Which Vehicle

Hi Guys,

I am new to the forum and have big ambitions to drive to NZ in the next 5 yrs.

In order to do this I need to start the project now and that means buying the base vehicle that is best suited to the job and budget.

Having done my research the vehicle I have in mind is:

1997 Disco 1 300 TDI Manual

Any views thoughts on this?

Regards

Mark

Good motor some on this forum have them, we have Discovery 1 200 tdi, some will say buy any other vehical other than
a Land Rover, but everbody has an opinion,

Hi Mark and welcome to the forum.

A 300 Tdi Disco's a good call, a great engine and a vehicle lacking the dreaded electronics, but if you buy one now it's be a pile of rusty dust by the time you depart! That said, everything on a Disco is replaceable at relatively low cost, so why not?

A Discovery's not a bad vehicle and more comfortable on long journeys than a Defender.
What engine to go for again the 300tdi is a good robust engine which can be fixed by most out of the way mechanics where the TD5 is smoother and more refined but with its electrickery could prove difficult with maintenance on the trip, Its really horses for courses.

There are other things to take into consideration on a long trip like your planning to undertake e.g. Where you're going to sleep, cook etc !

You're going to have more space in a D2 than a D1 and with a 110 Defender more space again, what accommodation are you going to need, roof tent, ground tent sleep inside the vehicle all these factors will need to be taken into account if you're not intending on spending loads of time off Tarmac do you actually need a 4x4 ?

Budget will also play a large part in the vehicle you use if money is no object a D3 -D4 or Landcruiser could be a better bet.

I would suggest your first purchase should be "The overlanders handbook" written I think by Chris Scott, loads of information and advice and a great insight into long range travel's wants and needs.
One of the most important bits of advice in the book is don't loose your sense of humour.

Good luck and don't forget to keep us updated with loads of pictures.

Hi Mark,

Having been considering the same trip for several years, I thought I might chip in. As to the vehicle, a 300tdi Discovery would work fine. As mentioned, the challenge is to find one that old that hasn't been seriously affected by rust, which is a common problem with the Disco 1s especially.

The other issue is that New Zealand is notoriously picky about what vehicles you can import. If you are just planning on visiting on a temp import permit then it is only seriously annoying. If you intend to keep the Disco in NZ, then you need to do some research. The vehicles have to be fanatically clean, shoddy welding may cause a fail and some vehicles are just not possible to import. Check this website in detail: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/importing/

There are three vehicle inspection companies certified by the government for customs checks, including the AA. Contact them and ask questions about the vehicle type you are looking at. Their contact details are on the website.

Good luck and I hope you keep us posted!

James

Hi Mark,

Tembo has a good point about vehicle import and how much of a problem it may cause you.

In terms of what vehicle to buy, also think about the countries you will be travelling through and how easy it is to get parts should something happen.

I'm a Toyota man myself, and our 80-series 4.2TD took us 43,000km through 21 countries without any major problems. Then you also have the 7-series pick-up with a box on the back, or the 7-series Troopie. Not sure what your budget is, but I saw lots of these in Africa along with the HiLux (single, crew, and double cab).

The Izuzu pick-ups are also good as far as I've heard, although I don't have any experience with these.

Keep us posted.

Cheers,

Abit of advice from the general part of the world you're headed to. For ease of maintenance and availability of parts my advice would be to go Japanese. Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi are far more common and easier to get parts for than Land Rovers. My personal preference is the GU Nissan Patrol but an 80 series Toyota Landcruiser is a close second. Do your research and good luck with the trip.

I would opt for Japanese every time, Landies are fine but require a lot of servicing and aren't very reliable.

My Shogun works off road regularly and is excellent, unfortunately its flaw is its big arse behind the rear wheels, but you use driving skill to overcome it and drive accordingly.

Similarly the Toyota has its merits and is a good rough tough off roader, but its flaw is on auto versions where you can't lock it into a gear.

Nissan Patrols are also excellent, their flaw is they are down on power and their torque delivery is a little unusual, particularly on the 3.0 diesels; but once again it is overcome with driving experience.

I always suggest the following when looking for a vehicle:

Draw up a shortlist and go and drive all of them to see if they measure up to what you want, dismiss what doesn't live up to what you want, when you have whittled it down its tape measure time to see if you can modify it; and that it will accept your modifications and allow you to stow all your gear.

Look up all the regular faults with each vehicle and the cost of parts to rectify the faults, and identify which faults you cannot repair easily, then see which of these vehicles are popular in the countries you intend travelling through.

I would add that Patrols are really heavy vehicles, something you want to avoid when driving overland.

Personally I reckon a Disco 1 is a good call. Minus the electronics there is not too much to go wrong (stuff like ball joints, etc. can go on any vehicle), but if you opt for a manual make certain you fit a heavy duty clutch fork before departing. End of the day it's only an additional plate which prevents failure, so the potential problem is easily solved. Either weld it yourself or buy one already done off ebay. Simple yet very effective.

You're biased Tom.

Anyway they're all heavy, let one drop on you and I bet you say "oh deary deary me".

Assassin wrote:

let one drop on you and I bet you say "oh deary deary me".

or ... "Oh flip!"  

Biased maybe, but if after their research they were considering a 1997 Disco 1 300 TDI, then they're clearly on a budget. For around £1,000 you get a lot of vehicle for your money.

I am on a budget also, and have a family of 4 including myself. I also wanted as few electrics as possible so I went for the L300 Mitsubishi Delica

I already have a Jeep Cherokee 4.0 and a sIII landrover 88 but they were not suitable for use with the family as the wife said no tents

Good choice, Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero 2.8 MK2 with a different body; that will wet wig Tom off now I mention Shogun, but hey.

Couple of points:

Clean and flush the cooling system and fill with blue anti-freeze; fit an aftermarket temperature gauge as the originals aren't very accurate, if its an auto then change the gearbox transmission fluid for Mitsubishi or Dia Queen SP III as this is the upgraded fluid to what it was designed to run on and it works at higher temperatures to the earlier SP II.