Hello all,

I have wanted a Discovery since I first saw one back in 1995 when I was in elementary school, sad but true. Well, middle school came and so did the Series II Discovery. I remember seeing this Chawton White one in the teacher parking lot often. My desire to own one just grew from there. High School came, and with that my first car, a Ford Exploder. It sucked, but hey, it was given to me by my parents. At that point, I knew I could save up, sell my Exploder, and buy a mid 90's Disco, but I knew I wanted a Series II more. By this time, the 2003+ model had appeared with it's Range Rover lights, etc. and I knew I had to have one. At that point, I decided to go to college (going to college was kind of rare for a male from my small town, you usually went from high school straight to some kind of construction work) for the sole reason to buy a new Discovery. I remember just sitting in the computer lab configuring my 2004 Discovery SE with Cold Climate Package in Java Black Pearl with Alpaca Beige Leather on the Land Rover website. It was truly the only vehicle I wanted. Everybody else was wanting Camaros and Mustangs, but I just wanted this odd, boxy British contraption. Sadly, the Discovery's final year in the US was my Senior year in High School, so buying a new one was going to be impossible. However, four years later (May 2009), 1 Nissan, 2 Jeeps, and 1 Volvo later, I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Yes, I could get an LR3 or buy a Pathfinder or 4Runner like all my other friends, but damn it, I want a Discovery! I know basically everything about them, I worked as a Valet throughout college, so I've seen the broken keys, sagging headliners, three amigos, and smelled endless coolant from various Discoverys. I know that they will require more maintenance than other SUVs and I'm prepared to pay cash for a 2004 SE, but the build quality still scares me. I'm a hands on guy and am not afraid to get my hands dirty. Everyone thinks I'm crazy still wanting one knowing all the expensive problems I'll more than likely encounter, but I can't just say no, but I'm afraid to say yes. What do you guys recommend to get over this and just bite the bullet?

I'm sorry for the long post, but I had to give the full story.

Thanks,

-Chad

 

Just do it!

 

Def. go for a 2004, its the best year of the Disco. You sound like you know your stuff and have looked forward to getting a Disco. I wouldnt worry too much about maintenance because if you take care of these trucks, they will be quite reliable. I always warn people that in the first couple months of ownership you may encounter some problems left behind by the previous owner, so dont let that scare you.

Like I said, if you do the basics and take care of a Disco, it will be a great ownership experience. Plus, for many of us these things are our hobbies. Do you plan to off road any? I see you're from Charlotte so you're pretty close to me here in High Point. When you find the right disco, take it out to Uwharrie and see what it can do, they have some great trails for all experience levels!

 

I can completely relate. I first drove a D1 nearly 10 years before I finally bought my DII last year. The fact of the matter is that if the Disco is what you like, there is really no other choice. Yes, you may have issues, but you already know that and the odds are Disco Mike or someone else will tell you exactly how to fix it. My only suggestion is to find a Disco from a private owner who has owned it for a few years or more and who kept service records. Many of the usual problems on DIIs; the crankshaft sensor, the three amigos, the headliner and several other things are all in the service history of my Disco, faithfully repaired by professionals at a premium price. This gave me a bit more confidence in the purchase, as I knew that the Disco was at least cared for well. I found many that weren't, with various ugly fixes or just in general disrepair. But there are still many good ones out there. Good luck!