November '17, I bought an '04 Disco, 98,000 miles, silver w/black interior: $6500
December, all fluids and filters: $800
January, new steel wheels and 245/75/16 BFG tires: $1600
February, 2 "OME lift, HD steering and drag link, serviceable front DS $2500
March, starts peeing TC oil and has overheated - low coolant
April, getting ready for the bloodletting of my wallet and it still hasn't passed inspection.
Codes P0113 & 0117 or 0114 & 0118 alternatingly occur

 

I would laugh, but I spent my wheel/tire, and lift money on my 04 fixing the engine, lol.
Gotta love it, I kinda hate mine

 

THIS...LOL....
Have had mine for 4+ years and no lift yet...but have found a new love for it lately as my 3rd vehicle..now in process of going through engine again...hopefully can find the light and get lift and tires...lol

 

What were the engine fixes you required?

It is exactly what I wanted. I just wish 1) the sunroofs didn't open when I tried to start the car, pulled the fuse 2) the sunroof wasn't leaking 3) the valve covers weren't leaking after owning it for 3000 miles 4) the head gaskets weren't leaking after 3000 miles 5) the front cover wasn't leaking after 3000 miles 6) the transfer case wasn't going through 2 qts every ten weeks 7) the TC wasn't pissing fluid all over the y-pipe, it smells 8) the TC shifter seems to be frozen 9) the ABS module makes R2D2 noises after I shut the car off, honestly wtf is that 10) after using the rear 10v, the front passenger light and cigarette light don't work and I can't find a blown fuse... nfi; and finally 11) when cold, the motor starts right away; when warm, it starts after 3 tries every time.

When I get all of that sorted, maybe I'll think about a galvanized frame and Robinson motor... dafaq. I miss my old Defender 110 TD5

 

got my 04 with 122k miles, no heating problems, ran and drove excellent...but ticked loudly. No coolant leaks, no transmission leaks or issues. TC leaks(have seal kit for it). TC shifter is hard to shift, need to remove and lube cables.
New ps pump and ps box, both leaked badly.
Engine leaked oil from everywhere.
I replaced timing chain (cam and crank gears are fine).
Replaced oil pump(cracked in 3 places, common).
Replaced lifters, pushrods, and rocker shafts.
Engine still ticked!
Cam, main, and rod bearings were visibly worn.
Pulled engine, had block cleaned, honed, new cam bearings and freeze plugs at machine shop($375 labor).
Bought refurbished heads(ones on it were ok).
New stock size rings, stock size main and rod bearings.
Measured bores, mains and rods, and they're good.
New front cover(new oil pump included).
Pinned all 8 liners, even though none appeared to have slipped, I know they won't now!
Got correct crucifix seals yesterday, and will start reassembling the engine asap now.
I got a GlowShift oil pressure gage, an UltraGage, new fan and fan clutch, coils, wires, plugs, and many other new parts.
Had a miss and a mass air code last time it ran, so I got a new mass air meter.
I still need a stock cat-back, a 180 thermostat, coolant, a windshield (haven't called insurance yet since it has been sitting), and hopefully not O2 sensors...then it should pass Va state inspection.
And whatever else I'm forgetting, or that breaks in the mean time.
Brake mc, pads, and rotors were new when I bought it, no 3 amigos. Pedal needed more effort last time it ran, so I got a great deal here on a new in the box LR booster.
So, yeah, I'm broke, this bastid has eaten all of my money.

 

I got the 3 amigos once last week. Turned it off, restarted and they are gone. I am tempted to buy and ship an Australian D110.

I paid AUD$3500 (not a typo) for my '96 D110 with a really rare Maxi-Drive Engineering rear air locker and extended range fuel tank (I could go about 650km for approximately $140 in diesel fuel), swing away rear tyre carrier and ARB bumpers. I ran it for 5 years without a single issue. Spending $30 - $40k on rebuilding a Discovery sounds mental to me. It would cost about $1500 for a good one in Oz...

 

I paid $3k for mine...and have about $7k in it!
Way more than I planned!
It came to a point of having reached my budget, then being stuck with buying alot more parts, or basically giving away what I had so far.
So, money pit it is.
Sounds like you got a steal on that Defender.

 

They are farm trucks out there. The prices only started going up when Tata announced the end of the Defender as we know it. I sold it for $9k when moving back to the US. What seal kit did you get? I believe mine is shot lol

 

The transfer case seal kit I got came from Lucky8.
Most of the parts I have gotten came from them.
I have nothing but good to say about them.