What was your gateway drug, and how many have you owned at this point? Mine was a 92 Range Rover I bought off a friend who gave up on it.
Old timer thread got me wondering, what Rover got you onto Discoweb?
- Thread starter ukoffroad
- Start date
1996 Discovery 1. picked it up for $3,100.00 in 2008. picked it up from a young medical equipment rep who had just moved to St. Louis from the PNW. he had had it maintained at a competent indie shop. it was the nicest vehicle we had ever had. leather seats, ac that worked. and, at that time, i had no idea that they were considered luxury SUVs by most people until friends and acquaintances started making comments about driving a Land Rover. though, half of them said Range Rover, cause they didn't know the difference.
then picked up my silver '04 Discovery off a member here. picked up another '04, the gold one, locally. then, the 2000 P38 off a member here.
finally, (so far) the 2011 LR4 from another member here. the least reliable Rover of the bunch was the '04 we bought locally. learned my lesson. always buy from a fellow enthusiast.
Edit: it was the '96 that brought me to DiscoWeb. needed to learn how to maintain due to having no money back then and the people on DiscoWeb gave straight answers and weren't afraid to tell me when i was doing something stupid, asking something stupid, or wasting my time and theirs.
then picked up my silver '04 Discovery off a member here. picked up another '04, the gold one, locally. then, the 2000 P38 off a member here.
finally, (so far) the 2011 LR4 from another member here. the least reliable Rover of the bunch was the '04 we bought locally. learned my lesson. always buy from a fellow enthusiast.
Edit: it was the '96 that brought me to DiscoWeb. needed to learn how to maintain due to having no money back then and the people on DiscoWeb gave straight answers and weren't afraid to tell me when i was doing something stupid, asking something stupid, or wasting my time and theirs.
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I picked up a '96 Disco, "Moby" , off someone's 30k mile 3-year lease return in '99. The customer had put an ARB rear locker in it so it was a special one on the dealer's lot. I was in a leased '96 Jeep Cherokee at the time and the Land Rover was super-exotic to me. Then I totaled it rear-ending someone on the highway in 2004, bought back from insurance fixed it up, and the sold it and bought my favorite, the 2004 Disco "Bam Bam" in 2008. That was a great truck even though the engine was a basket of warm shit. Sold it for parts at about 180K miles after the second engine shit the bed. Bought the current 2013 LR4 LUX HD in 2020 just before selling the 2004. The LR4 has been challenging to say the least. Comfortable, powerful, great off-road, but expensive. Will be sold later this year and I'm going Toyota or Lexus. Will have a 90s D110 at some point, I am sure. But as a toy, not a driver.
First Rover was a 2004 D2 SE in buckingham blue, tan interior. Purchased from a small dealer in 2009 off ebay from the library of my college. A cherry soccer mom special, well kept with about 60k. Sank it to the axles the second day of owning it then proceeded to overbuilt it for the next few years. Traded it for a RoW D90 (later seized in the great CBP Defender raid of 2014). Picked up a nice 02’ D2 off D90 Source that served me decently well as a daily. Sold the D90 a few years later. Got rid of the D2 when I picked up a buckingham blue LR3 almost 6 years ago. Has been a great do it all 4x4 platform for me
I'm a bit younger than most of you folks here, but Rovers were definitely my "taproot" into cars. I would go to work with my stepdad when I was a little kid on days when there was no school but my parents had to work, and on the way there we had to pass Land Rover Glen Cove and it was my favorite part of the drive. They had a white NAS110 out front for a long time, and I remember when the D2s came out seeing them on the parked at crazy angles on the off-road course. I got a VHS tape from the dealership that was a "how-to offroad" demo and it featured the D2 and P38 and the traction control stuff amazed me. I wore that 12 minute or whatever tape out watching it so much.
There was a Petersen's or Four Wheeler or some other magazine article that had a Kalahari-style D2 like this in a deep red or garnet with the gray 16" wheels on it, and I still want to build one like it. My mom used to babysit dogs for side work, and one of the owners was a Rover guy and I remember him pulling up in a brand new kent green 03/04 D2 and he let me check it out.
When it was time to buy my first truck I really wanted a D2, but everyone scared me off of with the reliability horror stories, so I got my first XJ, and then got another a few years later. I loved both my XJs but when it was time to get out of the hardcore off-road stuff and go back to something more stock and fun in 2016, I was looking for Troopers, Gen 2 Monteros, and then found a really nice 95 D1. It was cheap and I immediately fell in love with it, that brought me here. That truck is gone, have the LR4 now and keeping it forever, next step is a SIIa or something similar.
There was a Petersen's or Four Wheeler or some other magazine article that had a Kalahari-style D2 like this in a deep red or garnet with the gray 16" wheels on it, and I still want to build one like it. My mom used to babysit dogs for side work, and one of the owners was a Rover guy and I remember him pulling up in a brand new kent green 03/04 D2 and he let me check it out.
