Going to Look at this '03' tomorrow AM...last minute advice?

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Mar 12, 2009 | 05:13 PM

#11

discodefender

Mudding

Joined: Jan 2009

Posts: 152

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From:

purchased a loaded 03 hse 50,000 miles last month for $7500. Caught a $140 flight to Chicago and drove it back. I'll sell mine for 10 gs and find another one. Be patient. There out there.

Mar 12, 2009 | 07:12 PM

#12

Disco_Fever

Winching

Joined: Sep 2008

Posts: 589

Likes: 4

From: Portland, OR

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamuspg

I agree. Im not seeing those low prices here in the NE. That is why I initially thought 7,900 was adecent deal.
Anyway just got back from looking at the vehicle(s). Unfortunately its Vin Salty16413A791605 is in the troublesome range, correct? Cosmetically it is in very good shape, slight stain on passenger seat but that seemed like it. Electronics seemed to work fine(windows,sunroofs,lights, what else should i check?), tires were in good condition, engine sounded good, and it drove well. The warranty is through a 3rd party, AutoSave, which I am going to look into. On paper it is 100k or 5yr Motor/Powertrain warranty. Anyone hear of this? He said it is crucial to keep records and scheduled services to maintain waranty. I will do some research. It is a 1 owner. Service records werent with the car, which i didnt like, but he is going to fax me acopy of the title so that I may contact the previous owner to try and obtain them. Can I get them from the LR dealership where it was serviced? He said from what he understood it had been serviced at the LR dealership in Boston. Let me know what you think, the Vin # is certainly a deterrent, but if the warranty is legit, than should that still be a factor?...I will keep you posted on what I learn. Thanks again for all your help.

Read the fine print in the warranty. I wouldn't count on it to cover much, if anything. Even if they do pay, they probably limit each claim to a maximum of 3k or so and the whole policy is likely limited to a cumulative of 7-9k. A new engine is $7500 from AB, $10,000 from a dealer. It's not really a warranty, it's a service agreement, and they're notorious for leaving people stuck. I can't count the number of class-action lawsuits I've seen filed against aftermarket warranty companies, they change their names frequently too. The truck doesn't sound bad, but my research indicates that '04 was a better year than the '03 for a multitude of reasons and you're better off there if you can wait and spend a few more dollars. Additionally, you may look at finding a 99-02 Disco. You should be able to pick up a really nice early-model Disco II for around 5k. If your gut tells you this is the one then go for it, but don't use that warranty as a compensating factor when making your decision. Most likely, it's a joke.

Mar 13, 2009 | 04:01 PM

#13

seamuspg

Thread Starter

Three Wheeling

Joined: Feb 2009

Posts: 93

Likes: 0

just spoke w/ the Land Rover dealership that serviced the vehicle. it had maintained its service up until 60k and at that point everything was fine w/ the truck. However, the truck now has 80k and they hadnt seen it since the 60k point. He said the 60k tune-up had not been done which is pretty extensive. He did however say that it is way out of the worry zone for the oil pump recall. He said that doesnt mean the oil pump wont go at some point, but not due to the misalignment issue in 03. He said most cars would see that in the 1st 10-20k and 20k being the absolute highest he had seen it. I tend to trust him since he wasnt selling anything, and he actually was talking me out of LR in general, saying if I wasnt handy, or rich to stay away from the cars. I think I may pass on this vehicle and stay patient until I see a 'great' deal.

Mar 14, 2009 | 06:58 PM

#14

Disco_Fever

Winching

Joined: Sep 2008

Posts: 589

Likes: 4

From: Portland, OR

Here, look at this one...

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1073631749.html

Mar 15, 2009 | 10:46 AM

#15

seamuspg

Thread Starter

Three Wheeling

Joined: Feb 2009

Posts: 93

Likes: 0

thanks Disco, I appreciate you keeping an eye out for me....I live in the Boston area so that listing is quite the trip!!!...but it does look like a great truck for a decent price...keep me posted though if you say any closer to me...I appreciate it. Also, I have become very partial to the running boards.(is that what they are called?) Are they expensive as add-ons? or could I find them cheap somewhere?

Mar 15, 2009 | 02:16 PM

#16

Disco_Fever

Winching

Joined: Sep 2008

Posts: 589

Likes: 4

From: Portland, OR

I don't know for sure about the running boards. I've been looking at some rock-sliders that will double as a step for my truck, that'll make it a little easier for the Mrs. to climb in and out of and easier for the kiddos as well. Plus, I'd like to do the OME suspension setup with a 2" lift, so at that point it would be very helpful indeed to have something that is both functional offroad and practical as a step.

Anyone here have a recommendation for a rock-slider/running-board combo?

I keep an eye on Craigslist to see what's going on within 250 miles or so of me. I'd recommend the same to anyone else. The easy way to do it is with a search page that let's you search all cities on Craigslist at once. The site I use for that used to be called craigshelper.com, but they've just changed to searchtempest.com. It's pretty cool, and it's FREE!

If you find the right truck at the right price it may be worth a one-way plane ticket or Greyhound Bus ticket! Boston to Indy isn't too bad really...