Landrover Discovery 1996 v8i ES

TomXr6 · 25-01-2011, 08:54 PM

Hi there,

I don't know whether this is the correct forum to post this but here goes.

Over the past few months I've been pondering the idea of getting a 4wd.
I have come across a cheap 1996 Land rover Discovery v8i ES and I'm wondering if anyone else on here has come across them and can give me a heads up on anything??

Any sort of help would be greatly appreciated.. thanks. Tom

smoo · 25-01-2011, 09:28 PM

Owned one for about 5000km, I got it cheap and onsold for a gain, one of the nicer SUVs to drive. Never took it off road so can't comment but I think they maybe a bit over rated in standard form in the ruff stuff. The radiators block up without regular servicing and will over heat under load so a good idea to get the cooling system done when/if you buy as the all alloy V8s don't like heat. Relatively heavy and under powered but I had about two tonne on the back of mine and she did it easy. They sound grouse though, Disco 1 is better than the Disco II as the traction control system in Disco II can be a bit unreliable but electronics in all of them are known to give **** with age.
If you find a well serviced one and look after it you shouldn't have a problem but do remember it is now 15 years old, people will tell you to stay away without knowing anything about them, but will happily point you to a Toyota 2.4td or Mitsi 2.5td which goes thru more cylinder heads than you've had hot dinners or a 3.0 Nissan or Isuzu/Holden that self destruct whenever a decent load is placed on it, simply because they're a jappa (so they must be relaible, right?)
Ohh and if you do end up buying one and need parts check out ebay.co.uk or other UK based suppliers before buying in this part of the world.

TomXr6 · 25-01-2011, 09:51 PM

Thanks alot for the info mate much appreciated. What sort of fuel consumption did you get?

OLDFORDNUT · 25-01-2011, 11:23 PM

shocking fuel consumption in all v8 disco's,td5 (turbo diesel 5 cylinder)are the pic but cost about $5K to $7K more,
most people who buy the v8 version get rid of them after stopping at every third servo lol,

dragonwagon · 25-01-2011, 11:31 PM

I had a 95 Disco V8 auto for about 7 years.

Great truck spoilt by crap build quality, allways got us home but with bits missing....

If you are mechanically inclined & can do your own repairs they are great, parts are cheap and easy to get. Heaps of tech knowledge out there too.

Nice to drive,sound great (if slow), more comfortable than the equivalent jap trucks & surprisingly capable off road.

Best mine ever did on petrol was 17lt/100km, average 22lt/100km on lpg, double that for off road

great value if you get the right one

greg

cheap · 26-01-2011, 12:06 AM

Cheap / Fast / Reliable.... it fails all 3.

"Buyer Beware" should be written all over the vehicle, spare parts are expen$ive and you will soon become very friendly with the local Land Rover shop. Google the Disco's reliability, read about the dealer apathy, the Land Rover/Disco Forums have literally hundreds of horror stories. There are some seriously ****ed off people on those forums.

Everything that normally can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong and they've engineered for the unthinkable to go wrong too.

If you really want to experience Land Rover ownership without actually buying the truck, take a wad of $100 notes and burn them - frequently!

XRtowcar · 26-01-2011, 09:04 AM

My Boss has a theory about Land/Range Rovers of the mid nineties as being one of the most expensive off roaders being built with the cheapest parts and suppliers they could find.
Great vehicles when theyre running but be very scared if anything major fails.
His 95 Rangie had an Engine , transmission, Climate control computer, airbags, drivers window mechanism, and seat electrics repaired or replaced in a five year space.
Still got it to tow his boat around and the window still cuts out occasionally, the dash lights up prettier than a Christmas tree, and the heater belts out heat on a hot day, but it still goes.

mcnews · 26-01-2011, 09:07 AM

My next door neighbor is a mechanic and a Land Rover, Range Rover nut. He owns a few of each. He would never touch a Discovery with a ten foot pole.

