Ok I have recently acquired the 4x4 bug, I guess when I get back home I just want to take the family out on some trails and enjoy nature and my family. With that being said I have been searching for a SUV that not only looks good, gets decent mileage, and can tackle the job. I have about 15k too spend on this toy but I have heard so many horror stories on maintenance costs on the discoveries I have been shying away from them. Can I get some real input from you guys. I have been looking at 01-03`s for the price I am looking to spend the mileage has been about 60k and up so poor your knowledge on me on what I should do. Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum. Most of the Disco's at or around that mileage will need the 60K tune up. The people that usually sell them don't want to do this maintenace so theyget rid ofit. So expect that. In addition expect the fact that you will need to iron out other wrinkles that the previous owner was not willing to do. This can cost some bucks but it's just best to have around $2000 left over for additional fixes that will be required. It's just a break in period. Once your past that you'll be fine.

Courtesy of our beloved DiscoMike, here is the expected 60K service which you can probably do yourself.

This is the parts list for a 60,000 mile service the way I do it.
1 Oil filter , K&N 3001
1 Air filter
1 Transmission filter kit
6 Qts of engine oil
12 Qts of ATF
7 Qts of 80/90W gear oil
2 Qts of Brake fluid
2 Qts of synthetic Power steering fluid
2 Gallons of OAT, orange coolant
1 Bottle of Lucas Power Steering additive
1 Bottle of Lucas Transsmission additive
1 Can of Spray Carb Spray
1 Can Of Brake cleaner
8 Spark Plugs, I use Bosch Platium Plus 4's
1 Set of Magnacor 8mm plug wires
1 Serpentine belt if not yet replaced
2 Bottles of SeaFoam


60,000 Mile Service
Bleed the brakes
Flush and change the power steering fluid adding one bottle of additive
Service the tranny adding one bottle of additive
Flush the coolant system
Do an engine flush before changing the oil
Do an induction cleaning
Clean the throttle body
Add fuel additive to full gas tank
Change both od the diffs fluid
Change the t/case oil
Replace the plugs and wires
Replace the air filter
Lube all the drive shaft grease fitting including the 2 slip shafts
Do full inspection of brakes, hoses, bushings etc.


Good Luck

 

first off, bad mileage. 13 and 17 best case. If you are looking to do a lot of offroading, you picked the worst years for it. The late 01 to 03's do not have a lockable transfer case. Post mid 99 (series 2) all have traction control, but up till 01, you could modify the case to lock. They came back with it in 04. Maintenance is a pain if you don't keep up with it. They cost more than average to fix, unless you work on it yourself. I would go for an 04 with a warranty. If you are willing to spend, spend a little more. Otherwise, I would get a 2000 and mod the T-case. You can save enough to wait and pay for the new head gaskets it will need eventually.

All of the negatives aside, I love my Disco and don't want anything else.

 

Ok well first lets start of by saying this, if you want a 4X4 you can screw getting good gas mileage, thats what rice mobiles are for. But if you want to do some really fun stuff, away from any roads, get a Discovery. But know this, you will have occasional problems that will be expensive to fix. You can avoid these problems by taking really good care of your truck.

Land Rovers Discovery's are in my opinion the best looking off road capable SUV. I wouldn't recommend anything else. Do some research and see if you have a local independent Rover mechanic, that will really help if you ever were to have a problem, they are much cheaper!!

Last, do a TON of research and test drive a couple disco's because some are much better than others. Do an in-depth background check on all the maintainance and make sure it is up to date. If you have any questions the people here are VERY helpful and if you have a doubt about one you are looking at come one here and ask about it and we will steer you in the right direction! GOOD LUCK!

 

The one I am looking at they claimed to have just changed several major gaskets known to go bad on these. Thanks for all the input so far guys

 

What about this one ? I would have plenty of money left over for maintenance and anything else that might come up.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...mp;cardist=170

 

One thing that you need to know that steers some people away...premium gas. You MUST use premium gas or you will lose at least 2mpg and will shorten the life of the engine.
You can expect 14mpg city and 18 hwy. With premium gas.
I have 1997 with 170k on it and it runs like a top and the family and I can follow Chevy trucks with 33" tires down the trails and then pull them out when they get stuck, and our truck is 100% stock.
Get a Disco. treat it like a needy woman and you will not be sorry.

 

That one on autotrader looks pretty nice man. I'd be jealous...

Check the carfax, check the maintenance records, and you're good to go, and you'll have alot of money left over for all of the services plus some cool 4x4 add-ons!

 

I'll start by admitting my love for my Discovery. I'm sure I'll keep it forever. However, it absolutely sucks for reliability and the cost to keep the thing road bound is ridiculous. That, and you simply cannot drive these things off the lot and into the trails. A stock DII is a turd off road. You need 16" wheels, 2" of lift at a minimum. Mileage? at best 18 on the hwy. Off road can get to 12mpg.

One thing to keep in mind - my buddy and I spent 5 weeks looking for his DII. He had $14,000 in hand. We passed on buying 6 vehicles before finding the right one. Price is NOT the primary factor when buying a DII. Mine is a great example. It was in mint condition with 50k. I got it for a song, but she caught up to me with $3500 in repairs that first month.

My advice - Toyota Land Cruiser FJZ80. Find a late 90s version.

 

I have had my 98 disco I since 1999. I have found the disco to bevery roomy for it's size, better ride on the highway, and a much better offroad truck then most SUVs (that can go offroad). I have found the AWD to be perfect for the winters in NJ and the offroading. It will drive through the snow.
I take my disco on offroad trips to go camping. Have had to drive through a few small creeks, and ponds to get to where we were going.
I also have found that my disco required a lot less maint.
It is expensive ifyou need the dealer to work on the truck.
If you are handy, working on these trucks is a lot like working on an old ford truck.
I have also heard that the older versions like the Discovery I seem to require a lot less maintenance then it's newer versions.
I get between 15 - 17 mpg local and upto 19 - 20 mpg on hwy.
Good luck with your search.
Also, one other quirk, the windshelds tend to take a stone or two and crack. It is the design of the windshield.