I am still looking to purchase a used Discovery between the yrs 2002-2004. I wont be doing any offroading, just northeast winters and around town. Because I'm mechanically inept, i am still nervous and unsure as to what questions I should be asking at the dealers. I have still been looking at 03's despite the oil pump issues that people speak of...is that crazy? Is it safe to assume that if they offer a 60 day warranty, that in that time I could take it to a trusted mechanic to give it a close look, and that is a safety net? And am I much safer buying from a dealer (not land rover) then a private seller?. I guess Im looking for a bit of a checklist so as to make the right decision. Most of the disco's ive been looking at are in the 50-80k mile range. Any more help/advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

Some 03's are fine just look at the VIN to find if it is in the range or not (some outside of the range have problems and some within the range have well over 100K with no problems). Mine falls within the range (almost 50K miles) of bad engines but I've had everything tested and as of now it is fine. I'm testing the oil pressure among other things every two weeks at least so hopefully mine stays fine.

I'd go 03 or 04 because of the lights among a few other things but you can just as easily change those out in the 02's if you'd want. You can definitely find a good deal if you search.

 

What kind of budget are you dealing with? Whatever it is, if you are unable to effect repairs yourself, I would set aside between $1-3k to cover potential repairs down the road. Put it in a CD and let it get bigger until you need it. You might also want to think about learning to do the simpler stuff yourself. Unfortunately, a lot of indie mechanics can smell a sucker coming a mile away, and the more you educate yourself about your truck, the easier it will be for you to avoid those types of people. A lady I work with just got rid of a perfectly good D1 because the alternator went out, and the shop that repaired it for her did crappy work, so she traded it on a Jeep Compass of all things.