Are older Land Rover Discoveries really that bad? How do they compare to contemporary Toyotas?

[Ozark_Prowler]

I just found the pictured 1998 Discovery 1 for sale here locally. It has 96,000 miles, and has been faithfully maintained by the owner and used mostly for highway commuting. He's asking $8900, which seems more than reasonable given the condition and miles.

However, I've heard so many horror stories of Discoveries breaking down constantly, due to casual engineering and dodgy build quality. Issues like cylinder cavitation, driveshafts taking out transmissions, and of course head gaskets come to mind, along with the infamous Lucas electronics.

Even so, I thought perhaps 1998 was old enough for them not to have as many complex electronics to go wrong. Moreover, I've owned three different supposedly "bulletproof" Toyotas which ate parts and were constantly in the shop (granted, they did have more miles and perhaps sketchier maintenance than this Disco). My current ride is a 1996 Tacoma SR5 with 233k miles. It does pretty well on trails, but I miss the durability of my old Land Cruiser.

Granted, my 1997 80 series had over twice the miles as the pictured Rover, but still, the engine bay was a superfund site with all the old gunk built up throughout the years, and it leaked from just about every seal and hose when I got it. The Land Rover looked squeaky clean by comparison underneath. Meanwhile, the 80 Series Land Cruiser is also famous for head-gaskets and overheating. The only area where the Toyotas have a clear advantage is the electronics, but again trucks this old are simple enough in that area for it not to be a huge concern.

In any case, a solid front axle Land Cruiser with the same condition and mileage would surely go for at least twice this asking price of $8900, but are they twice as good? There's so much hype around Toyotas, and perhaps for good reason, but these early Discoveries don't seem like any slouches either:
I'd appreciate any insight. Is this a good buy?

 

[NatersXJ6]

I haven’t owned any discos, only much older Series rovers and a small handful of other British cars. All I can say is that British engineering seems uniquely … British. Buy it and you’ll quickly know what I mean.

One thing that has always struck me as interesting, Jeep and Toyota build threads are always about modification, River build threads are often exhaustive lists of factory parts replaced in the name of “maintenance”.

I suspect part of that is the average Rover owner being more willing to spend and less willing to accept impaired performance, but YMMV!

I would guess the Disco isn’t so bad, but you are going to learn a lot about working on it. It’s the kind of car you develop a relationship with.

 

[Mike McMullen]

Land Rover, "Proudly turning Owners into Mechanics as long as they have made them.

 

[JackW]

Most of the overheating/ head gasket issues can be the result of deposits building up in the lower courses of the radiator. That and some plastic plugs they used back in those years that should be replaced by brass ones before they disintegrate and cause the system to lose pressure and overheat. Getting the radiator rodded out every 100k miles can help avoid the head gasket issue.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Most of the overheating/ head gasket issues can be the result of deposits building up in the lower courses of the radiator. That and some plastic plugs they used back in those years that should be replaced by brass ones before they disintegrate and cause the system to lose pressure and overheat. Getting the radiator rodded out every 100k miles can help avoid the head gasket issue.

FWIW the owners seems pretty diligent about coolant flushes and the like. I didn’t get a chance to talk about the radiator etc, though he had replaced a tstat as PM.

 

[XJLI]

FWIW the owners seems pretty diligent about coolant flushes and the like. I didn’t get a chance to talk about the radiator etc, though he had replaced a tstat as PM.

it doesn’t matter. Eventually, that head gasket will fail. They all do.

 

[Ray_G]

The overheating is prevalent in the later years of the Discovery II, far less so with the Discovery 1. I’ve owned several and found them to be rather reliable so long as your definition of that means ‘never quite broken, and never totally fixed.’

By the way, that same definition applies-to a lessor degree-to my Hilux.

Bottomline, Disco 1’s of the vintage you are looking at, if maintained, are robust and pretty reliable. Moreover, troubleshooting on the GEMS engine isn’t too difficult.
R-
Ray

 

[garrycol]

Having owned two early Disco 1s over a 15 year period I am not sure what these reliability issues you talk about - no different to any other vehicle - though the vehicle you are looking at is now 23 years old so any vehicle of that age will have issues.

Any issues that do come up are easy to fix as they are a very basic vehicle

 

[gatorgrizz27]

I loved mine, however they used to be $2-3k vehicles all over the place. Such is life these days it seems.