CADSKY · 26-01-2011, 03:16 PM

my mate has one. he put it on gas and it never had a drama with it, cut the fuel bill in half if not more. the electric window died and he had to replace the mechanism in the door, but that can happen to any car these days. recently though his cluth cable broke. he hasnt been bothered fixing it as he rides his bike mostly now so it just sits atm. other than that it hasnt had any dramas in the last 5 years except for a spot of rust on the roof lining.

banarcus · 26-01-2011, 06:30 PM

My reply from an earlier thread from a guy seeking buyer experience:

I've got a disco 2 V8 after coming from a ED Fairmont V8 wagon. First thing I had to get used to was that they are not a car and don't accelerate like a car. It is thirsty but I've since fitted extractors and a full exhaust and now gets okay economy. Got more power and torque doing the exhaust too. I also have the ACE or hydraulic sway bars that make the disco handle much better in corners than my old V8 station wagon. It is a very good thing to have but this is only on series 2s. Comfy, great off road and with the exhaust sounds better than any jap 4x4.

Problems since I've bought it:
1) Leaking airspring - fixed it for $240
2) Dodgy BMW door lock - fixed for $30(ripped it apart and replaced small motor)
3) Leaking inlet manifold gasket, leaking oil and coolant - fixed with internal sealant for the time being for $15 until my new gasket set arrives. Valley/inlet manifold gasket and other bits and pieces, $80 delivered.
4)3 amigos every now and then. Google it for an explanation. This problem wont keep you off the road though. Only applies to series 2s. My wife's father has a TD5 and the amigos don't stop him.

If you are not a spanner man and prefer others do the dirty work for you, these are not the vehicles to buy. You must maintain them well otherwise things break more often. Fixing them are expensive if relying on others for repairs otherwise parts are plentiful and cheaper by the day from ebay.com and british atlantic etc. I bought a water pump off ebay for less than $100 delivered. My replacement airspring was bought from the states for $240 delivered.

On the topic of the SLS airprings, some people replace the SLS suspension with coils but I figured that these rubber airsprings are good for 10 years in most applications and are just like coils anyway, people don't cry when they replace their coils and shocks in their Falcons.

Find one with a good service history otherwise buyer be very aware! If you're looking for a V8, there are bargains everywhere.

There are a few good online forums for Land Rover owners and all problems are documented very well. The key is preventative maintenance, get under the truck and have a good look at everything. http://www.discovery2.co.uk/ is a good site for maintenance.

Good luck and I hope this shines a bit more light for you.

smoo · 26-01-2011, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

Cheap / Fast / Reliable.... it fails all 3.

"Buyer Beware" should be written all over the vehicle, spare parts are expen$ive and you will soon become very friendly with the local Land Rover shop. Google the Disco's reliability, read about the dealer apathy, the Land Rover/Disco Forums have literally hundreds of horror stories. There are some seriously ****ed off people on those forums.

Everything that normally can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong and they've engineered for the unthinkable to go wrong too.

If you really want to experience Land Rover ownership without actually buying the truck, take a wad of $100 notes and burn them - frequently!

Spoken light a true key board warrior parroting the same crap with no real world experience, seriously if you don't know what you're talkng about don't bother.
Compare a V8 disco to the head gasket blowing 3.0 V6 Hilux Surf or VG30 Terranos, or oil burning tappet ticking Mitsi 3.0 pajero of the same era and they aren't too bad after all, especially since the Land Rovers are easier to work on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcnews

My next door neighbor is a mechanic and a Land Rover, Range Rover nut. He owns a few of each. He would never touch a Discovery with a ten foot pole.

He must have limited knowledge considering the original Diccovery, is a Range Rover Classic with a more civilised body on top of the chassis.

Ben73 · 26-01-2011, 09:17 PM

I heard after 2000 LR picked up their game with the quality of their electrics.

I want a cheapish, used, V8 4x4. I considering Jeep Grand Cherokee over Disco though. Jeep would be much faster with the smaller body and the H.O version of their 4.7L V8.

