With a kid on the way, I recently got rid of my convertible BMW and bought a nice, practical Toyota Highlander for the wife. Now I’m looking for something fun to drive for myself that wont break the bank (although I’m prepared for some ongoing maintenance). I’ve never owned a Land Rover, but I like the styling of the Discovery 2 and noticed there are a number available for under $10k. Since I don’t have any experience with Land Rovers and I’m not particularly mechanically inclined, I thought I’d seek advice from the experts. What are the main considerations when looking for an inexpensive used Disco II? Is this a terrible idea?

- Any specific dealers to seek out (or avoid) in the Southern California area (I live in Los Angeles)?
- Anything in particular to look out for or avoid (specific years, features, etc. that tend to break down)?
- I notice 2003 and 2004 are the most available years – is there a reason for this?
- HSE vs SE vs other trim levels? What’s the difference and are certain features more prone to break down?
- Any modifications to avoid or seek out that impact reliability (oversize tires – good or bad? I like the look…)
- Any recommended reading or prior posts to check out?
- How bad an idea is this? Should I save myself the headache and just lease a Camry?
Here are a couple of links as an example of what caught my eye… any thoughts?
2004 Land Rover Discovery, Stock No: 7653 by Caspian Automotive, San Diego CA
https://www.ckmotorsonline.com/inven...tails/45312921

Thanks in advance!

 

New Camry's are nice looking sedans. If you aren't mechanically inclined I'd honestly avoid a LR.

Now with that being said I've owned 18 LR's and every single one of them has been excellent to me. But that was with my military type maintenance schedules, pre-flight checks, and picking out good used ones vs the junk that is for sale out there. If you can find a great LR mechanic near you then by all means grab one. Find one you're interested in and have that shop do a detailed pre-purchase inspection. 100.00 for that is worth it's weight in gold vs a 4-6K lump of metal with a bad engine or rusted out chassis.

LR's will treat you right if you treat them right. I've owned a lot of 4x4's from all makes and without a doubt the Jeep brand that everyone acts like it's bullet proof was without a doubt the cheapest built and it's no wonder there is such a huge aftermarket parts segment for them because they need all of that stuff to be anything close to reliable. My new 05 Wranglers were as delicate as egg shells, and I sold them both with right at 50K on them. I've owned LR's with nearly 4.5 times the mileage and they drove like a new vehicle. Jeep's won't do that without a lot of upgrades or replacement parts.

LR's are a love/hate passion. You'll either love em or you'll hate em. For me I bleed green from anything LR 87-04. I also really like the LR3/RRS from 05-09. Speaking of that if you want something that isn't as old British as a D1/D2 LR3's are worth a look. You can convert the air suspension to coils and kill that issue right off the bat. The Jag 4.4L is a flawless engine, and they're built really well. My wife drives an 06 HSE and it's a great D/D vehicle, weekend warrior, and highway cruiser.

 

First off...welcome to the forum...and THANK YOU, for writing a well written, well thought out...first post!

Others will be along to help answer your questions. No time at the moment, but will definitely add something later. However, will add one thing in case something sidetracks my return.

Check out the frame rails behind the rear axle for rust...or being rusted to the point they are gone. Stopped and looked at an 2002, beautiful body, super clean inside and even when l looked underneath up front...it wasn't leaking oil(s) and was pretty clean. Then moved to the rear, where the frame on the passengers side was literally gone. There was only the top portion of the frame left (which was filled with holes), the rest had rusted away completely (from rear axle to trailer hitch mount/about a foot). The other side was in poor shape, too.

Anyhow, good luck with your search.

​​​​​​​ Brian.

 

Both of those are way, way overpriced.

I wouldn't pay more than $3500 for any disco no matter how good it looked.

 

Welcome to the forums. Owning a D2 is an investment- blood, sweat, tears, money, time. They're great trucks, absolutely love my truck. At the same time, it has a bunch of projects that still need done and is a gas hog. Got my truck as a second vehicle just after my daughter was born. Took a while to get the truck running right and updated. Did most of the work myself, but also had a local indy shop for jobs beyond my skill or available time. It all worked out well. But it's a non stop endeavor of maintenance and keeping the truck up. But I like it. It's my version of Zen and the art of Disco maintenance. It's not for everyone. Good luck on your choice.

 

 

Not that familiar with CA prices, but if there vehicle prices are reflective of the houses...then things are a bit more across the board.

That rig doesn't look to bad (first link...other one doesn't work for me), has lift (probably a $500.00 addition), larger tires (a plus, in my opinion). Plus, if the rover lived its entire life in CA...I'd imagine the frame is pretty clean. If this rover runs smoothly, has no weird noises coming from the engine compartment (cold and warm), doesn't overheat after lengthy ride and everything works properly inside...then I'd crunch numbers with them. Like the look of it without the rubber wheel well covers, too.

Granted, you've only started looking...there may be others of interest. Probably see more 03/04...because it was the end of that body style and folks realized the importance of saving a few from the crusher?

Wish we had buildable platforms here in Michigan...but, not so...everything is a rust bucket.

Brian.

 

Plus, it has the best looking rims...like mine...lol. And, it doesn't have the useless rear seats.

Brian.

 

People like the 03-04 because of the face lift, but they have the worst engines from a reliability standpoint. Overheat those one too many times and they will slip a liner. 10k is way too much for a good one, even with low miles. That zambezi silver 03 at $6k seems like a reasonable deal.