land rover discovery . tdi or td5 ??

Question

i am looking to buy a second hand disco, up to 7 or 8 years old . i have about £6000 to spend ( top limit ) which model do you think i should go for ? have you any pro's and con's ?

Answer 1

Quite interesting some of these answers, but just remember the Disco body is mostly aluminium so doesn't rust, the chassis is built like the Fourth Bridge and as long as its kept clean ( worth checking the outriggers that hold the body to the chassis) rarely gives cause for concern.

The TD5 engine was rejected by BMW as having poor reliability, and despite various claims, is not as economical as a good 300tdi.

Early models of 300tdi had problems with the timing belt arrangement but all of these should have been rectified by now.

Rear floor panels ARE prone to rusting due to leaking alpine lights, but the panels are easily replaced.

If the car has only been used as a schoolrun/shopping trolley, the difflock/low ratio selector will almost certainly be siezed through lack of use - its fairly easy to access and rectify.

Please also consider this is a heavy car to work on, everything is a potential back injury.

I my opinion the only thing that lets the Disco down is the unnecessary electronic items that have a tendancy to fail.

It will always pull a Beemer X5 out of the crap no matter what the conditions.

Answer 2

The 300TDi engine is great but watch out for oil leaks at the rear of the engine remember all tdi engines have small leaks - watchout for the big ones. My tdi has done 213,000 still no problems. Early Td5 engines had some problems so avoid early series2 discos. It is really important to check that the disco you are going to buy has been serviced properly the most important things are timing belts every 60,000 and fresh oil every 6,000 tdi or 12,000 for td5 Check for clunks ie put into first gear lift clutch quickly if you hear loud clunk avoid the car check you can select diff lock low ratio and obviously you need high ratio. Discos rot above the fuel tank, and behind the outer sills check these areas carefully. All in all if you want a character for a low price go for a good 300tdi if you want a quiet drive and good ride go for a good td5 REMEMBER CHECK THAT IT HAS BEEN SERVICED PROPERLY

Answer 3

I have a tdi, and i have never had any trouble with it. I think as long as you service it Land Rovers are reliable (fingers crossed that i have not jinxed myself)

Answer 4

Toyota Landcruiser. Land Rover rubbish reliability.

Answer 5

td5 is more durable and will last longer and five you better service than the tdi // tdis are bit built as well

Answer 6

TDI5 is the newer engine. always go as new as you can afford...and check for rust, land rovers are prone!