| Author | Message | ||
     Greg Pursley Unregistered guest |
I have been thinking about buying a Land Rover Discovery for a while now. I?m only 18, and about to go off to college. I won?t have a consistent paycheck or cash flow so I need something reliable. Right now I drive a car (Oldsmobile Aurora), and I need the room an SUV has to offer because I have to carry big things like guitar amps and other stuff everyday. I?m will also be taking it off-road and camping often. I also like the idea that Land Rovers are very distinct and nothing else looks like one. I will probably be driving 30miles or less a day. I am looking to spend under $12,000. Is it practical for someone like me to buy a Land Rover? I have heard that they are not very reliable vehicles, but many owners here on the board claim they are reliable. I have been researching other SUV?s also. I can get a 95-98 Discovery for about the same price or lower then a Jeep Cherokee, Honda Passport, Chevy Blazer, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan X-Terra, or something like that. Would I be better off buying a Japanese Import SUV, or a Land Rover Discovery? If so, which other SUV should I look into buying? If I decide to by a LR Discovery, what should I look, and lookout for? If you know of any common Discovery I problems or recalls for certain years let me know. Please give me specifics on any 95-98 LR Discovery?s. What kind of problems typically happens at certain miles? What is the typical gas mileage for a Discovery V8? What kind of questions should I ask a potential LR Discovery seller? I know someone locally that would probably help me work on the Discovery it needed any work. The guy that bought my last house is a Land Rover mechanic. There is also a Land Rover Dealership close by. Well any help, input, suggestions, and opinions would be greatly appreciated!! | ||
| Ron Ward (Ronward) advanced member Username: Ronward Post Number: 283 Registered: 02-2002 |
Of course you should! Buy mine for $13500! Ron Ward | ||
| Bob Shinn (Discopimp) New Member Username: Discopimp Post Number: 2 Registered: 02-2003 |
Run, don't walk, away from the disco. Buy an older (mid 90's) Pathfinder/4-runner, next to no maint & 18-22 mpg. These things are good trucks, but they need a steady diet of cash to do their thing. Do yourself a favor & buy something low maint while you're in school. Enjoy your college years road tripping partying (not to mention getting educated) & having fun not maintaining your truck (as enjoyable & therapudic as that can be). As a bonus, think about how affordable that 00 DII will be in four years. Best of luck whatever you decide. Bob | ||
| Phillip Perkinson (Rover4x4) New Member Username: Rover4x4 Post Number: 6 Registered: 02-2003 |
I would also opt for a 4 runner. toyota Tacomas are excellent to I have contemplated them before I got my rover and I am still thinkin about it. get a good degree and makes lots of money . I am in college to, I try not to drive my truck due to cost of fuel. | ||
| Carter Simcoe (Carter) advanced member Username: Carter Post Number: 1793 Registered: 04-2002 |
didn't we just have this thread a few days ago???? | ||
| Chris Marcel (Gumarcel) Advanced member Username: Gumarcel Post Number: 81 Registered: 11-2002 |
yup...it dissapeared i think though | ||
| Carter Simcoe (Carter) Senior member Username: Carter Post Number: 1794 Registered: 04-2002 |
oh | ||
| Jesse Lessard (Jlessard) Member Username: Jlessard Post Number: 30 Registered: 10-2002 |
damn matrix gliches! | ||
| Ramsay (3toedsloth) Advanced member Username: 3toedsloth Post Number: 152 Registered: 07-2002 |
Greg, I've had my '96 DI since senior year in high school (3 years now). If you're willing to change your own oil and other fairly simple tasks owning a Discovery isn't a terrible burden for a college student. Yeah, gas sucks. I won't argue with that, but if you treat the truck nicely she'll treat you well back overall. JR | ||
| Greg Pursley Unregistered guest |
Well, I already have to pay for premium gas in an 4.0 8cyl car, so paying for gas wont be that big of a change | ||
| Alex Cabrera (Alexcabrera) Senior Member Username: Alexcabrera Post Number: 79 Registered: 12-2002 |
Same what I posted on the first thread. Buy the rover. Then get a good set of tools. (or raped at the •••••••) | ||
| Greg French (Gregfrench) advanced member Username: Gregfrench Post Number: 184 Registered: 11-2002 |
