1991 Discovery as daily driver

CharlieCooper · 28-08-2014 6:01pm #1

Hi Guys,

I am considering a 1991 Discovery passenger as a daily driver.
Approx 60 Km per day total commute (30 each way) and a few long journeys 300Km per month.
I will use it for towing an ifor williams 12 x 6 trailer a few times per month

The jeep has 120K Miles on it and an (almost) full uk service history and MOT history.
This would be my first Land Rover and I find 2 categories of Land Rover Owners from those I have spoken to:
Some people swear by them and other peple swear about them :-)

Are there any things I need to watch out for?
Any major design flaws in the 1991 2.5 Diesel version

Thanks,
Charlie

101sean · 28-08-2014 8:08pm

That's an earlyish 200Tdi, getting fairly rare now.

Most have been scrapped due to rot in the bodyshell, especially the rear floor and inner wings, will be worse if it has a sunroof.

The engine is pretty indestructible but has a timing belt so make sure that's been changed. If it goes you usually only bend push rods.

Check for drivetrain shunt, LT77 gearboxes used to get bad mainshaft spline wear until you lost drive completely. Check the hi/low and difflock work, often seized through lack of use but easily fixed.

You'll get around 30mpg if you're gentle but you won't find a better towing vehicle (other than a Defender or a proper Landcruiser). Road tax will be €1080 pa though and they aren't long enough to crew cab.

Yep, you'll be hooked for good or never go near one again! Spares are ridiculously cheap and there's lots of advice out there, have a look at the discovery owners club and other specialist websites.

brandonw123 · 28-08-2014 9:40pm

Thanks for the info Sean,
Much appreciated !
Rust is not the issue with this one, quite the opposite,
The last owner had it for a few years in the UK and drove it to the south of spain when they moved there 11 years ago where they used it as a second car.
The bonnet is sun faded and there is only 1 rust spot where the boot door is hinged to the floor.
It has a full MOT and there are no dents or dings.
Any idea ( ballpark) what such a jeep might be worth ?
Thanks.

101sean · 28-08-2014 10:16pm

Hard to say, they can be had for £1000 or less but one like that could be worth a lot more in the UK due to it's history. Not worth a lot here as it's a funny market and few will touch it as a passenger vehicle because of the road tax.

Not sure how much VRT would be with a vehicle over 20 years old.

TrailerBob · 29-08-2014 7:10pm

I'd agree that the 1st gen discovery was a good machine. Still built by the simple principles that made the 90/110 defender so popular. Its a rare find without rust issues. For the money, it'll be hard to beat if it's sub 2k...

1991 Discovery as daily driver

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