Hoping you all can help me with some advice. I have the opportunity to buy a 2003 Discovery II with 80,000 miles. They are asking $8400. I'm not sure if it is a good deal or not. Any advice is welcome, Thanks

 

PS: or if 80,000 is too many miles or not for this year model. Thanks again.

 

You might want to do some searching on this site about the 2003. They had some oil pump issues that result in a useless engine. The VIN range is posted on here somewhere. If it falls within that range, run away.


EDIT: Found the VIN Range

TECHNICAL ALERT
March 14, 2003 TA03 1201

2003 Discovery Series II Oil Pump Failures
Vehicles Affected
Discovery Series II (LT) 3A771801 to 3A808362

Situation
Oil pump failures on 2003 Discovery Series II vehicles may be the result of a
manufacturing error. Locating dowel pins may be slightly misaligned permitting
assembly of the oil pump to the engine block, but placing stress on the pump housing
which can ultimately lead to leakage or failure.

Resolution
Whenever an oil pump failure is encountered on vehicles within the above VIN range
the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine
assembly including the front cover/oil pump manufactured to the latest tolerances.
Use the following components to affect a repair:
LBB112301 4.6 Engine assembly LEV
LBB111461 4.6 Engine assembly NON-LEV"

 

Thank you! That is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.

 

Also, price is relative to both condition, recent maintenance, and what area of the country you are in.

 

Exactly. A 2003 SE with 84K just popped up on Charlotte Craigslist for $7800.

 

Hi. I bought my 2001 with 95K miles for $5500. I would characterize it as being in very good condition, with at least the first 60K miles serviced at a dealer. Nevertheless, I took the message board recommendation and did the high mileage maintenance, some myself and some at garage, and added a few things like stainless steel brake lines, etc. This added about $1500. But, I've made several 300+ day trips and driven daily for three months without a hitch.

Don't know if this helps, but comparatively speaking, if you think your prospective truck is in reallly good shape, and current on fluids and preventive maintenance, you could be in the ball park. That being said, I'd probably put a grand or so into this new truck to satisfy myself it was sound, in which case it's probably high. Dunno. I'm certainly no expert?

If you troll these boards, you'll find lots of horror stories. But, for every bad experience, you'll hear success stories from those that wouldn't part from their Rovers. I fell in love with the damn thing... I think the underlying theme is that you should be vigilant, and handy and/or with disposable income for regular preventive maintenance (and have a second vehicle just in case).

If you're not in a hurry, continue to do your homework and wait for the right Rover to come along. Good luck!

 

That's a little high on price, but again, that does come down to location.

Don't buy an 03' (or any disco for that matter) at the top of your budget. Set aside about 1K for what I call "up to par" costs. You might not use any of it, you might use it all. Just know that sometimes these things do need a little investment to make them fresh.

 

That sounds a wee bit on the high side...I would offer 7500 see if they really want to sell. I paid 5500 for mine with 98k from a dealer certified mechanic. he had done a bunch of maintence and I have done about 600 in parts with me doing the wrenching.. i looked for over a year before i bought. yes you need to be aware of certain issues with certain models but if the 03 you are looking at has 84k on it the oil pump issue is more than likely not an issue for this truck. also the transfer case does not allow you to have CDL you must swap out transfer case. so think about what you want to do...I love my 03, I would not trade it in for anything other than a perfect defender 110.

 

They go for that down here..If it has 80k you should be out of the death zone for the pump issue..... for now... My 04 has a cracked oil pump gear so it can happen to any of them...You could still use it as a bargining chip for bringing them down on the price.... What ever you decide...remember at around 100k you will think about redoing the entire top end if you dnt want to spend every waking hour worrying or fixing your truck... Think about it...if you could get the truck for say $6,500.00 and put $3,500.00 into rebuilding the engine...you are still a third of what the truck cost new........