Early 110 v late 110

Hi

I'm in a bit of a dilemma - my 1983 110 V8 CSW is demanding more time than I have, and I am thinking of replacing it with something newer - preferably a 110 or a Disco. SWMBO wants a newer, cheap 110, whereas I am favouring a Disco - there are considerably more late 1990's Discos in the =A35000 - =A37000 bracket. Anyway, the question is, what differences would I be likely to see between my 1983 110 and a late

90s 110? Is it just a matter of a newer car being more reliable with less holes, or will it actually be quieter, smoother, leak less and generally be a little less agricultural? Thoughts appreciated.

Regards

Neil

Reply to
Neil
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In that budget you'll get a Disco 2, you wont get a significatnly different Defender - they are all like that sir....

They are both very different vehicles, what are you using it for?

Reply to
Nige

Nige

Bit of (small) boat towing, occasional excursions on to a beach to recover boats, shifting wet sailing kit, wet/muddy dog etc. Don't really need the off-road capability of a 110 (accepting that a Disco is pretty handy off-road too). Ideally I want something that I don't have to be too precious about, in terms of getting wet and dirty. I don't do a huge mileage - around 5000-6000 miles per annum, so ultimate MPG is not critical, but I don't want something too thirsty - I get around 12-13MPG on LPG in my 110 (so equivalent of 22-24 MPG on petrol in miles/pound terms), and would like to improve on this if possible.

Regards

Neil

Reply to
Neil

Nige

Bit of (small) boat towing, occasional excursions on to a beach to recover boats, shifting wet sailing kit, wet/muddy dog etc. Don't really need the off-road capability of a 110 (accepting that a Disco is pretty handy off-road too). Ideally I want something that I don't have to be too precious about, in terms of getting wet and dirty. I don't do a huge mileage - around 5000-6000 miles per annum, so ultimate MPG is not critical, but I don't want something too thirsty - I get around 12-13MPG on LPG in my 110 (so equivalent of 22-24 MPG on petrol in miles/pound terms), and would like to improve on this if possible.

Regards

Neil

Get a Disco 1 300tdi for much less & keep the change mate.

Reply to
Nige

In message , Neil writes

Well, I've gone from an 85 110 hardtop 2.25 petrol to a 94 110 hardtop

200 tdi with windows and power steering to a 97 auto Disco 300tdi. I also had some small experience of travelling in a 97 V8 gas Disco.

The first 110 was great, but struggled on hills and at over 50mph. I had constant trouble with fuel tank leaks and the chassis had to be plated until imminent expiry. I loved the lever door handles and the doors were in good shape. Roundabouts were scary on the cross-ply tyres. 23mpg

Second 110 had less space for the driver with the wider door insides on the more modern doors. These seemed a huge step back from the older doors, with much more rot and decay. The engine was much better and we could rattle along at 60mph all day on the much better tyres. This, too had fuel tank leaks and the diesel ruined the path where the petrol had been just a bit of a hassle. 33mpg

The Disco is a totally different beast. It is superficially much more comfortable, although all 3 LR's have been fine to drive long distances. It has more seats, but space is a real problem after the van-like 110's. I'm constantly finding when I get to the boat that I have unloaded some vital piece of gear and forgotten to put it back. The auto has solved the knee pain problems of the 110, and towing the 2.5 ton boat round the field has been a doddle with it. Its suspension is a bit mushy after the

110, but not as much as the V8 Disco 1 that I tried, and has now proved fine in practice. The body, being shorter and with the wide rear bumper, means that I no longer have to take the spare wheel off to avoid the bow of the boat when hitched. This, of course, relates to the reduced space in the Disco. Against that, I can usually hear the radio, and the heater is quite good. 28mpg.

A trip in the Disco is a lot less of an outing than in the 110, and it does seem a lot less 'fun'. Additionally, SWMBO has decreed that it must be kept 'nice unlike the 110'. I've been put off hosing it out by all the squishy sound treatment, so the odour of mooring ropes and paint is taking longer to disperse than it did through the holes in the 110.

Don't underestimate the colour. The first 110 was green with a whitish roof, and stood under our trees with about one wash every 3 years. The second 110 was white. SWMBO hated it because she thought it looked like an ambulance, and the green verdigris from the trees made it look awful in no time. After trade in, it stood on the dealers forecourt and still had the tree slime visible on the roof even after the much better wash than I ever gave it. The Disco is a very dark blue, and shows up the road salt of recent weeks in a bad way, but hasn't emphasised any tree green. I am being accused of not cleaning it enough already.

I bought the Disco from a small chain of non-main-agent specialists, and have been delighted (amazingly) with their service. I paid the asking price of a little over 3k (but this was reduced by the trade-in) rather than haggle and for this they did some Waxoyling and repaired every niggling fault I went back to them with, plus all the more major ones. The one exception was the cruise control where in spite of a lot of obvious effort on their part, it still doesn't work, but they have promised to keep an eye out for a passing ecu.

Bearing in mind that these are diesels, the family joke is that the Disco feels a bit like driving a cement mixer, but the 110 felt like being in a cement mixer.

If I had to buy again, I'd probably look for another late series 1 Disco on the grounds that it was likely to be cheaper and less hammered than a

110. I would definitely try to find one at a trustworthy dealer who looked as if they knew the vehicle.
Reply to
Bill

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