Hey guys, my wife rolled our Jeep a couple weeks back (nobody got hurt), and there aren't many more options out there for Cherokees this time of year. So, what I have decided to do is to give her my Disco and buy myself another one.

I want to go for an '04 this time, hopefully with fewer than 40k miles, but that might be asking too much. Every one I find literally was sold "yesterday", depending on which given day I call on it.

My question is this- If I add 2003 Discos to the pool of possible vehicles, my possibilities soar. So, can I just avoid a certain line of VINs in the 03s, and be totally cool? Or is the entire model year damned?

It seems incredibly unlikely to me that all 2003s would be worthless lemons waiting for an engine replacement... but as always, I will listen to the experts.

I haven't been on in a while good talking to you folks.

THANKS friends!!

Pat

 

Yes, you could stay out of the vin range but the 03's just have a bad rap because of this oil pump issue and the price over all reflect it.
Also, if you are wanting to do some serious playing, the 03 does not have a CDL t/case so you will only have limited traction.

 

Not all 2003s, even a lot in the bad VIN range, are lemons. Many people on here will tell you that they have a 2003 in the bad range with no problems while others that fall outside the bad range have problems. The bad news with a 2003 is that if the oil pump fails the only fix is a new engine. The good news is that once the engine is replaced, provided the replacement engine doesn't have the same problem, the problem is fixed permanently. If you find a 2003 with over 75,000 miles you should be ok as most fail between 50k - 75k. I would never say avoid the 2003s but go in with your eyes open and do research before you buy. Get as much history on the vehicle as possible.

 

That is some great advice- thank you guys.

I'm trying to stay within 300 miles so that the trip could be done in one day... but maybe I should take the gloves off and just plan on flying somewhere to pick one up.

I have about 9 days to get one before my wife starts college again and I have to get our old pickup running again to sustain me in the interim.

I thought I had found the PERFECT Burgundy '04 Disco with 35k miles... it was absolutely flawless. But... "Sold Yesterday".

I'm going to try very hard to keep looking for an '04. Is there anything I need to know about the 2004 model year?

THANKS AGAIN, my friends.

 

Yes, it was the best of the best PERIOD, even though my heavily modified 99 will run all over an 04, it was the best stock model sold.

 

I'll bet that '99 would!

That does it then, I'm sticking with an '04. I just searched the entire county for a very specific set of parameters, and found another burgundy '04 with 40k miles in North Carolina... After checking ticket prices and deciding it was do-able, I called.... "Uhhh, sorry sir, that one went yesterday."

One more question, Mike: Which region of the US is the best to buy a one-owner vehicle? The south west? Anywhere in the south? California?

THANKS bro.

Pat

 

Pat, that is a hard question to answer.
Let me know what you do buy.

 

Check here in Colorado Pat. There are always Discos for sale since the soccer moms seem to love them until their neighbor gets something new.

 

Mines right smack dab in the middle of the vin range, never had a problem in all now 97,000 miles. if you could get a good enough deal on a 2003 in the vin range, if your really that concerned you could get a extended wareentee. i have one till 100k, payed off for my head gasket replacement, and new heater blower=) . warentees for a 03 go from $1900 - $2900

 

I will let you know- I'm hoping to make a purchase this coming week, but really I am not pressured.

The latest 37k miles '04 was apparently sent to an auction, but the man will call me on Monday if it comes back unsold. We'll see if it's meant to be.

The kicker is that I had really grown to like white, and there aren't too many options. My white one now can be caked with mud and look beautiful, whereas my late Black Jeep, despite its pristine paint, looked horrible even after a mere rainstorm.

There is a Tangiers Orange G4 edition out there.... but I don't know... lol