Looking to buy this Disco ii
Pro Wrench
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,709
Likes: 137
From: NE PA
I paid 4500 for 209k Kalahari. Mechanically/Electrically sound & I’ve done nothing to it besides my own modifications. Main thing wrong with it when I bought it = TC interlock was INOP, so it was stuck in high. Fixed that & now she’s at 236k and counting. Smoothest running D2 I own & from what all the records show = original engine/transmission/TC.
Condition = what you really pay for & I’d rather pay a bit more for a solid LR vs fixing it all the time.
Condition = what you really pay for & I’d rather pay a bit more for a solid LR vs fixing it all the time.
They aren’t unreliable, if they were I certainly wouldn’t have my wife driving one as a D/D and hauling the kids around (she drives an LR3, but it’s got a lot more electrical things to go bananas!). I live in TX and I’d have no problem driving across TX in any of my LR’s.
They’re only going to be as reliable as you make them & once again getting a good well maintained LR is the key! You DO NOT want a LR someone has hacked at the electrical system with a cheap aftermarket alarm, poor aftermarket radio/DVD setup, and you certainly don’t want one that someone without a clue has been wrenching on!!! Usually those are easy to spot!! Under the hood the battery lid will be gone, battery terminals will be destroyed, spare misc crap will be stored where the jack once was stored, zip ties will be holding the air box lid/MAF together, JB Weld on the brake booster Push/Pull vacuum connector (because they didn’t know how to remove it properly & broke it... or two cheap to fix it), AC compressor cover will be MIA, upper fan shroud OEM bolts will be long gone & replaced with zip ties, or sheet metal screws, and engine will be GROSS! I haven’t even got to the interior & all the famous ignorant repairs I’ve seen.
If you get a good one without rust, maintenance up to date, well maintained, and cared for = it will be as reliable as any other 4x4 SUV out there! Yes interior bits can be a bit delicate, but we aren’t talking a new vehicle here, 99-04, and UV along with how it was treated all those years (garage kept or out in the sun) have a lot to do with the plastic interior bits.
I don’t just like 87-09 LR’s I love them & I have a passion for them. With that said no matter what I buy I always check it out fully and pay accordingly! My latest adventure is a 97 D1 XD with a lot of body rust (floor, fender wells, and rockers). I knew that going into it. It’s #125 of 250 ever made and I made sure the engine/electrical system was excellent! Also all the XD bits are still original and intact. Later on when the cancer takes it’s toll I will transplant all the XD stuff onto a clean rust free body and completely restore #125. But for right now I am enjoying my very own XD.
They’re only going to be as reliable as you make them & once again getting a good well maintained LR is the key! You DO NOT want a LR someone has hacked at the electrical system with a cheap aftermarket alarm, poor aftermarket radio/DVD setup, and you certainly don’t want one that someone without a clue has been wrenching on!!! Usually those are easy to spot!! Under the hood the battery lid will be gone, battery terminals will be destroyed, spare misc crap will be stored where the jack once was stored, zip ties will be holding the air box lid/MAF together, JB Weld on the brake booster Push/Pull vacuum connector (because they didn’t know how to remove it properly & broke it... or two cheap to fix it), AC compressor cover will be MIA, upper fan shroud OEM bolts will be long gone & replaced with zip ties, or sheet metal screws, and engine will be GROSS! I haven’t even got to the interior & all the famous ignorant repairs I’ve seen.
If you get a good one without rust, maintenance up to date, well maintained, and cared for = it will be as reliable as any other 4x4 SUV out there! Yes interior bits can be a bit delicate, but we aren’t talking a new vehicle here, 99-04, and UV along with how it was treated all those years (garage kept or out in the sun) have a lot to do with the plastic interior bits.
I don’t just like 87-09 LR’s I love them & I have a passion for them. With that said no matter what I buy I always check it out fully and pay accordingly! My latest adventure is a 97 D1 XD with a lot of body rust (floor, fender wells, and rockers). I knew that going into it. It’s #125 of 250 ever made and I made sure the engine/electrical system was excellent! Also all the XD bits are still original and intact. Later on when the cancer takes it’s toll I will transplant all the XD stuff onto a clean rust free body and completely restore #125. But for right now I am enjoying my very own XD.
@Best4x4 thank you so much for the time and attention you have spent in replying to my post. You’re making me actually want to jump into this with both feet.
Im going tomorrow to check it out and have a list of stuff (thanks to everyone on this forum) that I will make sure checks out.
I have seen forums and most arent this full this full of helpful enthusiasts. So thank you guys. Really!
