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Jason Wagner (Wagnerjc)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 02:20 pm: | 
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I am looking at buying a used DI or II in the mid $20k range. Was wondering what the big differences are between the two. I plan to do some moderate off-roading without making any immediate mods. Would I be better served by spending a little more on a DII for handling or should I save some green and get a DI? Thanks from a Jeep owner about to make the jump. |
Leslie N. Bright (Leslie)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 03:36 pm: |
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I have a DI, haven't even taken a ride in a DII, so take this w/ a grain of salt....
The DII is about 7" longer, because it has a bigger cargo area. It has the same wheelbase, though, which means it has a lot more rear overhang.
The DI has a CDL, which is nice. DII omitted the CDL, but has 4ETC to compensate, and does quite well. Early DIIs can be retrofitted with a CDL, though, and really do well. Put a locker in the back of a DI, though, and it'll be tough to beat.
The DII has a lot of other things, like HDC, optional ACE, optional SLS, etc., which are nice when new, but the jury's out on longevity.
Either one, in stock form, is better off-road than most anything else out there. The DI has more goodies available for it. The DII supposedly rides better.
IMHO, drive them both and then decide which you like for the money.
FWIW...
-L |
Dave
| | Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 04:53 pm: |
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I agree with Leslie. I have a DII. But I would say, definitely drive them both. Compare them for what they are, and for their relative production years.
Many people on this list will tell you what they like and don't like. But it's what YOU like... |
JRoc
| | Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 06:11 pm: |
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If you can get a DI that someone pampered, go for it and spend the extra on "Goodies" (ie. springs, shocks, etc. nothing crazy). If not your better off with a newer vehicle (DII). Everyone has there preferences but as Leslie said they both rock! Welcome to the club! |
Alyssa
| | Posted on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 06:34 pm: |
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The DII is a more refined version of the DI. There are 14,287 differences between the two, so listing them all might take a while...
It is quieter, more comfortable, smoother riding, faster, has better acceleration, is wider, and is longer. It handles much better. The seats are completely different, the steering wheel is different, controls are in different spots, rear seats are different (a much better design, incorporating the seatbelts into the assembly rather than having to fish out the belts like in the DI, and they also have real headrests & 3 point safety harnesses for all occupants). If you get a 7 seat car for family reasons, get a DII. The seats are forward-facing, with headrests and 3 point safety harnesses. They latch into the ground, and are real seats with thigh support and back support. They still fold into the side, but they are infinitely better.
For hard-core off-roaders, the DII can be too wide and have too big of a back-end that gets hung up. True, there is no CDL, but ETC is really amazing. The other major catch is that much of the DII is electronic. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, I'd rather have my ride out of the woods hinging on something mechanical that I could fix rather than something electrical.
Basically, the choice between the two is monetary. If the DII had never come out, the DI would be a wonderful vehicle to own and no one would know what they were missing. Now that the DII is on the scene, we suddenly notice all the shortcomings in the DI. I personally have a '96 DI and LOVE it.
Another thing to consider is that you are more likely to be in warranty longer in a DII... just something to consider. |
glenh
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 01:44 pm: |
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DII look great...but I love my DI...I drove a DII and it was much smoother but i believe I trust my DI over the DII. |
Roger Fastring
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 02:29 pm: |
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I purchased my D1 in Dec. Didnt have the budget for a D2, but my thoughts:
1. The old D1s have the OBDIs and they read the code on thier own screen under the seat, vs the OBDIIs that you must pay to get read or buy a reader
2. More aftermarket on the D1s.
3. CDL is a big deal to me.
4. D1 easier to work on, more mechanical. They are cheap, relatively, lots to look at for ~$10k. Wife wanted a J**p Cherokee, which was only around $2k less and two years newer, but it was easy to convince her to the older and more expensive (slightly IMO) D1 after driving it. Just night and day difference.
5. Only regrets I have - I would have expanded not just for D1 but would have looked at the LWB Range Rovers for the xtra leg room. (Tall with tall family) |
Scott MacGregor (Spm)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 03:43 pm: |
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I have a 97 SD and my wife drives a 01 SD, so I get to compare them on a regular basis. If you are only going to occasionally off road, and be honest with yourself on that, get the DII. Every time I have to jog around town on the weekend I grab her keys and run. The handling difference is significant.
The other instantly noticible changes are nice little things like stereo control on the wheel, auto temp control (I hate it) and such. I prefer the "duragrain" interior to my leather. The bigger load space is also nice if you actually want to haul something. Move up to the SE and the little armrests are nice. The body changes are subtle except for the head and tail lights. When they are side by side you can tell but nothing drastic except for the length.
With all that said if somebody told me I had to get rid of one, the DII would be gone. I love my 97. Off road ability, simplicity, cost and character. If those things mean a lot to you D1. If you value comfort, quiet, finish and convinence D2 |
p m
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 09:46 pm: |
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Jason,
more things to consider -
- D1 has a full-floating rear, while D2 is semi-floater. With the steel wheels, you can change the axleshaft on a D1 without even taking the wheel off.
