Is The Land Rover Discovery a Forgotten Classic? I Bought One To Find Out | Fuel Up Classic
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2022
- The Land Rover line up has long since been filled with British Icons, but one always seems to be left behind: The Original Land Rover Discovery
I’ve bought an early Land Rover Discovery 300TDI as part of my ongoing obsession with these British 4X4s, but it was bought on a whim and had all the potential to go wrong…
Watch the video and subscribe to the Fuel Up Classic RUclips Channel to find out why I think this Discovery is a truly forgotten gem, how it’s really impressed me, and why it is quickly becoming one of my favourites to jump in and drive - but will it ever beat the Defender and the Classic Range Rover?
Tell me in the comments your thoughts on the Land Rover Discovery and what you want to see next from the channel.
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Bought a 3 door Disco TDI in 1995. A few months before my daughter was born. They are both still going strong and I find both still beautiful. Before my disco I had a 109 petrol and an 88 diesel and travelled for years in Africa. Only bought the disco because it looked more comfortable and safer with a baby. Which it is. Very happy I bought this truck. It's a keeper.
That's great to hear. The three doors are starting to become very collectable too! Hope you continue to enjoy your Discovery.
Yes, I like thuis car! The engine (Tdi 300) is really bullet proof. But I follow strictly the schema for oil chainge and others. And please, let the engine warm up slowly. "My" fuel economy: 8,2 l/100 km, agressie, in summertime and driving at ease
I've a D1 I'm rebuilding , one of the last three doors from 98.
You hardly see an early Discovery where I live now , it's extremely rare to see a D1 and D2's are getting rare too , not actually seen one for a few weeks.
They're definitely a future classic.
I love how comfy they are and they do eat up the miles .
How is the rebuild coming along? The three door models will definitely keep increasing in price. You’re exactly right, D1 and D2’s seem to be disappearing from the roads.
They eat up the petrol
Just bought one a month ago: 1997 300 TDI in Niagara grey, completely stock, with 250000km on the clock. Took my wife, two kids and dog by train to the north of Portugal and drove the Disco for 500km back to Lisbon. I had never seen the car except for a few talks over the phone with the previous owner (and lots of pictures through WhatsApp). I should add that we were in the middle of a heat wave and the temperature in the interior of Portugal was around 44º so the AC was always on. Kept checking the temperature gauge like crazy because of all I had read about these engines being prone to overheating. It never did, even when I pushed it to 120km/h on the highway. It was pretty crazy to do that but the fact is it didn't give me any trouble. Been driving it daily and I am absolutely in love with the car. Prices for this "unloved" LR are already pretty steep over here... mine was 7.5k€ because it's an absolute minter but the lowest you can get them over here, regardless of the condition, is around 3/4k
Great to hear you are enjoying Discovery ownership. I hope the warmer weather also helps keep corrosion to a minimum, as that is what has killed off so many here in the UK.
Started searching for a discovery in 2011. Test drove a lot of d2s and they were okay but found a disco one for sale 40 miles from where I lived and absolutely fell in love with it. The mechanical feel of it is intoxicating if you are in that sort of thing. It is a 95 disco 1 5 speed V8 3.9. I've also owned the Porsche Turbo 944 since I was 26 and now 45. All I know is if it came down between the two I would keep the Disco. Great video and will be watching more.
Great to hear such a positive ownership experience from a fellow Discovery owner and glad to hear you enjoyed the video.
Great review on the Disco 1, the last true Land Rover! I recently rescued a barn find NAS '98 Disco from an 8 year slumber. I love it! It's been a great vehicle once it was sorted, which did take a bit of doing. Where I live on the right coast of Canada, it's also the ONLY one around! Definitely a keeper. Cheers!
You are on point. It is so much better to drive than a Defender with better seating position with similar mechanical robustness. Such underrated trucks. My v8 is daily driven and stands at over 250k miles with hardly any issues.
