I saw below someone posted a similar post...I too, am a Jeeper who is looking to do the crossover
I am looking at newer LR's specifically, a 2002 Disc.II sd with 22,000 miles on it.
I dont know much about LR's..I just know I like the appearance. My brother-in-law is a car_dealer and he said they have ultra expensive parts and are very unreliable. I can't see how such a pricy car could be so poorly engineered though...
Are you all happy with your discoverys? How much should an 02 SD go for with 22k miles in new england?
Any advice offered would be great...I'm done with my Wrangler

 

Your brother-in-law was right to a degree land rover parts can be expensive if bought at the Stealer (cough) I mean dealership. but that about them being very unrealiable that's just wrong. Land Rovers have proven themselves to be some of the most reliable trucks on the road today. in other countries where the terrain is very severe many still use early made rovers from out of the 50's to the early 80's. The key thing to long life with a rover is to keep on top of repairs and it helps if you can learn to DIY for most repairs and changes plus they are not poorly engineered Land Rovers have the strength and rigidity of a 2 ton iron fist and can take most than many other 4x4's. They are bulit stronger than most last longer than most and many of the body panels don't rust rover uses Hard alloy for their bodies called birmabright a mixture of aluminum,maganese and I think nickel plus the body offers the same strength as a steel body 4x4.. So that means it is one truck that will look the same 20 years from now. Now I'm not saying rover is perfect because nothing is but you can rest assure you treat her right and she will do the same for a long long time. And Yes i am very happy with my discovery I wouldn't trade her for nothing except a heart (laugh) Coming for a jeep you will find land rovers are far surperior except the size of rovers on very narrow trails I'm talking that jeeps only sh&!. The price for a 2002 Discovery SD would probaly be about 17K to about 24K and that depends on mileage and options just remember how you treat her is how she treats you treat Discovery right and she will show you why land rovers are known as the best4x4xfar.

[IMG]local://upfiles/1907/F6AD861116FD4DE3AFCE8CC51CF2D90F.jpg[/IMG]

 

sorry that was a jeep here's a land rover

[IMG]local://upfiles/1907/8F4730FC03114D7A896815A168C6C8CE.jpg[/IMG]

 

I know this is an old thread, but I felt like replying anyway!


I just got an '03 Disco HSE. It had all kinds of problems when I got it. Dashboad lights were on, keyless entry didn't work, the alarm went off every time I started the engine. The brakes squeeked horribly, the radio didn't work(not just a code issue). OMG, I thought, what the HECK did I buy? Everyone was right! These things do suck! I mean it only had 35K miles on it and a clean record. I took it back to the dealer and they fixed everything. Wheel speed sensor, battery, oil change, power steering belt, brakes, etc... The radio issue was due to the previous owner's botched installation of a Sirus radio. I think they dissconnected the antenna. Whatever, not covered under warranty, I can fix that myself.

Now! Everything is fixed and I'm loving it! It's a great car! I took it off-roading pretty hardcore and it was like nothing. Pulled a 3000 lb trailer out of the Virgin River gorge at 80MPH, didn't miss a beat.

Brian

 

With Land Rovers, moreso than any other vehicle I know of, it is a total crapshoot. You can get one that is a million miles old and beat up, but will have NO issues at all, or a 25 miler on the odometer mall hopper that cant even get out of its own way. The only thing is, test drive it, try to have all service records (just for peace of mind, but as I said it is a total guess anyway). If you can get a warranty added on, do it. Just makes it easier. Once you get everything sorted out they are fine rigs, or family suv, whatever you want to do with it. I would not steer clear of Land Rover, even with all of the issues we go through as owners, and hell, one less Jeep out there is all the better (j/k, no feuds no feuds). If you can get a good price, have some service records, it drives fine, then get it, but try to get a warranty if factory is no longer valid....good luck, hope you can join the LR Brethren!


And oh yeah, like said previously in this thread, if you give her some love she is yours forever, but you start taking her for granted, and the dash will light up like a tree, wheels will fall off, roofs will rust, and electronics will do anything but activate electronics! hehehe

 

INSIST THAT THE DEALER REPLACE THE SPARK PLUG WIRES AS A CONDITION OF THE SALE. Verify that it has been done before you take delivery. The ignition coil pack is behind the engine and this simple maintenance is unbelievably expensive. Never buy a L/R unless the plug wires look brand new. A dealer quoted me $952.00 to change them out.[:@]

 

Are the wires that much or is it the labor?

Brian

 

I kept my wrangler as my secondary ride. I would recommend this if possible. Like they said its sorta a crapshoot. get the seller to do any extra services you can(plugs,wires,etc...) They are good trucks but do go down every now and again. I dont care what anyone says my wrangler can go places my disco wouldnt dare. but it cant get there in the same badass style!

 

It is the labor. They remove the hood (bonnet if yer British). They have to remove the upper intake Plenum. The plenum gasket needs to be replaced. Then they still have to get between the engine and the firewall.
Other than this pet peeve, these are incredible vehicles.

 

I'm not really qualified to answer this question as I have only owned my 2001 SE7 for one week but prior to buying it I did a lot of reading and research. If I were to base my decisions solely on Consumer Reports I'd be driving a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry right now. Most of the problems I've read about seem to relate to 'gizmos' and 'ammenities' and not so much to chassis or drivetrain stuff. I know a few people, including my brother, with 3 series BMW's that have more than their share of scary tales to tell. There are a lot of electronics in modern vehicles because people go to the showroom and they want to see wipers that turn on automatically and mirrors that adjust by themselves and navigation systems that tell you where to go. It's how manufacturers compete for customers these days. Well, take it from me - I've been an avionics tech for 30 years and electronics are fickle. There's no getting around it, especially in the hostile environment of an aircraft or road vehicle.

Anyway, the Discovery was something that I just had to have. I couldn't escape it and, as often is the case, I just had to throw practicality and pragmatism to the wind and make a leap of faith. I'm very, very happy with the vehicle so far. After reading all of the bad reviews I was astounded at how well this thing rides, handles and performs. Of course, I'm not typical as labor rates mean nothing to me because I'll be doing all of the maintenance myself. Parts may be expensive but probably not so much more than factory original parts from other manufacturers. I don't know how the aftermarket parts situation for Land Rovers is but from my experience with other vehicles - I have an old Alfa Romeo that I recently restored - the cheap aftermarket parts are usually (almost always) junk and so I have learned to stay away from them.

I see my Discovery, in it's current form, as somewhat of an enigma. It has true off road capabilities yet it's decked out with gorgeous leather interior and more gizmos than you can shake a stick at - plus I just spent about eighteen grand on it so obviously I'm not about to fit a snorkel and start fording muddy creeks. However, it's snowing up in the Sierra today and normally I wouldn't think of going up there at a time like this but now I'm actually thinking of just making a run up there for the heck of it, throw a few snowballs and come back home again. Eventually, when my Discovery gets a bit older and the paint has already gotten it's first few scratches I'll probably do some off roading with it. First off though, is my planned trip to Alaska!

So like I said, I can't really answer the question and I'm not sure anyone really can. In the end it's a personal decision that one has to make on one's own.