Hi. I've been doing some research on this forum prior to buying and have certainly learned a lot.

I've now found a 2001 Discovery SE7 with 136k miles on it. Second owner says it's been maintained by the local Land Rover dealership and runs great. Assuming it actually has been maintained properly and is current on service, should I have a reasonable expectation that I can drive this truck another 40k miles and only have to worry about regular service? Would love your thoughts.

I live out in the SF Bay Area and this will be a second car for weekend trips to Tahoe. I haven't worked on my cars for some time but no that I have a house with a garage am not afraid to get dirty and do the work myself.

Asking price is $5,300 which is right in my price range.

I've also found a 2001 with around 90k miles but am unsure of the service history and they are asking $7k.

Thanks

 

If the head gaskets have already been changed (which they almost definitely have at 136k miles) and the service is up to date and was done at proper intervals through the life of the truck there is no reason it shouldn't go to 200k miles. Plenty of people on here have done that. You might be looking at another head gasket job in the future, depending on when they were last done, but you ought to be fine. And the price sounds reasonable for your area (not the 90k one with unknown history for $7k.....run from that).

 

That's a good price. I would do it. Test drive and inspect it real good first.

 

If the service has been done at the local dealership I would go to that dealership and see if you can obtain the service records for review prior to making a offer. Service and repairs could be a completely different story. Price sounds good if the brakes, tires, exterior and interior are in good condition. Check for leaks at the valve covers, oil pan, trans, transfer case and diffs and power steering lines. These guys leak from everywhere once the mileage gets up there. I you haven't yet read the sticky from Disco Mike, a lot of useful info. If this vehicle has secondary air I would shy away. If it has air ride suspension then you might want to figure in doing a coil over conversion. Check all fluids and if you have the ability to get it to the dealer for a inspection, I would! Good luck with your hunt. I have a 2000 Disco 4.0L w/o secondary.

 

Then it has SLS the only way you could get a factory 7 passenger was with SLS. There is absolutely nothing wrong with SLS if it is maintained, if you want coil spring ride buy an exploreer.

 

What is wrong with secondary air? Is that rear air option? Does it run in the headliner?

 

$5300 seems like a lot to spend for a truck with 136K miles IMO.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Please keep them coming. I'll continue to search the forum for specific issues.

My plan would be to have it checked out by a know LR shop in town and offer around $4,800.

Thanks,
Dan
2007 Audi A4 62k miles
2007 Suzuki VStrom 21k miles
Hoping to add a Discovery

 

welcome dwelcel to the forum. There is a very good write up in the how to's at the top of the forum start page that explains the differences in a series 1 and a series 2 Disco and the things to be watchful for when buying a truck written by Spike, a moderator here on the forum. He knows our trucks front to back. The only thing that is a given about ownership is understanding these are very unique vehicles and if you are not prepared to do your own work, you will need lots of money and ownership will be painful. The big ticket items are certainly head gasket replacement, failed radiator (expensive part), power steering pump (expensive part) and the rest should be expected from a vehicle more than 7 years old. Failed lock acuators, window regulators, crank sensor, a water pump...well this stuff wears out over time and must be replaced. I suggest a search for each of those items and see the problems people have faced and the repairs they made to get back on the road. You will get a better feel. If you move toward ownership...have the front drive shaft inspected the first day. Search front drive shaft failure..you will see. Also a good write up on rebuilding in how to's. Fact is the transfer cases and transmissions in our trucks are almost industratable untill taken out by a failed front drive shaft. Big bucks.

Price wise that's not to bad...but you should try at your offer price based on mileage.
My 02 at 126,000 still has the original head gaskets, and PS pump, radiator ect. Just been one of the rare few. My 01 SE with 88,000 on the other hand has had it all replaced I think..head gaskets,...the works. Oh...and it had service records. Good luck...and don't let secondary air (SAI) stop you. They all have it after 2000, part of emissions control. Hope to see you back. They are the best 4X4byFAR.

 

You're confusing two things. SAI (Secondary Air Injection) is an emission component. It add parts, complexity, and is a pain to work around int he engine bay. Don't get it if you have a choice.

SLS is self leveling suspension. It came on all SE7s, and was an option on others. It is simply air bags rather than springs in the back. It gets a bad rap because the stock air bags have a tendency to leak. Many drivers ignore this, and the (undersized for leaking bags) air pump burns out, adding up to an expensive repair. Suitable non-suck bags are available for replacement.

It's actually quite a nice option. If you have the right key fob remote you can make the back end drop for loading/unloading, and you can also raise the back end with a button in the cab (to give you a few extra inches of clearance if you're coming off of a steep slop on to a more level surface). All in all, it's a party trick. If mine still had it, I'd replace the bags with good ones and not go through the trouble of swapping to coil springs, but many people disagree on this and hate SLS with a passion and like to kill it with fire (and coil springs) as soon as they come in possession of it.