Land Rover Discovery

Apart from being a Chelsea tractor and looking like I live in Surrey does anyone have any real world experiences of owning one.

I live in a part of the world where a 4×4 is pretty mandatory and see the discovery as a good child / bike lugger as is pretty boxlike and with heated screen, 4×4 etc… looks like a good option for the snowy winter months.

Currently have a T5 caravelle / multivan which is ace but only 2wd and the 4motion ones go for a fortune here second hand – much more expensive than the same age disco. The T5 is getting tired and currently has more things wrong with it than wor, this includes a slipping clutch and getting through coolant…

Would be looking at a disco 3 in manual so 2006-2008 I think. Budget doesn’t really stretch to a 4 and don’t really like the idea of an auto. However not many of the 3’s for sale are manual.

Any input / horror stories gratefully received. Seems almost everything on them is electric so guessing if things start to go wrong soon gets pricey…

I’ve got a Defender which I have serviced at an independent. They never seem to be short of a Disco horror story or two! I’ve been in a few times when they’ve had a Disco in for an engine replacement, and I think the bill for those sorts of jobs can come to £6k or more. I think some versions are much more unreliable than others, so it would be worth checking – as you are doing. I have it mind that the Mk3 ones around 2006 and 2008 are the ones affected!

I wouldnt fancy owning one out of warranty, they are well known for going wrong and being expensive to fix.

If you need something bulletproof, 4 x 4 and capable of lugging gear it may be worth looking at something like a Hi Lux.

Thanks – 7 seats would be nice too, current got 7 with the T5 but two of them spend 90% of time in the garage and a bit of a faff to pop them in when have friends / family to stay.

“If you need something bulletproof, 4 x 4 and capable of lugging gear it may be worth looking at something like a Hi Lux.”

too much top gear me thinks. hilux are pretty pish – but not as bad as L200 ….

If i was going down that route it would be a land cruiser.

People that have them seem to like them, and then reel off a long list of repairs they’ve needed to pay for. Make of that what you will !

I used to own a manual D3 55 plate, from just before the VED rise. It was a wonderful thing to drive, great position and could get through almost anything, anywhere. Drove to the Alps in it and felt fresh as a daisy.

Sold it about 2 years ago based on two factors, one in your favour, one not. The nice point was that I felt that the selling price I could achieve for it was about to go off a cliff, so good if you’re hoping to pick one up.

The bad was that the running costs were always high, and I felt that there was too many worries mounting up. Every year it would spend some time in the garage, be it a failed parking brake, a rear door release catch, EGR valve gunged up, along with more typical wear and tear items.

Do I miss it…absolutely, for the drive, absolutely not for the ability to empty my bank account. For me, the key would be to have a good independent garage nearby, my experience of most main dealer service departments was horrendous, both technically and financially.

I had a D3 V8 petrol last year – quick enough, plenty of toys and never went wrong (apart from the reversing sensors). Also HUGE in the back, we did a trip to the Alps and had three bikes and three riders and you could lay out across the back seat. Literally the best vehicle I’ve had for cruising across France.

I’m not sure I’d have a derv one, they felt a bit gutless when I took one for a test drive…

OP – you need one of these….

Much cheaper to buy used than a Disco.
Seven seats.
I had one for seven years and it was bomb proof.
The boot’s quite big too….

Downsides – 24mpg no matter how you drive it. Spendy on the VED – £500 p.a. A bit Agricultural to drive. Possible emotional attchment may cause you to sniff a bit when you let it go. *sniff*

too much top gear me thinks. hilux are pretty pish – but not as bad as L200

Something like a hi-lux oh car expert thou. That’s a pretty big list of cars, most farmers these days seem to be going for the various 4 wheel drive pickups now that the defender is not being produced and they give them pretty harsh lives.

The lack of 7 seats will be a problem though, not much out there offering that really.

sorry fella its just a button when folk say hilux synonomous with bombproof.

the old ones were but rusted out badly … the new ones are terrible.

the pathfinders not a bad shout really – its a more carrified pick up.

That’s a little spooky as searched for a hilux and stumbled across a pathfinder which looks like it ticks most of the boxes but probably not as much fun to drive as a disco. I didn’t realise they were 7 seats too.

