ORIGINAL: Darover

Here's the advice of a very well recpected Land Rover expert. What I like about it, is that it is non biased advice.


Things to look for in a Discovery
Most of the 1997-1999 Discoveries on the used market today are third-owner trucks. Most were leased for two to three years, bought by a second owner, and they are now offered to you. Many of these lease cars received little or no upkeep, and it shows. Avoid cars with sludge in the oil filler — an indication of insufficient oil changes.
Build quality of the 1996-7 Discoveries is the lowest of any modern Land Rover product. Avoid these years if possible.
Check the tie rod ends carefully, especially the one at the steering gear pitman arm. If they have any play they should be changed. These joints can fail without warning. For that reason if you are at 60,000 miles we suggest replacing any original pitman arm joints, and we’d change the other three also by 90,000. If the pitman arm joint falls off you’ll lose all steering control. We’ve seen several Rovers crash as a result of this failure.
1996 to 1998 4.0 engines are terrible oil leakers. These are the common leaks: cylinder head gaskets, intake gaskets, front seals, oil cooler lines, oil pans, rear main seals and valve cover gaskets. Updated repair parts are available. Always surface heads when you change head gaskets or you’ll be doing the job again in a year or two.
Oil all the door hinges, and pay particular attention to the underside of the rear gate handle. If you don’t keep them oiled you’ll be paying to fix doors that don’t open one day. Dealers seldom spend the 10-15 minutes it takes to do this unless asked, in our experience.
Rotate your original Michelin tires every 7500 miles. If you don’t do this you’ll get a sawtooth wear pattern on the insides of the front tires and within 30,000 miles your truck will sound like it has bad wheel bearings. To check for this wear run your hand around the inner circumference of the front tires. Go one way, then the other. You'll probably feel the saw teeth one way while the other will be smooth.
Don’t disconnect the battery unless absolutely necessary. Doing so often sets a fault code that put on the SRS light. It can only be cleared by a dealer or someone like us with the Autologic tester.

Pre 1998 4.0 engines are prone to develop carbon buildup on the exhaust valve stems. Symptoms are intermittent missing or staggering of the engine, usually on long drives and at high speed. Frequently a check engine light is seen with random misfire codes and specific cylinder misfire codes. Read my articles (Carbon Fouling#1, Carbon Fouling#2)* from American Rovers about fixing this problem. Repair is costly, generally over $2,000.
*You will need to have Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer to read the above articles.
Download it here if needed.
ABS lights that come on after replacing front brakes are often the result of sensors getting disturbed. Pull them out, reseat them, and if you're lucky the problem will go away. They are not positively retained like on most cars. Another common cause of ABS lights coming on is loose wheel bearings.
Cooling fans on 1996 and newer trucks are known for coming apart. They can send blades through the hood. Check yours carefully for damage.

Transfer case linkages on Discos are prone to freezing up from rust if not shifted regularly. If your truck still shifts into low range and lock — Great! Keep it that way by shifting every week or so. Otherwise you'll be into a 2-3 hours repair one day soon. Read how our CustomFind™ Service can buy you a Discovery.


Things to look for in a Discovery II
The Discovery II offers a number of enhancements over the 1994-1999 Discovery I models. If you can afford the price premium it's a far better vehicle.

The high mounted tail lamps, a smoothed and streamlined nose, and an upgraded interior distinguish Disco II models. For the 2003 model year the Disco II got yet another nose redesign following the theme of the 2003 Range Rover.
If you are into off-roading you may find the Disco II more limited in terms of accessories. In addition, the higher value of these vehicles makes many owners loath to expose them to off road conditions. A Disco I remains the best choice for a serious off-roader at this time.
On the highway and around town the Disco II is a hands-down winner over the previous model.
Some Disco II improvements include:
[ul]The forward facing third seat with headrests is far safer than the sideways seating arrangement of the Disco I. However, Disco II's equipped with this option are rare.
A Bosch engine management system and more Bosch electronics everywhere. The Bosch stuff replaces the less reliable British stuff.
The engine is more powerful and the vehicle is more responsive to drive.
The engine was redesigned to reduce leakage, and they were largely successful in this. Disco II models still leak, but nowhere near like their predecessors.
The in-car entertainment is significantly upgraded.
Disco II engines use the new GM Dex-Cool red antifreeze instead of the older green mix used in prior years.
Production quality seems to be quite a bit better. The overall quality of the vehicle is considerably improved from their low point in 1996-7. [/ul]
Weaknesses to watch for in looking at a used Disco II
[ul]Radiators are prone to develop leaks, more so than previous Land Rover models.
The idler pulleys on the belt drive become noisy and in extreme cases come apart.
The ACE system, while substantially improving high speed handling, offers the possibility of service nightmares on high mile units.
Disco II engines are prone to failure of the rocker shafts, resulting in engine raps. Luckily repair is not too costly.
Many used Discoveries were lease vehicles, and many received little or no care. A truck that had the oil changed three times in 40,000 miles may cost substantial sums later in engine repairs. Check your service history before buying. [/ul]