Older 4X4 seven seater as a 2nd car - advice welcome....

dinners

dinners

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Thought I'd pick your brains on this one......

At the moment we have a new people carrier which is our main vehicle. Fit's the family in luxury no problem - 3 kids about to become 4.

Our 2nd vehicle is a 2003 Pug 307SW which is OK for 3 kids and the dogs but not really great for 4 kids.

What I want is something that can be used as a second car - will take 4 kids if need be but will also double as a car that will get us about when the people carrier becomes poor in the snow and ice - something we do need up here when things get crappy.

I'm not too fussed about the running costs as my wife is giving up work and it will be a parked car. A 2nd vehicle that can fit everybody in if need be (think fold up seats) but be a sensible vehicle in the snowy weather.

Budget is about 5K - off the top of my head I'm thinking Disco or Trooper ?
 
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All of them well have issues, no such thing as a fits all but a 7 seat series 2 disco would make a good choice, it hurts to say but the Volvo XC90 or Shogun are also worth looking at :thumbs:
 
MWHCVT said:
All of them well have issues, no such thing as a fits all but a 7 seat series 2 disco would make a good choice, it hurts to say but the Volvo XC90 or Shogun are also worth looking at :thumbs:
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Cheers Matthew

In terms of a Disco........

Could go for the 'newer' big square one - 2004 onwards but that's more than I want to spend.

From what I can gather - the older shape 1998-2004 came on leaps and bounds in 2002.

What I need to establish is whether the 2002 models are in budget.

Volvo XC90 cropped up a few times in the things I've read :thinking:
 
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Until a few months ago we had an imported Toyota Landcruiser/Prado which we had for about 7 years, it was on an N plate and was built like a tank. Ideal in bad weather and we could fit kids, dogs, straw etc in there no problem. You can pick them up for around the £3-£3.5k mark. Have a look at the Toyota Hilux Surf as well.
 
How about a lovely land rover defender station wagon? A friend of mines parents had one from knew when I was 10, the family had 5 kids and they all fitted into it no problem. That same car is still going 20 years later! They are very simple in the engineering and have very little electronics to go wrong. I once spoke to a land rover mechanic who was telling me he'd never have any of the other land rover range apart from this due to them being unreliable.
 
Got to say, having driven a couple of very old raggy ones, I would also be looking at Colins recommendation of a Landcruiser, they just seem to keep going and can cope with most of what the weather throws at them, its why they are so popular in countries with terrain and weather somewhat more inhospitable than ours usually is. Although after this year....
 
I have an 03 Landrover Discovery 7 seater, the two rear seats only suitable for kids. They fold up when not used. Must admit my kids are all grown up so not really had it full to the brim.

Comfy, quiet, can see over hedges and over cars in front to spot any problems. Motorway driving is very relaxed, despite it's size will stick to the road like glue and the brakes are very effective.

Suffered a rear impact couple of years back by a transit van. His van was a right off, my Disco had minor damage to rear door and bent exhaust. The rear door mounted wheel took most of the impact and was deflated but no other damage.

Cheap as chips to buy second hand, cheap servicing and parts (Not through a Landrover dealership though)

Mine has been very reliable since new. Not as cheap to run as a Nissan micra though, I use it every day and get by with £50 of diesel a week.
 
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Double post....dam forum lag.
 
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Have you considered a Shogun, had a couple of them and for me were better than a lwb discovery which was sold on after a few months.....solid build, went everywhere I needed to, gave a feeling of safety and very comfortable.
 
05 -09 Nissan Pathfinder.
7 seats loads of room in all seats and the lot drops flat in seconds which gives you a 2mtr x 1mtr load space.

I have the 2.5 dCi Sport and its been awesome for anything I have thrown at it.
 
For short distances, the boot/folding seats in a Discovery can be sat in by an adult (6'1") but as I said, for SHORT distances! a 110 Defender would be my choice - I believe you can now get them with seat belts for the wheelarch seats in the back. You don't want an adult in the centre front seat - the driver will get on very intimate terms with the groinal area! Useful space for a cubby box too.

The Defender isn't as domesticated as the Discovery but is all the more useable as a result. It really can be hosed out from time to time and can be fitted with far taller tyre options should it need to go wading (a snorkel's a good idea in that situation too!).

Don't be fooled that a 4x4 has any great advantage on snow and ice. They're heavier than most other cars so keep far more momentum - not good if you've taken advantage of the 4x4 to gain a little extra speed... They will get going when 2wd vehicles struggle but will be just as trapped when they come up behind an abandonned car on a lane.

Don't quote me but I reckon that a rear facing baby seat would go quite well into that centre front space but might interfere with the driver's elbow during gear changes.
 
I would go for the Pajero myself. Had a few and always been great trucks.
 
Only thing i would say, is if you fancy the defender route, test drive one first. Although they are a step above the series 3, they are still a pretrtry agricultural drive.
Contrary to opinion, Landrover products do rot.Rear floors on Discoverys particularly .
i wish i still had my sereis 3 109 station wagon, with a modern TDI engine in it.
 
