Size and room inside and off road capability. Also, service at the dealers (I have used several) is usually great.

high maintenance costs, lots of oil leaks and little things failing and breaking. Hard to believe that this car did the camel trophy - mine would never have made it.

I bought this SUV new and it ran very well until its warranty period expired and then I started to have all kinds of engine trouble, which eventually resulted in having to have a so called "valve job". Despite being out of warranty, Land Rover North America was good enough to split the cost of repair. Since the big engine job, haven't had much trouble except the usual things wearing out, falling off, etc. I must say I am surprised that a vehicle that is supposed to go off road can have so many design problems - like mud flaps that fall off, plastic things in the cabin that are always loose, even the bolts holding the seat backs up have popped off, probably from me using them over and over again to fold down the rear seats and then put them back again. I love the space inside. If you are a fan of big SUVs and if you don't mind the gas cost, high maintenance cost and frequent maintenance for all kinds of minor things (which all cost several hundred dollars to fix of course) then this is the vehicle for you.

ummmmmm, drives pretty well in inclimate weather. Its stylish.

noisy ride, loud engine, $88 oil changes, more than $1000 for a set of new tires. High maintenance costs and the dealers will NOT give you a loaner if you didn't buy the vehicle from them, even if they are preforming $3000 worth of unscheduled maintenance and have to keep it more than week.

I have had my 96 Disco since 1996, I bought it with 20K miles. Since then I have put 202K miles on it. It started giving me trouble at about 50K, basically as soon as the warranty ran out. I have had to rebuild the engine at 100K not to mention the little things that go wrong i.e. gear box, various oil leaks (that the dealer can't seem to fix), front sunroof switch, the Disco is always out of alignment (for an SUV that can go off road I wouldn't expect it to be so sensitive to pot holes). I wouldn't recommend this vehicle for any body who isn't prepared to deal with unscheduled maintenance, and high dealer costs. you may ask well why did the stupid girl keep the thing if its so troublesome...Easy answer, there comes a time and I have put so much work into the stupid thing, and I refuse to give all that maintenance to someone else, if that makes sense. lol

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MB ML 320

Strong, powerful SR20DE (twin overhead cam, 140 hp) engine Handles like a dream, rides like it is on rails Solid-shifting 5-speed Firm, race-inspried seats Big, easy to read guages Limited slip front axle (both front wheels turn) Power sunroof NEVER leaked EXTREMELY reliable mechanically PERFECT for a single person

Paint faded Cannot get an SE-R with power windows until 1995 model AM/FM/Cassette radio went beserk about 90,00 miles (replaced it) Factory speakers are not good at all Looks boxy compared to other compacts like Honda Civic and Toyota Carolla, but it's a lot faster Big, Heavy doors Not good for families

