jmooney Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Hi All, Another one from round the other side of the pond: I see that Land Rovers seem to be very popular in the UK. They are pretty readlily available here in the US but they have a reputation for being unreliable and needing lots of costly maintainance. Reviews I've read talk of new trannys at 40,000miles or "they're great if you can budget $10,000 a year for repairs". How to do you all find them? Is this true over there? Is it just that they send the bad ones over here Just to be more specific, we only have 3 models available here: The Discovery, Freelander, and Range Rover. There are Defenders around but they haven't been sold new here since he mid 90's. We also have only petrol models as well. The diesels aren't sold here either. Take care, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Like all cars if you service them and look after them they are no bother. ignore the servicing and it will cost you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Well my 1974 Series 3 is RELIABLY sitting on the drive One day I will set her FREE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duck duster Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Defender diesel are the most reliable.Dont buy a recovery as we call the discovery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller86 Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 i bought a defender 90 off a farmer which is rough to look at but will go any where slow and not so much to worry rust wise unlike the disco's but i still wont one (a disco engine that is) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I am on my third discovery and have never had any real problems with any of them . Having said that i am waiting for a steering lock for my present car . Is going to take 6 weeks to get the part from Landrover . My independant landrover specialist has hot wired the ignition so that i can still use the car . The part including two new keys is going to cost 220 pound plus fitting . A bit heavy i thought . Had a look at a discovery metropolis td5 today 2004 reg . Any body know were this one stand in the spec table . It looks very nice all black with black leather interior and black out drug dealer windows . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I bought a TD5 off Harnser's mate Dave. Best car I have ever bought - ok it's slow, the gaps in the panels / door alignment you can see from space and it's quite agricultural, but it's cheap, does everything and has cost me f-all so far (just routine servicing parts). The local independant 4x4 bloke says it's as sound as a pound. He says that if you get a TD5 in manual with none of the active suspension nonsense (and no extra electrical toys which go wrong) then you get a great value for money beast that costs f-all to run and which will go forever. Having just said that, I bet I have now jinxed it and the ****** blows up tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmooney Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 I bought a TD5 off Harnser's mate Dave. The local independant 4x4 bloke says it's as sound as a pound. He says that if you get a TD5 in manual with none of the active suspension nonsense.... Having just said that, I bet I have now jinxed it and the ****** blows up tomorrow. That makes sense. A lot of Disco's I have seen online advertise as being converted to spring suspension and no airbags. I wish to hell I could get a diesel over here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Mine has been fine - had it since April 08 and its cost me a window regulator (£25) and i replaced the leaking PAS box through choice - it still passed the MOT with it. Passed the MOT 2 months ago with no advisories and in "excellent mechanical condition" according to the tester. £1300 well spent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Maybe I have been lucky... grab a lump of wood quick, over the years I have owned many Landrovers from series 1 sidevalve, ser 2... 3 right through to my present day 300tdi Def and none have given me serious grief apart from a 52 plate TD5 disco which appeared to have been built on a friday afternoon and was jinxed. God how I grew to loath that car and the bills, it was an ES all singing and everything was just out of warranty I traded it for a new Freelander2 HSE which tows the caravan a treat and drives very well. My current shooting truck is a 95 def 90 300tdi hardtop, 2nd owner and now covered 164k it was undersealed from new and had a FSH which showed all services were carried out on time, not all by maindealer. My view is, as with any diesel, the oil and filter must be changed on time and quite honestly I dont believe half the fairy stories spouted, usually by non landy owners, about reliability. My landy,s have to go anywhere and 90% of my driving is offroad 12 months of the year. Provided you keep an eye on the levels etc and make sure she keeps dropping oil.... when it stops leaking there aint none in there then it will just keep on going, after all they say that over 75% of landrovers produced are still going somewhere in the world. Rgds D2D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzy518 Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 My ex mod 90 which was formerly with the RAF went for its MOT today....flew through last year with a couple of advisories and have done 2000 miles in it since., although much of it on farm tracks. Just had the call from the garage......"need new front brake pads/drums, excessive play in steering, rear silencer blowing, wiper rubbers split and you got a badly corroded brake pipe"...Anything else? says I....."Oh, a sidelight bulb too". Oh well, say bye bye to a wad of cash, but without my old truck I cant go shooting.....Unless I can fit all the gear into the BMW that is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 My ex mod 90 which was formerly with the RAF went for its MOT today....flew through last year with a couple of advisories and have done 2000 miles in it since., although much of it on farm tracks. Just had the call from the garage......"need new front brake pads/drums, excessive play in steering, rear silencer blowing, wiper rubbers split and you got a badly corroded brake pipe"...Anything else? says I....."Oh, a sidelight bulb too". Oh well, say bye bye to a wad of cash, but without my old truck I cant go shooting.....Unless I can fit all the gear into the BMW that is and that lot will probably cost less than £150 fitted anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 That makes sense. A lot of Disco's I have seen online advertise as being converted to spring suspension and no airbags. I wish to hell I could get a diesel over here imooney , Very few people run the v8 petrol version over here for obvious reasons . Gas is about $8 a gallon over here so you need deep pockets to run one . I get an average of 30 miles to the gallon from my TD5 and would never concider the petrol version . