Buying A Discovery II
#1
04-29-2015, 10:53 AM
Buying A Discovery II
Ok, so I am a college student finally buying a car and I love the prestige and comfort and luxury associated with land rovers, but I am on a Budget so I am looking at 2004 Land Rover Discovery II. I know that it is a difficult year once you hit around 100k miles due to the head gasket issues but I found one in great condition with 106k miles and it is for a great deal. The vehicle has been very well taken care of it appears and other than some wiring issues the car seems to be perfect, except the Valve Covers are ever so slightly damp. I am just concerned that I will buy this and in 15k miles I will need a new engine that I can't afford. Any help will be much appreciated as I am very new to all of the Land Rover quirks.
#2
04-29-2015, 11:01 AM
Let's just stop right there. Before we get any further with your illusions of grandeur, you are aware those are to statements that don't mix right.
not trying to be a downer here, but figured I would throw in some reality......
not trying to be a downer here, but figured I would throw in some reality......
#3
04-29-2015, 11:44 AM
To expand that. And I hate to be a downer as well.
I bought one that didn't have a single issue at the time. Then I put about $1k into it as preventative maintenance. Since then I've been upgrading bits as I see them to keep it as sweet as I can hope for.
If you are mechanically minded with an average tool kit, maybe know someone with a Disco that can trade parts/time etc it could work out. If you are not, and will have to take it to a garage every time it makes a different noise or some lights come on, it probably wouldn't work out.
I'd love you to prove us wrong. Do you have a link to the car you have seen?
Edit. Lights come on. And it will make different noises quite a lot. Especially at 106k. But. The good news is this place. All the 'straightforward' stuff is easily in reach of an enthusiastic amateur.
Last edited by cappedup; 04-29-2015 at 01:06 PM.
#4
04-29-2015, 12:02 PM
Winching
#6
04-29-2015, 01:26 PM
Camel Trophy
I'm a college student with an '03, so let me give you some perspective. Let's start out assuming you know how to work on it yourself, or at least that you plan to learn.
As soon as you buy it, you're going to throw $500 bucks into it with the 60k maintenence, because you'll want to do all of it within the first couple weeks of buying it. That's assuming you already have tools, if not then make it $700 because you'll want some nice tools that wont break every time you use them. Get Craftsmans so you have free lifetime replacements. I broke 3 ratchets in my first two months of ownership.
Next, you're going to have to do head gaskets. Period. Even if there's nothing wrong with them yet, there will be. That will, at some point, cost you $150 for a gasket set, another ~$150 in tools, $40 for new head bolts, $250-300 to have the heads decked and a valve job, because just do the valve job while the heads are off. Also check the lifters and cam for wear. If they're just a little worn, you can wait to do them at a different date, but if they're really worn then that'll be $50 for stock lifters and you'll want an aftermarket cam which will run you about $500 (if I remember correctly). Stock cam is in the ballpark of $200, but you don't want that.
You'll need 4 new O2 sensors, so $200 there.
How are the tires? If you're running 16" rims, that will cost you $500, if you're running 18" rims that will run you $900. Replace the spare too if you change tire size because if you get a flat you don't want to f*ck your transfer case.
If it has the 3 amigos, that repair is going to be expensive. I don't know how much that will cost because I haven't fixed mine yet. Luckily, that's not really a pressing issue and you can ignore it.
Various stuff is going to break, so figure in an extra $500-800 worth of repairs and catching up on the previous owners neglect during your first year.
Also, '04 is the least reliable year because that was the last year Land Rover made the Rover V8 and the machining was SOOOOO far out of tolerance. You want a 4.0, probably an '01 so you can have CDL without switching the transfer case.
Also, you will become addicted to doing modifications and you will spend hundreds every year.
Oh, and gas mileage. You will get, maximum, 13 mpg. You will probably get 12. And I hope you know, it only runs premium gasoline which will run you around $3 per gallon. It's a 26.7 (I think) gallon tank, fill ups are expensive.
If you don't know and you're not willing to learn how to work on it yourself, add some very expensive labor to all of that.
As for leaks, it will always **** pour. You're never going to stop the oil leaks. If you see coolant leaks, that's one to worry about because a.) It will kill animals who like the sweet scent of the coolant, and b.) that could be a head gasket leak.
Run the oil and filter recommended in the sticky post which is Rotella diesel engine oil (15w40, despite what the manual says) and a Mobil 1 3001, If I remember correctly. Also ONLY run Green anti-freeze. Dexcool will mess you up, if it has dexcool (orange) then do a complete system flush and fill up with green.