Go with a Toyota or Honda. I traded in my Toyota PU for a 97 disco. I needed something I could haul my wife and kid and all of our stuff around in that would last me 10-15 years and not bee too expensive. I thought..."Hmmm...Land Rover. They are expensive trucks so that must mean they are built to last" Dead wrong. I wish I had bought another Toyota. Unfortunately, though, I caught "Rover Fever" and will probably never sell it. I'll just keep pumping money into it for the next 10 years. Remember...for the price you are talking about, you would not have any warranty and would be buying a vehicle that someone else may or may not have taken care of. If money is an issue, I say wait until you are out of college and have a steady income before buying a Rover. BTW...Mine is for sale. You want it? | ||
| Andrew Clarke (Aclarke) advanced member Username: Aclarke Post Number: 223 Registered: 10-2002 |
The only thing I said in the other thread that I feel like repeating is not to buy the Honda. It's not a Honda, it's an Isuzu Rodeo. If that doesn't raise any red flags, then go buy an Isuzu Rodeo because they're generally cheaper than Honda Passports and exactly the same vehicle. | ||
| Greg French (Gregfrench) advanced member Username: Gregfrench Post Number: 187 Registered: 11-2002 |
Yes...of course...but the Element looks cool. | ||
| twyst10 Unregistered guest |
i bought mine at 19 and boy if you dont have a good job you are going to hate the maintenance! I have to say though, i love mine. it is a wheeling animal (lots of extra's though$$$$$$$$$$$$) | ||
| Andrew Clarke (Aclarke) advanced member Username: Aclarke Post Number: 224 Registered: 10-2002 |
GregFrench, GregPursley mentioned the Passport. Yes I agree that the Element looks like a fun vehicle, but IMHO it's not an SUV! I'm sure it would do fine getting you to a campsite just like any car would, but it's not meant for anything more extreme than a maintained gravel road. Side note on that vehicle: I was at the LA Auto Show a few weeks ago and a mother and daughter were totally trashing the Element, saying "who would take this off-road? Look at all the plastic on the side, it's gonna get all scratched. This SUV is stupid. Nobody's going to buy it". I felt like slapping them but instead I just moved on... | ||
| M. K. Watson (Lrover94) advanced member Username: Lrover94 Post Number: 675 Registered: 02-2002 |
you could wait a year and pick up a used H2o when the owners realize what POS the bought! mike w | ||
| Ted Chestnut (Tedchestnut) Member Username: Tedchestnut Post Number: 57 Registered: 08-2002 |
im 18, i got the land rover, we should make a club because we're multiplying. | ||
| Mel A. (Krawlrovr) Member Username: Krawlrovr Post Number: 104 Registered: 06-2002 |
I'm 17 (18 in about a month) and I own a 1995 Discovery S1. When it works, you will always have a grin on your face (especially off-road), but mine has problems every other month. I have pretty much given up on it for now. As much as it's a pain in the ass, I still love it. I want to sell it, but at the same time I really don't want to. To me, it is the perfect SUV for a teen. I am probably getting another car (maybe a Mini Cooper S w/ 230hp!!), as a graduation gift, in the next couple of weeks, but rest assured, I will try everything I can to keep my Disco too. A club for kids that own Discovery's is not a bad idea...meets will be hard to arrange though. | ||
| Mike Dougherty (Mikedougherty) New Member Username: Mikedougherty Post Number: 5 Registered: 01-2003 |
Keep in mind the Element is a new vehicle, so you will not find any used out there yet. You'll be paying $16+K for one. Another option, if you are good at managing your money, is spend less on the Disco, say $7 or 8K and keep the difference stashed away for trickling into the truck over the next four years. Just my $0.02, /mike | ||
| Jack (Jack) Member Username: Jack Post Number: 62 Registered: 03-2002 |
I bought a 1967 MGB when I was 18. The car was 13 years old then, and I learned a lot about repairing and taking care of a vehicle (my first intoduction to Lucas!). My friends bought Hondas, and didn't learn a thing!  All cars require maintenance. Rovers are easy to repair but if you have to rely on a dealer, you'll pay dearly. If you are the DIY type, you'll love a Disco. If you've never had bleeding knuckles or grease under your nails, you may want to stay away. If you decide to buy one, have it throughly checked out by your mechanic friend before you buy. Just my .02+ Jack |
