Thinking of changing my FL2 for a RR Sport. My FL2 has 98k on now and I've been looking at these options. Ideally need some more ground clearance than the FL2.

1 Another FL2 of same year (64) with around 35k on for about £15 to 16k. Hse spec so a nice car

2 A mk 1 RR sport SDv6 (10 to 12 plate) with about 35k to 45k on for about £16 to £19k

3. A disco 4, roughly similar to the RR sport option.

I'm using it for work, which is mostly motorway driving but farm track, fields, forest roads, building sites etc. Quite often carrying 300 to 400kg of soil samples (seats down) or bags of cement etc.

Any opinions between RR S or Disco 4?

I'm aware that the running costs with both RRS or D4 will be higher, and it's an older car, but I like the look of the RRS 😁

I hope you have very very deep pockets as reliability wise both cars are a nightmare

I have pals that own both of these cars and the running costs for both are eye watering compared the FL2  94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

That bad? Is the air suspension a big issue?

The RRS seems to come out worse for problems but it could just be a Friday car, but the D4 has had mucho aggro too... if money wasn't a worry I would choose the D4 cause it looks like a proper 4x4 . 94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

Thing is , you are looking at the service and running costs of a £60,000-£70,000 car . They also depreciate like nothing else in the planet , despite what the bloke selling them tells you .

Not a single thing on those vehicles is cheap .

For the use you are putting your vehicle to I’d be looking at putting my money into a high end pick up truck. 3.0 litre diesel , auto . 2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

A pick up is the other option, for around 20k you can get a ranger wildtrack around 65/66 plate with sensible miles. Or a hi lux for a bit more. Just the size of them putting me off🤔

It’s interesting reading the comments about how expensive and unreliable the larger LR and RR’s are.

I’ve done over 300,000 miles between the 6 listed below, half in FL2’s and the other half spilt equally between the D4’s and the Fatty. While they’ve got a lot more expensive to buy I can’t say I’ve noticed them getting significantly more expensive to run. For example, fuel has gone from around 31mpg (real) in the auto FL2, to 26.5mpg (real) in the SDV8 Fatty. Whoppie-do!

Decent brake pads and discs can be bought at Eurocarparts at sensible prices, while delivery mileage take-off wheels and tyres can be bought for £500 for a set and will give 35-40,000 miles. As for reliability, they’ve all been pretty good, with whatever faults there are split evenly between the FL2’s and the last 3.

The D4’s were some of the most impressive cars that I’ve ever owned and, unless you want something other than a V6 diesel, can’t imagine why anyone would want a RRS over one. If it’s for use as a serious workhorse, nothing will touch a D4

Another shooting pal of mine has a 2018 Nissan Navara pick up with all the bells and whistles... nice car he paid £18k with 20,000 miles. 94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

Can I take it that the poor reliability comments refer to the Mk1 RRS (L320) and not the Mk2 RRS (L494).

This is because I rather fancy the later model, and as it is expensive (even used), I have been saving up for a 3 - 4 year old model. I found the high driving position and general ability to waft me around quite appealing. In fact I have been studying white 3 Ltr Diesel HSE Dynamics on Auto Trader for a couple of months.

Now where's my Lottery ticket! FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

MartynB wrote:

Not a single thing on those vehicles is cheap .

SDV8 Brembo (OEM) rear brake pads - £45.09 for a set, including VAT. That’s pretty cheap

GundogSD4 wrote:

Another shooting pal of mine has a 2018 Nissan Navara pick up with all the bells and whistles... nice car he paid £18k with 20,000 miles.

Good value to be sure, but they are very different machines to things like D4’s. They may have now got coil springs, but they’re still running live rear axles. This maybe robust, but it’s also very cheap to built and no amount of bells and whistles will make up for the 1970’s ride. These truly are the modern day equivalents of Defenders, not Discos

Lots of OEM Brembo stuff being made in China. Today's stuff is certainly better than the stuff that was being made there 10+ years ago. Maybe it's different in the UK and Europe but I am going to guess that all Brembo in NA is made in China nowadays.

Agreed but more shooting folk and farmers are moving toward them because like you said they are robust and good on/off road and tend to be more comfortable and reliable than some alternatives, the 2018 one my pal has replaced his previous 2007 180000 mile Navara after 10 years of hard work and abuse with only minimal routine servicing  94 Disco 300 TDI Gone
96 Defender 300 TDI Gone...Should have kept it.
2003 Freelander ES TD4 Gone
2002 Defender TD5 Gone
2005 Freelander HSE TD4 Gone
2015 Freelander 2 Metropolis Keeping for now!

ive gone from having several FL1, FL2 and Evoque and now driving a 2011 D4, its the later model with 255BHP and 8 Speed ZF gearbox with rotary gearknob. For what you want I would go for the D4 every time over the RRS which is more up market but seems to suffer from more gremlins than the D4.

Choose carefully if you go for a D4, there are plenty out there, and get on the Disco4 forum (links at the bottom of the home page on here). There are some very well looked after examples come up for sale at good prices.

Mine is a 1 private owner, FSH with main dealer and then specialist. I bought it for 13k last August with 98k on the clock, there was no evidence of the belts being changed so I got LR to do them and a major service straight away. Belts were £695 but are now good for another 100k. Service was £495 but that's LR prices. My next service is £200 for the interim at Maltings 4X4 near Doncaster.

im now on 106k miles, and nothing has gone wrong so far fuel on my 40mile commute to work is around 32mpg on the dash but does drop to 28k when I start town driving. so not huge amounts lower than a FL2. Tax on mine is eye watering though at £550 for the year.

so far ive moved a fridge freezer, full size flat pack wardrobes, beds, settees, 6 adults and luggage, dogs, been able to go through flooded roads where cars were turning round.... it really is a an all round 4x4 that is at home on the work site as it is outside a posh hotel.

yes things go wrong, but don't believe all the horror stories about crank shafts snapping, its not as common as some make out. but take a decent warranty out on it and enjoy it.