Okay, I've been a lurker here for quite some time hemming in hawing about buying a Discovery. Been going back and forth between a BMW and Rover.
I've come across an 01 SE7 at a price that's hard to beat.
It's got 95k on it and other than a crapped out ignition lock everything is supposed to be working fine.
I had a friend with a 99 II that had it's share of problems so I'm being a bit leary about problems on this one too.
The owner says that they aren't aware that the heads have been done but is it safe to assume that at this mileage they were done?
Anything to look out for or would be nice to have?
I know this one has the third row seating and has the dual moon roofs. I'm hoping it'll have the HK sounds system and rear A/C.
I know there have been many discussions on this before but would like to hear specific advice on this particular car.
Appreciate any input!
Thanks and Mahalo from Hawaii!
By the way, I'm a German car freak so know very little about this British SUV's other than Rover was BMW owned during this time.

 

SEs do have the HK sound and rear AC, and just to clear things up on your friends car, 95% of the problem ridden rovers that are around are only problem ridden because of user neglect. You can't be positive about the heads because some drivers will be right on top of it and others will completely ignore any problems the car has. As long as you stay on top of regular maintenances you will have no problems. The only things to note about the DII are to make sure you rebuild the front driveshaft with greasable u joints, the stock one could fail at any time without notice and take out your tranny, and also just know that premium gas is required. Since you're looking at a beamer I'm sure you're not too worried about getting maintenance done on time, since BMWs are just as testy as rovers can be. Did I forget anything?

 

Thanks for the info.
Great to know about the sound system and the A/C.
Nope, I'm not too worried about maintenance. I've got great sources for parts (up to a certain point) and can perform most of the work. But I don't want to fool around with anything to involved or complicated. I'm getting to lazy in my old age!
Is rebuilding the driveshaft a big or expensive job? Do most driveshaft places know about this problem?
Thanks!

 

The driveshaft isn't too bad. I have a DI so I don't know about it too specifically, but it's really not bad at all. A lot of the guys on this forum have done it themself, but those who take it to the shop say it's never over $300ish. Most any place should be able to do it.

 

By the way, is there any source of OEM parts that most folks go to?
I'm talking about the parts that aren't available from anywhere else but the dealer (or usually the dealer).
Thanks!

 

Being a 7 pass it will have the SLS (self leving suspenion), when it gets old it become problematic.
It can be removed and replaced with coil springs for $300 in parts, a weekend DIY job.
The head gaskets fail anywhere from 80-100k. You might be fine and you might not be.
Any shop that does driveline work can rebuild the front driveshaft.
www.atlanticbritish.com has lots of tech tips on their home page, you really should check it out.

 

atlanticbritish.com as spike mentioned
roverconnection.com
roversnorth.com
just to name a few. there's a few more for OEM stuff too, I just can't think of them right this second.

 

Thanks for the parts info.
Regarding the heads, is that an oil related problem or do they just sometimes fail regardless?
I thought I heard that poor maintenance could cause it?

 

Another question, is poor gas mileage something I've got to live with?
Or is there anything that will help increase it a bit?
Is it true that I'm looking at 12-14 on average, even with highway driving?

 

as long as you're not trying to keep up with ferrari's you'll get about 12-14 city, 17-20 highway. It's not great, but personally it's worth the sacrifice for the ability to put this truck anywhere you want it. It'll really do anything you want to off road.