Gentlemen,
Here's my deal; I'm have been looking for a Land cruiser fj80 as a secondary vehicle, I'd like it to make road trips from phoenix, AZ to moab, utah, the grand canyon, to rocky point, mexico, etc. It needs to be happy with freeway speeds and road conditions without handling like a jumping castle. I would also like it to be somewhat off road capable, not a crawler, but I would like it to perform well without sacrificing drivabilty on the freeway.

What I'm I into: camping, snowboarding, hiking, hunting.
What I'm not into: rockcrawling, trying to roll a truck over, fighting an suv on the highway, small ***** jokes P

I have generally been looking at unmolested stock examples from 1994-1997, seems to be the range is $3500-$7500... stock, 220k plus miles, normal wear to (cracked leather) interior and faded/oxidized outside paint. The Land Cruiser group is the most proud group of owners I have met in my life, they have brainwashed themselves into think they have a collectors item on their hands. I've started to branch out to other options...

Namely this 2001 disco 2
2001 Land Rover Discovery II LE7 Ready for Adventure!
2001 Land Rover Discovery II LE7 4x4 Green machine ready for on or off roading. Automatic transmission, just under 119K miles. Cold A/C - excellent running condition with Grill Guard, lights and full Roof Rack. 7 Seater vehicle with high end name brand off road tires that have less than a few thousand miles on them. It has been lifted by 2 inches and has upgraded shocks. While it has a few dents and dings here and there as well as a couple of quirks but that's what gives it such great character. Clean title in hand. Just passed emissions in February of 2015

4900/obo. head gasket(s) were replaced at 110k, need to confirm if both or just one side. Still need to ask about front drive-train (propeller shaft?)

I am mechanically inclined I have built and restored a motorcycle and built a track car (honda) I can turn a wrench, maintenance doesn't bother me... to a point. oil changes, axles, brake pads calipers, etc is all good with me, head gaskets I can do but I don't enjoy anything related to taking the engine apart past the intake manifolds.

How labor intensive are these things to keep running as a secondary vehicle ill be looking to use maybe 3000 miles a year?

 

For 3,000 miles a year a D2 is perfect. The longer you own it and drive it the more you will need to fix. But the great thing about the LR community is there is a wealth of information on replacing and modifying parts. Rarely is there an avenue no one has gone before. I've gone from a complete car newb to replacing headgaskets, water pumps, tstats and heater cores. Dare I say I have become a shade tree mechanic. But it's definitely not for everyone.

If you go check this truck out buy an ultra guage to take with you. It'll give you live temperature readings.

You need to ask him for more maintenance history. Head gaskets being done are a huge plus. But if it's running hotter than normal because of clogged radiator or something else, those HGs won't last long. The drive shaft is important but I'm willing to bet the previous owner knows about it.

You sound perfect for Disco ownership. These are cars that need to be babied. That's not to say they are weak trucks. They just need attentive owners. If somethings wrong the truck will tell you. One way or another.

 

Well that rig already has a "thousand dollar" roof rack on it.... Nice tires. That's a start. You need to see maintenance receipts. Their is a lot of info on this site about "must does" to these rigs to help make them more reliable. You have probably been reading up, if not do. You obviously sound more than capable of fixing issues with cars. All the Disco 2's are over 10 years old now. Rovers are awesome rigs.

Toyota people are all about Toyota.....makes me laugh....Same with the Jeep crowd. At least the Toyota/Jeep clubs beat themselves up over each other, and then attack Chevys.

 

Here's a little bit more background of this particular vehicle that makes it appealing to me
from the wife....
"We own a BMW repair shop and one of our techs is also a land Rover mechanic. We have owned it since August 2012 and have not had any overheating issues. We did notice some wear to the head gasket and evidence that it was starting to leak so we replaced it at about 110k and did a tune up with new spark plugs at the same time. We put four new tires on it in 2013 and a brand new battery about 7 months ago. She's in really good mechanical condition. The rear sunroof is not working and the ignition switch is a little tricky but otherwise it's a great working LR. We had a baby in 2012 and we bought an RV this year, just don't have the time or the freedom to use it."

 

As mentioned, when you go to see it, take a code reader and a long drive. Note the temps. look at the dash with the key turned to the first position. all the warning lights should illuminate (self test). if not then there may be a hidden issue.

Ask about if the heads were milled and the block decked when they did the HG's.

Read the major service sticky and ask how much of that has been done.

Suspension should be worn out by this time, see if you can tell if the springs and shocks are stock.

there are several threads on here about what to look for in a used LR, search is your friend.

 

You got some money - get an LR3.
You are rich - get an LR4.

You like diesels? Get the Mercedes GLK250 4 cyl.
No not a Land Rover. But 2X the MPG.

You like sitting on pins and needles - D2 will keep you stressed and the repairs will
keep getting more expensive.

if you like to work on your own vehicle then indulge in the D2.
You'll work on it soon enough.

if you take it to a dealer or even an indy shop, the repair costs will add up to beyond what you should have paid for an LR3.

There is nothing like a D2. Fine machine.
Engine is the weak point.

 

With that SD rack, does the rear sunroof clear it? Might be that it's been disconnected, and appears not to work.

Welcome.

 

Non issue. I have a SD rack sunroof clears just fine.

I love that interior color combo. It's quite rare.

 

If looking at 2001's you want to see if it has the ability to add a CDL, I "BELIEVE" part way threw 2001 they stopped

 

My 01' has factory CDL, was manufactured in 3/2001. I think May or June was the cut off? Says right on the drivers door tag when built.

If they own a BMW shop AND have a rover mechanic working for them, that's a positive