Im going tomorrow to check it out and have a list of stuff (thanks to everyone on this forum) that I will make sure checks out.
I have seen forums and most arent this full this full of helpful enthusiasts. So thank you guys. Really!
Rovers are about love, not value or dependability.
Totally agree.
Most of the post are repeats of the same issues.
1. 3 Amigos & how to diagnose
2. XYZ switch issues
3. Running hot issues (multiple reasons why that can happen).
4. How to bleed the brakes
5. Won’t shift out of park or out of 4hi/n/4lo
That’s pretty much the top 5 thread topics on here. Pretty simple issues if you ask me. Bottom line if you like to own something unique, like to learn, and like to off road a LR is a great vehicle.
In all my years I’ve only had one CPS act up, but it eventually started & it was a cheap no name unit. My 99 locked me out due to alarm being triggered, I got around that (I also disable the Superlock feature on all my D2’s with my Nanocom), but 21 LR’s to my name so far & not one has ever left me stranded.
1. 3 Amigos & how to diagnose
2. XYZ switch issues
3. Running hot issues (multiple reasons why that can happen).
4. How to bleed the brakes
5. Won’t shift out of park or out of 4hi/n/4lo
That’s pretty much the top 5 thread topics on here. Pretty simple issues if you ask me. Bottom line if you like to own something unique, like to learn, and like to off road a LR is a great vehicle.
In all my years I’ve only had one CPS act up, but it eventually started & it was a cheap no name unit. My 99 locked me out due to alarm being triggered, I got around that (I also disable the Superlock feature on all my D2’s with my Nanocom), but 21 LR’s to my name so far & not one has ever left me stranded.
Pro Wrench
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,709
Likes: 137
From: NE PA
Right...but it's the multiple issues within each issue...especially now that age is showing its ugly head.
We love our discos, but not everyone does or will. We know our abilities, but do we know a new members abilities?
I have friends that will only take their cars to a dealer...even for a lightbulb.
People get all crazy over saying, I own a land rover, they dont realize or know how technologically behind and poorly designed they are.
We love our discos, but not everyone does or will. We know our abilities, but do we know a new members abilities?
I have friends that will only take their cars to a dealer...even for a lightbulb.
People get all crazy over saying, I own a land rover, they dont realize or know how technologically behind and poorly designed they are.
Last edited by shanechevelle; Apr 23, 2019 at 04:21 AM.
Camel Trophy
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 3,969
Likes: 859
From: Britainistan, UK
To me that's being lazy since they can't be bothered to figure out how to do it themselves to learn their car and especially save money and time.
Google and YouTube are your friends...
Rock Crawling
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 463
Likes: 119
From: Heartland ‘Murica
A lot of good advice on here for things to look for...being a new Disco owner they are all very valid pieces of advice. (I've learned a lot more in a short amount of time about my Discos..thats right I bought two..than I dreamed I would so quickly...thanks to these guys) One thing and I was told was to take a long an Ultra Gauge or something similar that will show you the exact temperature in real time and pop any codes that might be in there.
But yeah, you will have issues so buy as cheap as you can but that $$ is still in the realm of “equity”.
But yeah, you will have issues so buy as cheap as you can but that $$ is still in the realm of “equity”.
Last edited by Daytoman; Apr 23, 2019 at 01:27 PM.
Thread Starter
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4wd High
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 9
Likes: 1
Engine looked pieced together by an auto zone tech
Oils actively dripping but the seller said “at least it’s not spewing oil”
Needless to say I didn’t buy it. This thing was ROUGH. Dashboard peeled up. Lots and lots of cosmetic issues. But the seller said “$3500 is a steal for this - these cars are projects , people pay more for less so you obviously don’t know about the disco’s”
The 02 D2 Westminster I bought for 1k & sold for 1.5k. That is what it looked like before & after. It was back to OEM condition with my PCV Mod even installed & ran excellent.
Like I said all LR’s seep, and that 02 didn’t look that bad at the TC & I’ve seen worse under the hood, but as you see above that is what it should look like! I noticed that 02 had $$$ castor corrected arms on it, but the owner sounded like a complete d!ck. If the dash was just starting to lift a 54.00 kit can fix that. Plenty of other LR’s out there!
I love people that ask 3500.00 for something as dirty as that!! I was asking 1500.00 for my 02 Westminster (had some frame rust) and it was spotless inside & out minus normal wear/tear. People wanted to give me 500.00 for it & I kindly told em to take a long walk off a short pier!
Last edited by Best4x4; Apr 23, 2019 at 05:59 PM.