Excellent review of the D1. I’ve owned a NAS 97 D1 for 20 years as my daily driver. It has required a fair bit of maintenance, upgrades, and repairs over the years, but nothing a reasonably skilled DIY mechanic can’t handle. I also have a 1988 NAS Range Rover that I’m refurbishing, and while I really like the RR, I still have a deep affinity for my D1, which I’ve used to shuttle my kids to school and other activities (sports, horse shows, etc.), family camping trips, days long backroad trail exploring, hauling things around town with the seats folded down, etc. My D1 has done everything I have asked of it with very few critical issues. I sometimes think it may be time to part with the D1, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to do so just yet. It’s been a great vehicle for me and my family.
Thank you for watching and for sharing your Land Rover ownership experiences. Great to hear that your D1 continues to serve you and your family so well after all those years.
And as you say, the engine combo (admittedly mine is a 200tdi) works perfectly. They aren't "down on power". The bottom end torque is hysterical sometimes! I had a big digger on a plant trailer behind mine and I was nervous about getting on the motorway and finding it wouldn't pull. I put my foot down and couldn't believe how quick it was to get to 60!
I’ve just bought one too. Totally original, same colour, same wheels 3.9 ES with rare rear aircon option. In the process of welding up. Only paid £500 with a full tank of super unleaded! Can wait to have her on the road. Will be kept standard. They look fantastic.
Sounds as though you got a great deal! The tank of fuel alone must have been worth £150! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
我擁有一部1995年的 Discovery Mpi，雖然他是二手車，又大又重，引擎無力，但他已經陪伴我超過22年（里程已達47萬5千公里），從單身到進入婚姻，我的家人在車上時，他一直盡忠職守不曾拋錨，我們一家都很喜歡他，我女兒說他想要接手這部車，要我好好照顧他，在引擎更換輕量化惰輪後，整部車變得更有活力，希望他能一直常保健康，繼續守護我們一家人！
Just got my second D1 for $500 and couldn't be happier. A '96 SE7 4.0 that was very well cared for, even the leather is still in excellent condition. These cars are very reliable and easy to repair. The D2 and it's numerous issues it's what left many here in the states thinking that Disco's were inherently problematic. I got my first D1 nearly 20 years ago, and no other SUV has really "done it for me" since.
Sounds as though you picked up a bargain. Enjoy :)
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that the Discovery is an overlooked car. I have a '99 Discovery 1 with the V8 (Unfortunately, we never got the diesels in the U.S.). Over here they are already rising in value, and it's becoming less unusual to see someone asking $10-15K for them, after years of them being worthless throwaway cars. I happened to find mine in 2021 for just $2,600, and even with all the maintenance and upgrades, I'm still under $7K total into it. And that includes $1,200 of new tires.
Thank you for watching and great to hear they are starting to appreciate in the USA too!
Edited for typos.
I'm rebuilding a 1992 at the moment, I absolutely adore it. I used to hate them, I used to hate all the big land rovers, but the 30 year old disco sat in bits in my workshop has completely turned me over. They're so cheap to repair, easy to drive, comfy as hell for the age... Truly superb.
Good luck with the rebuild. It’s good to hear enthusiastic owners are starting to save these underrated icons.
GREAT video!! Simple and Clear. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you 🙂
Totally agree; prices are strongly rising for good examples also here in Switzerland but really good ones become hard to find now. Just bought two early Discovery 1 3.5L V8 3-door for some TLC and resale.
I have had my 1997 Discovery since 1998, affectionately named Olive. She is a sibling to your Disco, however in Woodcoate Green. She has undergone x3 major overhauls in my ownership, with eye watering amounts of money invested into her. Many other cars have come and gone, but she remains
That is fantastic to hear! There's nothing quite like an old Land Rover and it's incredible how they get under your skin. Thank you for watching and i hope you enjoy your Discovery for many more years and miles to come.