If you are willing to work on it, then you can probably afford the maintenance. They're really easy vehicles to work on as far as modern vehicles go and you'll get to know the inside of the engine bay really well.
They're awesome trucks. I love mine to death and I have no plans of ever trading it. I love getting new members in the community. That said, I can't recommend one to you. By all means, if you have a job, you can afford to drive and work on the truck, and you have a backup ride if you need one, then absolutely buy one. Buy the '04 you want. However, it sounds like that's not the case.
Now, I'm kinda hard headed. If I were in your position, I would ignore most of what was posted here because I fell in love with my Disco LITERALLY the first time I pulled out of the dealership for a test drive. I loved it, I still love it. If you REALLY want the truck like I did, then you will find a way to afford the work and you'll learn to do it yourself. And let me tell you, you will learn a lot and you will get really really creative when it comes to cheap repairs. I named mine Frankenstein's Monster for a reason.
In the end, it's up to you. If you get one, get a '99-'01 for the slightly increased reliability. and the CDL. Buy a good set of Craftsman tools. If you want an '04 for the CDL and the look, you can always retrofit the facelift headlights, tail lights, rear bumper lights in the future.
As soon as you buy it, you're going to throw $500 bucks into it with the 60k maintenence, because you'll want to do all of it within the first couple weeks of buying it. That's assuming you already have tools, if not then make it $700 because you'll want some nice tools that wont break every time you use them. Get Craftsmans so you have free lifetime replacements. I broke 3 ratchets in my first two months of ownership.
Next, you're going to have to do head gaskets. Period. Even if there's nothing wrong with them yet, there will be. That will, at some point, cost you $150 for a gasket set, another ~$150 in tools, $40 for new head bolts, $250-300 to have the heads decked and a valve job, because just do the valve job while the heads are off. Also check the lifters and cam for wear. If they're just a little worn, you can wait to do them at a different date, but if they're really worn then that'll be $50 for stock lifters and you'll want an aftermarket cam which will run you about $500 (if I remember correctly). Stock cam is in the ballpark of $200, but you don't want that.
You'll need 4 new O2 sensors, so $200 there.
How are the tires? If you're running 16" rims, that will cost you $500, if you're running 18" rims that will run you $900. Replace the spare too if you change tire size because if you get a flat you don't want to f*ck your transfer case.
If it has the 3 amigos, that repair is going to be expensive. I don't know how much that will cost because I haven't fixed mine yet. Luckily, that's not really a pressing issue and you can ignore it.
Various stuff is going to break, so figure in an extra $500-800 worth of repairs and catching up on the previous owners neglect during your first year.
Also, '04 is the least reliable year because that was the last year Land Rover made the Rover V8 and the machining was SOOOOO far out of tolerance. You want a 4.0, probably an '01 so you can have CDL without switching the transfer case.
Also, you will become addicted to doing modifications and you will spend hundreds every year.
Oh, and gas mileage. You will get, maximum, 13 mpg. You will probably get 12. And I hope you know, it only runs premium gasoline which will run you around $3 per gallon. It's a 26.7 (I think) gallon tank, fill ups are expensive.
If you don't know and you're not willing to learn how to work on it yourself, add some very expensive labor to all of that.
As for leaks, it will always **** pour. You're never going to stop the oil leaks. If you see coolant leaks, that's one to worry about because a.) It will kill animals who like the sweet scent of the coolant, and b.) that could be a head gasket leak.
Run the oil and filter recommended in the sticky post which is Rotella diesel engine oil (15w40, despite what the manual says) and a Mobil 1 3001, If I remember correctly. Also ONLY run Green anti-freeze. Dexcool will mess you up, if it has dexcool (orange) then do a complete system flush and fill up with green.
If you are willing to work on it, then you can probably afford the maintenance. They're really easy vehicles to work on as far as modern vehicles go and you'll get to know the inside of the engine bay really well.
They're awesome trucks. I love mine to death and I have no plans of ever trading it. I love getting new members in the community. That said, I can't recommend one to you. By all means, if you have a job, you can afford to drive and work on the truck, and you have a backup ride if you need one, then absolutely buy one. Buy the '04 you want. However, it sounds like that's not the case.
Now, I'm kinda hard headed. If I were in your position, I would ignore most of what was posted here because I fell in love with my Disco LITERALLY the first time I pulled out of the dealership for a test drive. I loved it, I still love it. If you REALLY want the truck like I did, then you will find a way to afford the work and you'll learn to do it yourself. And let me tell you, you will learn a lot and you will get really really creative when it comes to cheap repairs. I named mine Frankenstein's Monster for a reason.