We live in France so most garages are generally poor and very expensive but I’ve asked previously and they wouldn’t touch a disco as there’s a lot of electronic wizardry so I would be forced to use a main dealer which is probably ever worse and more expensive than the independent ones. It would probably be cheaper to drive it back to the UK…

On the flip side it’s cost me a lots over the years to keep the T5 on the road but that’s as much a reflection of garage prices as much as how much has gone wrong with it.

Older disco = financial heartbreak.
Horribly unreliable.
Don’t do it.

Plus:
Very recently I spent part of a morning assisting at an RTC where a disco had overturned following a normally fairly innocent clipping of the kerb on the inside of a bend. While the car was still driveable once put the right way up, the lack of a roof and the still unconscious with breathing difficulties state of the driver 45 minutes after hitting his head on the door pillar should be off-putting.
All of these big things are inherently unstable when compared with other forms of family transport and have a huge mass so that when things go wrong on the road, they frequently go wrong big time. Stopping 2.5 tonnes on a snowy road safely takes experience.

Get a good large estate car or people carrier and a spare set of rims to put winter tyres on. Toyota Avensis, Passat (A6), Honda Tourer, Galaxy/ Alhambra/ Sharan. They’re all safer and more reliable places to keep your loved ones.

Discovery has a mixed history, depends exactly which model/engine you want. Not cheap to own, new 2017 model should be better.

Anecdotally, you either get a peach or a lemon. Folk who get a good one love it, if you get a bad one then you are cursed for ever more.

9 out of every 10 land rovers ever sold are still on the road today.

The other one got to it’s destination.

If you want 4WD and 7 seats, plus nice to drive what about a Volvo XC90 AWD?

The 7 seats have a good layout and easy to access rear seats for kids?

2 people at work have (had) 2006 Discoveries.

Firstly, they both made it to work in the snow. Secondly, for the rest of the time they were awkward.

The silver one didn’t appear at work one day. I asked the driver what was wrong – “the mechanic isn’t sure but he said he’s going to put his hands deep into my wallet, wriggle around and get out everything he could find”. 3rd time this year it went wrong. Gearbox, apparently.

The black one stopped appearing at work and a Hertz rental Seat Leon appeared instead. The driver had worked out that it was cheaper to keep the Disco in the garage and hire the Leon for the remainder of the contract he was working.

Unscientific sample of 2 but I wouldn’t fancy it!

The technical director at the last place I worked has a Disco TDV6. It would have been around a 09/10 plate.

He had all sorts of things go wrong with it, including the main ECU completely going on the fritz while holidaying in France with his whole family. It was only about 2 months old when that happened.

He could get 30mpg out of it max (and his commute was about 120 miles/day).

It was a bit of a cumbersome barge.

Well, I have had two. Both new. The first was on an 07 plate and the 2nd on a 14 plate. Clocked up around 120,000 in total and they have been faultless. The first was a manual and the 2nd an auto. Auto far nicer

A large proportion of the complaints I deal with are related to Discoverys. As other have said, there is a lot of fancy stuff in them that goes wrong and costs a lot to repair. I wouldn’t go anywhere near one.

Sounds like it’s been cleared up for you then. It’s the best worst car you’ll ever have.

Mr brother had one for 6 months, just out of warranty, FSH, it cost him £500+ in that time with a plastic brain failing after the battery died. His missus loved it but it had to go.

Just don’t do it honestly. Buy Japanese, I’ve had shoguns and I’ve now got a Land Cruiser, both very solid, reliable and more than capable off road.
Everybody I’ve known who’s had a disco has shelled out thousands a year keeping it on the road.

Or D Max (recommend what you have).

Other car is an octavia scout so realise the benefits of an estate. At the risk of giving my life story also in the midst of house renovations so also a reason for wanting a big car / van.

Will also look at xc90 – hadn’t thought of that.

On the flip side if I stump up the cash for a 4motion T5 I’m likely to be able to sell it on for not much more than I bought it a few years down the line (joy of French second hand car market..) – and yes have looked at importing one from Germany – lots mote choice but not dramatically cheaper for the extra effort involved.

