It has been a year and a half since I plunked down $3000 US for my 02 Discovery, and I love every bit of it. Regardless of the comically bad fuel economy, the vibration that I cannot locate, brakes the love to squeal, horrid wind noise, and bad o2 sensors(again). I love this thing.

I hated Land Rovers. With a passion. I had seen them at their worst, and best. this one fell into the middle. It leaked like the Exxon Valdez. reseal of the front cover, oil pan and a new water pump and all is good. New tires and drive shaft, all new universals and rotoflex.. still vibrates...ugh. Made both sunroofs work, fixed those leaks, and had the headliner recovered. New tires where next as the Summer performance tires where just stupid.

About 5 months go by and I noticed a wet spot in the driveway, taste test says coolant. I thought it was the head gasket, turns out to be the valley pan, did the HG anyway. I then had to go in for some personal repair as I had slipped 2 discs in my neck. 1 titanium cage and 3 fused vertebrae later, no driving for a few months.

Last week I took the Rover for a ride for my first time driving in a few months, she fired right up. 1 pending cyl 4 misfire code, and the usual 02 codes and it runs just like usual. Stopped to see my local hobby store for 15 minutes, only to start the Rover and see a cloud of blue smoke... yay.

Either way, I love the big dumb thing. A guy at the local British car show once told me that it takes a certain kind of person to love a Rover. The sad thing is, most buy one, and find out it isn't for them, thus the reputation. I did, and its a great car. Thats my little story, thought I would share. What is yours? Have you had your Rover for a while?, still love it? I know I do.

Thanks for reading(if you did)

 

my dad bought our Discovery new in 04 looking for a new family car after just getting rid of his pickup truck. I was 7 years old at the time and fell absolutely in love with it. I never even thought about getting another car and nuntheless it became mine on my 16th birthday! been driving it for 2 and a half years now and Id take it over anything, jeeps, pickups, anything.

 

I'm approaching 2 years with mine. When I got it I had been driving for a year and I was moving up from an '03 Kia Spectra (my first car). The only thing that sold my parents on it was the increased safety and the thought that, being a luxury SUV with a NA V8, it would be reliable and get somewhere in the ballpark of 15 mpg. Now, 15 mpg sucks, but it's affordable.

Two years later, $2600 in just engine work (only $800 was labor), untold hundreds (or thousands) in other modifications and repairs, learning that it actually gets 12 mpg, and countless hours of labor, I love it to pieces. I daily drive it (about 200 miles per week, so not a ton, but not a small amount), I off road it, I pull with it, I use it as a roaming garage (so... many... tools), and I piddle on it every chance I get. I never plan to sell it, only to get something else as a DD and use it as a toy.

The guy you met was right, it does take a certain kind to love a Rover. Sometimes being that kind will kill you, but I think it's worth it.

 

I like that plan Alex. I already acquired a second vehicle, buddy gave me his 03 Neon. 12mpg is the number I see with bad 02s and it stuck in open loop(according to the UG). The only modification I made was the manifold back Magnaflow exhaust.. it sounds awesome.

 

Moving up in gas mileage and staying the same with reliability. My plan was the opposite, move up in reliability and stay the same with gas mileage. I'm looking at an old Chevy truck with a 350 and a 4 speed, but it'll be at least next semester before I can afford it.

I just replaced the O2s about 6k ago, but I do have an exhaust leak that's throwing off one bank. I'm just waiting until I do headers before I fix it since I'll need a new Y-pipe anyway. I did get 14 on a couple tanks a few weeks ago, but then it dropped back to 11.2 when it got cold again. Hopefully it will go back up a little when the weather gets a little warmer.

I do like the sound of a good Magnaflow exhaust. Does it drone any? I've got the magnaflow cats, but I went with a Borla muffler instead. It sounded great before the exhaust leak, now less so.

 

I'll have to take a video next time I drive it. But I would have to say it has a little drone. I did put a video on Youtube.

This video is about 6 months after I installed it.

This video is the day I installed it.

 

Sounds good, man!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...GAhVJFh0#t=444

There's the Borla. Is the Magnaflow duals or just a dual tip? My Borla is single in dual out.

 

Just a dual tip. The kit comes with a single and dual tip. I like the look of the dual. I'd like to see a picture of how that looks from the back.

I kinda wanna tape my phone to the bumper and take the truck for a ride now... LMAO

 

I agree, the dual tip looks nice.

Here's the best picture I could find of mine. I just threw a couple of cheap walmart tips on one day, before that it was just bare pipe. I've also trimmed the rear bumper and quarter panels, so it looks a little more open than it did before back there.

Here's the picture with tips and after I trimmed


and here it is before I trimmed without the tips


I actually liked the bare pipe, but after I moved from two glasspacks to the single Borla they ended up different lengths. I'll probably take the tips off when I replace my rear bumper with a tube bumper since I'll have to shorten the pipe a few inches anyway.

I hadn't realized how much the pipe had aged until I looked at both of those side by side. I might just have some nice tips welded on, but I'll see if the pipe will clean up first.

 

Open note to all those who say they hate Land Rovers; "Send 'em to me!"
(I need parts) but the fact of the matter is; I love the freedom it gives me, the satisfaction of seeing those stupid tailgaters back off when all they see is my trailer hitch staring them in the face, the fact that I, of all people, don't mind scratching the paint as long as it is in the bush and each scratch comes with a story, being able to go to campsites so remote that you hear lions roaring in the twilight and hyenas visit the camp. (I live in South Africa) This country was made for Land Rovers. We call the Toyotas 'appliances' since they are mostly white and look like a rolling fridge!
My car has soul.