Good evenig - Thank you in advance to anyone who can help provide some insight for buying a used Disco II. I found the information listed below and all maintenance that should be completed upon purchase of a high mileage model.

A few questions I would appreciate any feedback on;
1. Would it be better to buy a base model over a higher end (sd vs se vs hse)?
2. Most the cars I have found are on dealer lots. In my experience, records are not typically in the car. Can a dealer run its history from the VIN?
3. I assume a pre-purchase inspection is ideal, can anyone recommend an indepedent shop in central/north NJ?

I found an '04 SE7 with 50k miles that looks clean, but I am worried about history. Ideally I would like to find an '04, but I have noticed some '03s (but I noted the concern with oil pumps).

Thank you for all of your help and I hope to be an owner soon!




The Discovery series II (DII) ran from 1999.5-2004.
The 2003 and 2004 model years have the 4.6L V8.
1999.5-early 2001 have the CDL as well as the 2004.
The DII also came in three trim levels and all had the 7 passenger option.
The 2003 has potential oil pump problems and the only fix is a new engine.
Common DII problems are as follows.
Power windows not working due to bad window regulators, easy fix.
Power door locks not working due to bad lock actuators, easy fix.
The cranks shaft sensor (CKS) going bad.
The throttle body heater plate leaking, easy fix.
Head gaskets going bad, change your coolant every 2 years and you can help avoid this.
The front driveshaft MUST be rebuilt using greasable u-joints, if you dont you WILL be buying a new transmission. ($7,000)
The "3 amigos", that is the Hill Decent Control (HDC), ABS and Traction Control (TC) lights all being on at the same time.
The Self Leveling Suspension (SLS) going flat.
The Secondary Air Injection (SAI) pump can be noisy, clean the air filter to it every 6 months.
The Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) is very reliable and a good option.

 

You should be able to call the dealer, give them the VIN, and have them fax all of the records on the truck from that dealer. If the truck has been to more than one LR dealer I am not sure if that would work. Obviously if it was not serviced at LR you are out of luck.

I personally wouldn't worry about the sub-model, just make sure you get the options you want.

I would get a '04 if I were you... I could go on all night on this one.

I would try and avoid SLS, SAI, and ACE - all have issues and will cost more $$$ to fix. And you will end up fixing/putting money into the truck so don't compound that with more "systems" that can/will fail.

Also, the '99-02 D2's have the CDL in the US. They just don't have the shifter/linkage to engage it. The '04 was the only D2 with CDL ready to go....

If you do look at a good deal on an '03 then make sure its not in the bad VIN range for the oil pump. There should be a post on here to reference. Not all '03's have this issue...



Good Luck on finding your truck and let me know if there is anything I missed or any other questions you have.

 

Read threw the forums.....I have a 04 DII and it blew up last week but that doesnt mean the one you find will. You will find enough information on the forum to make a decision. There is no perfect one year or model..everyone has a different opinion.. And remember you are buying a truck that when new cost about $37,000.00 and is now $5,000.00 so expect no matter how good condition you find it in, you will be spending alot of time and money on it. A new engine will cost twice what you paid for the truck as parts dont devaluate. So at times, it can very frustrating if you dont have a sense of humor...... If you are hands on and can read a manual and turn a wrench it could be for you. Read and ask questions...

Good Luck, Chris

 

The best advice is to buy something else. But since you're likely already hooked, consider the following.

The more options you have, the more potential problems you can have in addition to the baseline problems they all will have, like headgaskets, 3 amigos, front driveshaft, cooling issues etc. So keeping away from options (read optional additional problems) makes sense. Ace is an expensive problem in waiting, and absolutely unnecessary. It also is another parasitic drag on the engine which doesnt help an already underpowered vehicle, although not so much a power problem with the 4.6l. Sls is another cost adding problem that again is unnecessary and is guaranteed to break. One of the more annoying problems in waiting is sai, which is only on some 02s but I am told all 03-04s. This is true trash, adding complexity and additional ses lights for no benefit. And it makes something that should be simple, like changing spark plugs very time consuming. The good news is ace and Sls can be removed, and I have an idea on removing sai as well that would likely work, but this all costs time and money.

To avoid all those would require only a 99-02. But some of those have the options mentioned as well, so you really need to take each vehicle and examine it and the history. Run a carfax, if an 04 has 50k and four previous owners, (ive seen several like this) that's a really good sign its given years of problem prone service. Each one is a potential time bomb, but some actually run pretty good. I'd bet mine could make it allow the way across town and back