landrover discovery 2, Go, no Go

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  • May 4, 2015 at 5:45 am #2317

    Hi guys,
    I’m new to the off road world and I have been reading a lot on the net, trying to learn as much as I can.
    I’m not sure if this subject has been discussed before or not but I can’t find anything related on the search.
    I’m thinking of buying my first off road vehicle and I like the Disco 2 a lot, for the styling and for the capabilities, I found one around 20K with reasonable milage and it has CDL ๐Ÿ™‚
    Shall I go for this car or not, from what I’m reading it is expensive e to maintain but how expensive? Is it going to cost me a leg?
    Is it possible to fix it with old parts in a decent garage in sharjah for example?
    I travel a lot to Africa and I see this car everywhere running for years, it is not that bad after all? Right?
    Any disco owner here that can encourage me to go for it?
    By the way I started preparing my off road kit, now I have a radio and a GPS (but no car yet, haha)
    Thank you guys

    May 4, 2015 at 6:10 am #32930

    “No go” in my humble opinion. Landrovers are quite capable vehicles, but not quite suited to the hot climate of Arabian deserts. In addition to that, they require more frequent maintenance interventions, which are more expensive than Japanese cars.

    Personally, I’d recommend the following options, assuming you’re looking for an economical used car. These are quite trouble-free cars and need very little modification to start driving in the desert.

    1. Mitsubishi Pajero (short wheel base is better, 3.8 litre)
    2. Toyota Fortuner (4 litre)
    3. Nissan Xterra
    4. Toyota FJ Cruiser
    5. Toyota Prado (4 litre)

    If you like visiting a garage once a month or so, check out the following options too.

    1. Jeep Wrangler (preferably short wheel base)
    2. Jeep Grand Cherokee (the boxy models, not the recent jellybean-shaped ones)
    3. Dodge Durango (older models)

    I love Landrovers myself and I may buy a Defender someday for offroad use and Range Rover for family use, but only after establishing my own garage :-*

    May 4, 2015 at 6:41 am #32931

    My Granny is still for sale lol

    May 4, 2015 at 8:08 am #32932

    I personally had the worst of experience with my previous 2004 discovery. Very expensive parts , leaks every where , burst water pipes and on top of that very low power for the a v8 engine. I couldn’t even make it to the dessert with this vehicle. I agree that it’s not suitable for the environment. unless ur willing to spend a fortune on maintenance . I think best is Japaense cars

    May 4, 2015 at 11:03 am #32934

    My friend has a Disco 2 that he drives in the desert. In his opinion this is definitely a “no go” option. They are too heavy and don’t have enough power to deal with the weight. You can live with a heavy, powerful car (LWB Patrol) or a light, less powerful one (Wrangler) but the Disco 2 has the worst of both worlds.

    My friend can make it work on the sand as he is a very experienced driver, but for a beginner you would be better off buying something else.

    There is a friend’s SWB Nissan Patrol going to be available shortly (AED30K), if you are interested, PM me ๐Ÿ™‚

    May 4, 2015 at 3:54 pm #32936
    quote Tatiana:

    My friend has a Disco 2 that he drives in the desert. In his opinion this is definitely a “no go” option. They are too heavy and don’t have enough power to deal with the weight. You can live with a heavy, powerful car (LWB Patrol) or a light, less powerful one (Wrangler) but the Disco 2 has the worst of both worlds.

    My friend can make it work on the sand as he is a very experienced driver, but for a beginner you would be better off buying something else.

    There is a friend’s SWB Nissan Patrol going to be available shortly (AED30K), if you are interested, PM me ๐Ÿ™‚

    I’m here now to say it in person!

    They’re heavy and underpowered and that makes them hard work. For a beginner you can’t beat something light and nimble or if you must have something bigger for family reasons, get something with more oomph.

    My XJ Cherokee has 195bhp and weighs 1400kg. My Landrover D2 has about 220bhp and weighs over 2 tons. The numbers speak for themselves, I’m afraid. I like my D2 but it’s my third choice of 3 vehicles when I head for the sand.

    By the way, that Patrol sold within 10 minutes of being posted as being for sale ๐Ÿ˜ฎ That must say something about them

    May 4, 2015 at 4:52 pm #32944

    Guys

    Thanks to all of you for the valuable input and advise which I will definitely take in consideration.
    Jap SUVs in the UAE are pretty expensive even second hand but as far as i understood they are worth the money.

    thanks again

    May 4, 2015 at 4:56 pm #32945

    Well, I am planning to sell my Cherokee as I currently have 5 cars (including 3 4x4s) and need to reduce the fleet a bit.

    Nice and cheap, too………

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