Good day all,

I am finally going to do something i have wanted to do for along time... buy my first Land Rover, the Discovery II. I am looking at a few with around 100 000 miles.
I am looking for suggestions on;
-What to look for while inspecting vehicles?
-Any particular maintenance or servicing i should ask theowner about?
-Any problem "areas" or issues" I should look for?

I just took a quick look though the Discovery II forum and saw people with all kinds of issues, just wondering are these vehicles/this model subject to any particular problems or issues...?
Any and all feedback will be much appreciated!

Best,

WW

 

documentation; get all you can, without it you could be looking at a can of worms.
At 100k head-gaskets, drive shaft, Canada probably like New England check the rear frames good.
At the top of this page is a section major service, if you don't have documentation any or all of that list may need to be done

 

I hope you have deep pockets, you are very handy mechanically and a well stock tool box. They are great vehicles but owning one could be a labor of love. Make sure you have a well verse mechanic(Land Rover experience) inspected and ask for service records. Don't take "it was done a few months ago", research (here) about common issues like slipped cylinder liners,3 amigos, leaking heater core, leaking sunroofs, lifters tapping, blown head gasket. Now, I do not want to sound like it is all bad, personally, I love my Disco 2 and I deal with the issues that Land Rover ownership brings, overall they are great, very capable vehicles build and meant to be used. Hope this help...

 

In a nutshell.... Look at everything. The heads gaskets blow and the liners slip. They over heat, the electronics are finnacy at best, the paint fades, the sunroofs leak, the ABS goes out, the window regulators die or the rollers break, the gas mileage stinks, the coolant system has many weak points that are prone to failure, the keyless entry will fail, SUPERLOCK --> maybe the most frustrating thing ever. That's the short list.

Buy a Land Cruiser. I can't do without my Rovers but if you can't turn a wrench ( or if you don't have time to) buy something else. Paying and indie mechanic or dealer to take are of one of these things will cost you big $$$$.

 

Hi

I can vouch for the head gasket blowing but I don't regret buying the car for one minute... even as I struggle with the hard to reach parts!

Getting the latest one you can like my 2004 model gets you the locking center diff that earlier models have to have fitted, and mine has grease nipples on the UJ's on the front prop shaft that is vital but don't know if it's a modification or not on my car. If the car doesn't have them it will need one.

Yes, deep pockets, a decent analyzer for fault codes and a lot of patience... they are great cars!

Geoff

 

I bought one recently and have done a lot of work on mine over the years. Here's what I look for...

Does it look dealer maintained. I check inside the engine compartment and look for zip ties, missing bolts and nuts, and general dirtiness. Unless the owner has two or three other old rovers, shadetree work is a bad sign.

Drive it. Anything amiss in the engine, transmission, or suspension has to be evaluated.

Check coolant for level and oil.

Check oil dipstick for any odd colors or foam.

Check for rust or evidence of offroading.

Check the operation of all door locks and window motors, including the sunroof if equipped.

Check ball joints on front.

Hook up scanner and check for codes and pending codes.

Drive on highway and monitor temperature with scanner.

Scan interior and note anything missing or broken. The little plastic CRAP is hard to find and expensive.

Note ride height and ride. Does it need new springs or shocks?

Check for oil and transmission leaks under engine. Oil leaks from the back of the engine can be very expensive to fix.

Check for any evidence of collision.

 

Check coolant level before and after taking for a decent drive.

I saw two that were hiding big fluid uses. The owners don't like it when you point it out. But you like it less when you get it home.

Oh, and x2 on taking a scanner. If you are getting a disco anyway, spend $70 on a Ultragauge. Plug it in and watch the owner squirm as you start telling him how his vehicle is running. I didn't do this, and wish I did.

 

Got a 2003 SE and been driving it for 11 years daily. Some headache here and there but still loving it and I just bought a 2004 HSE7 a month ago for backup. I just like the way it looks with the SD roof rack. Very unique style.

 

If you have a spare and some basic tools you can keep a rover going forever.

 

Wildeness:
Welcome to the forum! Where in Alberta are you? I will be in Edmonton in September and I plan to buy a Nanocom to take back for my D2 here in South Africa. I could help in checking fault codes on any unit you are looking at...