I’m looking to sell my 14 4 runner for a discover. I live in Utah and wander all over, it just seems like there is more room and more power, also a lot cheaper to build. It would be a mountain rig or bad weather truck. I do a lot of camping and exploring. I’m good with cars and can fix most problems on my own. What’s your opinion is a discovery right for me or should I look at something else?

I did own a defender for 6 months I loved how easy it was to work on. Are discoveries the same kind of easy to unbolt everything?

What are the things I need to look for on one known issues? Im thinking 2004 sounds like the best year?

What comfot and preformance options/upgrades should I be budgeting for out the door? I’m thinking Lift (OME, Air ride?) roof rack, cargo organtion options, head gaskets, lockers in front and back?

Any recommendations of mechanics that are good with rovers in northern Utah to look at it before I buy one?

Any of you you guys want to buy a 2014 runner also? Kind of a joke but I will cut a really good deal to folks in the club or considere a trade if you’re looking for one.

Sorry if this has been asked before, and thanks for your help!

 

Well let's start simple you are trading in a 4 year old truck for a 14 year old, of unknown condition.

Con vs what you have;

• No fuel economy and no way to improve it, 25 gallon tank and 300 miles to the tank tops add a bunch of stuff it will get worse - I get about 250- 275.
• Requires 89 -19 octane fuel
• Sleeved Aluminum engine - this is not really that bad but you need to monitor your engine temps - with an aftermarket gauge the truck gauge is useless. Overheat can warp heads and kill head gaskets.
• Parts while not hard to get can be expensive
• Most shops will not touch them because they are English and are supposedly hard to work on - mostly they need a code reader that Can read Land Rover codes generic do not really supply enough info.
• The ABS system can be troublesome
• Sun roofs can be leaky, they are old and that is what happens

I love mine it has been a solid truck for me over the the last 18 months, no major issues other that the Sun roofs. But I went from a 98 Pathfinder with 300,000 KM that was just weary.

As to working on them mostly they are dead easy, I pulled my passenger side exhaust manifold off in an hour without removing anything but a couple of vacuum lines. Other than the transfer case the filler plugs and drain plugs are easy to get at.

But honestly if I had a 14 4 runner I would not move to a Disco, I spend a lot of time in the backend of nowhere with no cell or VHF radio signal. To do that I spend a fair bit of time on maint on the Disco, about double what I spent on the Pathfinder, partly because it is an automatic so any transmission problem is a big deal. But also they simply need a bit more care at 14 years, than the Pathfinder needed at 20.

 

I totally agree with Richard. Toyota trucks are known for reliability. Go on Pinterest and query expedition vehicles, or Toyota 4 runner, and get some great ideas on how you can make your rig really trail ready with cargo storage, camping hacks, etc. Your 4 runner will make a nice expedition vehicle. Those of us who own Discovery I/II are willing to put up with frustrating symptoms and breakdowns. We are sick..

 

the only major gain in room is headroom. Although I didn’t own a 14 I did own a 00 and a 98 4 runners and my 02 lr feels as cramped if not more cramped in the drivers seat. The center console is wider so there is a little more width. I’m 6’4” so that may not be a concern to you.
With Toyota’s I never gave it a thought about breaking down a disco will give you that feeling like when is it going to break next and what will break. It’s like being an adrenalin junky. Will the next break break me or my wallet.
I do love owning LRs over any car or truck I ever owned 🤪

 

If you like High Maintenance vehicles then the DII is for you! The initial cost will be cheap, but the cost of maintaining it will not. A good engine is hard to find. If I were to buy one now, I would get an '04 with the locking CDL that is not running for a steal, then put in a new LS Swap or Turner/RPi Engineering engine. Follow that up with an oil cooler and inline thermostat mod and you'd have a nice trail rig.

 

If you like to tinker every once in a while a LR isn't bad. By tinker I mean they're 15-20 years old now, and unless you get a well kept D2 it will need some work.

I have owned 20 LR vehicles in total since 1999, and not a single one of them was ever un-reliable or left me stranded. They always got me home and the biggest repair I've done to my personal vehicles was maybe an alternator, a radiator, or a drive shaft. I have NEVER had to replace and engine, transmission, or TC.

