I'm glad to hear all the positive responses. Just what I needed to hear. Thanks.

 

I've always wanted a Rover, and now I am looking at an 04 With 160K on it, trying to find out about the maintenance past. Anything scary to look for or expect?

Thanks in advance.

First post.

 

front drive shaft and head gaskets. might want to figure head gaskets about every 60,000 miles.

overheating is the biggest thing to keep an eye on.

 

The one I'm looking at said the service light is on and it is the coolant temp

 

The most important part of buying is research, research and more research about the ownership and history. If the truck looks dented, dirty, scruffy and especially under the hood it's often rubbish. Never, ever buy a tatty offroader or someone else's modified truck, you don't know what they knew about sensibly modifying any truck.

Look for a clean WELL CARED FOR truck that has a genuine good service history and no more than 3-4 previous owners. If someone has owned the truck for a couple of weeks generally it has problems so pass on that one.

The final issue is if you look at a Technical Section of any vehicle website you'll inevitably see dozens of problems, many are from idiots, some are good owners but inevitably there are issues, that's what the technical website is there for so don't be put off.

The name of the game is regular quality servicing be it a V8 or TD5 or whatever, servicing is king, hence, service history by a reputable garage is very necessary.

Lastly, bolt on goodies are worthless junk when buying a vehicle, only pay for the basic un-messed with truck and that is where the research is important.

PS: I've owned my 2003 D2 TD5 ES from new, why do I keep it, because I know everything single thing about it's history and it's been an excellent truck and I will keep it until it finally expires on me. You need an ear for vehicles to know what is wrong or going wrong with them, it's just as important as being a good spanner man.

 

Holy reviving of an old thread...

Anyway, expect that it will break your heart and wallet if you expect it to be like a Camry. All the very well known issues have been documented to death and can all be rectified. I'd say the more important data point is what is the asking price. If it's a ridiculous number, then know you will never get that back and will still most likely have a number of repairs to perform. If it is a reasonable or low price, all the better, but still expect to have to fix things.

Things to look for and learn about as all will most likely have either been previously addressed or be ongoing:
- 3 amigos
- sunroof leaks
- front driveshaft replacement,
- power steering service
- head gaskets
- door lock issues
- window regulator issues
- overall cooling system issues
- drivetrain leaks (from any and all systems)

I absolutely love our D2 and am having a blast just driving it, but it couldn't be getting easier treatment as basically a minivan and a truck of sorts, but there is still stuff wrong with it. Despite that, it's a real hoot to drive.

 

I have 3 of them and no matter the price or miles expect to replace head gaskets and deal with 3 amigos... if it has 160k im sure its getting close to needing head gasket replacement again... drivetrain leaks are big deal. and fluids may have been leaked all out of gear box so you need to open it and check. They are amazing toys but understand its not a purchase and drive situation. Its a purchase and throw money at it till its dependable... briefly..

 

They are amazing toys but understand its not a purchase and drive situation. Its a purchase and throw money at it till its dependable... briefly..[/QUOTE]

X2. Do the initial repairs / maintenance and enjoy it. Been driving over 30 years, dozens of cars and trucks- this is my favorite to drive. Not so favorite to repair. That's the deal.

 

Only vehicles I've ever owned that ate my lunch were 2 05 Jeep Wranglers (Rubicon & an LJ). Jeep truly does mean "Just Empty Every Pocket"

All of my LR's that I've owned have been very reliable vehicles. I've owned 2 that rolled right off the showroom floor (both 03 D2's). I never had any issues besides a few bad spark plug wires and a purge control valve. I eventually sold them (regret it) and went with the Jeeps, both 03 D2's had at least 150-175k on them and I never had oil pump issues. I also never did any head gaskets on them.

The rest of my LR's I've bought used, and with any used car I had to do some small repairs here and there, but nothing crazy or very expensive.

It all comes down to keeping on top of your vehicle. It's not brand specific. I do little pre-flight checks on everything I drive from my company van, my wife's LR3 to my D1/D2's. A little attention goes a long way!

I do not feel comfortable just jumping into a vehicle without inspecting it first (especially with rental cars!!). I've never driven a vehicle I haven't popped the hood, or walked around. I'd rather be safe than sorry especially now that I'm married with two little ones.