**Peuty** · 26-01-2011, 09:29 PM

Don't do it. Like someone said, you'd be better off burning hundred.

apfgxr6 · 26-01-2011, 09:48 PM

no matter what you buy, every vehicle has good and bad examples. Iv'e had a '91 discovery v8 manuel for nearly 9yrs. in my opinion there as good as any equivelant 4x4, when you compare condition etc. But i am bias.

RAREV8 · 26-01-2011, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

Cheap / Fast / Reliable.... it fails all 3.

"Buyer Beware" should be written all over the vehicle, spare parts are expen$ive and you will soon become very friendly with the local Land Rover shop. Google the Disco's reliability, read about the dealer apathy, the Land Rover/Disco Forums have literally hundreds of horror stories. There are some seriously ****ed off people on those forums.

Everything that normally can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong and they've engineered for the unthinkable to go wrong too.

If you really want to experience Land Rover ownership without actually buying the truck, take a wad of $100 notes and burn them - frequently!

Why do people assume that a V8 equals fast??? Its a 4WD truck for gods sake! The power is designed to tow, get traction in difficult circumstances, not race around at 120mph.

Have you ever driven a good 'ol Landcruiser? Slow as hell but still good at what it was designed for.

An F100 with a 351 clevo from factory is damn slow too- thats not what it was designed for. I have never had an issue with a Disco of that era- not to say others haven't but not all Disco's are bad- far from it in fact.

If you want to burn $100 bills, own a ford coupe or indeed a modern day Falcon and have Ford service it for you.......compared to other brands, these are far from economical choices.

cheap · 26-01-2011, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoo

Spoken light a true key board warrior parroting the same crap with no real world experience, seriously if you don't know what you're talkng about don't bother.
Compare a V8 disco to the head gasket blowing 3.0 V6 Hilux Surf or VG30 Terranos, or oil burning tappet ticking Mitsi 3.0 pajero of the same era and they aren't too bad after all, especially since the Land Rovers are easier to work on.

He must have limited knowledge considering the original Diccovery, is a Range Rover Classic with a more civilised body on top of the chassis.

I will stand by my comments, Land Rover Disco (1, 2, 3's and 4's) are money pits!

BMW spent billions on Land Rover, then Ford sunk billions more. Both of these well established companies "failed" to improve Land Rover. Rather than continue to bleed cash they both sold out.

Land Rover: great in theory, riddled with immature technologies, which means high maintenance costs, poor quality, pathetic dealer response and so on...

Have you ever considered that Toyota sit back and evaluate the Land Rover technology and 5 years later introduce similar technology which reliably work.

Finally, on count back through the various response, there seems to more negative comments than there are positive comments. So rather than attack me, why don't you enlighten us with your real world experience, please share your positive supporting Disco facts. Help rebalanced the injustice being done to Land Rover (by me and others) on this forum (and other forums throughout the world)...

cheap · 27-01-2011, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben73

I heard after 2000 LR picked up their game with the quality of their electrics.

I want a cheapish, used, V8 4x4. I considering Jeep Grand Cherokee over Disco though. Jeep would be much faster with the smaller body and the H.O version of their 4.7L V8.

Ben, what do you want to do with the 4x4, how much money have you got to spend, how much down time and extra costs are you willing to accept?

You've no doubt seem my (an other peoples responses) regarding the Disco. Sadly Jeep Cherokees are not that much better either.

Ducati888 · 27-01-2011, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

I will stand by my comments, Land Rover Disco (1, 2, 3's and 4's) are money pits!

BMW spent billions on Land Rover, then Ford sunk billions more. Both of these well established companies "failed" to improve Land Rover. Rather than continue to bleed cash they both sold out.

Land Rover: great in theory, riddled with immature technologies, which means high maintenance costs, poor quality, pathetic dealer response and so on...

Have you ever considered that Toyota sit back and evaluate the Land Rover technology and 5 years later introduce similar technology which reliably work.

