disco or defender

[decoying mad]

im looking for a new 4x4 fancy a defender looked at quite a few last week but also looked at a few discoverys im wanting it for off roading aswell as a everyday vehicle.

 

 

or is there anything else worth looking at?

[al4x]

if its everyday and you go further than 10 miles go disco rather than defender, or be sensible and buy a jap 4x4

[FinFerNan]

A little trick I find helpful - Go onto Autotrader.com, put your location/price range into the relevant places and choose 4X4 in the vehicle type option (don't put an option in for the Make of vehicle)

 

This will list all the 4X4's they have available in your price range, and within a reasonable distance. That might throw up a couple of options you'd not thought of.

[decoying mad]

A little trick I find helpful - Go onto Autotrader.com, put your location/price range into the relevant places and choose 4X4 in the vehicle type option (don't put an option in for the Make of vehicle)

 

This will list all the 4X4's they have available in your price range, and within a reasonable distance. That might throw up a couple of options you'd not thought of.

cheers

[bigstevouk]

Got both..... defender superb 4x4 goes anyware, disco superb 4x4 goes anyware and good on road both very capable 4x4's but if you need a family car or a little luxury then i think the discovery is for you... hth

[decoying mad]

Got both..... defender superb 4x4 goes anyware, disco superb 4x4 goes anyware and good on road both very capable 4x4's but if you need a family car or a little luxury then i think the discovery is for you... hth

only family is the 2 dogs

[clueless1]

I'm a bit of a defender fan. They are, however, still utility vehicles. The creak, leak make lots of noise and are cold - although I think the new model is a bit better. Some people find the driving position hard to get use to. In short their not "cars" as people are use to.

 

If I was looking to expand the fleet I'd go disco for the extra comfort and the fact you can hear the radio.

 

HTH,

[seb]

I have a defender and its brill, 300TDI easy to fix and parts are easy to get. £10 for a service kit from my local lanny parts place - air filter, oil filter, fuel filter and sump seal. You couldnt get parts for a jap 4x4 for that kind of price.

 

My Mrs is looking for a Discovery because she doesent like the defender she says it smells of the dogs and wants some luxery.

 

If you want to be warm and have carpets get a disco but watch out for rotten boot floors and rear arches as those bits are known to rust.

 

If you want to clean out the muddy floors with a hose pipe and dont care about carpets get a defender. I wouldnt be without mine.

[FinFerNan]

I'd take a good look at the Toyota's, very good on and off road (Ok not quite as good as the LR products, but certainly good enough) BUT they are more reliable on the whole.

[al4x]

funnily enough a service kit for my L200 from milners is exactly a tenner. I love Landrover fans using parts as the big argument for them its because they're so used to going to their local parts desk

[Al Downie]

I have a TD5 Defender 90 (2005), and it's absolutely fine for long drives - every weekend I'm away for hours in it. Gives me just over 30mpg which is the same as the BMW estate that I sold, and plods along very happily on the motorway at around 65-70mph while I chat with my missus. It'll go faster than that for sure (it's got a fancy chip fitted which is good for 100mph+), but since I started driving the Landy, I've totally lost interest in getting places fast. It's absolutely bombproof around the farms where I shoot, and by FAR the best thing is that I just don't have to worry about dinging a panel, grounding out, or getting the inside muddy, or letting the dog in the front if he's been a good lad. I thought about a Freelander or a Disco too, but these are cars that I *would* feel a bit precious about, so I quickly scrubbed them off the list.

 

The Defender is much noisier than a normal car, but I totally love it to bits and it makes me smile every time I get into it. This time last year I was riding around in a big posh, quiet, sporty piece of precision engineering with electronic everything, but I have no regrets at all about swapping it for the Landy. Its just brilliant. Go an' get one.

 

Oh yeah - and people you've never met before will start waving at you. It's pretty cool.

[docholiday]

Al

I think you have summed it up. al4x has always had a downer on them but like you I love mine to bits, its strong and doesnt mind what I do to it, and I dont care what I do to it. I have had it stuck in fields over night, gone home and not lost a wink of sleep, I drive it in absoulute cr a p two nights ago lamping there was mud everywhere, just hosed it out next day. Yes you get noise, wind etc but I wouldnt treat any other car I have owned the way my defender gets treated, and all the nice horsey girls wave to me got to be good

doc

Edited December 8, 2009 by docholiday

[EvoCars]

Ive had both, fun to start with, but soon get bored with them, ive now gone jap (Toyota surf), wish Id got one years ago, so much better, and cheaper

[al4x]

Doc if I'd got my truck as stuck as you did I'd be quite happy even the ****** wouldn't get it out and be able to steal it

 

they are functional vehicles and are lacking in luxuries and though I don't want to own one I still like driving someone elses. I just like not having to wear gloves and a coat when i drive over winter and to know its going to start.

