Help Buying Land Rover Discovery II
 

I am looking to buy a 2000/2001 Land Rover Discovery II. Can someone provide me with some basic gotchas to look out for. Also, what are the common problems with these vehicles? Were the 2000/2001 good model years? Do these vehicles tend to go over 100k miles or is it a rarity?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

- Brook

RE: Help Buying Land Rover Discovery II
 

What will you be using the Disco for, will you be modifying it to play hard off road?
As for you question on mileage, I was out last Saturday, running a couple of trails up in the Rockies with one Disco that has 216,000 miles on it and it is running strong.
One thing to look for, if you ever plan on installing lockers, is to make your you get a Disco with a CDL, locking t/case. This locking t/case used to be standard but when Rover added the Disco 2 they switched to electronic traction control and removed the linkage on the t/case so you couldn't lock it up for better traction. Any of th 99, 2000's and about the first 3 months of the 2001 had the t/case, just need to add the linakage for lots of extra traction.

RE: Help Buying Land Rover Discovery II
 

Hey stug, welcome to the forum, if you look 5 posts back Zippy asked the same questions and there are some replies from the more experienced guys, plus an essay from the board wannabe (yours truly). My figurin' is if you buy a 100k + truck, unless it has extensive maintenance records, you are gambling with a vehicle that's going to require 4 to 5000K worth of extra work to get it up to snuff (not counting if the engine ishiding problemsdue to abuse). If you can find a 2000 + with about 60000 miles for around 12 - 15k you are getting it at an optimal time where the love you put in to it will mean the truck lasts you for years. Save about a grand for fluids and replacement of high-wear items.

Look for a radiator leak, excessive leaking around any of the engine gaskets (they are prone to seep a little, not an issue unless it is a flood), and drivetrain abuse. Mine was a quart low on oil when I bought it. Probably dumb on my part but the engine sounded ok. It is hard to tell ifthe drive trainhas been lubed properly, but if you have a chance to check the fluid levels in the tranny, transfer case, front and rear diffs before purchasing you can have better peace of mind. Listen for excessive noise, popping, gear grindingfrom the drivetrain when test driving. If theseller gives you a glazed look when you ask about lubing the drive shafts and u-joints you might want to look at those somehow, unless he has been getting oil changes/lube service at a rover dealer or shop.

Good luck!