I found this car on a used lot with 62,000 miles on it back in the fall of 1999. It was bought new in Chapel Hill, NC and had actually bounced around dealerships for almost 2 years when I got it (according to CARFAX) before I found it at Sherwood in Johnson City, TN. The car is PERFECT for young people, and especially for the euro/import crowd. The SE-R is a bare bones rocket, it was offered without power windows, without leather interior, without an automatic transmission, built to be inexpensive and go fast. Powered by the SR20DE engine, quite possibly the best 4-cyl engine ever built. 140 horsepower, 135 torque, in a car weighing less than 2600 pounds. Came stock with 15 inch sport wheels, rear spoiler, and fog lights (as all SE-R models do). Mine had the optional sunroof, rear defroster, and cruise control. The car is VERY quick and FUN to drive. The seats are firm and supportive, designed like the famous Recaro seats. Power all through the rpm curve, with a 7500 redline on the tach. 5-speed was sure and solid, pedals are close together like road racing cars. Power even with the AC on, which is rare for a 4 cyl engine. This car isn't for everybody, but if you're single it's a GREAT little car. It handles GREAT. Drives like it is on rails!!! I cannot emphasize enough how well built this car is, how powerful it is to be a 4 cyl, and well it drives. Some people may think it rides a little too rough, this is becuase Nissan built the car with heavy duty shocks and springs, which is why it handles so good. You can't get good handling AND a smooth ride in an inexpensive car. I could beat almost any stock 4-cylinder car (non-turbo) and MANY 6-cyl cars. There were NO mechanical problems while I owned this car. I maintained it at regular service intervals and never had a problem. When I bought it the AC didn't work, It had a leak in one of the freon tubes, I had it repaired and it worked fine ever since then. The headliner lost its grip and fell down, unfortunately I sold it before I replaced it. While owning the car the paint faded on the trunk lid, roof, and engine hood. This is common for all Nissans made 1990 through 1992, as they used bad paint during that time (happened to ALL Nissan models made in this period). Also, the doors are VERY HEAVY for a small car, and they had sagged quite a bit, and didn't make good contact with the peg that sticks. Those pegs on the frame are what the car uses to determine if the doors are open or not, thus whether the interior lights or door chimes should be on. I solved that by putting a couple magnets on the doors to make better contact with the pegs. Not too thick of a magnet or you will bust the pegs, as they are made of plastic. I sold the car in November 2002 after I bought a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee because my wife and I needed something to carry our son in. She had a Dodge Stratus R/T (GREAT CAR!) she just bought, so we thought it better to sell mine and 'trade up' to the Jeep. The Jeep has been great, but the Dodge was never driven that much after that. Looking back we should have kept the SE-R and traded the Stratus R/T for an SUV. The guy I sold it to still has it, and it has somewhere around 140,000 miles on it (had 130,000 on it when I sold it). I hope to get a couple thousand together someday and buy it back from him.

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1987 Pontiac Sunbird 1999 Honda Civic 2001 Dodge Stratus R/T

A go anywhere in style vehicle. Alluminum body resists corrosion. Great off road.

people that think it's a car.

I have owned my Disco for 2 years now (bought used with 50,000 miles on it), and have had no real problems at all. The joint at the cat converter did rust and will have to be replaced, but I don't think that exhaust work on a vehicle with 60,000 miles on it is unexpected. The parts are a more expensive than a honda, but what high end vehicle parts aren't? I almost have to laugh at some of the bad reviews this vehicle gets. Yes the gas mileage is bad, it's a 2 ton truck! If you want 40 mpg, buy a toyota , not a 2 ton all wheel drive truck.( this should be obvious, but from reading the reviews I guess not) The vehicle allows too much wind noise? Umm...you never drive with the windows down in any vehicle? Yes you will have to replace belts and hoses, and even change the oil.( just like any other vehicle) and yes you can't take the off ramp at 60 mph....again, it's a truck. Alot of the SUV's that are made today are "soft"...the rover is not! It has a good feel on the road, but still retains the rugged feel of a go anywhere 4x4. I have owned jeep grand wagoneer's and the rover has the same feel on the road. The motor is fine...your not going to beat a corvette( or most any CAR) light to light, but you don't buy a 4x4 to go 120 mph. I think alot of people that buy SUV's these days aren't looking for this kind of truck, and if you don't mind picking up a wrench and doing the regular maint. yourself, it's not going to kill your wallet. Alot of the cost is in the labor, and most auto repair places will try to stick it to you no matter what you drive!

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Many Jeeps

Off road ability Easy to repair

Sucks gas - like other SUVs

This is the best SUV I have ever owned. Bought the truck with 58,000 miles on the odometer. 20,000 miles later I've had few problems. This truck is very comfortable on road, but really shines off road. This is not a lifted station wagon like many other SUVs. It is a true off road vehicle.

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Jeep Grand Wagoneer Jeep Cherokee Ford Explorer GMC Suburban

-High seating is great. -Off road performance is great, but it's also far and away the best car I've used in the hurricane rain. -Quirky Brit character is endearing. -Hate to admit it really draws applause from others. -Interior leather quality is very nice. -Jump seats are great with kids. -ACE is just awesome. Cornering is unbelievable with very little body roll. -Straightforward mechanics (I found roverparts.com and I'm planning to use it for do-it-yourself issues that arise). -Solid axles. The wheel articulation is just incredible. -Great dealership: extremely helpful, patient and no pressure. -It's not the LR3. This really was the last chance to own a classic utility vehicle.

