Discovery 1 vs 2: Which one should I buy?

Both Landrovers, Discovery 1 and Land Rover Discovery 2, are pretty old to be used as daily drivers , for most people… But, when you are talking about a fun SUV for the weekend both of the Disco’s have a honor place, So which one would be the best?

First, we must understand that “best” for one isn’t necessarily the best for the other. Everyone of us has different need and different capabilities when it comes to that expensive toy.

In general, we can say that the D2 is more of everything, more power, newer, more room and… more complicated.

The Discovery 2 uses air bags instead of the regular coil springs on the back (in some models, not all of them), ACE system which is great when it works and many other systems and gizmos which make the life much better on road and off road – when they work.

The Landrover Discovery 2 parts are more expensive that the D1 ones (in most cases)

The Discovery 1 (D1) is a little bit smaller, louder, less power and much more noise :), tend to rust, uses weaker axles but, it is much more simple to maintain by yourself.

In order to diagnose D2 fault codes you will need a NanoCom or another expensive device (it is not ODB2 protocol)

The D1 will need a “Test Book” but most of the issues can be solved without it, especially in the “pre edc” models (300tdi till 1997).

Personally, I went for the simplicity and bought a 300tdi but I think that if you are looking for a Discovery, you should look for both and buy the one that looked and maintained better.

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