Hey all. I’m looking at an 03 Discovery II for my girlfriend. 137k miles, $6,250.

I’ve done a fair amount of research in the past 24 hours about the II’s. I checked it as thoroughly as I could. Minimal rust, body’s in decent shape, oil and coolant looked good and clean. The guy had it for a year and said he’s been putting regular gas in it instead of premium.

A couple things concern me. I have no idea if the head gasket was done. He didn’t have service records. After it warmed up and we took it for a nice long test drive, a ticking sound appeared in the engine. I’m not a Rover aficionado (yet) so I don’t know if this particular sound is the “tick” that everyone says to look out for. It sounded like a marble rattling in a steady rhythm. I’d upload a video I took, but the forum rules said new members can’t post attachments without automatic moderation.

the following codes were present as well:

P0174
P0150
P0159
P1174
P1415

The thing was so much fun to drive, though, and my girlfriend loves it. What do you nice folks think? I appreciate your accumulated wisdom and time.

 

That's cool that your GF wants to get into Rovers and your helping her find a good one. I dig that. However, I'd stay away from any older Rover product if it's her only car. Most of us here have D2's as second or 3rd cars due to their temperamental nature and horrible gas mileage. I get 10 MPG city and 16 MPG highway FYI. As for the Rover you've looked at, I'd stay away from it. It has motor noise and thats VERY bad news. These D2's have a problematic cooling system, the thermostat specifically. It also sounds like the motor may have a slipped sleeve based on the noise you heard. If that's the case it is new motor time 5k+ install costs. If you are up for that kind of risk I'd offer the owner 1k and get ready for MAJOR engine work. With any engine issue, these D2's PLUMMET in value due to the cost to fix. In essence, the vehicle becomes mechanically totaled.

Now if your GF is still interested in getting a D2 hats off to her. I'd keep looking and be patient for the right one to come around. If your budget is 7k that's a fair price for a good running driving example with extremely minor issues. For example minor oil leaks, ect. Keep an eye on the cooling system of any D2 you look at. Check out yourtube there are plenty of buyers guides. Happy hunting.

 

Yeah the more I read, the more problematic the ticking sound appears to me. Either the sleeve thing or oil pump failure. Either way we’re probably looking at putting a motor in it if we buy it.

We’d most likely have an extra Honda CR-V as a backup vehicle if we had a Rover. $6,250 seemed like a good deal without knowing much about D2’s, and 137k seemed like low mileage, especially coming from our backgrounds owning Hondas and Jeeps. But from what I can tell that’s already too high haha.

 

over $6,000.00 is too high for a D2 with a tick once warmed up and engine/ECU codes the the PO has left unaddressed. this is not the Rover you want for that amount of money. it sounds like it has been pretty neglected.

look for a D2 for sale on this site or on DiscoWeb. those Rovers have usually been well maintained and are ready to drive.

 

I think we’re gonna pass on the ‘03 D2 we looked at Saturday, thanks in part to the advice on this forum. The tick was just too concerning.

We found another D2 that looks intriguing, this one is an ‘01 that has 119k. Again, no idea if the head gasket was done, we haven’t contacted the seller yet. From what I’ve read, the ‘01’s have the better engine, right? Anything y’all would specifically look out for in those ‘01’s?

Thanks again everybody. If we end up pulling the trigger on a D2 I’m sure you won’t be able to get rid of me.

 

I recently purchased a 2003 D2 for about half that price )) Thought the mileage was 203K. Lots of work has been done on the cooling system by the PO, though there are no records. New hoses, clamps, O2 sensors, etc. These are pretty good, yet somewhat finnicky trucks. I understand that a 2004 is much better than a 2003 due to the transfer case lock. In my opnion, $6K does seem a bit much, though details are also important, overall condition, options etc. Gas mileage on a 4.6 is really weird - so far I've gotten as bad as 12.9 MPG and as good as 18 mpg. Mostly it was around 14-15 MPG, that's mixed driving, about 70/30 highway-city. It also really depends on how one uses the gas pedal. If you floor it enough, I am sure it can get 8-10 MPG in rough city driving. But so far, my gas mileage is pretty decent, though I never try to be the first one off, I use the gas pedal extremely conservatively. My highway speeds are about 60-70 mph. As low as 55, almost never above 70. And yes, I have an another car for that sort of thing.