Care to share why? What about 03? Perk of the 04 is the center locking diff w/o ghetto rigging anything, but if 04's are more problematic, I'd love to know why.

 

@earic23 Wow that is way high pricing then , just to add we are not trying to talk you out of a Disco I love mine, they just need a fair bit of maintenance. You can not just buy and drive it, you need to keep up on the little things.

04 were both the last production year and last year for the engine, there is some belief they are less reliable for that reason, particularly when it comes to possible cracks in the block

 

I wish I had the space to do the blown motor garage route, but if you want a house with a garage in LA you either have to spend a million dollars, or live in the boonies. I'm not a fan of either. I can snag one up with under 100k for under 10grand. I'm leaning towards doing the less than 10 grand route, and spending a grand or 2 right off the bat to have it gone through and updated where needed. Maybe replacing the cooling system is a good place to start. I debated replacing the head gasket immediately, but what's the point if it isn't leaking already. If it goes, it goes. Deal with it then.

 

No worries. Everyone does seem to love them. Kind of reminds me of the sentiment people have towards Alfa Romeos. They've finicky and needy, but have tons of character. Richard Hammond says "they are alive".

Good to know about 04. Looking for any signs of overheating is my #1 priority on these. I'll be telling whatever shop does the PPI to keep an eye out for any signs of that.

 

Depends on your financials and the reason why you're buying.

Disco has always been my dream, so I got myself the most well-kept truck and loving it. At this point, it is not about the money. With what I've spent on the car so far, I could have gotten a brand new VW or a Civic or a nice pre-loved Bimmer. But I love driving the Landy and while she's pain in the rear once in a while, she always puts a smile on my face.

Option C will give you the most room for imagination as you'll take the truck out and put it back together. It may sound expensive, but make no mistake—you will do work and spend $ on options A, and B.

For the reference, I choose the middle ground. My truck needs some work here and there, but it is a solid daily driven given its age. It does not look like a clunker and is more than capable of doing long distance cruising. It did not hurt that the PO supplied about $7K in receipts with the truck. And, by the way, that's exactly how much you'll probably have to invest if you start with option C.

 

- Replace headgasket
- Replace the cooling system components: expansion tank, all tubing, swap the stock thermostat for 180F (OEM version), get a new radiator and a water pump. Pressure test the whole thing.
- While you're there ^ do camshafts, rockers, lifters and other things that may be in the way
- Fix and repair water leaks (watch out for trucks with non OEM windshield)
- Replace the stock drive shaft with a greasable unit
- Replace shocks and springs as at 100K the originals are quite worn

 

03 And 04 had the C grade 4.6
The A and B grade 4.6 went in the Range Rovers.
The 4.6 is simply a 4.0 with a different crank and rods.
The C grade 4.6's of 03/04 apparently had alot of bad castings, as in one side of a water jacket was thick and sturdy, and the other was thin and weak. Overheating caused cracks in the weak spots and caused coolant to seap out between the block and steel cylinder sleeve(s), mimmicing a blown head gasket.
I have an 04, did a full rebuild last year(bad bearings), pressure tested block and coolant system sucessfully prior to disassembly. When attemping to start the rebuilt engine...coolant in 3 cylinders.
A small amount, but apparently after a completely new coolant system, that became the weak spot, yay.
I just got a good 4.0 short block this past saturday, and will transfer the new guts of my 4.6, plus it's crank and rods into the 4.0, making it a 4.6
Also, some earlier model D2's Did have a factory cdl.
No 03's did, although some 03's just need the cdl linkage to work, others do not have the shaft coming out of the case to attach the linkage to.

 

Thanks for your input. I've always really dug them too and I'm in a fortunate situation in that I work relatively close to home so I wouldn't be putting more than 4k a year on it. It'd be for an occasional drive to work(motorcycle most days) and weekend cruising/occasional road trip to joshua tree for light offloading. My goal is stock plus, meaning I want it to look and function a hair improved over stock, but not look like someones messed with it too much. I have roughly 14 grand to work with initially. Planning on spending 8-9ish on the truck, and setting aside a few thousand for repairs/maintenance. I'm leaning towards option B just so I can get that big stack of receipts as well.

 

Makes sense. As long as you get a car from a dry state like CA or AZ, you should be fine. I drove my car across the country from CA to NC w/o any major "Rover" adventures. My failures so far were: fuel injectors and fuel pump. Two items I should have probably replaced at 100K anyway. I will also suggest replacing plastic tanks: coolant expansion, brake fluid, and, possibly, steering fluid. My other mods are cosmetic, e.g., new plastic on the exterior of the car.

Your budget is about right for something in B option range. Be prepared to spend a grand or so per year after you're done on regular upkeep. Also, CA emissions bite so your emission system should be up-to-date. For rides to Joshua Tree, a 2" lift with good off road tires is enough. I would not spend $ on a new paint job ;-)

 

Hey welcome to the forum. I may be needing (though not wanting) to sell my 2000 Disco, and I live in San Diego, and I am the original owner of a 2000 Disco. I just sent you a private message to hit me back if you wish to discuss.