Yep, also had two. As above – loved them but expensive to run. Heavy on suspension components / bushes etc (amongst other things), but very comfortable to drive, loads of space in the back, will go anywhere. Would I have another? Only if it was under warranty or company car / lease

Auto definitely preferable to manual.

Have a look at the Subaru Outback….seriously. Not bad motors at all and offer great off road ability.

I’m on my second XC90, and as a road going 4×4 for family/dogs/bikes and long journeys its unbeatable! The seats are so comfy. 3rd row of seats are much bigger than most 7 seaters. 30mpg (40 on long runs).

One of my mates has a “4”, and it’s lovely, he must have one of the good ones as it hasn’t really gone wrong yet. I know it’s not a very fashionable attribute for a car to have atm but it is by far the most comfortable car I’ve been in. Only complaint from me, an infrequent passenger in it, is the elbow room seems a bit tight up front.

We’ve had D3s & D4 for the last 11 years and they are brilliant

Been reliable, not cumbersome as suggested and just do everything you could ever want for a family car

But…

If you buy a 08 D3 go into it eyes wide open, they are expensive to run and fix, it may be the best car you ever owned or it may break you

Sold mine last year, having owned it from new for ten years. Great car and I would echo dashed’s post. Mine was fine, and no untoward costs. The only failure I had was when a rodent chewed through a pipe on the fuel tank, but I put the bill through insurance. In the year range you’re looking, there’s a susceptibility on the oil pump mount- a site like disco3.co.uk is a good place to find details, and possibly pick up a cherished example.
Good luck!

Don’t the XC90’s have gearbox issues? Also the handbrake is a known common fault that costs a couple of thousand to fix. I looked into them before buying the Land Cruiser.
Yep that’s it buy a Land Cruiser!

Thanks all – decided against considering one until the last few posts…

I’m on my second XC90, and as a road going 4×4 for family/dogs/bikes and long journeys its unbeatable! The seats are so comfy. 3rd row of seats are much bigger than most 7 seaters. 30mpg (40 on long runs).
How is it offroad.

4×4 magazine did a comparison of 2nd hand 4x4s last month and Jeep Grand Cherokee got the most stars. Toyota Colorado got a good score and the Mitsubishi Shogun is well rated.
I’d love to know what’s wrong with the Hi-lux too. 8)
I wouldn’t change my Nissan for any of them though.

Have a look at the Subaru Outback….seriously. Not bad motors at all and offer great off road ability.

+1.
Unless you’re going seriously off road an Outback will be fine.
Drives like a car and can’t be touched for reliability.

Less thirsty too, (not often I can say that!)

Looked at the Discovery a few years ago (and XC90s), but was put off by people on campsites telling me about the £1000 bills every year or so, mainly for air suspension components it seemed. Ended up with a Hyundai Santa Fe, which was totally reliable and did 90% of what the Disco did (albeit rather plasticky), and also had 7 seats. Was so good, we recently bought another, but with the 200bhp 2.2l engine. Reliable so far (kiss of death, I know).

Irrelevant of whether it’s a Disco, an XC90 or equivalent – a 10 year old 4×4 is always going to be a expensive to run vehicle.

Yep agreed – currently have a 12 year old (high mileage) T5 and struggled to find a decent local garage so fairly used to forking out to keep a car on the road.

However if a disco really is a (real world) liability then happy to avoid.

Is the 4 any better?

Yep agreed – currently have a 12 year old (high mileage) T5 and struggling to find a decent local garage so fairly used to forking out to keep a car on the road.

However if a disco really is a (real world) liability then happy to avoid.

Is the 4 any better?!

I had a 2005 Disco 3, this sums up my ownership experience nicely:

Older disco = financial heartbreak.
Horribly unreliable.
Don’t do it

Also currently running a 2010 XC90 which I’ve had from new. The XC90 has done 125k miles and cost a fraction of what the LR cost in approx 40k miles.

You dont ‘need’ a 4×4 just because you live in a snowy part of the world. My previous 3 series with winter tyres on coped perfectly in the snowy pennines and never had issues going up 25% gradients.

Even with a 4×4 you still need all weather/winter tyres, the 4×4 system might help you move forward to a degree (even then with wrong tyres you;ll still get stuck once it gets too extreme or be unable to steer properly) but it wont help you stop.