Newb alert!

I'm giving up one of my Volvo wagons for a big SUV for the family. We've narrowed it down to the Discovery, or a Tahoe. I want the disco, wife wants the Tahoe. She actually really likes the LRs too, but has a thing against premium gas.

Anyway, from all that I've read I'm looking for 00-01 Discos with 100k or less. Maintenance doesn't freak me out, as I've got 207k miles on my daily driver 850R now and it likes attention too.

But it seems that all the LRs I've seen for sale are right around the 100k mile mark. Is there a big maintenance issue scheduled then, or is this just coincidental? With Volvos it's the 70k timing belt change that freaks people out.

We plan on using the SUV as the family vehicle, meaning about 3 days a week of around town stuff; it will also pull a tent trailer and dirt bikes, but probably not at the same time, and do some occasional off road for kicks. We both have daily commuters that get better gas mileage, so the SUV won't see many miles unloaded, but it will pack on the miles when it is loaded.

What things would you look for, watch out for, etc on these Discoveries? From my searching/lurking on the forum there seems to be minor electrical issues that creep up and the occasional 3 Amigos. Mechanically, all I've been able to find is head gasket replacement. Is that common? Preventable? Relatively easy to do on these vehicles? My dad's an old Buick mechanic and got kind of excited about my search for a Rover because the V8 is a descendant of his beloved aluminum 215.

Is there a problem with sunroofs leaking? Part of my love for these trucks is the light & airy interior. I can't think of a vehicle more fun for little kids, they'll be able to see everything.

What say ye? Anyone happen to be looking for a nice Swedish turbo AWD wagon?

 

make sure your wife knows she HAS to use premium gas when she fills it up. They get terrible gas mileage around town but highway MPG is pretty good if it's tuned up and you drive 65mph. Most guys on here will recommend you buy one with lots of documented service history and that is a good idea. I think the leaking sunroofs were more of a problem with the D1's. Keep reading on here and you'll find lots of good info.

 

Thanks, I'm beginning to win the battle vs Tahoe. Both Volvos are premium drinkers too and I just found out a week or so ago that she's been pumping mid-grade, thinking it's better than the cheap stuff. I had to explain that even then it's still not enough. If the car requires 91, you can't expect it to run right on 89. Derr.

So nothing obvious though, like "fuel pumps tend to go at 105k miles and they're inside the tank so unless you have a lift you won't be doing it yourself" type stuff? No trouble spots to look for first?

 

just about all fuel injected vehicles have the fuel pump in the tank. you don't need a lift, just some jack stands and a floor jack.
hmm trying to think of common things to look for, make sure all the lights work on the dash when you turn the key...that somebody hasn't removed the blub from SES light.

 

I just bought a 96 Disco, spent lot's of time researching the web and this forum. Kind of the same issue as you, we were looking for a beach car, just something to drive locally. It came down to a used Rover or Tahoe. We went with the rover, you can find them dirt cheap and its way cooler than a Tahoe.

Here are the things that I watched for. Note, I looked at over ten used Discos/Disco II's and almost all of them had issues. Be patient and find the right one. Also, premium runs about 15 cents higher than regular. That adds up to about 3 bucks per tank full, I wouldn't let that be a factor, buy the car you like best.

Coolant leakage of any sort, head gaskets seem to be a major issue.
Power windows and locks, lots of issues with both.
Run a carfax and look for maintence reports/registration events. That will give you some insight into the vehicle, lemons tend to change hands often.
Oil change records and any service records. Most people who take care of thier car will have records of some sort.

Best of luck, BTW we love ours!

 

BINGO! Thanks for the heads up. My in-laws have a Tahoe which I think pulls some weight with my wife, but it's left them stranded twice, both on road trips away from any tools so they got socked with high repair bills.

Primo gas is fine with me, I'm used to it in the Volvo. And $5-6k for a Disco with 100k miles beats $7-8k for a Tahoe with 175k miles any day. That takes care of the extra $3 a tank for a Loooonnng time.

So what ended up drawing you to pre-Disco II?

 

Most problems with the years that you are looking at happen before 100k, 80-90,000 miles is when the $hit hit s the fan, after 100k the major issues are already taken care of.
The head gaskets leak because people use the wrong gas and dont change the coolant every 45,000 miles or three years, whichever is sooner.
The fuel pump replacement is a 30 min DIY in the driveway job.
Just like on your "V" wagon (we have a 850 turbo) there is a access panel in the cargo floor, roll back the carpet, remove a few screws and BAM!, fuel pump.
The fuel pumps can last anywhere from 15,000 -150,000 miles. So far I have seen most go out in the 120-130k range, just a observation from the forum.
The crank sensor is a common problem, when it goes bad the truck wont run and will leave you on the side of the road.
60 min $60 DIY job. I would replace it after you buy the truck unless you get proof that it has been replaced already, ~70k, again from observation.
If it has SLS (self leveling suspension) it will give you fits around 100,000 miles, could be a free fix could be $500.
You can always do a conversion to coil springs and forego the SLS once it acts up if you want to, but with towing a trailer you might want to keep it.
You MUST have the front driveshaft rebuilt with greaseable u-joints ($250-300), if you dont you could be looking at buying a brand new $7,000 transmission.
Again when this is neglected 80-90k when the front driveshaft lets loose and takes out the transmission with it.
Ask tornado about that one, he bought his DII for CHEAP because this happened to the previous owner.
The sunroofs can leak on all years, clogged drain tubes is the most common reason.
As for the gas...just make sure that you put the gas in and not your wife. My ex was the same way with my Montero, so I just made sure that I was the only one who put gas in.
The only thing scary about the timing belt replacement on a Volvo is the price.

 

Thanks, Spike. You're only 1.5 hours from me, I'm in Mt Pleasant.

Hey, another 850 guy, there must be an attraction between those and LRs.

I don't know that I'm committed to those 2 years. I was just reading on Wikipedia that 02 didn't have the diff lock, and don't want to spend the money for 03 and newer. So maybe 96 and up should be looked at. I keep a scangauge hooked up to my car so I will definitely stick with OBD2 models.

Thanks again for the info, I'm off to check out a 2000 with 102k right now.

 

I've been thinking about replacing my crank sensor and keeping the old one in the rover as a back-up..anybody else do this?

 

We just like bricks. LOL.
It's more about the miles than the years, all things equal all DII's are the same and all DI's are the same.
We hit the casino once in awhile. The Soaring Eagle rocks.
I used to deliver to the 7-11's in Mt.Pleasant, my favorite one was the one on campus.
If you do get a Disco we can give you tons of parts suppliers.