[Closed] Discovery 2 as bike wagon?

Anyone?

Why?

I had a Disco 1 and a 2. The 1 was not great but the 2 was awful. Numerous problems, particularly the earlier ones. Mine was a 1999. Great drive with ACE and good sound system but the silly things did it for me. Mine was a 7 seat so ate into boot space.

I use a Disco 3 as a bike wagon. Perfect, if a bit on the thirsty side.

Bike goes in the boot; usually can't be bothered to take a wheel off. If it's going to be [i]really[/i] muddy I stick it on the towbar. For events it's fine for sleeping in, and obviously as a changing room it's pretty excellent as well.

Disco 2 not as good as smaller, less refined, more goes wrong. A lot cheaper though, and still hugely capable. Mind you, you can get a decent Disco 3 for £9k now......that's what I'd get.

mikertroid - Member

I'm on the brink of selling my fantastic VW T5 bike/surf wagon for a Disco 2.

What are the reason for getting rid of the T5? Do you need more seats?

What's your budget? I have a 1998 300tdi Discovery 1. The boot in the Disco 2 is slightly bigger, but even with the back seats folded into the front it's not nearly as big as a T5 even a Kombi one. With back seats folded into the front seats I can't fit my hardtail (18" PA) with wheels on. I have to take the front wheel off.

I love my Disco. It goes everywhere I want it to, it's easy and cheap to fix when things break. It's not too bad on fuel (about 35mpg) and I get the versatility of decent room to sleep in, store bikes and it can seat 7 when it needs to. I would find it pretty small if I was used to a T5 for bikes though.

I have a Disco 1 and a VITO Dualiner. The disco is fun offroad (it's modified), not great (but ok) on road, and vitally, does not have as much space inside as the vehicle size would suggest. The Vito is excellent for everything except offroading ! hence I will soon sell the Discovery but wouldn't part with the Merc.

P.S I think your VW is similar to the Merc !

Yes, I know the T5 is the mother of all bike wagons but I'm looking for a 4x4 until I combine the two and get a T5 4motion. That will be the daddy!!

I also fancy a break from driving vans; been driving them for the last 10 years, fancy a bit of plushness before I go back to a 4motion.

I have a 300tdi Disco 1, generally put my bike (large hardtail) across the back seats on a bit of tarp with the front wheel off if I can't be bothered to put the rack on the towbar. Both wheels off to put it in the boot.

I also fancy a break from driving vans; been driving them for the last 10 years, fancy a bit of plushness before I go back to a 4motion.

In that case, Disco 3 is definitely the way forwards - huuugely refined, and very luxurious. Depends on spec, obviously, but they're all pretty well equipped.

They are crap at using space well, I have to fold the double seat down to get my Specialized in, admittedly it's pretty long. Seats don't fold flat, so no good for sleeping in. Not that much leg room in the back for adults, and the seats aren't that comfy in the back. Good seats in the front though. Awesome off road and for towing though, especially with decent tyres.

with the back seats down in my discovery 2 i can get my size large spesh fsr in fully built and standing up.

35mpg out of a 300tdi.......how?

I get low 30s from mine, egr bypass, k&n filter, s&s sport exhaust and continental cross contact tyres. Staying at legal speeds certainly helps too.

Okay, so you CAN get a bike in the boot? I know it has the turning circle of the USS Nimitz and is very leisurely in pace (vans the fastest vehicles in the world-fact) but it does seem viable.

Oh yeh, something I forgot. Our 53 TD5 is awful on steeps from cold, the powerband is too high, so we either have to floor it or put it in low range to get out of our drive. Would be worth getting it chipped depending on how you're planning to drive it. Air con system is good though.

Yes, I think chipping is mandatory!!

Seriously Mike, why are you going to do this to your self... ? Brilliant T5 to a Disco.... there are some 4motion T5's on ebay right now....

neil853 - Member

35mpg out of a 300tdi.......how?

Mine still has the EGR fitted, although i've got a blanking plate sitting in the garage waiting for a rainy day. I have newish Goodyear Wrangler AT tyres all round at 30psi fronts and 32psi back. I don't drive it like a loon. If I'm in a national speed limit or 70 I tend to stick to 60 which is about 2300rpm. The 300tdi runs very cold and isn't over worked. I did 250 miles last week in one ago and the temp gauge didn't rise above a quarter. It's common to get 30mpg+ during normal driving. Off road with the diff locked is a different matter.

The later Disco 1's (post 93 i think) have an 89 litre tank. I get about 700 miles out of it.

Rickmeister,

I do sense the potential for regret looming!!!

I did think there would be more convincing responses from Disco owners!

Well,

Thanks for your input. I'm going to stick with the Kombi and get a 4motion version (180ps) in a couple of years. Best of all worlds.

After much soul searching I realise I'll be driving a van until I give up all my sports which hopefully will be more than 30 years time!!

Slightly off tpic but as Disco 3's have been mentioned... As a previous Disco 3 owner I can honestly say it is my favourite car ever. But I'd never buy another!!

Practicalities, it was awesome - two bikes stood up in the back with the back seats down (might have needed to take front wheel out or drop saddles, can't quite remember), plus camping kit for a week, climbing kit and still room to spare. Back seats folded totally flat so very comfortable to sleep in. Unbelievable offroad (mine went a lot more gnarr than Waitrose carpark), and so comfortable on the road - drove to the SW of France on my own - got out at the other end, felt v fresh and went for a surf!

But it cost a fortune to run. Mine was an '07, so not blighted by quite as many of the faults of the earlier ones, but it was still heavy on maintenance - suspension bushes, EGR valves, random suspension faults - you name it! So the idea of a "cheap", £9k, early D3 is something I suspect will cost a lot of money to run!

Unless you need to offroad capability, I reckon you've made the right choice!

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But it cost a fortune to run. Mine was an '07, so not blighted by quite as many of the faults of the earlier ones, but it was still heavy on maintenance - suspension bushes, EGR valves, random suspension faults - you name it! So the idea of a "cheap", £9k, early D3 is something I suspect will cost a lot of money to run!

Strangely, my 05 has cost very [i]little[/i] to run (though consumables cost a bit due to the weight and thus consumption of said items), and at 135k miles still feels very fresh. That said, I've heard some absolute horror stories.

Okay,

I kept the van, but I've had a major curveball thrown at me which now means I DO have to sell the wagon.

I've seen an '03 A6 Allroad Tdi and a '07 Passat estate Tdi 4motion.

I want 4 x 4 as my trailhead is off the beaten track and in the winter, I can't afford to get stuck so with winter tyres, I'll be better placed.

Any users out there with info on the 2.5 V6 Tdi or 2.0 Tdi engines?

Head says Passat. Heart says A6....

We've just taken delivery of about 6 Disco 3s at work, had the chance to work on one the other week and do some off road playing for training. Lovely motor miles part from the first generation and rather nippy.

With the rise of the BRIC economies JLR are working very hard on reliability due to necessity of using their vehicles where the nearest service centre could be well over 500 miles away.

135k is barely run in.

All Discos should have a tow ball. fact. just get a tow ball mounted rack.

Looks like I'm too late, but I've got a D2!

Works great as a bike wagon, 2 bikes in the back stood upright with the front wheels off and plenty of space for kit. Mine does 30 to the gallon, wether empty or fully loaded, and the self levelling air suspension is great when it is fully loaded! Did a 2 week camping trip a couple of summers ago, took the rear seats out and had two bikes and all the gear in.

It takes a little bit more looking after than a regular car or van, but there are a lot more mechanical bits to care for! Although it is fairly easy to do the routine work yourself if you are mechanically minded.