I held off watching this content as I've watched both channels as both of you have great lighting, clear and concise information on what you cover. I especially started watching TR for the fact he has a smaller rig and how one utilizes the space limits the all the gear and it's weight. Another reference channel I watch is 4xoverland which provides more insight. It's the same as sailing when it comes to space and gear and what efficiently works over time. Thank you both for the great content coverage. Cheers :)
great video - we just bought a 2001 Land Rover Discovery 2. Could not resist. Not an off road question but in this video I see some cup holders that are quite interesting. Creature comforts ya know . Where might I find those cup holders.
66lbs is the max off-road weight allowed on the roof including the roof rack. Anything above this will put the COG center of gravity above its safe limit and can lead to rollovers as the lean angle will be greatly reduced on side slopes .
Land rovers are only under rated in the states. They have been used as overlandsrs across the world for years. Extremely capable specially the older ones discovery 1 and 2 and defenders. Watch some camel trophy videos totally epic.
I agree! I knew nothing about land rover other then they are inexpensive. I had heard they were unreliable but after owning this one for a year I'm very interested in Hearing the specifics of what will fail.
@@blurglide I've owned a good few land rovers and none have ever failed me. Its all on how they are maintained and driven. Most people drive them hard and don't take care of them the same reason jeeps are said to be unreliable.
I was following the vehicle build on his channel. Then, I'm surprised and totally thrilled to see the build review on this channel. It's like double happiness for me. Thank you guys for the great content.
Enjoyed the interview Brad. My son-in-law & I each bought a 2003 Discovery about 2 1/2 years ago, both had about 140,000 miles & we paid about $4,000 for each. I put a 2" Old Man Emu lift on mine, a RTT & plan on buying some BFG KM3's in the near future. We love them & have taken them on numerous trails throughout central & northern Arizona. They do need to be closely maintained, but haven't let us down so far. I met you last year at Overland West, really enjoy your channel. I also follow Nate, he is a very talented guy.
svnbit Cherokee XJ is more reliable than both not as good stock off road but with all the money you saved buying a cheap xj and not having to fix it all the time, you can get some true tracs or lockers.
Mine is finicky and quirky, but I was the only one to not get stuck last outing and have never gotten mine stuck. Mine is a 2001 with the locking center diff from the factory that they disable, but it's still there for a limp home mode. I added the linkage, then modified with front and rear lockers and 4.43 gears from GBRUtah and the upgraded multi-u-joint drive shafts. It's the 4.0 and retrofitted to ABR head studs after the first headgasket failure. For the Rover V8s your friend needs to try a ZDDP additive in the oil for that lifter ticking noise. These are old Buick 1960s engines essentially, with advanced Bosch ECUs trying to make them act modern. They are direct cam on tappets and are loud with higher wear. I run some MMO in mine too. I kept my radius and control arms too, but used Old Man Emu coils and shocks. The stock traction control is hands down the best I've ever seen as he noted, but I really wanted lockers. For the most part I ironed out any issues almost a decade ago when I got it for about $4K. I know every inch of it at this point and it's still my favorite of my fleet. That being said I have a dead driver side window motor right now and a bad driver side door lock, so it only unlocks with the manual key. I do love her though...
Im a little confused. Why does he want to build this out more? Hes talking about the weight of a F350, hes right now sitting at a capable car, with 16MPG and almost everything stock so nothing will break. Im pretty confused why someone would go all out and add a ton of weight so that things will start breaking, his MPG will go down to that 10MPG he was worried about etc etc
I have owned two of them. Completely underrated the driving experience is like no other and all those people that bring up reliability have never actually owned one. Any vehicle of that age and mileage is going to have its fair share of maintenance issues. 10/10 would recommend at least owning one.
I maintain mine well and it's never let me sit in 8 years. ALWAYS starts and if something breaks, it still gets me home or warns me ahead of total failure. It probably has 10-15k trail miles and 130k road miles. Been on nearly every trail in Colorado besides the buggy trails. Just drove it 400 miles today after it sat for 4 weeks and it cruised at 80mph with nice cold AC.
@@matth4069 I've come to think that Toyota owners just don't talk about their issues. I have two friends with landcruisers a 70 and an 80 and they are being worked on as much as any old Discovery. In the UK people buy land rovers and then can't afford to service them, and you end up with a market of poorly maintained vehicles.
