Mine is an old piece, but I love her. Not only would I do it again, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.

 

I have an 03 that now has over 105,000 miles (I drive a lot) and yes, I would do it again. I've never driven another vehicle that suits me as well as this one. It's the perfect balance of cool looks, luxury, family, sport, and truck. I've driven Jeeps, Tahoes, and even my mom's fancy new Lexus crossover thing, but for my taste nothing else comes close to the Disco.

 

My siggy says it all...... I am on a third one now. Have alreday testdriven the LR3 when it came out, but it felt just too civilized for me. Then, on the other hand, if they bring a powerfull diesel to the US in near future.............hmmm

 

No. I don't recommend you buy the truck for the following reasons: #1, This is not a a suitable vehicle for whata wife or college kid would use it for. #2, They are NOT reliable. #3, When they are NOT reliable they cost A LOT of money to fix. #4, Not everyone can work on them and those that will often don't know what they are doing. #5, #2, #3 and #4 make these trucks unsuitable for anything other than local duty. I certainly wouldn't risk my vacation taking my truck cross-country, especially towing a trailer.

Now, that said, I love my truck and Imay never sell it. I'm not a quitter!I accept what it is and what it isn't. If you are willing to do the same and have a history of making successfull irrational with no-regrets purchases you may enjoy the truck also, but, you will need time, knowledge, patience, money and enthusiasm to fully enjoy your purchase.If you thinkthis sounds like you GREAT! jump on in. Just buy a good extended warranty.

 

in my opinion the 03-04 discovery's are definately the best to buy. i've had mine for going on 4k miles and not one problem.

 

You've been alerted to the oil pump issue already, if you a do search on oil pump issues over the past 2-3 weeks you'll find one post that lists out the VIN#'s affected in the early production before they fixed the problem.

I have an '03 and LOVE it. That being said, remember it takes premium (93 if you can get it) an dthe mileage is bad. I'd buy again in a heartbeat, but I'd buy an '04. You mention doing some playing on the trails, be aware the '03 does NOT have a CDL. TheCDL was re-introduced in '04 models and if you're going spend on time on tougher trails this would help you tremendously.

I also weighed the diff btwn Discovery & 4Runner, I'd make the same choice again and again.

Just be sure you check and drive each an everyone, it can take a long time to find "a good one". They are VERY individaul vehicles.

 

Hey "Different Drummer"! how good is the radio reception in your rover man?

 

I would now that I have learned all the secrets and know what to look for. I should have come here before buying my current 03 D2, I might have passed on it for a better one.

I plan on driving this truck for at least 120k miles (that would put it at 200k) and after that I'll probably look at getting an LR3, or if my ship has come in a new whatever the model is at the time.

 

No I wouldn't buy again. [sm=boohoo.gif]

 

To get the most out of any Land Rover it needs to be a bit of a hobby not just transport or a tow vehicle. They thrive on regular attention and can (but don't always) fail quickly for the lack of it.

Essentially, look after it and it'll look after you - like many specialist tools it requires extra attention.

If you just want a tow vehicle that you can just park in between needing to move the boat, never drive seriously off road and not have to consider servicing it other than at the intervals in the log book... buy a Nissan Navara.