In all the years that I’ve owned my LR Discovery II, I alway get/give waves from all fellow LR owners while in traffic.
Looking forward to more content.
You got an epitome of what a 4x4 must be, a treasure
You aren't wrong, defenders are classic, but I genuinely think the disco is a vastly superior 4x4.
I love my 300tdi Disco, they are most certainly under rated, the body roll comes from the ludicrous 205 pirelli scorpion tyres that were fitted originally swap them out for a 235 which is the next suze in the hand book and that stops the body roll, abd yes a lot if parts weee stolen stolen from the Leyland parts bin , and unless you have owned one like I have, so you wouldn't know but the Discovery hasa fair few Leyland Roadtrain parts especially plastic items. Nice review by the way.
Thank you for watching.
Great video, and you are right theres not much RUclips stuff on the Disco so this was very interesting. I am very tempted to get one, there are a few about here in Norfolk !
Thank you 🙂 I’d recommend one to anyone. Just be sure to get a good solid one.
the beauty of land rover owners is that they are happy if there is no water puddles inside after rain!
Haha! So true
I have two 98 Discos. I have owned four in total over the years!
Thanks for this video - I identify with all of it 100% (though I cringed a little at the sunroof fears...I had that problem in my Discovery 2 - sold it). Now ensuring I can still talk this way in ten years' time.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. The sunroof issue is a very common problem, unfortunately mine has started leaking and you end up with a boot full of water in heavy rain.
@@fuelupclassic Always a problem with my D2 (I sold it) but the D1 has been faithful till a couple of hours after you posted this comment - and the leak didn't come from the sunroof but from the headliner seal so I had a wet ride contemplating next steps (repair, NOT sale) and smiling to myself.
Just watched your video and agree with you 100%. But then I have a 1998 Discovery Safari with 95k on the clock. Needs some attention, but I love it to bits.
Thank you for watching.
Nice Dog too
man after this video made me feel sad about the poor disco!!! my mechanic agrees is best option between Def and RR
Your mechanic is right, the Discovery is a great choice.
very nice video! waiting for the Audi TT mk1
Thank you for watching! Funny you should say that as there will be a mk1 TT on the channel in the near future.
I bought a 99 T 300 tdi Disco last year in pretty solid condition. I'll be sticking hold of it for sure.
Commentary very well done.
Thanks for watching
Top man it looks a really nice one
I've two three doors and a D2 TD5 and love the Disco
Thank you! Really enjoying the disco so far - lots more content to come
I have a decent D2 facelift in Alveston Red. 125,000 miles on the clock and needs a pit of paint to make her right. I have gotten a few fair offers for her over the years. I happen to love my workhorse, It's actually my daily while my 500 Abarth is low miliage and being traded in on something battery powered next year (probably a polestar). I have no intention on getting rid of my Landy though.
Great cars the Dicovery´s. Want to buy one.
Go for it!
Had a 96 Disco XS 3.9 V8 for 17 years.Loved the thing.Regularly serviced,it only let me down once which was fixed at the roadside by the RAC.Drank fuel like it was going out of fasion but was such a nice drive.Bastard tin-worm got it though with only 90k on the clock.If modern anti-corrosion technology was around then like it is now,i'd still keep it over a modern car any day.
Ahh yes, it's usually the rust that gets them before anything mechanical breaks.
I owned a 98 300TDI XS for 14 years ..Only time it failed me was the P gasket on the waterpump ...Had to let it go when I moved to Ireland 🇮🇪..1100 euros a year road tax on it 😢😢😢..,Best vehicle I've ever owned....
Ahh yes, i've been there too with the P gasket failing. They're great old things but good ones are getting very hard to find now. Thank you for watching.
My first Land Rover Discovery bought brand new in 1990 cost £1900.990. Broke down after eight miles from collecting it, I never even got home. Numerous faults and I sold it with less than 10,000 on the clock. Next a D2 a great vehicle took us all over Europe. Now own a D4 which has had a few faults but what an awesome vehicle.