-Cramped rear seating. -Steering wheel should be about an inch higher. -Gas consumption. -Noisy. -18" tires are a problem for offroad use. If you want to double as a serious offroad car, you need to buy a second set of wheels/tires. I have yet to test deflated 18" tires on beach sand. I'm guessing this won't result in pinch flats. -silly nickle and dime charges (160 for mats). When you're at this price point, the last thing that a dealer/manufacturer should do is try to sneak in unseemly charges. -surface corrosion should not be present on a new vehicle, regardless of whether it is shipped across the Atlantic. This appeared to be true on all new discos I looked at to some extent. Not a problem, but also not acceptable.

I will certainly update if the car shows reliability problems, but overall we love it. Put a 1000 miles on her in the first week, plan to drive the heck out of it. It's comfortable, has panache, love the drive, and actually will use it frequently for moderate offroad travel. I struggled with this purchase decision, but decided to give it a go based on discussions with other disco owners. I definitely recommend finding and talking with truck owners. It's so completely unlike anything else out there that it's easy to know whether you want one or not after a few test drives. It's not for people looking for a car-based SUV. I gave it a top recommendation, but that's assuming that you don't want a car-based SUV with simple AWD. It won't perform on-road like a car. I gave it a top recommendation on price because showing up at the dealer gets you (currently) at least 6K off MSRP, making the disco competitively priced. The LR3 is looking like it's going to be 10K more, so 2004 offers a great value (plus the LR3 is largely a street/touring vehicle; I think the disco handles street/touring well, but it's still at heart an offroad monster).

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93 Chevy S10 Blazer (absolute junk) 04 Toyota 4Runner (solid and very reliable)

off-road styling build quality vision land rover name/heritage

gas milage transmission noise steering wheel adjustment

I put off buying a LR Disco for many years because of "so called" reliability problmes although I always thought they were the best looking SUV's since their arrival in the US in 1994. As I have gotten older I decided to take the plunge and bought a white 2003 Disco SD-7 with 9400 miles. I have had many SUV's in the past,including a Mitsubishi Montero, a Montero Sport, Trooper, Suzuki, and Mercedes M-class. Aside from the M-class the disco is way underated in terms of on-road handling and driving and out performs all the others I've owned. This also holds true off-road... this truck is a beast and perhaps rides more comfortably off-road than on. I have yet to experience a problem but feel secure anyway due to the comprehensive 4-50,000 warranty. The dealer also threw in an additional two years and 24,000 miles because of a small advertising error they made. So, my disco is warrantied for 6 years or 72,000 miles. I have a rare SD model with climate package and dual sunroofs, along with the third row seating. About 3 in every 100 "SD" models are made this way and ussually find their way in the northern areas of the USA. I think the build quality is outstanding and like the British styling... I wanted something a little different and the Disco delivers! Gas milage is a bit poor and the steering wheel does not adjust well but other than that everything is cool. Great vision all around, safe and heavy! braking is outstanding and HDC is a nice option... worked great while riding the dunes at Pismo Beach California. I tested older models in the past before I chose this one and the 2003 addition of the bigger V8 makes a world of difference. Pick up is adequate and when in sport mode, the disco has no problem passing! Steering is responsive and the big truck is more agile than one would think, although the turning radius is poor. The basic Alpine system sounds good, all controls are intuitively placed, aside from the seat adjustments, which are placed aside the middle console and the seats are supportive and comfortable. The cabis roomy, especially the back seats, and the third row seats were perfect for my 8 and 9 year old on a long distance trip. Wind noise is not bad when compared to other SUVs and engine noise is low... transmission wind is a bit loud, however. If you want a beefy, powerful SUV that lets people know you go for something a little different, than get a LR Disco, but don't expect it to ride like a car... the disco is every bit what it is built to be, a "tuff" rugged truck with like handling and drivability. It out performs my past SUV's by far in off-road situations and aside from my mercedes m-class, it rides and drives better than the Isuzu Trooper, Mitsubishi Montero, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Suzuki Samurai, or even the Toyota 4-runner, which I drove for several months.

