hi there all , new to landrover forum . have owned a couple of older defender's in africa . think they were the best vehicles there . easy to repair yourself . have just moved to costa rica , and looking at buying a "03 discovery with 112 000 miles . please let me know your thoughts . what is the milage expectency of these vehicles ? thhanking you in advance . viv

 

By mileage expendencey you mean how long will it last? 300,000 miles.
If you mean MPG, 12-14 in town and 16-18 on the expressway. That is for the gas V8, if you get a diesel then I do not know.
The NAS (North American Standard) version is different from the rest of the world. I do not know what version you will get in Costa Rica. While thay are the same truck they are still different.
The '03 is the first year to have the 4.6L V8. Make sure that the double cardon joint on the front driveshaft is rebuilt useing greasable u-joints. Change the engine coolant every 45,000 miles or 3 yrs, whichever is first. Flush the brake fluid every 2 yrs. If you get the gas engine you MUST use premium gas.
Not much more I can tell you without knowing if it is NAS or not. And we dont get diesels here in the States. SO us Yanks dont have the knowledge of diesel LR's that we would like to have.

 

thank you spike for reply . i am actually flying to maimi next week to look at the vehicle or any other . then ship it back .so it will be "american" . as per MPG , know it is heavy , but think it is worth it for the comfort on these roads . have read alot of your posts regarding plug wires , fuel etc , so you have been a great help thanks . also , the VIN falls under "suspicious" category , but i hope at 112 000 , if the oil pump was to go , it would of by now . whats your thoughts ?

 

sorry forgot to ask , in your opinion , if i am just going to be using vehicle on the roads , which engine 4,0 or 4,6 would be more reliable ? i know , 4.6 more power , but do you really need it ?thank you

 

I do not know what the roads are like in Costa Rica but I imagine that they are sub-par.
Since I am pretty sure that there is few parts suppliers and not any LR dealers I would make sure that I didnt get the air ride suspension or the 18" rims.
If the truck has the 18" rims and the dealer has another DII with the 16" rims I would ask them if they would swap the tires. even if it costs you a few dollars.
On a truck that old (miles wise) the air ride (SLS) will start to show its age, and if you cannot get parts... If the truck has springs on all four coners then no worries.
I think that if you were not to get the Disco then the Montero (Pajero in the rest of the world) would be my second choice.
Yes use only the Magnecor plug wires. I do think that the truck would have the most comfortable ride and being full time four wheel drive you will have less to worry about.
The DI is on the same chassis and drive line as the Defenders that you have had, the DII is on the Range Rover P38 chassis and drive line. (late 90's to the early-mid 2000's)
I think that with that mileage that you are safe on the oil pump issue. It either would have blown up by nowand had a new engine put in.

 

Well the 4.0 and the 4.6 are the exact same engine, the 4.6 has a different crank shaft to make a longer stroke. Longer stroke more cubic inches. All the parts are interchangable. There are people who have put the 4.6 crank into a 4.0 block.
4.0=182 horse power
4.6=188 horse power
As far as touqre goes, I do not know the difference.