Disco all the way!

Dont be fooled by the 2002 onwards are better, they are all as bad as eachother, but I still will never be parted with mine!

Mine is a 2000 7 seater auto. Lovely rear air suspension and all the toys. Cost me £3800 to buy October 2011.

Disco2's dont rot on the body, just the chassis. Ive had my rear chassis replaced as it was getting too bad for MOT. It was the old Disco 1 that had the panel/floor problems.
 
Thanks folks

Had a quick nosey at a Discovery at our local village garage earlier today.

It was a 53 plate manual 2.5 Td5 ES 5d (7 Seat) with 70K on the clock.

The last one I drove had foldy down side seats in the back - I didn't realise the newer ones had 'proper' 3rd row seats.

16" wheels (rather than 18") give you more options with tyres apparantly ?
 
dinners said:
Thanks folks

Had a quick nosey at a Discovery at our local village garage earlier today.

It was a 53 plate manual 2.5 Td5 ES 5d (7 Seat) with 70K on the clock.

The last one I drove had foldy down side seats in the back - I didn't realise the newer ones had 'proper' 3rd row seats.

16" wheels (rather than 18") give you more options with tyres apparantly ?
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Yep, 16's are more comfortable too.
 
If your pennies streach to a Disco 3, then that's the one to go for!
 
Anybody know anything about Jap Imports ?

Something my brother texted me - he buys / sells / builds Disco's but lives in Ireland.
 
admirable said:
If your pennies streach to a Disco 3, then that's the one to go for!
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I can afford a Disco 3 - it's more a case of whether I really want to spend that much as it will just be a second car that can take the 4 kids if needed and be a winter option.
 
dinners said:
I can afford a Disco 3 - it's more a case of whether I really want to spend that much as it will just be a second car that can take the 4 kids if needed and be a winter option.
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You need deeeep pockets to maintain a disco 3. At least when a disco 2 goes wrong, its relatively cheap to fix. I do almost all my own work on it now too, you won't be doing much with a d3.
 
had a very quick email from my brother but will speak to him when we've more time. He just said....

i’d prefer the older 300tdi model myself as it’s a simpler machine and will cost you less in the long run the td5 98-2004 is a good machine but has a few inherent problems that can be majorly expensive if not terminal , the worst being the head cracks and lets diesel into the engine oil voila a wrecked engine , most issues on the machine will need it to be hooked up to a computer to have the faults cleared etc fine if your near a main dealer but means the local garage can’t do it. mileage - wouldn't be too fussed better look for decent service history.
 
Can I chuck my two-pennorth in? If you're carrying kids, please check the safety rating, Big 4x4's aren't that good, they're not as tank like and indestructable as some would have you believe. Top Gear crashed one into a modern hatchback, the Disco came off worst, much worse!
 
JayD said:
Can I chuck my two-pennorth in? If you're carrying kids, please check the safety rating, Big 4x4's aren't that good, they're not as tank like and indestructable as some would have you believe. Top Gear crashed one into a modern hatchback, the Disco came off worst, much worse!
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I realise that they're a bit behind for safety. A lot of other older vehicles are too.

The people carrier is only a couple of years old and is our main family vehicle. This is more a spare car but can be used to take everybody if required but will also do for me in the hills or in winter.
 
Nissan Patrol or Toyota landcruiser Phil.

Japanese everytime for me mate.

Before the Green Oval diehards become outraged, I have owned,run and worked with LandRovers and Range Rovers, no matter what you say, Japanese all the way for me.
 
dinners said:
had a very quick email from my brother but will speak to him when we've more time. He just said....

i’d prefer the older 300tdi model myself as it’s a simpler machine and will cost you less in the long run the td5 98-2004 is a good machine but has a few inherent problems that can be majorly expensive if not terminal , the worst being the head cracks and lets diesel into the engine oil voila a wrecked engine , most issues on the machine will need it to be hooked up to a computer to have the faults cleared etc fine if your near a main dealer but means the local garage can’t do it. mileage - wouldn't be too fussed better look for decent service history.
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The disco 2 has a huge following, and a lot of enthusiasts like my self have diagnostic equipment which we are more than happy to use on others cars. I myself have sorted out 3 people just over Xmas. On my car forum, we have a map that lists where everyone who owns diagnostics is. I'd be pretty sure there is someone very close.

Our machines can do everything a dealer can, and more!

Head cracks are very rare, I've only come across one on the forum since I've been there (over a year) and that was the numpty who fitted it not doing it right!

Yes there are common issues, but most are fairly cheap to fix and again, a huge amount of help is out there. Many people on the forum will happily spend their weekends helping out. Last week I fitted a new Injector loom for somebody who wasn't sure on how to do it.
 
dinners said:
Cheers Matthew

In terms of a Disco........

Could go for the 'newer' big square one - 2004 onwards but that's more than I want to spend.

From what I can gather - the older shape 1998-2004 came on leaps and bounds in 2002.

What I need to establish is whether the 2002 models are in budget.