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mercedes m-class montero, full size montero sport trooper 4-runner

Good looking Solid handling Plenty of passing power Reliable Luxurious interior Very capable off road Nice stereo Very good climate control

Long turning radius Sun roofs don't open very far Driver seat too high and too close to dash. Wind noise at 80+ when traveling into Santa Ana winds. Access to back seats

I got interested in long term maintenance just in case we keep this car more than 2-3 years so was doing some after-the-fact research when I saw this forum's large number of bad reviews on our new favorite car. Knock on wood, but we are very happy with our 2003 disco SE7. We bought it with 13K miles and have just put 3000 miles on the car across the Mojave in 105 degree heat at 85-110mph, up and down some tough (but not extreme) trails in Utah, through lots of traffic in S. Cal, and buried it to the frame in sand back in Utah. The Disco has not shown up with any problems and compares well with the more than 50 other vehicles I've owned. The Utah trails we've test beat this thing on are very rocky and require 4L for crawling over good size rocks up and down steep hills east of Zion Natl Park. Regarding the sand incident, I'm still amazed the disco got itself out of the mess. It was over 103 outside and after an hour of getting more stuck and making minimal progress, we called an expensive back country rescue tow. In the mean time, we kept shoveling and put branches under the rover, getting in and out to cool off in the AC with the motor running the whole time. 1 inch at a time, floored in 4L (4H would not hardly budge) the Disco drug itself backward out of the sand about 50 yards. And it was really buried to the frame! As soon as we hit more solid footing we cancelled the tow that would have been several hundred bucks. Then we headed for town, greatly relieved to be out of the heat and our predicament, and went to the nearest store to get a bunch of gatorade and (we're not native utahans) some cold beers. Yep, the legendary Land Rover got stuck, but it also got out, and without stalling or showing up with any problems after some really brutal torture to the engine and tranny. There was sand in every crevice of the car when we got back to Leeds, UT. Anyway, this car has a really solid feel and good road manners on the interstates while taking on the backcountry. The idea to buy this thing came from always liking the looks of them and wanting to replace my wife's inherited 93 Cadillac Deville and our 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara with 1 vehicle that can go from sand dunes to rocky trails to the grocery store to the west coast and pull the boat and haul our junk and carry 3 dog kids. So far, so good. The only thing is we haven't sold any of the other vehicles yet and really need some garage space!

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87 Mitsubishi Montero 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 1996 Chevy 4x4 PU, gas 1996 Dodge 4x4 PU, gas 1998 Dodge 4x4 PU, Diesel Early 90's Jeep Cherokee Similar highway feel: 3 BMW's (320, 528, 720) Saab 900 Turbo 93 Cadillac Deville lots more!

Great in deep snow. That's about it...

Got about an hour?

Where do I begin to recount the horror story of this lemon? I'll start with the easy stuff. The SUV sits so high that the wind noise at any more than 40mph sounds like a jet engine. That's not such a big problem when you find that the tire noise drowns out the wind noise. An earlier reviewer said that handling was no problem, even at 70mph. That's a load of garbage--DO NOT buy into that. It is extremely hard to handle on straight roads, not to mention curves. If you take the exit ramp at more than 25 mph, your're nuts. The gas mileage is horrible (but I knew that when I bought it). What gets you is the fact that you can only fill it up with highest octane gas. There goes the kid's college money. Parts are through the roof and you will have difficulty finding them as well as someone who is comfortable working on your SUV. Before you buy one, paint your garage floor black; this will help cover up the ENORMOUS oil leak that you WILL wind up with. Bu the way, the mechanic that can fix this problem for you has yet to walk this earth. The taillights/signal lights go out (and stay out) at the slightest bump in the road. The radio is from WWII--I live ten miles from my favorite FM radio station and I can't pick it up. The problems that finally got me to dump this wreck occurred in its seventh year. First was the tranny/tachometer incident: you are traveling at a good 55 mph and find that the SUV won't kick into a higher gear. The tachometer is stuck at 3 RPM. Suddenly, the car lurches forward, snaps everyone's heads back and finally gets in gear. Apparently, there is no fix for this problem. Second, the car's radiator (which I have learned is sandblasted for some reason when it is built at the factory) develops a blockage eventually from all the loosened sand. This causes the SUV to over heat and send antifreeze all over the road and engine. I took it to be repaired six times in four weeks and it kept on occurring. It got to the point where I didn't know if my wife and daughter would ever make it home when they left the house. Traded that sucker in (I refused to sell it to another poor slob and stick his family with my problem) and bought a beautiful Honda Pilot. If this review can stop one person from making the same mistake I made, this will have all been worth it.