I've been watching Nate since he went on his own on RU-vid. Video's are awesome and he is extremely creative! Glad you got down here to California to enjoy the best thing about this state and one of the only things, haha !!!
Why would it be under rated? It’s one of the most capable 4x4s ever built and has the same running gear as the Defender, the mainstay of the world’s armies.
I wish I could drive my Landrover through such a Landscape. We got no legal dirt roads left in Germany and our pavement looks like the driveway of a rich guy in Beverly Hills. Great build and entertaining video too.
I have a 99 rover that I have put in a 4.6 with a crower performance cam and what makes it good is not just the suspension is both diffs are on the right side.
Yes it made a difference in take off from a stop light it's still somewhat sluggish but I have plans for a set of 411 gears.great basin Rovers has been awesome with their work and help.
@Tim Gardner How easy or difficult was the engine swap? Any modifications required? I have a 99 D2 and it has 185,000 miles. It’s my DD and still runs great, but I am considering that engine for a future swap.
Have you seen the new Ineos Grenadier? Basically a updated old defender but better. And they are suppose to come to the U.S. with a mercedes turbo diesel....I'm obsessed.
I just love seeing how much Nate is enjoying Over landing. I have been watching him grow in his videography and sound quality and content, since his collaboration with Matt and the other guys with Bleepin Jeep. He has gone far in a short amount of time. I’ve been watching you both about the same length of time and love the journey that you both have made. Thank you for the great videos. I can not wait for the next ones.
I never comment on RU-vid, however I'm from the UK, You sound like you never heard of Land Rover. It's off roading capabilities are legendary. It's simply is the best vehicle ever, someone mentioned camel trophy, But the British army, navy, air force, search & rescue, red cross, fire, police, ambulance all use Land rover. Even NASA. Yes i do have a Land rover
Don't swap in a diesel. The v8 works. You start doing swaps and trail runs end up being shakedown runs with things going wrong. If the v8 works, keep it.
Todd Hoffmaster he has a RU-vid channel devoted to modification and building unique practical stuff. If they didn’t modify it they would be just another chump on the road in a d2.
Land Rover is what all other 4x4s are judged by, period! So tell me how you can ask if its "underrated" Why because it's not a "me too" Jeep Wrangler? The video should be titled "Why are the Jeep Wranglers so overrated?"
TFL had the same generation Disco that they really liked. The only real issues is the engine. I am sure that one has had the heads off one or two times. They also liked the traction control setup. That thing will be a monster on 37's.
Kyle B EGR has nothing to do with California. It’s been a federal requirement for almost forty years. I have not seen anything about there being zero emissions in EU delivered versions. Especially since their emissions are stricter than the US.
@@kyleb5518 they are also an issue bc soccer mom's will drive it on a dead water pump or a busted radiator until she pops. Do your maintenance and she will drive over 200k like this one.
Stuka87 I don’t mean exclusively egr but US ones are ran far leaner and have a different head config, Euro ones don’t have the head issue, and as binh said a lot are just driven on low coolant in high humidity which they dislike
Of course the Discovery II is a great vehicle. I've had my 2003 since it was nearly new. I've "buried" it more than once to the frame and it walked its way out. I love it! One of the last Discoveries you can actually put a serious lift kit on.
Defenders and Discovery 1s & 2s are primarily work vehicles. People hate on them because of a misconception about reliability, but work vehicles work hard. I've broken down just as often in Toyotas and Jeeps.
Totally agree with this comment, my Discovery 1 was as reliable and capable as my Toyota 80, both vehicles accomplishing over 300k miles, maintenance is the answer for reliability on any brand, followed by vehicle sympathy and a rudimentary knowledge of what’s happening in the power/ transmission chain, BTW great video, as ever, thanks. ( from UK)
This guy is super crafty. I have gullwing windows on both sides of my 80 series Land Cruiser and they make such a huge difference packing gear in and out.
The World: You should spend at least $100K if want to go off road. "No I'm pretty happy with it". The World: Are you going to upgrade it. "No I'm pretty happy with it". Nothing beats being happy with what you have.
This is why I bought one brand new in ‘02 and have kept it ever since. His 4.6 at 200k miles has had to have the head gaskets changed at least once. Its an old Buick motor. At $5k, that’s a great deal.
I owned three Land Rovers including a 2001 Discovery II that I bought new. It had numerous issues but I did enjoy the vehicle. I would buy another one if I could find one that had been well sorted. Future owners just need to be aware that these old rigs are great but will require maintenance and considerable care. Great video and I missed my 2001 even though I parted with it in 2011. Thanks for sharing.
