hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and new to land rovers in general. I'm thinking about purchasing a discovery soon but before making my purchase i have a few questions.

What is the difference between the different models of discos?
What are some problems that land rovers have, and specificly discos?
Whats the aftermarket like for these vehicles? Lots to choose from, expensive?

 

if you do a serch on here for things like thinking about buying, there are tons of posts. Main thing is they chenged from D1 to D2 in mid 99. The tail lights are higher in the D2, it has a different engine management system along with traction control and HDC. If an 04 is too high, I would suggest a 99 to early 01 that has the transfer case you can lock by adding linkage or a solenoid. That is of you plan on offroading much.

The problems vary. That's what this forum is mostly for. You have to do the maintenance when it is needed, and do it right. Can't put much off, or you will be asking for problems.

If you look under the general tech help tab, there is a sticky thread at the top with lists of parts suppliers. Parts are easy to get, but depending on where you live, have to be shipped. Some things are even available at Autozone, and are decent parts.

All that said, I am sure you will get some long responses. Welcome and good luck

 

1995-1999.5 is the Discovery Series 1. 1995-1996 had the 3.9 litre engine, 1996-2002? 4.0 litre engine. 1999.5 the Discovery Series 2 was started. It ran until 2004 then the LR3 which is the Discovery Series 3 just renamed.
2002-2004 has the 4.6 litre engine. Same engine for all models just different displacment.
Other than cosmetic changes the D2 has more electronic gadgets, better designed instrament cluster with a LCD odometer and automatic climate control. All trks have duel temp for front driver and pass.
All years have rear pass HVAC control available and 7 pass as an option too. D2's had air ride suspension as a option also.
Some D2's have 18 in factory rims, if you are going to do any offroading stay away from the 18's.
All have ABS and dual front airbags, I think the later D2's also have side airbags.
Most have dual sunroofs.
You definatly will not lose your trk at the mall, it will be taller than all the other cars in the parking lot and you will most likely be the only LR there.
There are TONS of accesories for them and they are built like tanks. If you get one you will love it.
I am sure that some of my info isint 100% right, but others will chime in too.

 

Discovery's are amazing trucks. I prefer the DII, I have a 2000, If you look at pics you will see a difference in the taillights and a small difference in the head lights. The interior on the two are also a bit different. For the most part the DII is just an upgrade to the DI, the DII has more bells and whistles. Do a TON of research and you will find some great deals and some horrible ones. Check in with us if you find one you like. We can help you on price and any "problems" it may have.

The truck looks like no other. I my opinion it is one of the best looking 4X4s to ever be produced. People look at it when you drive by. I have even been asked about it a handful of times in a parking lot. "Hey dont they use those for safari's in Africa?", and my favorite "whoa golly what do ya call that bus?! I want me one of those!" HAHA

The problems disco's have all depend on how you take care of it. Sure things will happen, but they will have less or a chance of occurring if you always are up to date on maintenance. When something does break we can help you out, and you can decide if its something you want to fix. The downside to fixing a land rover is that the parts can be more expensive, thats just due to the fact that its a British car and some of the parts are very specific. But for little things you can get it at any regular store.

For the most part discovery's arent TOO hard to find. The hardest part is finding a good one. Be very careful! Look for a personal one if you can, and talk to the owner, if they seem like they took care of it that could be your best bet. Some dealers (non-LR) will have quality trucks as well. My biggest thing is to not rush into it, you might have to pass a few up, and we will tell you if its a keeper if you just ask. Good luck on your search, you will love the Land Rover community. Keep us updated we can help!

 

Hi,

I am also a Rover novice looking to buy a Discovery. In fact I will be looking at two this Sunday. The first is a 2000 with 98.000 miles for $8000 (including insurance from Auto Services Companu Inc.). The other one is a 2002 SD Sport Utility with 93.000 miles for $9280 (including an extended warranty until nov 2008 and a dent that "needs minor work on the rear bumber").

If it is not too much I would also appreciate your input regarding which is the better buy!

 

LRD,

To my knowledge, there is no difference between the 2000 and the 2002 model. I don't think anything really changed from 99D2 up until 2004. I think they introduced the CDL on '04's but don't quote me on that.

As for which is the better buy. It's tough to make a decision based on the mileage because they are close. The more important factor is maintenance reports. If you're buying this from a dealer I would ask to see the maintenance report. If this is a legit LR dealer they will have reports on the vehicle. They simply run the VIN number and they should have all the reports. Ask for a print off on both of them. You'll see fault codes, sensors, oil changes, the works. Ask to take the report with you. Scan it and post it here and the community will be able to give you great advice on a solid buy.

Now if this isn't an LR dealer, ask for reports anyway. Some indy dealers have some info on the vehicle. Carfax reports are great, and they should have that too. But you can't beat the maintenance report. So many people within this community will tell you that a lot of LR previous owners will let their LR go for a while if they know they are going to sell it. So when you buy it, you get stuck with big maintenance costs for year one. So be prepared for that.

Another thing to consider is Fault Codes. Disco's are notorious (check this forum) for faulty codes. Three Amigos as we like to call them. Three amigos being the ABS, Downhill Assist and Traction Control lights on the dash. These codes are sensitive and finicky to say the least. So even if you start the Disco and don't see lights, I would ask for a code read. If it's an LR dealer they can do that. If it's not, you'll have to drive it to a indy LR shop and have it done. I've heard different prices for code reads. I got mine done at an LR dealer for $90 and then went to an indy shop and had them read for $75. It's a wise investment. The only reason I recommend this is because if a fault comes up, you can use that as leverage to drop the price.

