I am in NJ and have a very limited commute (2 miles) but have been thinking about a winter car/3 season car so that I can move my 20 year old Alfa sedan to classic car insurance and have something I am excited about to drive otherwise. Of course the spirit is willing but the pocket book is limited.

I have read as much as possible about this model and have come to think that if I am going to find one for under $10K in good shape, it must be a 2003-04 which appears to be the best of the run. Reviews of Land Rovers on the internet run the gamut from enthralled to painful but I sense that the poor ones are from people, or the prior owners, who are used to driving more mundane autos and don't recognize the need for regular maintenance. As a serial owner of Alfas over the past 30 years that issue doesn't bother me. I have a good, intelligent mechanic and am not afraid to spend for maintenance. What does concern me is some catastrophic engine, trans or suspension failure that wipes out the value of the car.

I am reasonably fastidious with my cars and like them to function correctly and well, along with all of the accessories. I am not, in any manner obsessive compulsive, though.

Therefore, I am curious for your frank, no no-nonsense thoughts about such a purchase and your recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

 

the challenge as you say is finding a good one, one that has been maintained and never over heated. Honestly i would look for an early one myself with a 4.0 instead of the more problem 4.6. JMHO. Being from jersey you will have to inspect the frame closely, it seems the newer ones rust quicker than the early ones.

 

I think, should you get a DII at this point in time you should expect to be turning wrenches on it. These are old cars now and you will be pretty hard pressed to find one( a 4.6 that is) that is in prestine shape.

Personally if you find someone that has rebuilt theirs. HG, oil pump, timing chain, all that stuff. I would pull the trigger on that vs an 04 that has been soccer mom kept and is just waiting to blow a head gasket. It'll be cheaper too with newer parts.

 

Get a 2001 maybe.
You may want the Disco that has the diff lock sort of working - and sort of installed underneath that you can use a wrench to turn on.

Make sure the drive shaft is OK.

the more money and receipts they have for it - that's all the better.

The door lock actuators WILL ALL need replaced eventually.
$180 each.
there are 5 of those.

Expect to replace the radiator, water pump, power steering pump eventually
and the thermostat.

Expect $100 to fill the tank in California.
But otherwise enjoy it.

 

Honestly, if you want the "most reliable", I'd find a low-mileage '99 for roughly $5k and put the other $5k into maintenance/tuneup.

Why?

The '99 has the CDL.

You will need to add a driveshaft regardless of year ($350)

You will need to do a cooling overhaul regardless of year. Don't forget fan-clutch,
TD-5 Thermostat, new fan, and radiator, expansion tank, and hoses.

Depending on mileage I'd look at flex-disk.

'99 4.0L Block seems to have less of a chance for liners slipping in the event of a head-gasket failure

A good '99 will either have already had the engine block replaced due to failed head-gasket or had the gaskets replaced by a reputable shop by a previous owner. A newer model has a better chance of having the crummy ticking-time-bomb stock gaskets.

Don't forget fluid change on everything, and purchase an Ultra Guage to monitor temps.


I bought my '99 with service records two years ago for $5500. It has 98k on the clock now she's got 128k and survived her first stint of heavy off-roading in Moab. For being the WORST rated vehicle for reliability on various websites, my Discovery 2 has been the MOST reliable used car I've owned.

Just keep up with the maintenance. If you spend all your money on the newest Disco you can afford, you will HATE your ownership. They are old and things will fail. Keep at least $2-3k in reserve for 1st-year ownership maintenance headaches.

Too many prospective owners stretch their budgets and come to this forum and despise Land Rover because they can't afford the upkeep. Even with full records (including a recent head gasket job), my Discovery 2 required $700 or so in parts and fluids to get her up to reasonable snuff in the first year. And that's just material costs with me supplying all the labor, double that if you go to an Indy, triple it if you go to a $tealership.

They are AWESOME cars, fun to drive, and I hope you get one. But the reality is, they require maintenance, and chances are, the one you buy will have been neglected in some capacity that you will need to remedy...

 

So far the responses I have received are "spot on" what I had expected and are the same non nonsense answers that my experience on the Alfa Bulletin Board has been for the last several years. I am getting the sense that the "older" verisons of the Disco II might be the better choice for the reasons stated as well as the fact that the self destruction has probably already happened and has been made right at least once by the prior owner.

I will keep these and future responses in mind when the time comes.

Great site. Keep it up.