Dirt Lifestyle is one of the best fabrication/offroad related channels on all of RU-vid. Pure...no brand fanboying getting shoved down your throat. Production value of his content is top tier. One of the few content creators that I'm a Patreon of.
3.54 and all solid axle Rovers are floating axles. Hi-tuff engineering in Australia do a load of upgraded driveline components for Land Rovers, Ashcroft are the go to for a UK supplier.
Had a 1995 Defender 90 I sold after spending years building it! Had ARB lockers Front and Rear..re-geared 4.88s and pegged diffs by Ashcroft...Ashcroft underdrive crawl box..35” nitto mud grapplers ...beadlocks.. many many more upgrades..had axles etc.had a blast crawling it with a loyal Jeep club.... been waiting on the Jeep Gladiator diesel.... never went west. Always wanted to..
I love my 03 discovery 2. Its a beast. LOTS of repairs haha, but a beast non the less. The nice thing is that you can typically get them for cheap, you might have a handful of needed repairs right off the bat, but if you are mechanically inclined you can do most repairs yourself. And then you have a great off road rig you typically pay less than $9k for.
If you are in the States, there was an NAS model with a manual transmission. I believe it was 95 model year. That’s a Discovery 1. They are rare and could be expensive, but once in a while you see one available for sale.
I follow both of your pages. I've been waiting for this video. I too rock a D2 and I'm dead set on utilizing my cargo area better. I'm organized now with Plano boxes, but hate having to move everything in and out. Also considering a rtt, but that's a huge consideration. Glad to see the Rover didn't disappoint! Not a lot of confidence left in these old battle tanks! Thank u both for the awesome content. @RoveAgain
Two of my favorite people doing a rig walk around . Nates fab skills are off the chart and I'm looking forward to more of his Land Rover build . I really enjoy his channel as well as your channel Brad . I'm hoping someday I can meet you both . Until next time take care and be safe .
Anyone that thinks a LR Discovery is an "underrated 4x4" has never owned or experienced an underrated 4x4. Platforms that come to mind; early 90's Pathfinder, Montero, Rodeo, Suzuki. Overlooked and underappreciated. Which is fine, it keeps the price down for real enthusiasts that know what they are. You could do a walk around video of my Rodeo and lose half your subscribers haha, that's an underrated 4x4.
not at all - parts are quite reasonable and there are many vendors both in the US and England (as well as Australia, Europe, etc). Heck, some of the English vendors get stuff to California faster/cheaper than buying from the east coast. Of course if you're foolish enough to run a 20+ year old off-road rig and take it to a dealership for service then yeah - you're going to pay a fortune. But if you use an indy shop or preferably have even a modest amount of skill and diy it's no more expensive than anything else.
Under rated? absolutely not. Over priced repairs DEFINITELY. Look up the price of parts for general maint. I owned a 2006, got rid of it as soon as I started to need to do basic maintenance. Its literally cheaper to buy another one than it is to do some engine repair! If you want a cheap off road capable suv, look at the early 90s Mitsubishi montero.
Owning 5 currently, I'd disagree. Not really any more expensive than anything else. Lots of vendors in the US and England. Only thing expensive is if you're the sort of person that takes a 20+ year old off-roader to a dealer instead of doing it yourself (surprisingly easy to work on and a very enthusiastic owner's group who's happy to help) or if you're incapable of even basic work yourself at least find an indy shop. But sure, if you want to pay $150-$190/hr for basic maintenance go ahead.
@@donhappel9566 Not more expensive? From head light to tail pipe, its more expensive than most others. The headlights alone were over 1k for new, and 300+ for used. I do almost all my mechanical work myself. The blocks are trash, head gaskets went out because of the type of coolant used and the electronics are a nightmare. The inside was very comfortable and reflected the price of what you got when it was new, besides that, there is nothing that stands out from other off road capable suvs in that era.
@@zombie8068 And this is how the reputation gets started - people who don't shop but just pay whatever the local dealer asks and then tell everybody how bad things are. Bad for THEM maybe, but that's their own doing. $1000 headlight? Sure, at the some dealers it might be. Took me approximately 30 seconds to find an OEM D2 headlight on amazon just now sold by a dealer in New Jersey ... $180. I'm not trying to say other vehicles aren't good, but I am saying - from direct personal experience and from having many friends with them - don't believe the hype. If you do at least the basic preventative maintenance and don't drive it like a brand new Prius they're quite reasonable. Not perfect, not the 'most reliable car in the world' (after all, we all know that would be the Range Rover Classic, thanks to Mr. Clarkson), but about normal for a 20+ year old off roader.