You mentioned that the 2002 came with an extended warranty until nov 2008. Of course it's an extra $1300, but you might be able to talk them into extending that a little more. Especially if they don't have time to get you reports or run codes. Just don't go into this uneducated. Get familiar with common issues found within this forum (speed sensors, o2 sensors, sagging SLS, etc). Get in the vehicle and push all the buttons. Open BOTH sunroofs and look for discolored headliner around each. Discolored = leaks which equals leverage for you. Move the seats and turn on the heated seats, both of them. LR owners tend to leave the heated seat button on, which burns out the heating element. Play with the HVAC controls, make sure heat is coming out of all vents. Ask if it has rear heat. If it does. Check it too.

Pop the hood, look at the plug wires make sure they look/feel newer and not old, cruddy/crispy. Even simple things like making sure all the reservoirs are at the right levels. Brake, coolant, hydraulic can all be checked visually because each reservoir has the level mark on it.

This should get you started. But get your hands on those reports and get back to us asap. Don't buy one until you've driven several. Just so you can get a feel for how they should run. Good luck!

 

Wesk:

Thank you for your time. How extremely generous of you!

I found both vehicles on craigslist and I think both sellers are private persons. I didn't know one could get printouts of maintenance reports using the VIN. But I will definetly ask to get copies of the reports in any case.

I have the VIN for the 2000 (Carfax available here: http://henrikberglund.com/vin/CARFAX...40YA236013.pdf), I am waiting for an email regarding the VIN for the 2002.

Thank's for the tip on fault codes. I will certainly take it to a good mechanic. Btw, would it be a good idea to have a mechanic look into all the things you mention, speed sensors, o2 sensors, sagging SLS, or is that stuff that a mechanic will not consider = something I need to check myself?

 

Thanks for all the replys. Lots of that info helps a lot. Could someone go into a little more detail about how the engine management system on the DII is different from the DI. What kind of axels do they have? Are they coil sprung all the way around? Thanks a bunch. i'm not new to cars just LR'sso feel free to get deep with it. Again appreciate it!

 

What it comes down to is that these rigs have a lot of electronic and mechanical components on them. They're relatively sophistocated. Just likeother vehiclesof thistype (Mercedes/Jaguar/BMW), issues crop up with some of the components over time that 2nd and 3rd owners often let slide, because taking it to a dealer each time can be pricey.So, by the time they get to 100k miles, many L/R's have a basket full of deferred maintenance that needs to be straightenend out. This is one of the reasons many people won't touch a used luxury vehicle over a certain mileage: the upkeep can break the bank. Just search Ebay for older BMW's or Mercedes and you'll see a lot with minor issues selling cheap.

So, for the guy that is willing to take the risks and responsibility of a vehicle of this type/mileage, knowing there is a good possibility that issues will pop up, there can be amazingly good L/R deals out there for what you get. If you can and are willing to do some of the maintenance and upkeep yourself, that's a major bonus. If you are the kind of person that gets totally worked up each time something crops up ...and has to rely on a dealer for each and every maintenance item, than you'd be better off spending more and buying as new and low mileage land rover as you can ...and preferrably one with a warranty. The air-ride suspension or ABS system, for example, seem to be problematic and could be VERY expensive totrack down the problem and service.

Just to give you a parallel example, my parents purchased used Lincoln Continental a few yrs ago(the previous gen). They ridegreat and they're fine cars. They also have their known weaknesses. At some point, an air shock went bad and they're told it's like $700 to replace one! Then another one goes bad. Because they didn't replace then right away, the air pump dies (it ran too much). Then, the head gaskets leak a few months later (another $1,300). Then the power steering pump goes out (another $200). Then, there's an electrical gremlin that crops up (another couple hundred). Well, these problems were all known weaknesses of these vehicles, and I know several people that have had their energy sapped by the same issues. My folks weren't happy about the extra expenses, butthey stuck with itand ultimately got a ton of troublefree miles out of it w/o too many more issues. At the same time, I also owned the same model Continental and I was able to do the heads myself in a couple days on/off work ($300), and when my air ride gave fits, I was able to quickly track the problem down to a solonoid ona shock that was only $25 to fix (a commonthing where most shops change the whole shock). I didn't let it go until the air compressor crapped out. I replaced my steering pump when it started to groan, and before it failed. I also got a lot of fun and trouble-free miles out of my car. My point is, luxury vehicles, be they Mercedes, BMW, Jag and even Toyota Land Cruiserscan have issues that crop up. Be prepared mentally, financially (ie warranty, tools, low mileage, or cash)and you will be a satisfied owner. I think you might see some posts on this site where owners sold their Disco's because they weren't prepared, either mentallly or financially (or both) for the possible maintenance issues that could crop up.The satisfied owners, tend to understand machines require maintenance, and many can, or want to do some upkeep work themselves.

Also, takeseveral forlengthy test drives to discover what pulls your trigger. There are differences between Discovery's vs other SUV's. They, like other large, heavy SUV's, don't get great fuel economy due to their weight (they're really tough and beefy). I really like mine. I've had a few bugs to work out but for me, working out the bugs has beena fun challenge. Owning a land rover is like being on an adventure, people always ask questions, want to know more.

 

The 2000 will have a transfer case that you can modify to lock, the 2002 will not.