I'm in search of a 2004 Discovery, clean, stock and rust free. I'm looking all up and down the eastern half of the us and getting a huge variation in asking prices for these trucks even without that much variation in miles.

So my question is this: How much is too much for a Discovery, no matter how nice it is?

I know it's a loaded question, but I feel like there has to be at least a neighborhood....

Cheers

Jake

 

”If” it was prestine I’d pay 6K tops. Mileage isn’t really relavant anymore vs how it was maintained over the 13 years of it’s life. I’ve seen (and own LR’s) with over 200k be in better shape vs a LR with say 50-100k on it. My 02 Kalahari had 217K on it when I bought it, and instantly you could tell it was well maintained. All my friends that are not LR savy thought I was INSANE to buy anything with those kind of miles on it!! However in the LR world a D2 with high mileage normally means it’s been maintained regularly and issues like Shuttle Valves with the ABS, or head gaskets have normally been fixed. A D2 with 50-100k could still be creeping along with the OEM parts it rolled off the factory floor with 13 years ago & in my mind = ticking time bomb for needing service.

Make sure the interior, all electronics, and trim are in good shape, the paint “could” be faded on the hood/roof, but paint is a lot easier to fix vs rust or a blown engine!!! Check rear frame for rust, and if it has sunroofs check them for leaks.

 

Being I'm on the east coast, up in CT, my best advice is to try and stay out of the mid to north east. But in saying that I did find a 2004 in CT a while back that had a near perfect frame.
Try not to get sucked into looks. It's all about the frame and drivetrain. Get a great frame and your way ahead of the game as far as I'm concerned. Take a good light and spend as much time as you can under it
I'd buy a $99 code reader from Harbor Freight to take along, and if you had time to do it, one of their compression testers and do a test.
I agree, that $6K would be the most I would pay, but that would have to be a VERY nice and well apointed one that has already had it's motor issues attended to, such as profesionally installed head gaskets and heads. Somewhere around $4500 is really my limit on a very good D2.

 

I spent 4500.00 on my 02 Kalahari. It needed some minor interior bits, and a little TLC like new brakes all around, but sometimes you do get what ya pay for. Best deal was my 99 D2 for 1500.00, but those types of deals are rare like finding a needle in a haystack.

Most 1000.00 to 3500.00 D2’s are overpriced wrecks with rust, gutted interior, and horrific mechanical condition. If the owner acts clueless or you see zip ties, and duct tape fixes under the hood = Run away as fast as possible.

People will sell crap & if you don’t buy it I’m sad to say some other sucker will. I call the POS D2’s I see come & go on my local CL village bicycles = everyone has had a ride lol...

 

Dont be afraid to play hardball. Most people selling discos are ignorant and have no idea what they have. Know what you are looking at, and offer what it's worth. Don't be rude, but there are tons of decent discos available and you don't need to haggle to get what you want.

If you find one that appears to be mechanically sound, and is good looking inside and out, but has some leaks or needs tires / routine maintenence then it's probably in the 2-3k ballpark. One that is overheating, regardless of interior or exterior condition, is worth $1000 tops. Often I see these with asking prices around 3k. No harm in going to look at them, telling the guy what the problem is and what it costs to fix, and offering what it's worth...$1000. Some people are reasonable and you'll have a deal, some are stupid and will get offended, but like I said, you are at an advantage because they are everywhere. Walk away and go see the next one that looks promising.


​​​I would never pay more than 5-6k for a pristine disco. As in low mileage, clean inside and out, with no detectable mechanical problems. One that is heavily modified and meets also that criteria is a different matter, but basically stock, 5-6 max.

 

Thanks for the feedback, gents.

At the moment, I've been talking to a guy in Oklahoma City with a Vienna Green 2004 SE with 230k on the clock.

It's a 1 owner, serviced solely at Land Rover of Minneapolis its entire life. Judging by the Carfax (which has 65 entries) and the overall condition, the owner was laughably **** about taking care of every single minute detail and spared no expense at the dealership. All lights, windows, speakers, and electronics work. Headliner and steering wheel have been replaced. It has all the major mechanical components replaced with factory new units by the dealer. The rest is cosmetic and of course that was kept extremely nice too. It apparently drives like it has 60k miles, which is coming from the privately owned dealer in Oklahoma City who has it available now. He refurbishes and sells several Discovery's a year so he's familiar. The entire engine and front end is new within 20k miles and not rebuilt. New. Seller claims nothing but surface rust on the frame. Being a Minneapolis car, I called the dealership and asked about more information on the car. While they couldn't tell me much about the original owner, he apparently kept the car garage and had a long, highway commute and never took it off-road. The service writer said that while rare, it's certainly possible to have a rust-free high-mileage vehicle in MN.

The VIN is SALTY19484A848041 and he's asking $5,000. See attached photos.

Thoughts?

 

If it's at a dealer, have them throw it on the hoist and snap some pictures of the underside. Especially frame rails along gas tank.

Brian.

 

Im in Tulsa so i see this guys stuff on craigslist all the time. it all generally looks very good in pics but ive never actually seen any of his vehicles in person. Price is a premium for the mileage but if its as clean inside and out as it looks in the pics then i would say 4500 wouldnt be a bad deal at all.

 

Well it's pictured at Rover Central but it's being sold at Vintage Motors. To my understanding, they're both honest, reputable dealers.

Waiting for photos of exactly that. Hmm, I guess I must be doing something right

 

Tell The $tealer you want a new or polished drivers side headlamp (it's faded) and some tires (or some $ off). The lamp is a common and minor thing. Looks like the passenger was already replaced. And not the best pic, but those tires look toast.

" To my understanding, they're both honest, reputable dealers."
Is this even possible in the Used Car Business? I'd still like to hope so, but..........