The concern with mileage is usually what is in it's history and how it effects value.

 

I liked my TD5 so much I bought a D3...and have also had a Range rover and freelander! all of which were good cars while i owned them, I have also had suzuki's and have friends with Mitsubishi's, nissan navara's diahatsu's they all have faults but i know which one I would prefer to be in offroad and on a motorway..

 

EDIT TO SAY - not all disco's have the air suspension or Active cornering enhancement, I had mine on coil springs and standard anti roll bars which can be bought from Brit part fairly cheaply - it's worth considering if you want to lower the risk factor, but the air suspension can be very handy although i would say the difference between ACE and ARB was not noticable.

 

Regards,

 

Gixer

Edited June 11, 2010 by gixer1

[jimbo30]

Worked at main agent for a couple of years. 1,8 freelanders are aweful! Id choose the disco any day. Obviously some are good and some are bad. No belt to change as its chain driven, early ones had a bit of an issue with cracked heads but im sure they will all have been done by now. Air suspension is poor but you can replace it with coils. Sunroofs leak but again thats a simple fix just a bit fiddly. TD5 is a cracking engine!

[Alycidon]

Just noticed this, if relevent I sold my first Disco at 274,000 miles, one of teh first 200 Autos. The current one an 03 TD5ES is just coming up for sale at 262,000.

 

Cams are chain driven on TD5s so no belts to worry about, both engines needed new injectors at 180,000. Air susp is nice and comfy but bags only last 70-120k, as I tow all a lot I put a mechanical conversion on it. Does not ride quite as nice but it is reliable.

 

A

[Sean Richo]

A 2002 vehicle with over a hundred thousand miles and they are asking 6k for it they are taking the ****! Can't believe you even contemplated it.

[PhilR]

The original post was made almost four years ago!!

[-Mongrel-]

LOL! Only 4 years?

[stuey]

Oops just noticed this was from 2010 lol

Edited March 2, 2014 by stuey

[Sean Richo]

Noticed that still far to expensive even four years ago.

[BrowningDJC]

An 02 plate td5 with that mileage for 6k, seems far too much to me!