Finally, on count back through the various response, there seems to more negative comments than there are positive comments. So rather than attack me, why don't you enlighten us with your real world experience, please share your positive supporting Disco facts. Help rebalanced the injustice being done to Land Rover (by me and others) on this forum (and other forums throughout the world)...

Fair enought too.

My old man bought a Disco series 1 V8 auto, 3 years old in 2000. It's done 300,000 k's since then. He's only ever had Landys, so quality is not disputed here. It's ****. However, they ALWAYS start (since his series 1, thorough series 2 and three series 3's), he put a radiator in it just before christmas (at about 360K kms) and has had it regularly serviced. I think he had the power steering hoses replaced too at 250,000km. By and large, he's had a bloody good reliable run out of it. It gets used every day. Yes, build quailty is an issue. Have you driven a Ford Lately? But what are you buying? a 15 year old vehicle, right? If it was going to fall off it probably would have by now.

What do you mean by '"cheap" though? because any 1990's LR is worth no more than $4k no matter what condition it's in.

They may be the best 4X4 of their time, but they don't hold their value, however, at around 15 years old, if it's still running I figure if it's cheap who cares - if you like it buy it. It's run this long it will probably go forever.

Windsor220 · 27-01-2011, 12:31 AM

Land Rover = Do not buy

Ben73 · 27-01-2011, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

Ben, what do you want to do with the 4x4, how much money have you got to spend, how much down time and extra costs are you willing to accept?

You've no doubt seem my (an other peoples responses) regarding the Disco. Sadly Jeep Cherokees are not that much better either.

Good off road, comfortable on road.

How jeep similar to LR? Blend door???

Ben73 · 27-01-2011, 02:57 PM

I know quite a bit about Jeep Grand Cherokee.
They are pretty much as reliable as the next car.
The main problem with the Grand Cherokee WJ/G is Blend door on the models that have Climate control. But that's an easy fix because everyone know about it now.

Sure they have other problems occasionally, but I know a few owners and they say they are just as reliable as other 4x4 they have had, including Toyota's and Nissan's. In some circumstances the Jeep was more reliable.

Guy at work has about a 1996 Disco diesel, he says it's great and said when he needs a new car he will be looking at a V8 one on gas.
Another guy at work is buying an 03 Diesel because his brother has one and has said nothing but good things about it.

I love it how most the people in this thread are saying the LR suck, but not providing any evidence why.

smoo · 27-01-2011, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

I will stand by my comments, Land Rover Disco (1, 2, 3's and 4's) are money pits!

BMW spent billions on Land Rover, then Ford sunk billions more. Both of these well established companies "failed" to improve Land Rover. Rather than continue to bleed cash they both sold out.

Land Rover: great in theory, riddled with immature technologies, which means high maintenance costs, poor quality, pathetic dealer response and so on...

Have you ever considered that Toyota sit back and evaluate the Land Rover technology and 5 years later introduce similar technology which reliably work.

Finally, on count back through the various response, there seems to more negative comments than there are positive comments. So rather than attack me, why don't you enlighten us with your real world experience, please share your positive supporting Disco facts. Help rebalanced the injustice being done to Land Rover (by me and others) on this forum (and other forums throughout the world)...

The car in question is a 96 Discovery based on 1980s Range Rover, dealer service, Ford owner ship of Land Rover and innovative technology LR have bought to the table has no relevance to what the original poster has asked. Provide some proof they are money pits, reading problems on the net doesn't cut it, look at all the problems people are having with Falcons on here, yet they are one of the most reliable cars on the road.
Please do provide proof Cherokees aren't much better too, I've had two, mate has one, know them like the back of my hand but am always keen to take on more info, which you probably cannot provide.
In saying that the ZJ Grand Cherokee would be a better alternative to the V8 Discovery IMO.

cheap · 27-01-2011, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben73

I know quite a bit about Jeep Grand Cherokee.
They are pretty much as reliable as the next car.
The main problem with the Grand Cherokee WJ/G is Blend door on the models that have Climate control. But that's an easy fix because everyone know about it now.

