To buy a diesel or not?

[DionM]

Originally Posted by rashby

I'm tossing up between the cherokee and LR discovery tdi diesel

Oh boy ... it's like voting for politicians ... choose the one that has the least number of bad points

I've probably heard more horror stories about Cherokee Diesels blowing up than Land Rover diesels .... but then again, I've heard plenty of horror stories about everything else with Land Rovers ....

(former LR owner)

[indertdxj]

Originally Posted by DionM

Oh boy ... it's like voting for politicians ... choose the one that has the least number of bad points

I've probably heard more horror stories about Cherokee Diesels blowing up than Land Rover diesels .... but then again, I've heard plenty of horror stories about everything else with Land Rovers ....

(former LR owner)

Correct me if I am wrong but weren't Land Rover using the same VM motor that the TDXJ Cherokees have at one stage?

[Gildo]

Yup, LR and Jeep both made the same mistake.
The VM diesel in the xj is a dog.
Indertdxj is one of the few Ive ever heard of to make it past 200K without replacing the heads or entire motor.
Go with the tried and trusted 4.0 petrol if you WANT an XJ
Its also not that great a tow vehicle for any thing more than a medium size van.
Horse float would be a push.
I occasionally tow a car trailer with XJ or CJ on board and its always an event.
They arent built for towing they were invented to fill a gap in the US station wagon/4x4 market.
It you want to tow with a diesel, look at a patrol or cruiser.

[DionM]

Originally Posted by indertdxj

Correct me if I am wrong but weren't Land Rover using the same VM motor that the TDXJ Cherokees have at one stage?

You're sorta right.

The Range Rover used the VM diesel briefly, back in the late 80s. It was a dog then and LR abandoned it. However the Discovery has only ever used LRs own diesels - first the 200TDi, then the 300TDi (four cylinder versions). Then the TD5 -again a Land Rover design.

And just to complete the story, the early model Freelanders had a Rover diesel (pre-01), whilst the later model Freelanders had a BMW diesel. The Rangie (current shape) had a BMW diesel for a while as well. Land Rover also used the Isuzu diesel (probably the best diesel they ever used) in the 80s in the Series III Stage I / County / 110.

[Steve F]

I'd go with the petrol if you go for an XJ, on the open road they aren't as thirsty as people make out, say 11-12lt/100 in stock trim. Around town they like a drink but it is a 4.0lt engine so what can you expect really. Also heaps of people know the petrol and they are a basic motor. The diesel can be good but you do hear a lot of horror stories, it's normally enough to scare most people off.

Cheers
Steve

[rashby]

So what im hearing is to stay away from diesels. damn just when you think your onto a good thing! I guess the better option would be to buy a petrol and because theyre quite a bit cheaper, use the saving to convert to gas. How does this sound? any trouble with gas? i reckon ill lose a bit of precious boot space. Can you still fold the back seats down with a cylinder in the back? How much should you pay for a conversion?
cheers.

[indertdxj]

In 4wd monthly there is often a add of a black XJ towing a large camper trailer and ot looks like it doesn't just go soft roading either. I think the vehicle itself with some mods on suspension would be fine.

A friend of myne owns a NA 3L Diesel 80 series and has a Trackabout camper. It struggles for speed up hills etc. I have town his trailer and managed a sage speed of 90 on the highway and yes I do have to put the pedal down up the hills but I am sure the dollars signs dont roll over as quickly as the 4.0L would.

Plus the Diesel is Manual. Perfect for off roading.