A lot of people complain about LR's being un-reliable and unless they bought it brand new I blame the previous owner or mechanic that worked on it. Any mechanic that refuses to work on a D2 isn't a very good mechanic IMHO vs modern SUV's a D2 is super simple to work on and diagnose (scan tools have come a long ways since the D2 first rolled off the assembly line). ABS 3 Amigo's for example is something you see pop up anywhere when you search do a search for D2. It is not a complicated system. It just requires the proper scan tool to properly diagnose the faults and fix them. Then thanks to the H1 Hummer guys (H1's use the same Wabco ABS Unit), they worked out a fix for the weak link inside the Wabco unit. I honestly recommend performing Option B on any D2 to avoid any issues with that weak link inside the Wabco ABS Unit (delicate internal connection). After that it's just 4 ABS sensors and a SLABS unit under the dash.

Engine wise I personally prefer the 4.0L vs the 4.6L and if you get a good one with a 180F thermostat and an owner that has kept up with the maintenance = you'll be good to go. I saved an 02 D2 over the past few months working on it here & there, and after I was done it ran superb (previous owners gave up and basically sold it for parts). I bought it myself for parts, but when I saw how good of shape the engine was actually in, I fixed it up, and sold it running/driving vs when I bought it and had to tow it home. Key to a LR V8 = keep it cool, change the oil regularly, and before any long trip just do a small preflight check (I do it to anything I drive).

Transmission wise an HP22/HP24 is a very robust transmission. They're cheap to replace (because not that many really fail) 250.00-400.00 for the entire transmission. Transfer Case is also very strong, but if the fluid is low they will burn up (like any other TC honestly).

I've owned Mitsubishi's, Jeeps, Hummers, Fords, and LR's and honestly I went back to LR's. I have a passion for them, I find them beautiful vs the jellybean looking SUV's made today. They have classic lines, I find the dash perfectly laid out and still attractive to this day, I like how they handle on/off the road, and I absolutely like being unique vs matching everyone else.

Just keep an eye out for a LR D2 being sold by a LR enthusiast. DO NOT buy one from a shady small used car lot!!! Clean well kept D2's do exist. I own 3 and I'd have no issues jumping into one and driving to the PNW. Fuel mileage shouldn't honestly be a concern, any 4x4 out there isn't going to beat a Toyota Prius or Honda Accord & a Toyota Prius or Honda Accord isn't going to beat a 4x4 when the road gets rough either.

 

Keep the four runner. Get you a D2 as a secondary ride if you want a hobby.

 

[QUOTE=mi gusta;685561]the only major gain in room is headroom.

Head room is is a major issue, I’m also 6’4”. I’m probably going to get a very clean 85 4 runner factory fuel injection and solid front, and a LR. I’ll be parking the 4 runner and just taking it out for retro trail runs and shows. I have always owned a Toyota Truck, of some type, you just can’t break them.

Discos just have a feel to them that I love and appreciate. So I’m just buying it mostly for a toy.
I’ll probably get a 2020 green 4 runner if I make the cut on the list.

 

I disagree with almost everything in this post.
I get 16-17 mpg driving 75 mph, 320-350 miles. You want better mileage, slow down. 4Runner barely gets better, C&D observed mpg is 17 - OP what do you get with yours?

Absolutely does not, I have owned 12 and never put premium in it. Regular might decrease the power a bit, but it already makes more torque than the 4runner anyway. If you wanted a fast truck, buy a Raptor.
Same as the Toyota. The main difference is the plastic cooling systems components on the Toyota are higher quality and it is less likely to overheat

Commonly replaced parts are cheap - ignition coils, water pumps, radiators, coolant bottles, idler pulleys, window rollers, door lock motors.
NEVER let a non-LR shop work on it, disaster will ensue guaranteed.

I have had 12, had one that needed the WABCO mod. Most of the rest of the issues are due to either people not properly placing the abs sensor wiring in the holders after a brake job, or worn hubs (usually over 150k on the clock).

This actually the one thing that is a crap design from LR. The drain pans have too many leak paths, the drain tubes were crappy plastic from the factory and poorly sealed. These can be fixed with judicious application of silicone caulk, but its a crappy design for sure. I would love to have a discussion with the engineering manager responsible for that design.

 

Extinct - I have never managed 300 miles on mine about 260 270 at the fuel light coming on. Much worse if I run 87 octane as vs to 89 -91, however it may be that in BC we get more ethanol in the lower grade fuel. And I don't go fast 60 mph is about tops.

My experience with parts may simply be the crappy state of CDN dollar and no local supply in Vancouver worth mentioning almost everything I need to get, I had to have shipped out of the US. There are none at local wreckers to strip either.

ABS is being troublesome - I should l have put more detail your points are what were in my mind.