Sure they have other problems occasionally, but I know a few owners and they say they are just as reliable as other 4x4 they have had, including Toyota's and Nissan's. In some circumstances the Jeep was more reliable.

Guy at work has about a 1996 Disco diesel, he says it's great and said when he needs a new car he will be looking at a V8 one on gas.
Another guy at work is buying an 03 Diesel because his brother has one and has said nothing but good things about it.

I love it how most the people in this thread are saying the LR suck, but not providing any evidence why.

Ben,

Have you ever noticed the United Nations 4WDs (the people with UN written on their trucks), they use Nissan and Toyota, I wonder why?

As for "evidence", there is a wealth of "evidence" available. For example, using Google and/or various Land Rover forums, someone may conclude that even after 20 years of development, the Land Rover EAS system is still prone to failure. Or someone may reach the conclusion that Land Rovers have a propensity for their differentials/axles to fail. Yet again, some Disco3 owners have reported that during normal driving that their Disco3 have chewed their diffs. Any of these issues will cost a fair amount of money to resolve.

I'm of the opinion, that it would be impossible for this forum to provide a comprehensively listing "evidence" of every Land Rover issue, there are just so many issues - where do we start?

I can honestly say that in over 20 years of 4WDing, I don't recall ever seeing a Grand Cherokee off-road.

Anyway have a nice day.

50YEAR · 27-01-2011, 06:08 PM

I owned a 1996 V8i for about 2 years. ABSOLUTELY LOVED driving it. It would tow anything and climd a tree if I asked it to, but the 20l/100km, quirky electrics and a expensive spare parts forced me to sell it on. I would find one on gas or hold out for a TDi you can afford.

RAREV8 · 27-01-2011, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

Ben,

Have you ever noticed the United Nations 4WDs (the people with UN written on their trucks), they use Nissan and Toyota, I wonder why?

As for "evidence", there is a wealth of "evidence" available. For example, using Google and/or various Land Rover forums, someone may conclude that even after 20 years of development, the Land Rover EAS system is still prone to failure. Or someone may reach the conclusion that Land Rovers have a propensity for their differentials/axles to fail. Yet again, some Disco3 owners have reported that during normal driving that their Disco3 have chewed their diffs. Any of these issues will cost a fair amount of money to resolve.

I'm of the opinion, that it would be impossible for this forum to provide a comprehensively listing "evidence" of every Land Rover issue, there are just so many issues - where do we start?

I can honestly say that in over 20 years of 4WDing, I don't recall ever seeing a Grand Cherokee off-road.

Anyway have a nice day.

Australia, UK and many other countries have used Land Rovers as their military transport for years....even a few in the US too. Snow, Dust heat or cold, they have proven themselves as a leader in 4wd vehicles for a long time....what the UN use is irrelevent as is what the army use as we are talking about the Disco.

The difficult thing for the OP is that he could buy ANY cheap 4WD and have issues with it or he could have none. It is a bit of a gamble whatever you buy as I am sure many of us who have been around long enough to have a decent history of car ownership would know.
I had a '96 Disco diesel and had no issues at all. It was working in the snow and my only criticism was that it didn't handle wonderfully in the snow compared to our 4wd minibus but otherwise it was bulletproof and regularly ran 4-500 kms a week in steep mountain territory. The only time anything fell off it was after it was involved in a traffic incident and I can happily say that it drove away virtually unscathed while the poor citroen that hit it was a write off.

I suppose for every good story there is a bad one but like others have said, I'm seeing little genuine evidence to back them. Several friends have later Disco's over here and love them.

To the OP, this forum is good in so far as its vehicle ownership is quite varied but I'd spend some time speaking to a more concentrated forum of Land Rover owners to get the good and bad too. Indeed, do the same with any other vehicle you are looking at but a cheap 4wd is exactly that- older, long history, high mileage and the possibility that it will cost you money down the line.