In the end, it's up to you. If you get one, get a '99-'01 for the slightly increased reliability. and the CDL. Buy a good set of Craftsman tools. If you want an '04 for the CDL and the look, you can always retrofit the facelift headlights, tail lights, rear bumper lights in the future.
#7
04-29-2015, 01:29 PM
Rock Crawling
I hate to be a bummer but I've owned 3 Discoveries. If I had to do my 04 over I would have replaced the head gaskets and every gasket above it from day one. These are 11+ year old trucks and rubber parts are dried out so expect to chase leaks around. Not to mention radiators/hoses, rear main seal, etc, etc. Oh, and the 3 Amigos that come and go...
#8
04-29-2015, 01:34 PM
Rock Crawling
I'm a college student with an '03, so let me give you some perspective. Let's start out assuming you know how to work on it yourself, or at least that you plan to learn.
As soon as you buy it, you're going to throw $500 bucks into it with the 60k maintenence, because you'll want to do all of it within the first couple weeks of buying it. That's assuming you already have tools, if not then make it $700 because you'll want some nice tools that wont break every time you use them. Get Craftsmans so you have free lifetime replacements. I broke 3 ratchets in my first two months of ownership.
Next, you're going to have to do head gaskets. Period. Even if there's nothing wrong with them yet, there will be. That will, at some point, cost you $150 for a gasket set, another ~$150 in tools, $40 for new head bolts, $250-300 to have the heads decked and a valve job, because just do the valve job while the heads are off. Also check the lifters and cam for wear. If they're just a little worn, you can wait to do them at a different date, but if they're really worn then that'll be $50 for stock lifters and you'll want an aftermarket cam which will run you about $500 (if I remember correctly). Stock cam is in the ballpark of $200, but you don't want that.
You'll need 4 new O2 sensors, so $200 there.
How are the tires? If you're running 16" rims, that will cost you $500, if you're running 18" rims that will run you $900. Replace the spare too if you change tire size because if you get a flat you don't want to f*ck your transfer case.
If it has the 3 amigos, that repair is going to be expensive. I don't know how much that will cost because I haven't fixed mine yet. Luckily, that's not really a pressing issue and you can ignore it.
Various stuff is going to break, so figure in an extra $500-800 worth of repairs and catching up on the previous owners neglect during your first year.
Also, '04 is the least reliable year because that was the last year Land Rover made the Rover V8 and the machining was SOOOOO far out of tolerance. You want a 4.0, probably an '01 so you can have CDL without switching the transfer case.
Also, you will become addicted to doing modifications and you will spend hundreds every year.
Oh, and gas mileage. You will get, maximum, 13 mpg. You will probably get 12. And I hope you know, it only runs premium gasoline which will run you around $3 per gallon. It's a 26.7 (I think) gallon tank, fill ups are expensive.
If you don't know and you're not willing to learn how to work on it yourself, add some very expensive labor to all of that.
As for leaks, it will always **** pour. You're never going to stop the oil leaks. If you see coolant leaks, that's one to worry about because a.) It will kill animals who like the sweet scent of the coolant, and b.) that could be a head gasket leak.
Run the oil and filter recommended in the sticky post which is Rotella diesel engine oil (15w40, despite what the manual says) and a Mobil 1 3001, If I remember correctly. Also ONLY run Green anti-freeze. Dexcool will mess you up, if it has dexcool (orange) then do a complete system flush and fill up with green.
If you are willing to work on it, then you can probably afford the maintenance. They're really easy vehicles to work on as far as modern vehicles go and you'll get to know the inside of the engine bay really well.
They're awesome trucks. I love mine to death and I have no plans of ever trading it. I love getting new members in the community. That said, I can't recommend one to you. By all means, if you have a job, you can afford to drive and work on the truck, and you have a backup ride if you need one, then absolutely buy one. Buy the '04 you want. However, it sounds like that's not the case.
Now, I'm kinda hard headed. If I were in your position, I would ignore most of what was posted here because I fell in love with my Disco LITERALLY the first time I pulled out of the dealership for a test drive. I loved it, I still love it. If you REALLY want the truck like I did, then you will find a way to afford the work and you'll learn to do it yourself. And let me tell you, you will learn a lot and you will get really really creative when it comes to cheap repairs. I named mine Frankenstein's Monster for a reason.
In the end, it's up to you. If you get one, get a '99-'01 for the slightly increased reliability. and the CDL. Buy a good set of Craftsman tools. If you want an '04 for the CDL and the look, you can always retrofit the facelift headlights, tail lights, rear bumper lights in the future.