My D1 is my daily transport, had it 10 years and it has nearly 200k on the clock, any failures it suffered along the way have definitely been my own neglect, its a fantastic vehicle though, pulling 18 tonne trucks and recovering people in the snow, not bad for a parts bin
Brilliant! They really are very good workhorses. Mine is currently having some fairly major work as I cannot bare to part with it.
I had a 96 disco,no major probs for about 120k,now on an l322,not driven as hard but it does have a nostalgic feel!
Thank you for watching! An L322 is next on my list
I'm in Australia. I have had about 30 Land Rovers ranging from my first - a 1954 86" Land Rover to my current Disco 2 Td5 auto. I bought this one as a sort of "pet" car so I could use it from time to time. I have now had it for nearly three years and apart from basic servicing and a diesel fuel pressure regulator it has been totally reliable. It had about 211,000 km on the clock when I bought it from its first and only owner. In three years it has averaged about 4,000 km per year. It is now in its 21's year but is showing its age remarkably well.
It has never been near beaches or salted roads and as a result it is quite clean underneath. I think I am going to have to have some very small oil seeps fixed soon but I think It will be a good second vehicle for some time yet.
Oh - our other car is a Subaru Outback diesel which is about five years old. It is a brilliant all round cruiser and shopping cart. It is also less thirsty but I love the Land Rover.
Mike in Oz PS Love the Disco.
Great to hear your thoughts on the Discovery! Hopefully you have many more years of enjoyment with it.
My 95 disco is my daily family transport of me, the Mrs, our 5 kids and the dog. It goes all over the UK. If I need a van, I just fold the seats down. What more could anyone ask for.
Fantastic!
I've had 2 300TDI Disco's, loved both of them, yours will be rotten if you can keep up with the welding you're onto a winner, keep an eye on the head gasket
The older landrovers where very reliable it’s all the electronic shite which messed it all up. I’ve also got an old disco and series. For years the disco has been simply a donor for the other models. The old diesel discos are a bargain there’s few cars in that price range as good off road and a decent tow vehicle also.
Discovery 1 😍
You can't beat that driving position of a 4x4 & you can litterly go anywhere in any weather nothing phases them , Very very tempted to buy a 2011-2012 ( the last of) Range Rover L322 4.4L, but i Love my 2015 Mercedes ML its been an absolute pleasure to own for 3 years & its perfect for taking out my Black Labrador's to the beech every weekend.
Last of the line L322 Range Rovers are lovely things.
It's a forgotten one for sure
the walk around deserves a stabiliser for the camera!
Any guess of "Camel trophy"? From Darien gap 70th to Freelander 00th, this is most iconic LR of any! Where have you been all this years?!
too busy messing around with Defenders and Range Rovers for many years! The Discovery never really stood out to me, but I am still impressed with it six months on and continue to use the Discovery daily rather than my Defender or RRC.
I have a 1996 300tdi auto which I have had since 2001. I keep thinking I should sell it on but each I drive it, it still puts a smile on my on face especially if I take on soft ground, deep water or snow.
Brilliant! They really are great all-rounders.
If you can afford to I'd definitely stick hold of it. I often look out for them (along with RRC) on the Internet and last week there were less than 15 for sale on eBay and Auto Trader combined.
@@rogermellie8068 Very true! Good ones are getting rare these days. I find that I use the Disco more than my RRC or defenders because it's just such a practical and enjoyable car.
@@fuelupclassic I sold my Brooklands 3.9 RRC in 2010 and 3.5 RRC in 2014 and regretted both sales to this day, that's why the disco is going nowhere 😂. Use a freelander 1 td4 as my daily potterer to keep miles and wear and tear on the disco down 😊
@@rogermellie8068 ahh we’ve all done it! Hopefully you get another one day. Funnily enough I’ve just been out in a TD4 Freelander 1 today 🙂.