I‘d overhaul the cooling system and plugs/wires/fuel pump. Otherwise it’s likely GTG.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

People have been telling me $8900 is too much for this one. What do people think is a fair value? It is tidy, but as y’all have said it’s still 25 years old..

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Rover build threads are often exhaustive lists of factory parts replaced in the name of “maintenance”.

That’s also true of Land Cruiser forums, at least to an extent. Replacing head gaskets and big end bearings as “maintenance” are big topics over on the 80 series section on Mud.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

The overheating is prevalent in the later years of the Discovery II, far less so with the Discovery 1. I’ve owned several and found them to be rather reliable so long as your definition of that means ‘never quite broken, and never totally fixed.’

By the way, that same definition applies-to a lessor degree-to my Hilux.

Bottomline, Disco 1’s of the vintage you are looking at, if maintained, are robust and pretty reliable. Moreover, troubleshooting on the GEMS engine isn’t too difficult.
R-
Ray

Yes I’ve heard most of the issues (head gaskets, cylinder cavitation, 3 amigos, etc.) are on the Disco 2.

Would you say they’re as “reliable” as an 80 series Land Cruiser? I’ve heard the CVs are a bit weak compared to the Cruiser in stock form.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

People have been telling me $8900 is too much for this one. What do people think is a fair value? It is tidy, but as y’all have said it’s still 25 years old..

The problem is with 100k miles it’s still likely to need most of the maintenance one would at 150-160k, I’d be more concerned with the condition of the interior, paint, etc. They typically hold up pretty well if they aren’t treated horribly.

The standard Rover advice is “buy the cleanest, most well maintained example you can afford.” It‘s not necessarily bad, but I’d rather have additional $ to go through and do the work myself, as long as you’re not buying one that’s ragged out.

I’d have a hard time paying over $5k for one personally, but I’m cheap and if it’s really clean you might find it’s “collectible enough” for one to hold it’s value at $9k.

I‘ve bought 3 Disco 1’s, a Disco 2, and a RRC, I think $2,400 is the most I ever spent.

I only paid $5k for my 2008 LR3, but a dollar used to go quite a bit further.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

The problem is with 100k miles it’s still likely to need most of the maintenance one would at 150-160k, I’d be more concerned with the condition of the interior, paint, etc. They typically hold up pretty well if they aren’t treated horribly.

The standard Rover advice is “buy the cleanest, most well maintained example you can afford.” It‘s not necessarily bad, but I’d rather have additional $ to go through and do the work myself, as long as you’re not buying one that’s ragged out.

I’d have a hard time paying over $5k for one personally, but I’m cheap and if it’s really clean you might find it’s “collectible enough” for one to hood it’s value at $9k.

I‘ve bought 3 Disco 1’s, a Disco 2, and a RRC, I think $2,400 is the most I ever spent.

I only paid $5k for my 2008 LR3, but a dollar used to go quite a bit further.

Yea people were telling me 7k max for this one, but Rover guys seem even cheaper than Cruiserheads.

I can ask the owner what all he’s replaced. If it has a new fuel pump, water pump, etc it’d make the price more palatable. I’ve always thought paying a premium for a meticulously maintained example will save you money in the long run.

If this one had a manual, I’d be a lot more tempted to go buy the thing today. As it is I’m on the fence about it.

 

[ABBB]

Maintenance on any Land Rover is CONSTANT. It may be clean, but prepare to do everything the current owner does and likely more to sustain the condition. Again, maintenance - some of dinky little parts, some of major parts - is CONSTANT. For some with time, money, know how, there’s satisfaction in keeping up an old beauty. But don’t expect it to be reliable and ask yourself if you’re comfortable traveling in a vehicle you do not trust. I’d turn around and walk away, but that’s me, you may have different skills and interests in terms of how your time is spent. For perspective, what 25 year old vehicle isn’t going to need constant care? Especially if you want it to be a capable on and off road machine? Land Rover 150% deserves the reputation they have for inconsistent manufacturing quality and bonehead design for most of their models. If they weren’t so sexy they’d have gone under years ago. Search Carmax nationwide or other user car marketplaces, notice how many people buy these and then sell them just before the manufacturer warranty ends at 50k miles. Great product when new - usually, not always, see: inconsistent quality of parts - and majorly expensive to maintain, especially as they age.