Much of the alleged unreliability is from a friend's cousin's brother's uncle who knew a guy who knew a guy who's sister's Land Rover was terrible. In other words, it's seldom an owner but just rumor. Particularly by the time you get up to the D2 like this Rover was beginning to really push into the luxury market where buyers have different expectations. They wanted a luxury Mercedes but accidentally bought a body-on-frame off-road truck. Then they did zero maintenance and were shocked when they took it to a dealer to pay luxury-car labor rates for changing a light bulb. Suddenly they "needed" $5000 in repairs that a normal guy would fix at home for $200. It is true the late D2s with the 4.6 have a tendency to loose head gaskets. This is down to a few things. 1st, this is the end of life for the tooling and things were getting tired (note that with the next generation starting in '05 you got a total clean sheet re-do that shared nothing). 2nd, this engine started as a 3.5 liter Buick block from the 60s. 30 years on and punched out to 4.6 liters was pushing things. Lastly, due to increasingly tough emissions standards Land Rover started running the engines hotter which didn't help with #1 or #2. They certainly aren't perfect, but they're not going to instantly explode 30 seconds after driving off the lot as a lot of non-owners seem to think. Then again, a lot of Toyota people would have you believe you should just weld the hood shut on anything with the dough-boy logo and yet my Yota friends spend as much or more time fixing stuff as my Rover friends. Go figure.
@@donhappel9566 this. Couldn't agree more. Took my D2 5 hours to south dakota last week, not a single issue... coincidently saw 2 broken down toyota landcruisers and one jeep.. go figure. Every car has its issues, knowledge of the vehicle helps tremendously. The disco has never left me stranded with 186k on the clock. But I suppose its good they have a reputation, made it easy for me to get one
I've been driving Land Rovers for about 45 years in Africa, from the old Series 1 through to the 110 Puma Defender, which I now have. They really don't break down any more than Toyotas and are just as capable, if not more so. I also owned a diesel Wrangler for a couple of years, but it suffered a mass and terminal organ failure and was written off. I've never owned a Disco, but the 1 and 2 are basically work horses with some comfort. From the 3, I think maybe they went overboard on the electronics. As Pounds J said, they can be unreliable, but look after them and they'll get you home -- and Toyotas can be unreliable too, if you don't look after them.
they are an issue bc soccer mom's will drive it on a dead water pump or a busted radiator until she pops. Do your maintenance and she will drive over 200k like this one.
That's a trick question. YES they're underrated. But yes, they're still limited 😬. The hardcore buggy-cage-heads will have none of it, the "Overlanding community" (TM & Copyright) has grown weary of reliability issues and parts scavenging, and the newbs are just not ready for it. Its a NICHE car absolutely. Kinda like an XJ, but just slightly worse... PS I have lots of love for Discos and I love the Camel Trophy ✌️
Brad I totally agree with you about Nates fab vids, he is my favorite fabricator to watch. He style is bang on for everything! Great vid from you as well, love the collab 👍🏼
Question - is the Land Rover Discovery 2 underrated? Answer... not in the UK they're not! They are EVERYWHERE. Farmers have them. People buy them for play. They're fun to mod, and (TD5 gremlins aside) last forever with only basic maintenance required. It's a shame the Discovery 3-5 isn't as capable. Land Rover are a "luxury marque" now just the same as Range Rover, the only one I'd consider small and capable enough to off-road would be the Discovery Sport but they haven't been around long enough to have deprecated to the level you can buy one and throw it around. And y'know, they have their own gremlins.
Is the Land Rover Discovery an UNDERRATED Off-Road Vehicle? NO. It's one of the best kept secrets in Xcountry travel. There are 4X4s. And then there are Landrovers. Us Brits have known this for over 60 years.
Not had much to do with the V8's with a slush box, but the TD5 with a manual gearbox is splendid, theres nothing sounds as good as a TD5 with a straight pipe and a popcorn limiter 😂😂😂
Overrated..... considering what’s on offer nowadays, but generates huge amounts of income for a family member who owns a LR Franchise due to warranty, rebuilds and trade-in’s for people who want to spend $100k-$200k on a SUV..
