I have been a dedicated Toyota FJ60 owner for years. I sold off my last one just over a year ago. I would like to buy another one but I have been leaning toward the Land Rover Discovery. I love the visibility and the commanding driving position and the size is perfect. I also like all of the mods available.

I come to this forum looking for the official word, words of encouragement or words of wisdom.

I hear both ends of the spectrum from, "I wouldn't own any other vehicle" to, "Are you Crazy?" I have heard that the Discovery Series are lemons, horribly expensive to maintain, electrical nightmares, on and on and on.

Anyways, I am open minded. I really like the 2003-2004 and not opposed to going a little older.

Which is the best of the Discovery Series? What are some things to pay close attention to when shopping around for that perfect Discovery? Do I really have to use premium gas?

Thank you for your time!

 

Okay first off you will want to get a 99,00, early 01,or a 04 these models have a center locking differential abilities the 04 model will come equipped the other years i listed will have the internals in the transfer case but you will have to add a lever either a aftermarket or a set-up from a 04 or a D I model.

Edit: if your looking at a truck in "the vin range" make sure you have the records and what not of when the
Problems were fixed.

Now as to what to look for: you can really screw yourself here buddy, if you can find one with all the service records that would be great! Like any other thing on earth the better its taking care of the longer it will last. Head gaskets are a big problem with these vehicles they ran on dex antifreeze from factory and people neglected to maintenance the system nd overheating problems started. If it has green antifreeze ask how long it has been changed over. So the more detailed records the better. You will want to know if the front drive shaft has been replaced or rebuilt the stock one's have a high failure rate. All fluids need changed at correct intervals in order to make components last long time. From my experience i have found that the heater matrix/cores fail and need changed once, major pain in the butt. The best thing you can do is take the rover to the dealer or Indie shop and get a pre purchase inspection and also look it over yourself. Head liners tend to sag over time no big deal easy fix. At any rate it is a used vehicle and you will either work on it or pay someone else to but if its # 2 you better have deep pockets. Parts are pretty cheep really and there are many used parts around its paying rover to work on them is where the expensive part comes into play.

These trucks are great as long as you do the maintenance on them.

Absolutely you will want to run premium fuel you will get better performance and mileage.

Dig around here and read you will be able to find out everything.


Took this from Spike555


Common DII problems are as follows. Power windows not working due to bad window regulators, easy fix. Power door locks not working due to bad lock actuators, easy fix. The cranks shaft sensor (CKS) going bad. The throttle body heater plate leaking, easy fix. Head gaskets going bad, change your coolant every 2 years and you can help avoid this. The front driveshaft MUST be rebuilt using greasable u-joints, if you dont you WILL be buying a new transmission. ($7,000) The "3 amigos", that is the Hill Decent Control (HDC), ABS and Traction Control (TC) lights all being on at the same time. The Self Leveling Suspension (SLS) going flat. The Secondary Air Injection (SAI) pump can be noisy, clean the air filter to it every 6 months. The Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) is very reliable and a good option.

All model years require premium gas, you can expect 12-14 MPG in the city and 16-18 MPG on the expressway.

 

I guess I could understand owners of other, notoriously long-lived offraoders telling you that Rovers are hideously unreliable, complicated, and expensive. But they're not really. They do require a bit more attention than, say, a Toyota or Nissan 4x4. But, if well taken care of, they're not at all unreliable. They're not necessarily complicated, just different. And, if you know what you're doing and where to look for parts, they're not as expensive as they seem to the uninitiated. And, if you do it right, with the right mods, they are the perfect overland or offroad vehicle.

Now, all that sort of stuff out of the way, Justin just outlined pretty much everything to look for. If you're a 'wheelin kind of guy, I'd look for one that has the center diff lock. As long as you stay away from an 02 or 03, you should be good there. The other stuff is really important too, the Dexcool, the front drive shaft, head gaskets. Those are the Disco's major gremlins.

All that aside, you'll find a cult following behind Land Rovers, especially Discos. And a lot of that has to do with how they handle being off road. I have a group of friends I go out and wheel with, many of whom drive in pretty healthily modified Jeeps, Chevy pickups, and Dodge diesels. A few of them are running 37" mud terrain tires. All of them have trucks with over 275hp. And my little bone stock 2001 Discovery, with 30.5" all terrain tires, will go more places than just about any of them. And that's before the lift, skidplates, bumpers, CDL linkage, etc.

Am I a member of the cult? Yes.

 

You'll love a Disco. If you know how to wrench, you can easily avoid if not all MAJOR expenses on your disco with preventative maintenance. Offroad they feel incredible and on road I suppose the ACE makes it a lot more pleasurable. You'll have fun fixing any little things that do come up as everything is simple to fix. Like the others have said, find one with a CDL and if you find an 04 with maintenance records then you're set all around I'd say.

 

I love my Disco and I wouldn't change it for the world. One thing you'll have to remember is that it is definitely not a Toyota that you can ignore. If you do, do so at the peril of your wallet.

 

The beauty of owning a disco is there is such a large following on the forums....haven't run into a issue yet that hasn't happened to someone before and 9 out of 10the times there is a step by step picture tutorial.....even for installing a CDL in 03... don't be fooled by steering clear of 02 or 03...its a crap shot and completely debatable....finding one that has been maintained will be a better way of searching and most of the issues are probably fixed (I.e. serviceable front d shaft).


....of course I own an 03 in the "VIN range" but that doesn't have me worried...

 

Thanks so much. This is a huge help and makes me feel more comfortable.

The nice thing is that there are a ton of Discovery's around Atlanta that are driven by tennis mommies that have never seen dirt and are dealer maintained.

The search is on....

 

Land Rovers are a disease, the best disease ever.