Prospective G Owner

I was originally comparing a 2004 Disco to a 93 G. I bought the G as I thought it had a superior ride. Though I too had had that nagging feeling for years before.

I think you'll find there are a large number of ex-Landies on this forum and I think they would all agree that once you've driven a G.... heck even the MOD is ditching the venerable Landy for the G.

I think you'll find there are a large number of ex-Landies on this forum and I think they would all agree that once you've driven a G.... heck even the MOD is ditching the venerable Landy for the G.

I've gone the other way. We have two Gs and an '04 Disco in the stable. (The Disco is the wife's, of course. The G is a little too "butch" for her. The minivan was a little too "soccer-mom" for me. We compromised on the Disco.) I have great respect for Land Rovers. They are resoundingly sturdy. OEM and aftermarket parts are plentiful. And there's lots of mechanical expertise out there.

The experience of fellow LR owners I know has been that when they purchased their vehicle new, there was a wringing-out period of a couple of months where the manufacturing errors get corrected (G500 owners: sound familiar?) Then the vehicles perform well for a number of years, after which time other problems start to encroach. These problems later in life are usually particular to a specific model, and are well documented on the internet and elsewhere. My friends deal with them on a preventative basis, which potentially costs them significantly less money and inconvenience than waiting for a failure. Regardless, among the members of the Discovery message board it is a given: get the extended warranty.

The G, by contrast, is somewhat more reliable. But if anything goes wrong, it is such a headache! Parts are expensive and here the wait for them is typically long. Here in Los Angeles, the MB dealer is unqualified to work on my older Gs. Those guys are just clueless. Even ordering parts is a nightmare. If it's a 460 part, I had better have a printout of the Parts Catalog page as well as the part numbers with me when I go to the parts counter. If I come without that stuff they just mumble something snide about grey market vehicles and wave goodbye. If I bring all my "homework" that at least shames them into tapping the part numbers into the computer. Then, with a raised eyebrow they say something like, " What do you know. It _does_ exist. But we have to get it from Germany." There's one parts guy there I've kind of built a rapport with. He likes a challenge, it seems. Gs will also develop problems later in life. But later in life for a G is 150000 miles, where for a Discovery it's around 60-70,000. :)

Off road there is no comparison. Even with aftermarket axle diff locks, a Discovery cannot inspire anything close to the level of confidence that the G does. (I'd love the opportunity of a day on the trail with a D-90, though.) If you plan to drive off road, go for the G and you will not be disappointed.

Post Script: The dumb Yank reads "ex-MOD Land Rover" and he's thinking, "ex-MOD - hmm. Does that mean heavily modified and then unmodified? Couldn't be. Is it some sort of Austin Powers reference?" Relax, I finally got it. It takes a big man to admit he's a moron, doesn't it? :wink:

- Captain Spalding
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1991 300GE Cabriolet
1985 280GE LWB
2004 Land Rover Discovery