Cover Story: Discovery 1 Ultimate Guide
Every Land Rover enthusiast should have a Disco 1: here’s your guide to buying, owning and saving one
DISCOVERY 1 BUYING TIPS
ENGINES: The 200Tdi and 300Tdi engines supplied were identical in terms of power, torque and cubic capacity (2.5 litres), although the later 300 series was a little quieter and more refined. Both are bulletproof but ensure timing belts are replaced every 70k and observe recommended servicing intervals. Cylinder heads are likely to be damaged beyond repair if overheated, so watch that temperature gauge. Secondhand ones are easy to source, although 200Tdi ones are getting rarer. Aftermarket parts are plentiful.
Less common are the V8 and four-cylinder Mpi petrol engines. The former are expensive to run and the latter were never popular and are now very scarce.
GEARBOXES: The 300Tdi was mated to the venerable LT77 gearbox, while the R380 got the more refined R380. Many mechanics, however, reckon the LT77 was tougher and less likely to have synchromesh troubles. A ZF four-speed auto box was also available. All are easy to source.
BODY: Rust is the enemy. Inner and outer sills are most prone, along with inner wings and boot floor. Bulkheads are usually sound, as are chassis, but rear crossmembers can suffer corrosion around the fuel tank. Some early models show rust around the alpine windows on the sides of the roof.
Be aware that sills are more difficult to replace on early three-door models, where the rear bodywork encloses the back of the sills and can be difficult to remove.
Aftermarket parts are cheap and readily available. Scarcer are the black plastic front valance trims, which many owners discarded and are now difficult to find on the secondhand market.
INTERIOR TRIM: Getting harder to find because so many interiors have been dumped. Early Conran trim is most scarce, but later 300Tdi interiors are easier to come by, especially on ebay.
ELECTRICS: Simple compared to later models and the contemporary P38 Range Rover. Generally trouble-free and most components are available as aftermarket parts.
SUSPENSION: Trouble-free coils and shocks. Many will last the lifetime of the vehicle but all can be replaced with satisfactory aftermarket examples. You can improve the ride quality no end by fitting Polybush replacement bushes.
OTHERS: Exhaust systems and transmission components can all be replaced by aftermarket parts. Please note that the troublesome EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve, which was of doubtful help in reducing emissions, can be legally removed and blanked off.
IT IS hard to believe that until late 1989 there were only two Land Rovers available: the utility Ninety/ One Ten and the Range Rover. But that was about to change with the introduction of the all-new Discovery. And we can all be thankful for that. Why? Because Discovery 1 is the car that saved Land Rover. It defined the versatile family SUV and was Europe’s best-selling 4x4.
For more than 25 years the first-generation Discovery was commonplace on our roads, but have you noticed how recently there are suddenly fewer of them around?
No, you’re not imagining things. There are indeed fewer because they are disappearing fast. Latest government figures show that Tdi Discoverys are the most SORNED Land Rovers. In fact, they are the 20th most numerous vehicles of all to receive Statutory Off-road Notices, with over 32,000 recorded in the first quarter of this year – more than double the 16,000 in 2013 and treble the 10,000 in 2007.
And that of course does not include the tens of thousands that have simply been scrapped. Government figures show there are just 10,000 Discovery Tdis left on Britain’s roads – half the number registered four years ago and less than a fifth of the 52,000 taxed a decade ago.
Many a Tdi Discovery has, of course, been sacrificed to provide donor parts for its stablemate, the Defender, which has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years. As it neared the end of its production run, Defender values escalated at an unprecedented rate.
It is sobering to see the same government statistics for Defender Tdis of the same era. The latest figures available, again for the first quarter of this year, show just 1263 SORNED, compared to 32,000 Discoverys. And that is simply because Defenders are worth more money. Nobody would scrap a vehicle that is likely to appreciate in value. It is worth investing in an old Defender because these days everybody seems to want to own one.
Meanwhile, the Discovery is rapidly becoming an endangered species. But it shouldn’t be that way. After all, among many enthusiasts, the Discovery 1 is more popular than ever – not least because the current demand for Defenders has put them out of reach of many of us.
But here at LRM we believe it is time to tell the truth and save more Discoverys being retired from active service – because there is a lot of life left in these venerable and historic machines. We believe that owning and running a Discovery 1 is the most affordable entry point to the wonderful world of Land Rovers. This special feature is all about slaying the myths and giving you the true story about Discovery ownership.
