Sluggish yes, slow yes, gas guzzling yes, top heavy NOT! They handle much better than any other SUV I've driven. They actually corner pretty good. One of the reasons is a low center of gravity. The outer skin of all the doors and the hood is aluminum. The engine is aluminum. The frame is fully boxed steel, not C-channel. They weigh as much as a Ford Expedition (couple that with a smallish engine and you have bad gas mileage). At any rate, They do handle really well, and the guys that actually do off-road them swear by them. Very nimble, with good attack and departure angles.

I think part of the problem is most of these vehicles are purchased new by people with more dollars than sense. Eventually, they wind up either junked or in the hands of deserving enthusiasts (sound familiar? :) ).

Yeah I'll second that. Wife totalled her 97 Disco veering off the road at 45MPH to avoid a red light runner. She made a hard right in the intersection, over the curb, down a 5' drop-off and into a industrial parking lot where she clipped a full size Dodge ram truck before finally rear-ending a hydraulic utility truck and pushing that 10 feet or so into the side of the industrial building. She and our 2 yr. old daughter walked away. The Disco is tough I tell ya and has a low center of gravity for off roading purposes. All heavy steel down where it counts. Now strong side winds on the I-5 are another story :)

Have heard that the Land Rovers have a major engine issue.

Try contacting www.coventrywest.com

They have loads of them sitting around with spare engines.

JoeA