bought my disco for $28k new in 1996...ahhh, the good times


...but have since sunk another $12k or so in repairs


it leaks, rattles, has a mind of its own, and it seems half of its life has been spent in the garage or in the shop, and it feels like a minor miracle if you can hit 70mph on the freeway


the wifey wants me to get rid of it (she, uh, doesn't share my blind loyalty to this old cow)


but there are definitely times i don't mind pushing it down a river


like the time i got stuck in the middle of yosemite when the starter died on me


or when i got a call from the dealer saying that i should turn off cruise control immediately because the airbags might deploy (i was on the freeway, and yes, i had cruise control on)


..but this old fart of a truck has grown on me


i have great memories of off-the-beaten path camping trips, or the time i yanked my friend's CJ-7 off a ditch. or my one and only trip to moab (where everything was going great until it decided to die on me on the way home).


i guess i can get rid of it and get some decent wheels for my e60...


but it's not even the money. i'm afraid i'll regret losing it afterwards. you guys know what i mean - those endless nights surfing ebay to buy something again you wish you haven't parted with anyway.


oh yeah, it needs a new steering pump right now, so i need to invest some more if i'm keeping it. and notice the leaks in my garage? yup, that's from my landy.

but it's just hard to part with an old friend, you know?

 

Sounds more like an enemy than a friend :thumbsdown:

 

Rattles? Turn up the radio. Fixes all the rattles in my Rover too.
Leaks? It's just marking it's territory. And it's part of the rust protection package. And it stops leaking it's out of oil so fill it up.
Air bag deploy with cruise? WTF? You need a new dealer if he told you that.


1996 was a bad year for Disco's but if you like it, keep it. But find a better shop and even better try and do some of the work yourself. They're easy to work on and a great vehicle to learn on. Off road it's great. I've pulled dozens of vehicles from the side of the road or in bad situations while off road. My kids LOVE mine and fight about who gets to go to school in the "big red truck". Yes they like the BMW's too but they don't fight over it. I'm keeping mine until the wheels fall off and I'll get rid of it only if I can't get the wheels back on.

And besides... if you buy another set of wheels for the 5, what are you going to use to take those wheels to have the rubber mounted? And what about the Home Depot runs?

 

Sounds more like an enemy than a friend
whew. brutal. you sound like my wife!

Rattles? Turn up the radio. Fixes all the rattles in my Rover too.
Must have missed that one from the User's Manual.

Leaks? It's just marking it's territory. And it's part of the rust protection package. And it stops leaking it's out of oil so fill it up.
I like that - like the Old Loyal Dog/Loyal Friend theory, right?
(kinda expensive for a dipstick, though)

Air bag deploy with cruise? WTF? You need a new dealer if he told you that.
I kid you not - Land Rover Marin said it was a recall issue for '96.

1996 was a bad year for Disco's
No SH*T. You got the Disco II, which fixed everything I hated on the D1.

And besides... if you buy another set of wheels for the 5, what are you going to use to take those wheels to have the rubber mounted? And what about the Home Depot runs?
See, you need to talk to my wife, man!

daydok

 

That's what the marketing people like to say but it's the same engine. However, I think the D2 had more Bosch electronics and if my memory is correct the 96 still has lots of Lucas. However other than the airbag issue it sounds like your problems aren't electrical.

I've talked my wife into keeping the Disco by suggesting to use her car when we have to haul anything stinky from the Nursery or home center. She now has learned to appreciate the beast. And actually likes it when it snows despite her car having AWD.