Let’s start by dispelling the negatives. Some folk will tell you that you shouldn’t touch Discovery 1s because they rust away and become uneconomical to repair. In other words, putting them right would prove more expensive than scrapping them. But I’m pleased to report that simply isn’t true, so let’s get it into perspective…
The Discovery was in production from 1989 to 1998. Even the latest Tdi Discos are now almost 20 years old. Their contemporaries – models that include Ford Sierra (in production until 1993), Vauxhall Cavalier (1995) and Austin Maestro (1994) – are all now automotive rarities. Even the Discovery 1’s closest rival, the Toyota Land Cruiser J80 (in production 1990-97) is virtually extinct. Most of these popular models have already rusted away beyond the stage where economic repair is no longer viable, but that is not the case with the Discovery 1.
How do I know? Well, I have been driving my own Discovery 1 for the last 11 years. It is a 1996 model with a 300Tdi engine and an automatic gearbox. It had 60,000 on
the clock when I bought it in 2006 and it has now covered over 160,000. Since 2010, encroaching rust has been an issue and some welding and new panels have been required to keep it roadworthy and pass its annual MOT inspections. Talking of which, it has just passed another, thanks to some timely welding by my mate and mechanic, Nigel Hammond. I expect it may well need some more in another 12 months.
But the truth is, it has provided me with very economical motoring for over 11 years. I paid £5500 for it back in 2007 and even if I was to sell it for £2000 tomorrow (which I won’t) it has cost me just over £300 a year in depreciation. Okay, it has also cost me about £1500 in welding in that time, but that still leaves me with a great Land Rover that is just as comfortable and capable as it was when it rolled off the Lode Lane production line in 1996 and cost its first owner well over £30,000.
What do you think the biggest cost is to the motorist? Fuel? Road tax? Insurance? Nope, it’s none of those. The thing that hits most motorists’ pockets hardest is depreciation. Motoring costs experts CAP Automotive say that a typical medium-sized family car bought three years ago will have lost nearly £13,000 in value by now. Some new cars lose as much as 50 per cent of their value in the first year. The average is over 30 per cent and the best, incidentally, is Land Rover, which lose on average 20 per cent a year.it is that simple arithmetic that made a mockery of former PM Gordon Brown’s ill-fated scrappage scheme of 2009, where the government tried to incentivise UK motorists to scrap their old cars (over 10 years old) in return for £2000 off a new car. Prudent motorists knew that two grand would be wiped off any new car in next to no time. The rate of depreciation at that time meant that on average it would have taken just 88 days for that £2k cash advantage to be wiped out.
As for rust, Discovery 1 is no worse than Defender, which is notorious for corrosion of the chassis – notably rear crossmember and outriggers – and bulkhead. Discovery, on the other hand, generally suffers from rust in and around the inner wings, sills, rear bumper and boot floor. No better, nor worse… although Defender owners who have had to pay for a complete chassis replacement may well disagree.
Conspiracy theories are nothing new. When I began my driving career in the early 1970s it was believed that car manufacturers designed their products to rust in ten years – all except Land Rover, that is, because they were made from aluminium and didn’t rust. If only. But it is true that Solihull’s finest do last much longer than lesser marques. Land Rover legend Roger Crathorne once told me that all Land Rovers in his day were over-engineered, by design. I suspect they still are. That’s why engines and drivetrains of both Defenders and Discoverys tend to outlast their crumbling bodies – but it is also why it makes economic sense to repair those rusty bits.
That is the theory behind my own determination to keep my Discovery on the road (with a little judicious welding when necessary). I know that my engine, gearbox and transmission have been meticulously serviced throughout its life. I was presented with a folder of receipts and dealer stamps when I bought my Discovery 11 years ago and I have ensured that it has been properly serviced ever since. And since 300Tdi engines are usually good for well over 200,000 miles, that means that there’s every chance of my mechanicals staying good for a few years to come.
There is also the little matter of availability of inexpensive aftermarket markets. They are usually a fraction the price of Land Rover’s own Genuine Parts and, although some moaners complain that aftermarket or pattern parts don’t last as long, that’s not always the case. And when it comes to replacement body panels, I have seen no evidence that aftermarket steel rusts any quicker than Land Rover’s original ferrous stuff. And that’s just as well, because when it comes to Land Rovers of a certain age, most have more than their fair share of non-land Rover parts and panels. On my own Discovery, for example, all inner wings, one sill and one outer wing are all Britpart.
