Talk me out of it: Disco II content

I would love a defender.. but they are stupid money right now

I wouldn't touch one due to the lawsuit over that chiropractor that illegally imported a ton of them. A bunch of them have been seized as evidence in that case.

I've seen so many of these (my favorite body style in a truck) making up all kinds of roofing crews, landscaping crews, tow trucks, body shop trucks, fire department brush trucks, municipal trucks, etc. all well kept and professional looking enough for fire fighters.

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When I was younger I had a landscaping start-up and we used only blue '67-'72 Chevy trucks. People liked it!

If you're getting a disco to impress people you are getting it for the wrong reason.

Derick Freese wrote: I wouldn't touch one due to the lawsuit over that chiropractor that illegally imported a ton of them. A bunch of them have been seized as evidence in that case.

rover imported them legally too.. but they are way up their in value due to how rare they are

Grizz wrote:

pres589 wrote: You're never going to satisfy those people.

This.

That.

This "trying to impress people" verbage thats getting bandied about is pretty inaccurate.

He's trying to look like a professional landscaper. He's not trying to look cool at the upscale shopping center or fit in with his rich friends.

I agree a Disco is absolutely the wrong truck for the image you are trying to portray. It won't make you business look more professional. It will do the opposite. it will make it look like you are trying to impress.

Get a 4x4 pick-up. Refurbish/repaint your trailer to match the color. As much as I love vans, I won't get one of those either. Much of this has to do with expectations. It is expected you will have a pick-up.

Yes - make sure your crew are all wearing the same t-shirts, long pants, proper PPE.

I'm basing these recommendations on what I see in the Princeton, NJ area - where there are tons of landscaping companies and is ground central for old-money snobbery. Most of the trucks here are 4-dr duallies and 4-dr dumps. One ton or larger. Only the forman might drive a 3/4 ton.

Do you want to grow your business or go camping? If the former is important, don't base your truck puchases on the latter.

Another point you guys are missing is that a white work truck in this area has either been beaten to piss, is 99% rust, or is twice what a Rover would cost.

Hell, these things are used as work trucks on the other side of the pond all the time, well, at least until the Transit vans came out.

For a work vehicle, it does need to wear stickers or painted logos, not magnets. A good 25% of lawn crews here have either Dodge Caravans or white full size vans.

Most of them lock their equipment in their vehicle, instead of leaving it on the trailer. We have locking racks on our trailers, so inside storage isn't an issue.

Besides, what do you think the Realtors were driving 5 years ago

So let's nix the "professionalism" part and just say that I like the damned things

around where you are yes.. time to start looking further afield for a truck then.

...and you DID ask us to talk you out of it...

Hell... we haven't even gotten to the reliability/cost of upkeep part yet. Do you really want to hang your livelihood on the reliability of a Disco?

That would be like me selling all of my cars and deciding a single Triumph Spitfire would be adequate transportation for my 100 mile daily commute (bearing in mind I live in the salt-belt).

Gulp. You're a braver man than I...

Don't the Lawn Doctor, Chem-Lawn guys drive white Ford Rangers?

I'm with everyone that says sure buy one if you WANT a project, just DO NOT use it for work!

You guys are right. I'll be on the lookout for an ex-fleet truck, paint it white, and go with that. I'd feel a whole lot less bad about the inevitable dent or ding on a Chebby pickup. The problem is finding one that's not a total disaster.

The Rover can come later, as a secondary vehicle that doesn't have to be perfectly reliable. I might even sticker it up and use the "Redundant Array of Cheap Cars" approach.

Have you considered a Land Cruiser? Every bit as capable as a Rover but won't leave you stranded.

Derick Freese wrote: You guys are right. I'll be on the lookout for an ex-fleet truck, paint it white, and go with that. I'd feel a whole lot less bad about the inevitable dent or ding on a Chebby pickup. The problem is finding one that's not a total disaster. The Rover can come later, as a secondary vehicle that doesn't have to be perfectly reliable. I might even sticker it up and use the "Redundant Array of Cheap Cars" approach.

This makes much more sense. I see nothing wrong with buying a rover if you want one, and don't mind it not always working. It sounds like your dad may need to adjust his maintenance standards and include proper repair of body damage in the business cost, and just drive a white pickup that is kept in nice shape. Dents and duct tape and zip ties sound like the main problem, not the choice of vehicle.

tell you the truth.. my Disco has been -very- reliable.. and while I would and do use it as a DD, I would not want to rely on it for my livelihood. Gremlins have the best timing when it comes time to pop up and bite you on the behind

I do have to be honest, I expect about the same reliability out of both the Rover and an ex-fleet truck. Those are the only trucks in my price range, but that's fine by me. $150 in tractor paint and it would look good enough, then apply company decals to finish it off.

The Rover can serve on days the 350,000 mile engine needs to be serviced.