Surprise that a Land Rover is a great overlander? That's...confusing. Guess we here in the US drink too deeply of the Jeep Kool-Aid? I would venture a guess that Land Rover/Range Rover were the first overlanders. Certainly used a TON in Africa, and not just in the plains.
Question:::: Why are you surprised???? It's a Land Rover, what else would you expect. It does what it was built for. One thing it's not is a jeep. !!!!
I have a 2001 version of this exact vehicle paint and all I can't wait!!! I just picked it up.. Didn't realize how easy it was to work on them actually🤟🤟
I have owned a 2004 Disco2 for a year now. I'll start with the CONS first, 12 mpg, no stranger to a repair shop, cheap electronics, horribly underpowered, lots of cheap plastic, very top heavy. now for the PROS. Solid axles, center locking differential (for some, mine has one) easy to upgrade and modify, massive suspension flex, lots of torque, will pull itself out of almost any situaton. comfortable ride. If your looking for a cheap, and incredibly capable offroad vehicle, go ahead and buy one. But know, she drinks fuel, and you'll be fixing things here and there. I recommend siloconing the electronics to waterproof them
Absolutely I own a disco just like that set up the same and I drive down here in Arizona on all kinds of crazy Jeep trails. I got the truck for $5,000 I've done a minimal work to it just catching up on lots of service and fluid changes throughout the entire drivetrain a couple little emissions sensors but overall yeah just having traction control and Center diff lock AKA 4x4 I can go anywhere but I would like to get an Ashcroft 6 mm pin Locker on the rear. People don't realize how balanced they are also full-time 4x4 if you look underneath the front and rear third member style differential are the same front and rear giving it a really balanced weight. It's like a huge ATV with a body put on. Even the 2-in lift can give you crazy articulation with 32-in tires. Yeah they don't have much power but they have okay torque and they are geared low. The auto can be locked into low range gears so you cruise around in second or third low and it does really well. A lot of people underestimate Land Rover just because they have a reputation to not be reliable when an owner just treats them like a basic SUV and drives the crap out of them on the street with minimal maintenance and then they start to fall apart. Also the newer ones having huge Wheels and Low Pro Tires was a dumb move but the new ones are extremely capable literally every single one you see can do crazy stuff even with those Low Pro Tires it's pretty funny to watch $100,000 Range Rovers do stuff. I wish they would stick with solid axles and smaller Wheels but I guess they went the luxury route for a reason with the Range Rover being the first luxury SUV in 1970 and in the '80s having all kinds of features even traction control in 1993. People underestimate the traction control and misunderstand it thinking it lets off the throttle or something stupid not realizing it's the same as the Toyota a track system except made in 1993 and works the exact same. There's no button to shut it off it's just there Land Rover doesn't brag and call it something the way Jeep or Toyota does.
No it's not underrated it's a UK offroad vehicle that was know for people with money to buy due to the upkeep cost and repairs now that it's cheaper to buy most can afford to repair it, it has and excellent tuning radius just like a jeep wrangler and wheelbase just like the lr3/lr4
We are currently restoring a really old Land Rover. It's been sitting for years. No title, no paperwork. Have the original motor and body VINS... OMG. Sitting under a bunch of pine trees for 30 years exposed to the elements. The sheet metal on this car is so thick. There is some rust, but it should be being swept up with a dust broom.
Eghhhh it’s painful that Americans think jeeps rule the world. Land rovers have discovered, mapped and explored the world first! Anyone who thinks any car is unreliable just doesn’t know how to look after it. I could daily a model T ford and it would be fine.
Under-rated by? Not anyone who knows anything about them. BTW yellow lights aren't "euro" they're French. Most everywhere else is white lights, particularly in the UK
Under rated? Have you ever HEARD of the Camel Trophy? Wow. Still laughing. That being said, I've not known anyone that has owned one that hasn't hated life within a few months.
If you think they're under rated then you've never watched the Camel Trophy Challenge... They are very capable vehicles. Unfortunately they are unreliable.
i have had 3 landcruiser 70 series, 1 landcruiser 200, nissan patrols and a discovery4. out of all the cars my favourite was the discovery 4, it was so capable it was able to keep up with my buddies highly modded nissan patrol in technical terrain. the disco was amazing all it was was A/T tyres and a snorkel and nothing was able to stop it
Im shaking my head right now,,,LOL . Is the Land Rover Discovery Under rated ? ????? All that Legal weed on that side of the country is doing bad shit.