As soon as you buy it, you're going to throw $500 bucks into it with the 60k maintenence, because you'll want to do all of it within the first couple weeks of buying it. That's assuming you already have tools, if not then make it $700 because you'll want some nice tools that wont break every time you use them. Get Craftsmans so you have free lifetime replacements. I broke 3 ratchets in my first two months of ownership.
Next, you're going to have to do head gaskets. Period. Even if there's nothing wrong with them yet, there will be. That will, at some point, cost you $150 for a gasket set, another ~$150 in tools, $40 for new head bolts, $250-300 to have the heads decked and a valve job, because just do the valve job while the heads are off. Also check the lifters and cam for wear. If they're just a little worn, you can wait to do them at a different date, but if they're really worn then that'll be $50 for stock lifters and you'll want an aftermarket cam which will run you about $500 (if I remember correctly). Stock cam is in the ballpark of $200, but you don't want that.
You'll need 4 new O2 sensors, so $200 there.
How are the tires? If you're running 16" rims, that will cost you $500, if you're running 18" rims that will run you $900. Replace the spare too if you change tire size because if you get a flat you don't want to f*ck your transfer case.
If it has the 3 amigos, that repair is going to be expensive. I don't know how much that will cost because I haven't fixed mine yet. Luckily, that's not really a pressing issue and you can ignore it.
Various stuff is going to break, so figure in an extra $500-800 worth of repairs and catching up on the previous owners neglect during your first year.
Also, '04 is the least reliable year because that was the last year Land Rover made the Rover V8 and the machining was SOOOOO far out of tolerance. You want a 4.0, probably an '01 so you can have CDL without switching the transfer case.
Also, you will become addicted to doing modifications and you will spend hundreds every year.
Oh, and gas mileage. You will get, maximum, 13 mpg. You will probably get 12. And I hope you know, it only runs premium gasoline which will run you around $3 per gallon. It's a 26.7 (I think) gallon tank, fill ups are expensive.
If you don't know and you're not willing to learn how to work on it yourself, add some very expensive labor to all of that.
As for leaks, it will always **** pour. You're never going to stop the oil leaks. If you see coolant leaks, that's one to worry about because a.) It will kill animals who like the sweet scent of the coolant, and b.) that could be a head gasket leak.
Run the oil and filter recommended in the sticky post which is Rotella diesel engine oil (15w40, despite what the manual says) and a Mobil 1 3001, If I remember correctly. Also ONLY run Green anti-freeze. Dexcool will mess you up, if it has dexcool (orange) then do a complete system flush and fill up with green.
If you are willing to work on it, then you can probably afford the maintenance. They're really easy vehicles to work on as far as modern vehicles go and you'll get to know the inside of the engine bay really well.
They're awesome trucks. I love mine to death and I have no plans of ever trading it. I love getting new members in the community. That said, I can't recommend one to you. By all means, if you have a job, you can afford to drive and work on the truck, and you have a backup ride if you need one, then absolutely buy one. Buy the '04 you want. However, it sounds like that's not the case.
Now, I'm kinda hard headed. If I were in your position, I would ignore most of what was posted here because I fell in love with my Disco LITERALLY the first time I pulled out of the dealership for a test drive. I loved it, I still love it. If you REALLY want the truck like I did, then you will find a way to afford the work and you'll learn to do it yourself. And let me tell you, you will learn a lot and you will get really really creative when it comes to cheap repairs. I named mine Frankenstein's Monster for a reason.
In the end, it's up to you. If you get one, get a '99-'01 for the slightly increased reliability. and the CDL. Buy a good set of Craftsman tools. If you want an '04 for the CDL and the look, you can always retrofit the facelift headlights, tail lights, rear bumper lights in the future.
#9
04-29-2015, 02:15 PM
Ok, so I am a college student finally buying a car and I love the prestige and comfort and luxury associated with land rovers, but I am on a Budget so I am looking at 2004 Land Rover Discovery II. I know that it is a difficult year once you hit around 100k miles due to the head gasket issues but I found one in great condition with 106k miles and it is for a great deal. The vehicle has been very well taken care of it appears and other than some wiring issues the car seems to be perfect, except the Valve Covers are ever so slightly damp. I am just concerned that I will buy this and in 15k miles I will need a new engine that I can't afford. Any help will be much appreciated as I am very new to all of the Land Rover quirks.
#10
04-29-2015, 02:35 PM
Recovery Vehicle
1/2 a quart every 1k? Thats not good.
I'd stay away from 03' and 04' myself.....and like everyone else is writing, they are awesome rigs, love mine too, but you better be a mechanic, unless you have some money to spend at the shop. Better have money alone for the parts your going to be buying!! AND a second rig!! hahahaahaha