I found a 2002 Discovery SD. It has 65,000 miles, is in good shape and has lots of add ons.(3" lift, roof cage, winch, on board air compressor, BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires, six Hella lights, 4 on top and 2 on the grill, skid plates, air snorkel, etc...) The body is tight and clean. No rust, dings or scratches. The interior is clean. No rips, cracks or stains. The asking price is $12,000.00. Which seemed pretty decent considering the abundance of add ons and low(ish) mileage. I am going to check it out again tonight. I have no experience with Land Rovers, so what are some obvious things to look for, for this model/year vehicle.

Also someone told me that they had to get their exhaust replaced on a Discovery (not sure what year) and it was going to cost and obscene amount of money. Is there any truth to that?

I've included some pictures. I would appreciate any feedback.
Thank you.
-Mark



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Ask if the front drive shaft has been replaced with one that has greasable zerks in the double cardon. It looks like it has a lot of the bells and whistles, except the '02 MY doesn't have the CDL, a major bummer for a truck that has all the other gear for offroading. You could replace the t-case if you really wanted it.

 

Obvious things....oil leaks. bring a blancket or something and don't be afraid to dive under. check the oil pan and flush nut area. That's where oil gathers when they leak. Open the hood and the coolant should be pink and the level should be at or above the seem (where the bottom and top part of the expansion bottle meet)

Start the truck and listen for ticking. check if any dash lights remain on. Take the truck for a spin and see if any light come on. If you have an OBD2 reader, this is one the the best useage you'll ever make of it. Put it on. the port is at thebootom of the dash, inline with the steering and a bit to the right. Retrieve the codes. If there are any, note them and come to us with them.

Should the vehicle be free of warning lights, oil leaks, or evidence of coolant loss, check again to see if it really says ' Land Rover' on the hoodIf it says Land Rover, and everything check out all right, you are right in thinking that the price is pretty good considering all the equipment that comes with it.

Keep us informed. and before you buy, bring it to an indy Land rover mech.

 

If you're not just set on getting a '02 you can pick up a '99-mid '01 for half that price and have the ability to use the CDL. Also, I don't know about discos but in the rest of the off-road world mods are only worth 50% what they cost new once they are on a vehicle.

 

With those tires/gear/extra weight/extra height/extra wind resistance, etc. the MPG will suffer alot, it looks really cool and is similar to how my trk will be set up years from now, but do you really need all that extra gear? What are YOU going to use the trk for? How much is insurance going to cost you? How about if you bought a older one? Why are they selling it? You know that you MUST use premium gas, right?
Now to your advantage, with gas being well over $4 per gal and most likely going to stay that way you have alot more room to negotiate price, and if he is desperate he might even sell it for less than his pay-off.
First call your insurance agent, are they going to insure the add-on's?
Then go to www.KBB.com and www.NADA.com and www.edmunds.com, price the trk without the add on on all three sites and get a average private seller price and go from there.
You are buying the trk, the add ons are extra, how much more you are willing to pay for the extras is up to you.

 

A set up like that and no CDL would bum me out (can't lock the transfer case for more traction). Unless you just like the looks, don't want to wheel it (too aggressively) and gas prices don't bother you.I believe theexhaust is pretty expensive to replace, but the original should last a long time from what I've read (if not abused). Look for check engine lights (it may need to be driven some first if the owner just erased them to shut it off) and any maintenance records would be great.

 

Thanks for the information. It sucks that they are so bad on gas. Otherwise, it would be a really easy decision to just buy it.

 

Remember that a LR is no worse on gas than anyother full size SUV, the problem is that they require premium gas.

 

Yes. You're correct. I guess it's the Premium gas thing that really irritates me.
I just read a couple threads regarding the Premium gas requirement.
I can understand it. But, that in combination with 13-17 mpg may be the deciding factor in whether I buy the truck or not.
I just read that they have a 24 gallon tank. 24 gallons x $3.90(ish)/gallon = $94 of misery every week.

 

$3.90!!! Where do you live? We are hovering around $4.17 here in West MI.