im looking at an 04 se7 with 70k miles. he is asking 9,500 firm.too high? It is a little out of my price range but im wondering if it is worth it. Is there a good chance the 04 w/ 70k would be less problematic than an 02 or 01 w/50-60k? I know each car is different, but I am trying to determine the pro's and cons of overspending. Are the 04's considered the least problematic? im not doing any offroading. some beach and snowstorms but that is it. thanks for the sugg's

 

Get the '04. 4.6L engine like the '03 but the '03s were prone to oil pump failures due to bad engine castings. '04 has the center diff lock which is essential for serious off-road. at 70K, plan on putting head gaskets in it before 100K and rebuild the front driveshaft if it hasn't been done already. $9500 seems fair but it depends on the shape it's in and the work that's been done since new. I paid 21K for mine in '07 with 35K on the clock.

Dave

 

I agree, If the seller can show maint. receipts, that's a bonus.

These things will outlast us if properly maintained.

I personally like/own D1's but that's cuz I'm old skool.


The '04's reverted back to some of the good stuff from the earlier ones (locking Xfer case)

luck,greg

 

Yeah basically just check and make sure that everything's running ok in the '04 and that's a pretty good price.

 

I'd save money for a head gasket, but I'd hope that if you start changing the Coolant yearly, starting the day you buy it, that it shouldn't have head gasket problems.

However, I'm going to vote no. If the '04 is already straining your budget, it would probably blow up your budget for maintenance and repairs. At 70k miles you'll want to run through the full 60k service unless there are service records which will run a few hundred. You can count on a drive shaft for a couple hundred more. If you end up throwing a set of tires on top of that... it will add up quickly.

 

I'd love to have an 04 and the price seems good if the truck was maintained and is in good cosmetic condition. That said, be prepared to pay for needed maintenance and repairs in the near future. If you don't have $2000 to spare for it in the next year or so I wouldn't buy the truck.

I'll give you an example of what I just spent on my truck. Not ALL of it was totally necessary at this time, some was preventive so I could take the truck out of town without worrying too much. You can save if you do some of the work yourself.

New head gaskets
Rebuilt heads
New ignition wires/plugs
New timing cover gasket
New oil pan gasket
New water pump
All new hoses/thermostat
New throttle body warming plate and lines..again
New belt
New battery

I also had the 90k service (done early) since much of it (oil change/coolant) was don with the head gasket work.

Total cost - $ 3100
(dealer will be much more)

Also, how are the brakes? At 70k the original rotors and pads will be toast. not cheap if you have the work done at a shop.

You will need to have repairs done, don't count on being the lucky one.


Good luck

 

Dave,
You enjoying the snow today???

 

The price is right for a clean 04, my concern is your statement that this is pushing your budget. I would rather see you buy an 04 but you should keep some money in reserve so maybe a 99 to mid year 01 would be a better way to go.

 

When I was looking, a Mint '04 with fewer than 30k miles was running about 20k-25k.

Keep your eyes peeled though- I waited and waited, and found a GMC dealer in Rhode Island who took one in on trade.

It was a $18k+ Disco, and I nailed it for $13k.

I realized that by the time they got to AutoTrader, it was too late, so I simply started googling "used car inventory" and searching for Land Rovers.

The one I ended up getting was on like 7 or 8 of google results. I called, and they said "Man, we just put it on our website 2 days ago, and we've already gotten 6 calls!"

I didn't hesitate- through $1,000 down to hold it, flew out a week later... and sure enough. Poor guys didn't know what they had. You should have saw it sitting there in between all those GMCs.

The guy was so clueless that when I was testing it and put it in Low-Range, he said "Testing the 4 wheel drive, eh?"


GOOD LUCK in your search, and remember:

GO BIG OR GO HOME!

 

Yes.

Cheers,

Pete