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesl2000 Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Hi I have 1 x 1950 Series 1 80" 1 x 1954 Series 1 86" and 1 x Discovery3. They are the Best 4x4xFar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmooney Posted June 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 imooney , Very few people run the v8 petrol version over here for obvious reasons . Gas is about $8 a gallon over here so you need deep pockets to run one . I get an average of 30 miles to the gallon from my TD5 and would never concider the petrol version . Harnser . WOW I knew it was expensive but I didn't realise it was that much! Our prices have crept back up since it's the summer holiday season. This morning it was $2.67/gallon. Highest it got in recent years was about $4/gallon. When I started driving in 1993 it was $.87/gallon.... I have no idea why there aren't more diesel vehicles in this country. About all we have (besides full size pickup trucks) are the Volkswagen offerings. Everyone is screaming for the govenment to force automakers to make vehicles that get 40mpg, the thing is that most of them do already. Diesel versions of many of the popular vehicles here exist, they are just not available here. It's very frustrating. So what model years of Disco's seem to be the most reliable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 I dont know if any modell is more reliable than any other model ,but it would seem that most breakdowns with a disco is normally found to be down to the electronics ,and there is masses of it . I have the top of the range ES premium model and it has more computers than than Bill gates . Every thing is electric and it has 55 fuses and links . Many would say the lower spec cars are more reliable because there is less to go wrong ,but what the hell ,i like the toys . Oh and the diesel engine will allways be more reliable than the petrol engine . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Hi All, Another one from round the other side of the pond: I see that Land Rovers seem to be very popular in the UK. They are pretty readlily available here in the US but they have a reputation for being unreliable and needing lots of costly maintainance. Reviews I've read talk of new trannys at 40,000miles or "they're great if you can budget $10,000 a year for repairs". How to do you all find them? Is this true over there? Is it just that they send the bad ones over here Just to be more specific, we only have 3 models available here: The Discovery, Freelander, and Range Rover. There are Defenders around but they haven't been sold new here since he mid 90's. We also have only petrol models as well. The diesels aren't sold here either. Take care, Jim They are more reliable than the Hummer that is available to the public LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennyboy30 Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 ive got a 56 plate 90 td5 and its great had a few minor warrenty replacements but nothing major had a shogun before this i love my landy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave dog Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 All vechicles have realibtiy problems, 4x4 seem to have more than most as there more to go wrong with end off. Every make has an issue's some where down the line weather it's Jap, Uk, Usa, etc. Some hold their bad names others don't. But I would say landrover are the best all you have to do is take a look at the old camel trophy to see why. That what i think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurstpol Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 I have been lucky I have had 3 discoverys and never had do do more than service them and put fuel in, and I towed my caravan for thousands of miles around europe with them, the discovery td5 diesel is a great machine, and all my friends have landrovers. But like any machine you will get as many people telling you they are no good, but thats life!. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevew Posted June 25, 2009 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have a 02 plate Disco Td5 which I've had for 4 years, goes anywhere, does 30mpg, best car I've ever had, had the master cylinder replaced under warranty when I first got it, but only service stuff since. The car it replaced was a bought new, 9 month old Toyota RAV4 which had been back to the dealers 3 times with a gear change fault finally fixed by a new gearbox at 6000 miles, also you can only open the back door 75 degrees on them so can't fit big things into the back. Previous to that I used a Range Rover classic, which I still have in storage, great car to drive (3.9 petrol V8) but 17mpg and started to cost money- usual faults like head gaskets, new front cv joint - no good for a daily driver. So forget Defenders, get a Discovery- more comfort on road and as good off road ( tin hat on). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckytrigger Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 I run an 03 plate td5s no bells and whistles with this one but its been chipped, its much more refined and comfortable than my old fourtrack (god bless its soul!) goes anywhere and everytime i drive it i have a smile on my face what more could you ask for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleabag Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 (edited) I dont know if any modell is more reliable than any other model ,but it would seem that most breakdowns with a disco is normally found to be down to the electronics ,and there is masses of it . I have the top of the range ES premium model and it has more computers than than Bill gates . Every thing is electric and it has 55 fuses and links . Many would say the lower spec cars are more reliable because there is less to go wrong ,but what the hell ,i like the toys . Oh and the diesel engine will allways be more reliable than the petrol engine .Harnser . I own an 08 model discovery hse had nothing but problems with it but cant afford to get shot of it, seats will never go to selected position, bi xenon lights keep sticking up in the air and the air suspention keeps droping at trafic lights. steering colume wont go down and my seat sometimes goes all the way down after its travelled to where it wants to on start up. other then that its fine. Edited July 2, 2009 by Fleabag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 I own an 08 model discovery hse had nothing but problems with it but cant afford to get shot of it, seats will never go to selected position, bi xenon lights keep sticking up in the air and the air suspention keeps droping at trafic lights. steering colume wont go down and my seat sometimes goes all the way down after its travelled to where it wants to on start up. other then that its fine. Sounds like some kind of soft wear problem . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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