Hello all,

I am going to be buying a 2003 Land Rover Discovery and after a few test drives with the different trucks DI and DII, I've decided the 2003 will work best for what I am looking for, and also be able to reduce my car payments to $000.. as I own a 2005 Mitsu EVO right now that I'll be selling...

ANYWAYS, I digress... I just test drove a 2003 Land Rover Discovery S and with only 79k miles, I think it is very well priced at under $6000. I have only been looking at Discos for the past couple weeks, so I know a lot of basic knowledge, but I want to know what exactly I should check for.

I know the guy is selling it because he just bought a new LR3 and no longer needs this one. I listened to the engine for about 10 minutes and there were absolutely no noises that were out of place or seemingly problematic.

I am looking to meet up with him again on Monday to make my final decision to purchase it or not.

Anyways, are there things I should check specifically just to make sure that I won't buy this truck and then need to spend another $1000+ in repairs right off the bat? I know he had some head gasket work done on it, and all looks new, but I wanted to see what I should look for specifically.

Well, I've rambled enough to just ask: What should I look for specifically on this 2003 Disco!

Thanks for your help and replies!

 

Before you do anything, get the vin number and call a Rover dealer, speak with the service manager and see if it is on their hit list for a possible failing oil pump/engine.
03's have lost lots of engines because of a casting flaw in the engine block, if this is one of them I would shy you away from it and point you to another year.
What are you planning to use this for?

 

https://landroverforums.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=21328

Read through this.

 

With 79k on it the pump should have failed by now if it's in the range but you never know, so either way just check and make sure the one you're looking at is outside the above vin range.

 

Unfortunately, the VIN I got from his truck after I test drove it was 3A795624, which happens to fall right in between those VIN numbers you mentioned up there.

Maybe he has already replaced all this? I'll need to check his service records as I know that this truck was owned by a dealer up to 42K miles as a courtesy rental and he took it on from there.

Thing is, I know he had some work done on one of the head gaskets as well and we was explaining everything is brand new. (He has full service records, so everything should be good.)

Looks, like I need to take a close look at his maintenance history.

ADDITIONALLY, Mike, I will be looking to replace my current car right now as I need to space for carrying large packages that I ship. But also, I want the truck because some of the winters (like last year) were pretty harsh and I want to be able to still drive around while everyone is stuck in the ditch. (My Mitsubishi Lancer EVO worked wonders in the snow with its ACD and AWD).

I used to have a 87 Toyota 5spd that I took up into the mountains as well and I liked how I could run over anything in that truck... So I'll be using this to get me into the upper mountain trailheads to the places I want to hike from.

Oh, and lastly I have a 22' boat that I need to tow around... So, with the towing, the 4x4, the space and ability to drive basically anywhere in any condition, I feel the LR Discovery is my best bet.

Phil

 

buy like i buy,,,

use the force =)

 

Well unfortunately even if he's replaced the oil pump it could still fail any time. Apparently if the whole engine (or maybe just the front cover? I don't remember, DiscoMike or some one pls clarify) hasn't been replaced it could still fail any time. I'd say your best bet, OP is to look for another Disco. You could find an 04 (generally regarded as the best year for the DII, I have to agree) in better shape and just as cheap if you look hard enough. Good luck

 

Forgot to add, this means a Disco will suit your purposes PERFECTLY. This is exactly what these trucks were intended to do, and damn do they do it well.

 

Unfortunately, I've been pretty hard pressed to find a 2004 Discovery for anything under $9000 which is outside of my price range right now...

If I could find one for around the asking price of this one, (of course the discovery 'S' series) I'd pick it up in a heart beat.

Phil