I currently drive a 2006 4runner... Job loss and other issues are forcing me to trade in my Toyota on a used vehicle and essentially cut my payments in half. I love the look of the 2003-2004 discovery.

I was/am pretty active in the 4runner forums. The posts there are usually concerning modifications, reviews and what not.

Looking at this forum it seems to be all about repairs and problems.

What sort of reliability can I expect out of 03/04? I don't want the repairs to offset the savings by switching vehicles. If concerned about repairs, understanding the fact that I am by no means a mechanic, is the Discovery a bad idea? How many miles is too many?

Please enlighten me.

Thank you.

 

Stay away from the 03. There is an oil pump issure. Disco's are fine if they are maintained. It will take more than your Toyota did. If you don't want to mess with things, stay with the Yoda. If you like the looks and want to tinker a little, you can do most of the stuff yourself.

Check out the Major service thread for what to do when you get it. Also look into replacing the wires with 8MM and having the front driveshaft re-built.

I have 188K, they will go 250+ if they are taken care of..

 

If you cant do most of the work yourself and if you cant afford 14 mpg and premium gas then keep looking.
Or get a older Disco and learn to turn a wrench.

 

Payments may be less, but repairs and maintenance will be Frequent. if you are Low on Cash this is no time to Buy a Land Rover.

 

if you're out of job and can't wrench on it yourself a used rover is probably not a good primary vehicle for you.

 

Run for the hills man!! I knew what I was getting into and I really can't say I have any regrets. In one year of ownership I have replace all four O2's, replaced the water pump, rebuilt the drive shaft, replaced upper hose, purchased OBDII code scanner and volt meter. All together I have spent about $700 but I did all the work myself and I have a spare vehicle . If I was in a position where I had to pay for all this work I would be in the thousands ( my dealership hourly rate is $120). Stay with a Toyota, even if you can't stop it.

 

Part of the reason that there is not as much talk about modifications as on the Toyota forum is that these come amazing out of the box. That is if you don;t mind spinning a wrench and getting 15mpg. The land rover will not accelerate uncontrollably on you which is a plus. Even if it did go to WOT you could probably get out, run in front of it and tell people to move out of your way, get back in and turn the motor off before anything bad happened.

 

MTROVER,
I have an 2003 SE7 bought at 73,000 miles. Now has 104,000 miles. I have spent over $11,000 in repairs in less than 3 years. New front diff, both front hub assemblies, valley pan gasket, oil pump/front cover, timing chain, ABS modulator, front driveshaft rebuilt/balanced, plugs and wires, 5 tires, MAF sensor, throttle body gasket, PCV oil separator, SAI pump, just to name a few things. Still has a miss if you so much as spit water into the engine compartment (coil?) and now my steering is loose as Hell and I'm probably looking at new steering pump and/or steering box in near future $$$$$.

Just make sure the one that you find has records and find a good independent Rover shop (good luck finding one) to go over the car with a fine toothed comb so you'll know how much you'll be spending right out of the gate.

-aaron
2003 SE7 104,000 miles

 

WTF?

IF you bought everything brand new.
front diff $1000
both front hub assemblies $800
valley pan gasket $25
oil pump/front cover $600
timing chain $110
ABS modulator ----
front driveshaft rebuilt/balanced $200
plugs and wires $110
5 tires $400
MAF sensor $270
throttle body gasket $3
PCV oil separator $23
SAI pump $370

that should be $4000 in parts

Did you really pay $7,000 in labor?

 

My thoughts exactly. That is a HUGE number bearcatsfan, and an abnormal amount of problems, but then again, it is an 03.

MTNROVER, i've got to agree with everyone. Though not every Disco has tons of problems, there is always a chance that you could be stuck with one that does. I would hate to say go for it and have you stuck with a lemon disco thats in the shop once a month emptying your wallet.

Personally I have alot of trust in my Disco, I didn't even break $1,000 in repairs for three years until just recently when I had to do an expensive T-case rebuild. I think these trucks are great, but I would wait until a better time to buy.