HI all, I'm new here and I'm concidering buying a 2000 Discovery II.
I looked at the reviews on the Kelly Blue Book site and it looked like these break down all the time and maintenance is very expensive.
Is this the case, or what has your experience been?

Do they need to run on high octane fuel? 93 Octane?

I test drove one today, it's loaded and has only 82,000 miles on it, they are asking about $10k(good price?). I loved the power and the way it rode and handled. The car I'm replaceing is a 93 Cherokee and I really liked the Cherokee, it has 186,000 miles and needs a new engine...

I am mechanically inclined and normally have done most all of my own work, but I've got a bad back and neck from a rear-end accident, so turning wrenches is something that I try not to do if I can help it.

Any thoughts?
Lots of breakdowns?
Engine trouble?
Brakes needing replaced every year? I've had the same brakes on the Cherokee for 8 years and they are still good.

TIA.

 

Ihave a 2000 disco.yes they require alot of love. in your case price seems high, you'll need to change out all the fluids, all 402 sensors, spark plug wires and plugs. you will have to turn a wrench though. ask disco mike to send you the list of things to do. He's got a greatlist. land rovers are not jeeps. they tend to grow on you. I keep mine well maintaned. and doall the work myself. it will save you a fortune. for me, I wouldn't own anything else.
gTAGG

 

I own a 99 D2 and swear by it, not at it. If you do most of your own work, they are really no more expensive to keep up then your Jeep was. Yes, you will need to run high octane, keep the engine from building up carbon and it will give you about 2 more MPG over regular gas.
Some where up over 100,000 miles 02 sensors will help with performance issues.
You will need to check and replace the 2 u-joints on the front drive shaft that don't have grease fittings, if it hasn't been done yet.
Brakes won't hold up for 8 years, although I do have 65,000 miles on my DBA rotors and Kevlar pads.
If you buy one, there are always plenty of people to help you on line if you come up with a problem.
Here is my list of what to do after buying a used truck.


This is the parts list for a 60,000 mile service or a high mileage used truck, the way I do it.
1 Oil filter, K&N 3001
1 Air filter
6 Qts of engine oil
12 Qts of ATF
7 Qts of 80/90W gear oil
2 Qts of Brake fluid
2 Qts of synthetic Power steering fluid
2 Gallons of OAT, orange coolant
1 Bottle of Lucas Power Steering additive
1 Bottle of Lucas Transmission additive
1 Can of Spray Carb. Spray
1 Can Of Brake cleaner
8 Spark Plugs, I use Bosch Platium Plus 4's
1 Set of Magnacor 8mm plug wires
1 Serpentine belt if not yet replaced
2 Bottles of SeaFoam


60,000 Mile Service or Major Service for High Mileage Used Vehicle just purchased
Bleed the brakes
Flush and change the power steering fluid adding one bottle of additive
Service the tranny adding one bottle of additive
Flush the coolant system
Do an engine flush before changing the oil
Do an induction cleaning
Clean the throttle body
Add fuel additive to full gas tank
Change both of the diffs fluid
Change the t/case oil
Replace the plugs and wires
Replace the air filter
Lube all the drive shaft grease fitting including the 2 slip shafts
Do full inspection of brakes, hoses, bushings etc.

Hopefully I didn't leave anything out.
Mike

 

Keep in mind that most people get rid of their Discoveries when they come to a point where they have a lot of stuff to do on it. You'll most likely have to spend a few grand on most normal wear items. And unfortunitely, intake manifold gaskets and even head gaskets are so common, that they can be considered normal wear on these vehicles.

As a reference, I bought a 1 owner 2000 D2 with 54000 miles at the time ( last december) and have spent approx. $6000.00 counting the suspension and tires. Not much left to do,but it was mostely exhaust work, O2 sensors, head gasket, main front gasket, new radand a few more things....

If you are willing to accept that these things leak like baskets,cause to absolutely want it to be as dry underneath as your Jeep will cost you a lot of money. You can be very happy.

 

Thanks much for the feedback.
I used to own a 71 Early Bronco that I did all the mods on, SEFI 5.0 swap, 4sp tranny, twin stick x-fer, 3.5" lift, 35" Grownd Hawgs, lockers both ends, Nissan P/S swap, onboard air... Took it to Moab, a few other runs and had alot of fun. So turning a wrench and doing minor or major work was no problem. I was in a rearend accident in Jan 05 and doing minor things is just too much. I swapped out a water pump on my F-350 7.3 Tubro Diesel and it took me 2 1/2 days doing it in short shifts and about 2 weeks to recover and get the pain back under control(neck and back from the accident).
So I think it would probably be prudent to pass on the Land Rover. Which really kind of bums me out as I really liked the way it drove and handled. With neither the wife nor I working, it wouldn't really be feasible to have it worked on by someone else.

The Car salesman said that the service engine light came on after they steam cleaned the engine. So who knows if that is something needing fixed already.

I'll see if I can post some pics of my Bronco.

The Golden Crack, Easter Jeep Safari 02

Rocker Knocker in Pritchett Canyon

Unamed obsticle #32

Thanks again. You guys have fun.

 

To much money for that one.
Saw a 01 for $6995 had 90K and did not look like it had been off
roaded.

 

cool Bronco man

 

For you, I say not to buy. 10k is too much (more like 8 is reasonable). But, like any used high mileagevehicle, plan on either spending a bunch of cash or some time on fixing it and servicing it. I did not mind doing the work myself (easy work, but time consuming - it's rewarding though), but it sounds like even minor problems may be a pain in the neck for you(no pun intended). However, websites like this makes owning the vehicle sooo much easier. Disco Mike should be getting some kick backs from Land Rover. Mine ran like crap when i got it, now it runs liketop - but I put a lot of timebut not too much money into it. Honestly, I don't think that I've had any less problems with my cherokee (it's only been 2-3 months so far though that I owned the disco). The brakes on my cherokee would last forever too, it's a pretty light vehicle.

 

The minor problems don't scare me, that is to be expected with a used anything with lots of miles. Big things like thetranny is what worries me more. I had a 90 Bronco back in 97 and the E4OD tranny siezed on the interstate. The cheapest one I could find was $2500 used from a wrecking yard and I put it in. It sounds like I could get an old Cherokee for the price of a Land Rover tranny? LOL.

We do have a Vo-tech Auto program at the university here(Idaho State)and they charge about $20 per book flat rate to do work. You just have to wait until they have an opening.

I'm trying to find something that is very comfortable to drive and still has some 4wheel capacity to it. I have to make trips to the VA hospital in SLC (3 hours 1 way) fairly regularly. For longer road trips, I end up laying down in the back of the 94' F-350 crew cabwith carpet kit while the wife drives. I have some old sofa cushions in with the carpet kit and it's fairly comfortable to lay down for the ride. I think the 35" BFG MT tires have alot to do with the soft ride of the truck.
The F-350 goes off road rather well for it's size. The turn radius is a killer in some spots. I have a slight crease down the passenger side starting from the rear door and goes back through most of the bed. I got into one place, but the return trip route was very tight and I just couldn't get it lined up right. It's a good thing it's an ugly truck. The wife just smiled and shook her head when I got home.