I will try and stay coherent.... a bit long, sorry, but no-one else to talk to (how sad is that!).
I have a 1995 3.9 V8 ES Auto which I bought with 12000 on the clock in 1996. Since then I have worked it pretty hard (tow 2 tons all over the place) and it now has done 145,000 miles.
Do I throw money at it and give it a real good sort out, or do I get rid of it and buy another one. I do want a V8 ES Auto, it does what I need it to do..
For around £6000 I could possibly buy a similar aged Disco with fewer miles (70,000?) It would cost me nearer £20,000 for a significantly later model and that is serious money.
To spend, say, £2000 "doing stuff" to my existing Disco is very affordable (it deserves it) but do I risk throwing that money into a bottomless pit.
For the first few years it was serviced by Land Rover main dealer (very expensive!) but for the past few years by my local garage and probably not particularly thoroughly.
It has not been that well looked after but despite my lack of attention is in pretty good condition.
Now decision time...
It needs a "thorough" service, a real good going over. The engine sounds sweet but has a habit of stalling. I reckon it is an engine management thing, dodgy sensor somewhere, intermittent, ok some days, big problem others.
The suspension needs replacing, I had rear shocks renewed at 75000 but new springs and shocks all round sounds sensible now (145000 miles remember).
Exhaust needs replacing, not sure about the cats, they are still original.
I have toyed with the idea of lpg conversion but at £2000 plus, I am not convinced. There are Discos that come up for sale that have already had that done, maybe that would be a better route to take. 75 pounds to fill up my tank and do 270 miles is getting scary.
The transfer box whines, a bit like a jet engine, it all works ok, sounds a bit as though filling it up with thick oil would shut it up (I wonder if there is much oil in it? hmmmm.) I don't really use the car off road in the mad mudlark sense but I do use the high and low and diff lock regularly as I tow my trailer in some odd places so it all works. A bit of clunking from under the engine as lumps of metal bonk into place when I reverse sounds a bit worrying sometimes but I am used to it!
Frankly I don't mind throwing a bit of money at the car to have it properly sorted as long as I end up with something that is going to be reliable and give me a few more years (5+) solid use, typically 7000 miles per year now.
I have been going through the necessary mental adjustment and might be turning into a bit of a Landy Man. With most cars you run them into the ground, throw them away and buy another one. With my Disco a different thought process would be to mend or replace the broken bits and keep it going (forever?), Landy thought process not Ford thought process, is that right? or am I deluding myself, is 200,000+ miles normal for the V8? would a rebuild be sensible, how much, when? etc etc.
I am in South Cambridgeshire, can anyone suggest a decent independent Land Rover garage with the necessary electronic analysis kit to do a bit of diagnosis and tweaking without charging the excessive LR dealer rates. I don't mind travelling a few miles for someone honest and fair dealing. The stalling issue needs sorting. Gut reaction is that it is something simple and silly, but boy could I be wrong.
The only rust of concern is the front off-side wheel arch. Wing is ok but the arch as badly rotted under the plastic stone guard. A bit awkward to get at, I am tempted to slap on a blanket of fibre glass but that would be cheating. Is this something to give a body shop to sort out? Silly money?
I have just replaced the fan belt (one great big long one) and the brake pads all round. I am no mechanic but it was dead easy. The bad thing was that one front pad was down to metal (feeling guilty about that one). The really bad thing was that the rear pads (fitted by a "proper" garage in
2002... bastards) were the wrong ones. I could not work out why the new pads were slightly different and a bit hard to slide in and it turned out that the new ones were ok but the old ones were for a Range Rover and had a tiny bit notched out. They had slid too far in and gouged the drum (over a couple of years!). If I can find the original receipt I shall take the matter up with them even though it was a few years ago. Its amazing how something built like a truck tolerates that, and I hadn't noticed any braking issues, you just get used to it, shows how much better it can be to do the work yourself (just need the ability).Sorry, I am wandering.....
Back to the need for advice..... Do I throw money at the car that I have had for the last 10 years or look for another one. If I keep my existing car where is a decent mechanic in North Herts / South Cambs who can be relied upon to do a good job for a fair price.
and so on and so on, you know what I am getting at.
Thank for listening
Les