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Honda Pilot (2004). Love it so far...

ITS STILL KICKIN' WITH 188 K ON IT...NOT AS BAD ON GAS AS YOU WOULD THINK...1 TANK WILL GET YOU @ 200 MILES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING...KINDA TOP HAVY, VERY NOTICABLE WHEN YOU ARE TURNING SHARP CORNERS...VERY HEAVY YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU WILL BLOW OFF THE ROAD EVEN WHEN WIND IS RUSHING UNDERNEATH.

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HEAD LAMPS/BREAK LIGHTS ARE ALWAYS BLOWN...TAIL LIGHT SOCKETS ARE HARD TO ACESS WITH OUT SPECIAL TOOLS, WHICH IS KINDA IRONIC SINCE THEY ARE ALWAYS OUT...BUT NOT REALLY BECAUSE THE DEALER WANTS YOU TO COME TO THEM FOR EVERYTHING, (MY DAD'S HAND WAS TOO BIG TO CHANGE THE BULBS OURSELVES) SO WE PAY THEM $30-$50 BCUKS TO DO IT...ON MY LAST INSPECTION THE MECHANIC SAID BASICALLY EVRY BULB WAS OUT EXCEPT THE INTERIOR LIGHTS...ENGINE PROBLEMS AFTER 5 YEARS...FREQUENT HOSE BURSTS....OIL LEAKS ARE COMMON...NEEDS FREQUENT BRAKE JOBS...FUSES BLOW REGULARY...HARD TO FIND A MECHANIC SO YOU BECOME DEPENDANT ON THE DEALERSHIP...DRIVES LIKE A TRUCK, NOT A LUXURY VEHICLE BUT COSTS LUXURY MONEY TO UPKEEP...

I AM TELLING MY EXPERIENCE THROUGH A WOMANS EYES WHO KNOWS VERY LITTLE ABOUT DRIVE TRAINS, SPARK PLUGS AND TECHNICAL STUFF... BUT I CAN ONLY TELL YOU ABOUT MY 8 YEAR EXPERIENCE WITH LR... I HAVE HAD MY LR SINCE 1996. I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW AND SINCE 2000, I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT HUGE PROBLEMS AND BIGGER BILLS FROM IT. IN 2000 MY ENGINE BLEW UP, AND BEFORE THAT I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE EVERY HOSE IMAGINABLE ON IT. NOT TO MENTION THE WAIT AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A 45 MINUTE OIL CHANGE... A MONTH AGO I HAD TO REPLACE MY MASTER CYLINDER...THE PART COST WAS $489 AND IT TOOK 3 HOURS TO PUT ON...BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET A LR MECHANIC TO PUT IT ON AFTER HOURS AT MY HOUSE...SO I SAVED @ $200 ON LABOR. THE DRIVE IS OKAY, VERY ROUGH... ITS "WORK" TO DRIVE THE LR "WORK" TO STOP "WORK" TO CLIMB IN AND OUT OF THE SEAT...I AM 5'4" AND I TIRE FROM HAVING TO CLIMB IN AND OUT OF IT WHEN I HAVE SEVERAL STOPS TO MAKE ...AND MANEUVARING IN TRAFFIC IS A WHOLE OTHER STORY! IN OTHER WORDS, ITS NOT THE TRUCK YOU JUST WANT TO ZIP UP THE STREET IN, ITS DOES BETTER ON LONG TRIPS, I HAVE NEVER TAKEN IT OFF ROAD SO I WOULDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT... ALL AND ALL I WOULD DO IT AGAIN BUT NOT KEEP THE GHOST (LR) 'TIL THE BITTER END....(lol)

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ESCALADE EXT- MORE PICK UP AND GO, BETTER INTERIOR THAN THE LR. THIS WILL BE MY NEXT VEHICLE. MB ML 500- BETTER SUITED FOR A WOMAN THAN THE LR. LOWER TO THE GROUND NICER FEEL DRIVES LIKE A CAR...