- speaking of electronics - 96+ disco-1s and d2s are different from 94-95 d1. They come with OBD-2 compliant GEMS engine management; contrary to what has been posted above, you don't have to pay the dealer to look what's up with your truck. Pay $122 to obd-2.com and get a very nice code reader with all bells and whistles you can think of. Much easier to troubleshoot than earlier set-up.
- nothing beats the legroom in a long wheelbase range rover, prices on 87-92 rangies are near the floor, and center of gravity is waaay lower on the rangies than on the discos
- disco-2 has larger wheel wells, so you can go up two tire sizes (compared to d-1) without having to lift and/or butcher the sheetmetal. However, departure angle sucks big time.
all taken together, the later D1 is probably the best compromise between off-roadability and comfort features.
peter
p.s., IMHO, don't give up the jeep yet  |
Jason Wagner (Wagnerjc)
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 10:34 pm: |
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Thanks for all of the input. I'm really looking to lose the Jeep only becuase I need more seating. I don't really want to move into the giant class as the extras seats would only be used every once in a while by kid's friends. I also want to maintain decent off-road ability. I feel like the larger SUV's (Expedition) are just too big.
Jason |
Michael Noe (Noee)
| | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 08:08 am: |
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Good gracious, stay away from the Expedition. Just drove my cousins the other day. I'm sorry, but it's a POS. At 30mph, just turning the wheel back and forth slightly creates so much body roll, it's actually frightening. Also, this was a brand new vehicle...and it rattled and shook with every bump, small or large. It felt like something that would come out of Junkyard Wars! I can't even buy into the argument that it's a good on-road vehicle based on my experience. Just another vehicle that's been built, not designed. |
SKIMAN
| | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 05:07 pm: |
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DII WITHOUT QUESTION...SAFER VEHICLE ESPECIALLY AROUND TOWN. ACE IS ACTUALLY QUITE AMAZING...KEEPS THE 5000LB VEHICLE VERY STABLE ON PAVEMENT AND ACTUALLY CAN HELP OFF-ROAD ALTHOUGH DI OWNERS MIGHT OBJECT. WITHOUT GOING INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL..THE DII IS PRETTY MUCH A STEP FORWARD IN EVERY WAY (IMHO)-LOOK TO THE FUTURE IE 2003 RANGE ROVER! |
p m
| | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 05:10 pm: |
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Skiman,
your keyboard got stuck in caps
and i guess you rarely go off road
peter |
Greg Braswell
| | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 05:54 pm: |
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Jason,
From what you have already seen in the week since you first posted, you will never find a better group of owners than what you find here. Most of of these guys (and many girls too) are passionate about these trucks and now I understand why.
I've had my '01 DII LE for a year (16,000 miles). I love mine and have just started to make a few improvements for off-roading. I drive mine daily and some of my business trips are 3-5 hours. In that area of comparison, you will probably want to go with a DII.
With that said, I would like to think about a '96 or '97 DI myself some day as my second Discovery just as Scott mentioned above. There are many things you can do with the DI that you can't with a DII. If you want to get real serious about off roading, find a DI.
Considering what you've stated as your budget, it is not likely you will find an ACE equipped DII, nor would I make ACE a determining factor on a purchase if you did find one.
Don't pay much attention to the "reliability" issues with LRs in other forums such as Edmunds, etc. If you have any mechanical skills at all these trucks are pretty easy to work on even with OBDII.
In reality these are better built trucks than any Expedition and you will seldom if ever see an Expedition at an off road event.
Sorry, didn't intend to write a book. |
Roverine
| | Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2002 - 06:26 pm: |
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I'd like to thank everyone for the input on this thread also - A "friend's friend" was looking for info, and I referred him to this BB. He is looking very seriously at buying a Disco, and didn't know anyone else that had one. I think he found a '96 disco somewhere, and had a few questions ... Apparently he had a jeep, and wanted something a little more "daily driverish" (with 2 kids & a third on the way) that he could still take offroad. Hope he checked this out.
Kim |
cp
| | Posted on Friday, March 22, 2002 - 05:17 am: |
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I've got one of each, a '95 3 door and a 2000 DII.
The ace is ...ace. The abs sux...no it really sux. it's not good on road or off road. the traction control is great in the DII but somehow takes the fun out of it. To put it in perspective, our DII has just reached 60 000 km's, our DI has just reached 220 000 km's. We are getting rid of the DII and have just spent another $17 000 ($aus) on more goodies for the DII. |
cp
| | Posted on Friday, March 22, 2002 - 05:22 am: |
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sorry, previous post.
the new goodies are for the DI. the DII is on it's way out. |
Crash (Crash)
| | Posted on Friday, March 22, 2002 - 08:51 am: |
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I have 57,000 miles on my DII (2000) and I have no real complaints. As for the ABS, it has saved my hyde twice, both times on the freeway at freeway speeds and I found it very effective. I do have a CDL installed, so I can disable it when wanted.
I would like a better departure angle, that is true. It is nice having the extra room, though. If I was going to do a lot of modifications and make a dedicated trail rig, I would get the cheapest D1 I could find, or more likely, a D90. If it is a dual-purpose rig, I would get another DII because I like the refinements and amenities that it offers over the D1--but then again I drive 30,000 miles a year. |
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