On the contrary! It has both: The Character of the Defender and the Legacy of the Range Rover.
The Discovery is by far and away the best Land Rover ever. We have spent the last 3 years turning our 1996 300TDi into a Disco 130, it should be finished around March next year. Today we are away to pick up a very very late D1 300TDi thats totally unmodified. It was registered in October 1998, so must be very close to some of the last registered. We will keep it totally unmodified. The feeling driving them is wonderful and I will have a hard time sleeping knowing that in about 10 hours from now, we will have two of them! If you want to see some info about our Disco 130 overland camper, have a look on our channel, there are a couple of videos up so far.
Fantastic! Hope the collection of your second one went well.
@@fuelupclassic it was a nightmare actually. The owner was back in Fuerteventura, so was relying on his brother in law to turn up. Our bus arrived in Madrid at 2pm, never got to see it until 9pm. Bought it, and then headed home, but was so tired that I had to stop twice on the 450km journey home. No blankets and it was too late at night to find anywhere to buy them. We have it now though, so all is great. It just adds to the story I suppose! Im sure much worse will be coming around the corner, its a Land Rover after all!
@@DonegalOverlanding glad to hear you eventually got it home. It's all part of the story as you say.
Tenho um 300 TDI! Para mim é sem dúvida o melhor carro do Mundo
Is it possible to get a disco 2 and fit it with a disco 1 300tdi engine?
it's been done before but I don't believe it's an easy swap.
Wouldn't part with my N reg 300 for the world. I've bought many replacements for it, from L322 Rangies to XC90 Volvos, I've had 12 Td5s, and all sorts in between....but I cannot bring myself to part with the old Tdi Disco. They're utterly dependable, simple and cheap to fix and do exactly what they're supposed to do. The automotive equivalent of a log burning stove. Love my defenders, but the disco is my automatic go to. No one wants to nick them, comfy, and tow better than a 90. I'd buy a new one tomorrow if they started making them again
Hope you enjoyed the video. They certainly are great underrated cars. I bought mine on a whim but have really grown to enjoy it and find myself using it everyday. I may do a series in the New Year of getting the Discovery properly sorted and taking it on some overland trips.
I’m about to drive a Land Rover discovery two from 2004
Great cars! Just watch out for corrosion on the chassis with the Discovery 2, they have a nasty habit of rust quickly spreading.
@@fuelupclassic Will I ever look good inside of a Land Rover discovery
My Dad used to own a sister vehicle to that R171BDU, same colour and spec but a V8.
Do you have the service book as its likely its first owner was Land Rover, Dad's was a company car for them as we're a lot of BDU registered LRs
Oh wow! Thank you for sharing! I will have to check the service book and get back to you.
I've flirted with the idea of finding and buying a Disco 1. But I just don't know that I could, they are absolute rot-boxes and would need 1000s in proper restoration. And so many have been modified into some kind of monster truck looking things by the "one life, live it" crew... I don't have anything against green laning, or off road driving, I enjoy it myself, but a lot of the one lifers really abuse their motors.
Finding a really solid unmodified one is very difficult these days and prices are starting to creep up. However if you do find a good one or are willing to do a lot of the work yourself, they're great cars!
@@fuelupclassic I recently bought a '96 D1 4.0 for $500 here in the states. Zero rust/rot, incredibly well maintained, leather looks new. Simply replaced the starter, battery, fluids etc and it's been a lovely daily driver. Still need to refresh some of the suspension, but I consider myself quite lucky.
I had one of these about 6 years ago. not bad on the road, doing motorway journeys pottering round town etc. but I don't know about you but I wouldn't trust this to tow over a tonne
Surprisingly they tow pretty well once you get them up to speed. I believe they're rated to legally tow 3.5 tonnes in the UK.