Volvo XC90 cropped up a few times in the things I've read :thinking:
Click to expand...

The Disco 2 upgrade - they called it a facelift - happened in 2003. You can tell the post-facelift ones from the headlights. Hope that helps :thumbs:
 
dinners said:
Anybody know anything about Jap Imports ?

Something my brother texted me - he buys / sells / builds Disco's but lives in Ireland.
Click to expand...

My 1966 V8 Auto Disco is a Jap import - repatriated through Northern ireland in 2005. Large parts of Japan don't use salt on the roads in winter so cars are less prone to rust.

With Disco 1's the rust normally attacks the bodywork rather than the chassis whereas the D2 suffers the other way around :thinking: Mine failed it's MOT for the first time this year due to some rust issues around the ABS block. When we took a close look at the motor we could see it was the first bit of welding it had done :thumbs:
 
JayD said:
Can I chuck my two-pennorth in? If you're carrying kids, please check the safety rating, Big 4x4's aren't that good, they're not as tank like and indestructable as some would have you believe. Top Gear crashed one into a modern hatchback, the Disco came off worst, much worse!
Click to expand...

Difficult to check Disco 1 safety ratings ... it was never tested :D

Land Rover never submitted a vehicle for testing until the Freelander was introduced.

Which vehicle "wins" in a crash is much more to do with how they impact than their safety rating.
 
I'm a dyed in the wool Land Rover Discovery nut ... there I said it :D ... and wouldn't drive anything else BUT if you're looking for reliability then a LandCruiser is hard to beat and the Amazon is very nice to drive.

Okay, I'm off to therapy now :D
 
DONT BUY A LAND ROVER

Get a Japanese 4 X 4 Shogun / Pajero or a Toyota Not sure if anyone else sells a 7 seater

But dont buy a disco - heap of trouble and the way they wallow on the road will guarantee the youngsters will vomit EVEN if they have never been car sick in the past.

JAPANESE ALL THE WAY!
 
Bristolian said:
I'm a dyed in the wool Land Rover Discovery nut ... there I said it :D ... and wouldn't drive anything else BUT if you're looking for reliability then a LandCruiser is hard to beat and the Amazon is very nice to drive.

Okay, I'm off to therapy now :D
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What an Honest chap you are......:thumbs:

Good advice here:thumbs: - shame really as I like the look of the LR but would never buy one - with money
 
LASTOLITE said:
DONT BUY A LAND ROVER

Get a Japanese 4 X 4 Shogun / Pajero or a Toyota Not sure if anyone else sells a 7 seater

But dont buy a disco - heap of trouble and the way they wallow on the road will guarantee the youngsters will vomit EVEN if they have never been car sick in the past.

JAPANESE ALL THE WAY!
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I'm only thinking Disco as a lot of folk I know (friends and brother) build them and fix them etc.

One of my friends swears Trooper - the other Landcruiser. I've always liked the Nissan Patrol but they seem huge.

Pajero is the one I'm being warned off the most.

This is starting to remind me of Nikon and Canon :lol:

Still not ruling out something like an older Volvo XC90
 
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My disco doesn't wallow at all. In fact it has a very clever system to stop it doing exactly that.


Which many other manufactures then copied.
 
I like the fact my Disco wallows ... it scares the heck out of other drivers and they give me a wide berth :D
 
Finally bit the bullet.

51 plate (2002) 2.5Td5 Auto GS 7 seat with a low 59K on the clock.

Comes with 12 months MOT as it was just done yesterday (needed bushes on the front and an advisory on some wear on the drivers seat belt) so hopefully get it next week.
 
dinners said:
Finally bit the bullet.

51 plate (2002) 2.5Td5 Auto GS 7 seat with a low 59K on the clock.

Comes with 12 months MOT as it was just done yesterday (needed bushes on the front and an advisory on some wear on the drivers seat belt) so hopefully get it next week.
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Good choice!

Get yourself over to the d2boys club forums.. Trust me, you'll need all the advise after a few weeks!! I'd recommend finding someone near by with a nanocom diagnostics and getting it all checked out.. Any issues you can them take them up with the seller. Most of our members will do this for free for you.
 
Good choice IMHO. I've had LR's (Defenders) for about 8 years. My son has also bought an old 90 recently.

My wife had a Mitsi L200 (new shape) and it was nothing but trouble. The worst car we have ever owned. Without exception.

Discos have a 'soft' ride, yes. But drive them like a 4x4, not a sports car, and you will be fine. The softness makes them way superior off road than any Jap 4x4. The Japs have designed for the Chelsea set. LR haven't compromised. Even their latest offerings will blitz other manufacturers on the soggy stuff.

The advise about snow and ice is very good though. You have a 2 tonne lump to stop. It take much more to do this than a small hatch. Drive carefully in these conditions. It's very easy to to get over confident.
 
Cheers Tom

Here's the pic - transfers still to come off.

8621765331_c421d6f5d0_c.jpg
 
Looks nice, hopefully well looked after if its a business vehicle. All discos have problems though, so be prepared!!
 
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