You mentioned not wanting a full time job of a vehicle. To me, this sounds like it might be it.

Everything is fixable. And in your part of the country the price might be right. But my thoughts are that there are straighter, better looked after, less headache inducing Discoveries for that price.

But each to their own. You know this one exists. Is it going to sell in 2 weeks? If not, go see some others in that time.

I can only speak from experience. I saw maybe 10 before deciding I liked the owner and records, and how original mine was to part with the money. Maybe I'm picky.

Good luck.

 

Exactly.

 

This looks like a really nice one: 2004 Land Rover Discovery 4dr Wgn SE - Inventory | 82ND AUTO MALL | Auto dealership in PORTLAND, Oregon
Only 88k miles. Manual, too.

the 03' and 04''s worry me a bit about the 4.6 slipped sleeve issue. What kind of questions should I ask?

- Owner history, service records, carfax report
- Has the front driveshaft been replaced with greasable u-joints
- Any leaks, particularly coolant
- Has head gasket been replaced
- Any mechanic report available
- any ticking

It's a 3 hour drive away, so I'd want to cover my bases ahead of time. Also need to factor in WA state use tax, so about $500.

edit: nevermind. Called them. Likely needs a new engine soon - blown head. Sorry I'll be a little more thorough in my search before hitting you guys up again.

 

If it is a blown head gasket and no other damage those are the ones to get. I got an 03 with a blown head gasket for 1800. 200 dollar head gasket will fix one and give you an excuse to tinker. 88k is so low.

 

The mechanic says the issue is inside the head, definitely needs to be rebuilt or replaced. He thinks $2,500 but I'm assuming thats only for a used motor, no installation.

 

Vibration could be tires, you said they are run down.
You could check disk "run out" for any warping. If drive shaft is new could be simple fix with new tires, brakes rotors and balance.

 

This 04' has some sweet Subaru/Toyota interior pics too!

I would never buy a used LR from a "pot" lot. Your just asking for trouble. Stick with private owners with some history on the vehicle. Broaden your search area, you may have to wait a bit to find the right one. MO

 

I have never heard of a driveshaft causing vibration in the steering? A bad drive shaft vibrates the whole truck and remember, the drive shaft turns almost four times the speed of the wheels so it is a fast vibration. Sounds like tires. Balance or going bad. As this posting continues the bad column is passing up the good column on the tally sheet.

 

$2500 is what it costs to pay a mechanic to do a head gasket job. $500 for a shop to plane the two heads, $2000 in labor and misc parts. That's what I paid a shop to do the job before I started doing my own work.

 

Yes DO NOT buy any LR from a small tiny car lot!!!! Stick with large dealerships that actually inspect and repair things before selling them (if they cost to much to fix the large dealerships send them off to the Auto Auction where the little guys get em, don't fix em, but ask a price like they did....) I prefer buying from individuals and if they seem clueless, careless, or they're selling it for a friend all I can say is RUN FOREST RUN!!!!!! You want to buy a LR from a fellow LR lover, and you can spot those pretty quickly and the reason for selling is they're moving, or the family has grown.