Best of luck getting what you want though!

RAREV8 · 27-01-2011, 06:50 PM

EDIT- double post

**Peuty** · 27-01-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoo

The car in question is a 96 Discovery based on 1980s Range Rover, dealer service, Ford owner ship of Land Rover and innovative technology LR have bought to the table has no relevance to what the original poster has asked. Provide some proof they are money pits, reading problems on the net doesn't cut it, look at all the problems people are having with Falcons on here, yet they are one of the most reliable cars on the road.
Please do provide proof Cherokees aren't much better too, I've had two, mate has one, know them like the back of my hand but am always keen to take on more info, which you probably cannot provide.
In saying that the ZJ Grand Cherokee would be a better alternative to the V8 Discovery IMO.

There's plenty of proof. Just talking to owners is enough.

The only way I'd own an Land Rover product would be having one under warranty, but it'd be sold the day that warranty ran out.

Sure, they are VERY capable vehicles, when they're running, that is.

TomXr6 · 27-01-2011, 07:05 PM

Thanks for all the info and mixed opinions.

It is a v8i ES with dual fuel. I think i am leaning towards it at the moment. It had 186XXX and was well looked after.

The other question is, I am 2 months from my fulls but as this is a 3.9Ltr v8 would I be able to drive it yet or wait the 2 months?..
I figured since it is only a 3.9l engine and the fact it is a big 4wd there should be no reason why i can't drive it??..

Ben73 · 27-01-2011, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

Ben,

Have you ever noticed the United Nations 4WDs (the people with UN written on their trucks), they use Nissan and Toyota, I wonder why?

As for "evidence", there is a wealth of "evidence" available. For example, using Google and/or various Land Rover forums, someone may conclude that even after 20 years of development, the Land Rover EAS system is still prone to failure. Or someone may reach the conclusion that Land Rovers have a propensity for their differentials/axles to fail. Yet again, some Disco3 owners have reported that during normal driving that their Disco3 have chewed their diffs. Any of these issues will cost a fair amount of money to resolve.

I'm of the opinion, that it would be impossible for this forum to provide a comprehensively listing "evidence" of every Land Rover issue, there are just so many issues - where do we start?

I can honestly say that in over 20 years of 4WDing, I don't recall ever seeing a Grand Cherokee off-road.

Anyway have a nice day.

You are spot on there is a wealth of evidence on Google.

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/...y_a_lemon.aspx

http://www.4x4earth.com.au/forum/gen...s-problem.html

http://www.4wdonline.com/Toyota/Mech/Faults.html

http://members.iinet.net.au/~oldenglish/

And many millions more.

So don't act like Jeep/ LR are terrible and Toyota and Nissan are brilliant and are million times better. That's not the case.
All manufactures have their problems. I don't mind Toyota and Nissan. But I just like Jeep and LR a lot more. Personal choice because I think they are more interesting, not every second person has one.

Perhaps you haven't seen a GC off road because they are not as common as every second Toyota. But I have seen them off road and know many people who take them offroad.
How many 200 Series LC have you seen off road?
I have seen a few... all work cars though.

Ben73 · 27-01-2011, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomXr6

Thanks for all the info and mixed opinions.

It is a v8i ES with dual fuel. I think i am leaning towards it at the moment. It had 186XXX and was well looked after.

The other question is, I am 2 months from my fulls but as this is a 3.9Ltr v8 would I be able to drive it yet or wait the 2 months?..
I figured since it is only a 3.9l engine and the fact it is a big 4wd there should be no reason why i can't drive it??..

If you in NSW you can't drive it.
Doesn't matter it's slow its a V8, thats all they look at. It's pathetic TBH.

I wanted a V8 4x4 on my P's, it was as quick as my v6 sedan, but a V8 is a V8.

Wonder if they would allow a 3.0L V8 BMW 7 Series.
3.0L weighing 2 tons is not going to be fast, even though it is a V8.