Let’s face it, it is the ready supply of aftermarket bits that makes it cost-effective for you and me to keep our older Land Rovers on the road. It has always been so – and always will be.
Britpart’s marketing manager, Richard Pigg, says: “All body panels and engine parts are readily available. Most of the engine and mechanicals are in fact shared with Defenders. The only stuff we don’t supply is body trim, but it is fairly easy to pick up secondhand interiors on ebay, for example.”
Far from diminishing, Britpart’s range of Discovery 1 parts is actually expanding. For instance, they added front and rear clear lights upgrades this year. And if you don’t fancy shopping on ebay for secondhand trim, specialists like Exmoor Trim make seat covers for Discoverys.
But be warned, some trim items are becoming scarce. During its nine-year production run, a bewildering range of interiors was offered and some obscure ones are difficult to source – especially on early 200Tdi motors.
“Seats and trim from early Discoverys is rarer than Range Rover Classics and even harder to find. There is nothing out there,” says Tim Hammond of Ripon, North Yorkshire.
“So many of them were snapped up by Defender owners who wanted them for their engines and gearboxes and threw the rest away. I’m still looking for seats in Sonar Blue for my own three-door, which is on a G plate and was first registered within a fortnight of the launch in 1989. The original seats are very worn – the driver’s seat is ripped – it is so difficult to source anything like that though.
“But I think things are changing. Enthusiasts are realising that these vehicles are disappearing and are keen to preserve them. There will soon be a real market for Disco 1 items.”
Sadly, not many Land Rover salvage merchants are clued up yet. I checked out the many autojumble dealers at the recent Kelmarsh Land Rover Show and Disco 1 parts were noticeable by their absence. There were Defender, Series and Range Rover Classic parts a-plenty, and even a healthy stock of Discovery 2 stuff, so why no Discovery 1? One dealer, who gave his name as Barry, told me: “There’s no call for it. Plenty of people want Tdi engines, gearboxes and axles, but at shows like this they aren’t looking for Discovery items. I’ve got plenty of stuff back in the barn, but a pitch like this costs a lot of money and so I fill it with the stuff people want.”
Hopefully, all that’s about to change. Maybe by this time next year more people will be rescuing Disco 1s from the jaws of the crusher and autojumbles will be awash with the parts they need. In the meantime, other providers of aftermarket Disco 1 panels include YRM Metal Solutions, Simmonites, Bearmach and Allmakes.
One Disco 1 fanatic who doesn’t need reminding of the importance of Discovery 1s is Roy Preston, membership secretary of the Discovery Owners Club and founder of the Project Jay Preservation Group, which is dedicated to locating and restoring the G-WAC prototypes – of which he owns no less than eight!
“Discovery 1s are worth preserving because they are great, modern classics that still look good and are immensely practical. They can carry stuff around, pull a trailer and still be displayed at a classic car show at the weekend,” he says.
“It is a fine machine that still looks as good as it did when it was launched nearly 30 years ago. It is worth preserving because it is the car that saved Land Rover from going the same way as other British car manufacturers of that time.”
The race is on to save early Discoverys, before it is too late. Already there are ominous rumblings from Westminster about alleged pollution levels of older cars. And with politicians now bleating about diesel engines, there is a very real danger of a new government scrappage scheme in the future aimed at persuading us to dump our faithful Tdis (and Td5s, come to that). That could put early Discoverys in even more peril.
There has never been a better time to buy and save a Discovery 1. And once you get one you may find, like me, that you have become the owner of a truly timeless classic that is as good today as it was when it set the motoring world alight back in 1989.
ON THE OTHER HAND…
Even if your Discovery is so riddled with rust that it is genuinely impossible to weld back to togetherness, all is not lost. You may wish to go down the Long Ranger route and fit a new plastic bodyshell to a young sound Disco 1 chassis and running gear. The company was founded by Clinton Trump 15 years ago and today demand is outstripping supply. “Our workshops are booked a year ahead,” he says. “We can’t make them fast enough.” However, if you are a decent home mechanic you can tackle the work yourself and convert your Disco into an off-roader, pick-up or trayback ute (understandably popular on the Australian market). Kit prices are surprisingly cheap, starting in the hundreds of pounds. Go to longranger.net for more information.
“Roger Crathorne once told me that all Land Rovers in his day were overengineered by design”