When it was time to buy my first truck I really wanted a D2, but everyone scared me off of with the reliability horror stories, so I got my first XJ, and then got another a few years later. I loved both my XJs but when it was time to get out of the hardcore off-road stuff and go back to something more stock and fun in 2016, I was looking for Troopers, Gen 2 Monteros, and then found a really nice 95 D1. It was cheap and I immediately fell in love with it, that brought me here. That truck is gone, have the LR4 now and keeping it forever, next step is a SIIa or something similar.
I joined when older Land Rovers stopped coming into dealerships. All the problems helped me remember stuff from 10 years ago. Now old discos might as well be an old VW when it rolls in a dealership. Those guys couldn't buy a damn clue.
This is still the best source of Heritage stuff. Better defender info can be found other places. But if you want to learn new words and get a lot of warm fuzzy insperational stuff. This is your place.
My first Disco was back in 99. I was fresh off working for Oldsmobile so that was all the wife ever had. At first she wasn't a big fan. But after a while she was hooked. She was driving home in big snow. A truck jacknifed accross both lanes. She chose the ditch and so did a Suburban behind her. Her disco came out the other side and made it back up on the road. The Suburban got burried up to the axles. There was tons of shit and mud hanging from the truck. At that moment she called the truck Soggy. I dont name trucks or farm animals.
No, I didn't.
I went to test-drive that 109 - after a couple of blocks I decided I could live with no power. But then I rolled up to La Jolla Blvd. with 4 lanes of traffic, stepped on brakes... and nothing happened. The 109 just rolled through the intersection, fortunately, in a few seconds' break in traffic.
The owner wanted $10k for this - and it was in 1997. That sort of ended my "Born Free" fascination. Two weeks later I bought a full-size Cherokee, and two years later - the Disco (in 1999).
Then it was a 1989 Classic (in 2000). Then a 95 LWB (in 2001, still own this one and my son drives it). Then a 68 Wagoneer (in 2002) - after which my wife put her foot down on yearly vehicle purchases, so a 95 SWB took a while to get (in 2007). Then another 96 Disco (~2008). Then the LR4, another 95 LWB, yet another 95 LWB, then the Grenadier.
That 89 Classic was later in caring hands of Rob Davison, and then - of Ben Little. Last time I saw it on satellite imagery rusting away in the back lot of GBR.
Tough call. The only thing going for that old 109 was the relatively straight body - I haven't even checked the frame then.
Reportedly, this 109 was eventually sold to some of the owners of San Diego Sea World - but as far as I can remember, it never hit the road.
Gone but not forgotten
2001 D2, that went to 190,000 miles, then sold to a friend who totaled it in 6 months. Had Safari Gard front bumper, rock sliders, T-case shield and everything operational The reason i joined this group.
2010 LR4 for me (totaled by idiots having road rage)
Current
2012 LR4 for my wife, who loves it
2008 LR2 for my daughter
2007 LR3 with Baja Roof Rack, FR ladder, rock sliders, light bar and plans for more including hidden winch
2001 D2, that went to 190,000 miles, then sold to a friend who totaled it in 6 months. Had Safari Gard front bumper, rock sliders, T-case shield and everything operational The reason i joined this group.
2010 LR4 for me (totaled by idiots having road rage)
Current
2012 LR4 for my wife, who loves it
2008 LR2 for my daughter
2007 LR3 with Baja Roof Rack, FR ladder, rock sliders, light bar and plans for more including hidden winch
1995 D1, and added all the cool RTE bits. Sold it here.
Since then,
1999 D2 from Will, where it ended up again and resold
1997 XD from Will, sold to Mike Rupp
1991 RRC Hunter x2 one to Will and one sold to Richmond
1999 D1, junked to Will
2004 D2 from Will current
Since then,
1999 D2 from Will, where it ended up again and resold
1997 XD from Will, sold to Mike Rupp
1991 RRC Hunter x2 one to Will and one sold to Richmond
1999 D1, junked to Will
2004 D2 from Will current
Gateway was the only new Rover owned - ‘95 D90 SW - sold to finance 109 restoration
‘93 RRC LWB - totaled in Tulsa; guy ran light, hit him sideways
‘96 D1 RHD in Japan - sold when we left
‘67 NADA 109 SW - Blueboy - sold when we moved to Switzerland
‘06 Defender 110 in Brasil - sold when we left
‘94 RRC LWB in garage
‘96 D1 in garage
Casually looking for ‘07 or ‘08 RR
‘93 RRC LWB - totaled in Tulsa; guy ran light, hit him sideways
‘96 D1 RHD in Japan - sold when we left
‘67 NADA 109 SW - Blueboy - sold when we moved to Switzerland
‘06 Defender 110 in Brasil - sold when we left
‘94 RRC LWB in garage
‘96 D1 in garage
Casually looking for ‘07 or ‘08 RR
Gateway drug for Rovers was an RRC that a MG shop owner friend had in Tokyo that I would borrow from time to time. Loved that thing. When I got out of the Air Force in 97 I purchased a 96 D1 and that was the start of it all. 6 in total now over the years as I tend to hold on to them for a while. At the point now that we keep 2 in the driveway since the wife likes her LR4 so much.
This is where it began for me: Botswana, early 1980s. 1971 SIIa. Overlanding before it was a thing. One trip into the Kalahari sealed my Rover interest for life.