[Edward]

Disco with mudterrains

 

or if you dont have to drive more than 10miles a defender

[DaveK]

Go for a Defender. Especially being as my 110's for sale, just passed it's MOT, goes like a train and is up the road. :good:

[docholiday]

Doc if I'd got my truck as stuck as you did I'd be quite happy even the ****** wouldn't get it out and be able to steal it

 

 

You remember

 

wearing a big coat to drive them is part of the fun

 

doc

[docholiday]

PS I tend to agree its more the tyres than the car that gets you out of the sh 1 t and the driver that put you there in the first place

doc

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Al

I think you have summed it up. al4x has always had a downer on them but like you I love mine to bits, its strong and doesnt mind what I do to it, and I dont care what I do to it. I have had it stuck in fields over night, gone home and not lost a wink of sleep, I drive it in absoulute cr a p two nights ago lamping there was mud everywhere, just hosed it out next day. Yes you get noise, wind etc but I wouldnt treat any other car I have owned the way my defender gets treated, and all the nice horsey girls wave to me got to be good

doc

I am with you on this one doc

I have had most landys from a d1 200 tdi to 300tdi TD5 es and a old stage 1 v8.

And I always come back to a defender be it 200 or 300 or td5 you cant beat the way they look so good when dirty and smell.

Plus despite some claims of cheap parts for jap cars yes service parts maybe cheap.

But you try buying things like cv joints etc my dad has a subaru justy cracking little car goes places it should not but parts are scary .

The best little truck I every had was a subaru sumo van until the rustworm beat my welding skills.

OTH

Edited December 8, 2009 by Over the hill

[DaveK]

Not overly sure about the tyres. I think it depends on the situation. I've been well bogged a couple of times and had to be pulled out. In my opinion the main problem both times was that the tyres were clogged with mud and were effectively slicks with no traction. MT's are good until they get clogged up. Maybe some with good sidebars like Pirelli Scorpions do a better job than most but even they'll clog up.

[dodeer]

Better of getting a nice Hilux double cab or Landcrusier.

[Al Downie]

Something else that's unique about the Defender is that nobody can make any kind of assumptions about you, your personality, your wealth, your status or anything else when you're in one - they're completely classless. Everything else, including Discos and Freelanders, lets people put you in some kind of pigeonhole. For example, I can't help thinking 'cowboy builder' when I see an L200. Or any of these other Jap pick-up things, apart from the very original hilux, which was pretty cool because there was no 'styling' about it, unlike these pishy things with 'ANIMAL' written on the side.

[DaveK]

Something else that's unique about the Defender is that nobody can make any kind of assumptions about you, your personality, your wealth, your status or anything else when you're in one - they're completely classless. Everything else, including Discos and Freelanders, lets people put you in some kind of pigeonhole. For example, I can't help thinking 'cowboy builder' when I see an L200. Or any of these other Jap pick-up things, apart from the very original hilux, which was pretty cool because there was no 'styling' about it, unlike these pishy things with 'ANIMAL' written on the side.

 

and, of course, other drivers wave to you :good:

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

Something else that's unique about the Defender is that nobody can make any kind of assumptions about you, your personality, your wealth, your status or anything else when you're in one - they're completely classless. Everything else, including Discos and Freelanders, lets people put you in some kind of pigeonhole. For example, I can't help thinking 'cowboy builder' when I see an L200. Or any of these other Jap pick-up things, apart from the very original hilux, which was pretty cool because there was no 'styling' about it, unlike these pishy things with 'ANIMAL' written on the side.

Agree with you that l200 I have friend whos got one he is a builder not a cowboy but imo does his image no good.

Going back to the thread if your getting stuck in field in your truck be it whatever I think it time to start thing about should you be in there as most farmer I know dont take to kindly to the soil be compacted and rutted .

I have see a pigeon guide drive across freshly drilled wheat in his mission to get the paying clients to a field so they dont have to walk.

Needless to say he never shot on that farm again.

Regards OTH

[DaveK]

But OTH, not all farmers fields are arable.