@@fuelupclassic mine was the 4 speed auto model. i had a twin axle plant trailer on the back (750kg) + a 1 tonne dumper that ways about 1100kg so 1850kg and it wouldn't tow it up hill at all (it wasn't that steap either) . i had to get my mate to come with his shogun un hitch the trailer and tow it back home with his shogun. . it went strait on the net within 2 hours of that happening
@@patrickquinn-zz1nl oh yeah, that doesn't sound good at all. The autos are slow at the best of times, especially if it was a diesel? They do a half-decent job in the 3.9 V8 models though.
Had 4 disco's 96 3.9, 97 3.9 se, 94 3.5, and my current 97 3.9 and all 5spd manual love my rover v8's
excellent choices! The Rover V8 does suit these old Land Rovers very well.
@@fuelupclassicvery basic but reliable engine with the right servicing
@@maxkhan1786and it makes a great noise too!
@@fuelupclassic I'm pretty sure it's the best sounding V8 I've heard and I've had plenty of ls1 and 5L's but nothing compares to the rover note 👌
Check out the first owner. I think that is a Land Rover company car?!
Yes that's correct! It was first registered to Land Rover
Looking to grab one with the 4.0, 188k miles...good idea or run lol
go for it!
Let me know if you want to sell it. I'm looking for one with Aircon, a tdi and an auto. Yours fits the bill.
It doesn’t have air con
It's missing the air-conditioning compressor....
It's also currently missing an entire boot floor, sills and many other things haha.
I don't know where you live but Disco 2 aren't a rarity as there's a load around here from family run abouts to rock crawlers..
In the UK, the Discovery 1 is now a rare sight (most have succumbed to rust) and the D2 is increasingly a rare sight. Good to hear you have a good stock of them still being used where you are though.
@@fuelupclassic Occasionally i see a D1 still running but as i say around where i live i see D2's regularly.....As for LR they should never have ditched the D2 design but upgraded it instead of coming out with the horrid looking boxes they designed down the line.
Its the car that saved Land Rover (or was that the Freelander)
It certainly helped save the company at the time.
Is the 3.9 Petrol a good one to buy
The v8 is a great buy as long as they have been regularly serviced and you can live with 12-15mpg
Yes they are as long as the owner has changed the oil and used high quality oil. Mobile 20w-40, Valvoline VR1 20w40 or other high-end European oil. I've seen that engine with other models up to 300,000 miles. The worst case scenario is head gaskets going bad and the timing chain wearing out. But as long as you do it yourself it's not that expensive.
If ya don't mind asking how much did ya pay for it?
From memory something like £1,600 and it has served me very well but now requires some serious corrosion repairs.
All in all, it cost roughly a tenth of the price of my last defender.
No they are not forgotten at all. It may not have an image in the UK, but in the USA people buy them up like they are rare collector cars, they are not rare and gas at 6 bucks a gallon(California) makes them obsolete relics which are now falling in actual sale prices. 12 miles a gallon, parts becoming obsolete as every day goes by..So no they are not forgotten just no longer as capable as the rigs today. buy a Toyota or a jeep or a bronco, you'll be better off.
ohh how we dream of fuel so cheap! Currently we are paying over 10 US dollars a gallon here. The USA is obviously a very different market and there is simply very little support for Jeep or Ford Broncos in Europe, and most people simply don't like them. Land Rover probably outnumber them 250/1 on UK roads. The vast majority of old Discovery's in Europe are diesel, and pretty much every part (for both V8 petrol and TDI) are very easily obtainable and cheap. Defenders are plentiful and prices are rising almost weekly, but collectors are only just waking up to buying an old Discovery.
@fuelupclassic7003 there is no reason in the world in any country fuel should be 10$ a gal. It's absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary. It all goes back to ppl making decisions in high places that have no idea of reality.....
Crapp the worst built car ever..
I wouldn't go as far as that. Land rover produced them for over a decade and sold hundreds of thousands of them across the world, many of which are still going strong. This one has lasted 25 years and 180,000 miles, so can't be all bad.
They are not for everyone though!
Buy a Prius Sister.