Wow im confused now does the 2003 discovery have CDL I want to buy a 2003 discovery se and i have read three dif versions??? Any good links and will it say it in the door by the VIN?? How can I tell?

 

The 2003 does not have the CDL. You need to buy a 2004 if you want a CDL as stock.

 

As Geo said, the 2003 unfortunitely didn't have CDL, or CDL capability ( no nipple to hook up). It came back in 2004.

As lots of forums, it happens that you have pseudo experts, that although very knowledgeable on some subjects, give false or biased information on other subjects, and should remain silent, like I do on the subjects they know less about.

On that note, this here forum is one of the few where such things happen very rarely.

p.s the discovery is almost a whole foot higher than the cherokee or grand cherokee, and although most ofits body is made of aluminum, the doors and most importantly the whole roof are made of steel and therefore make it very top heavy ( much more than the Jeeps). That is why LR came up with the option of the ACE ( active cornering enhancement) system, to limit that effect when cornering. And I'll had that it does an excellent job at it.

 

Just bought an "03 and very happy with it. I used autotrader and carfax to narrow my search and test drove the top contenders. Find a 1-owner if possible with as few miles as possible. A 30 day carfax account is an absolute must so you can do a thourough comparison. I found mine through a wholesaler, there may be one in your area who can offer you the vehicle at less than retail pricing. Good Luck
Walt

 

We have 2 disco's an '03 and an '04. Both now have about 85k miles. The '03 was like a US truck for the first 75k miles with absolutely nothing amiss. Then the dreaded bad head gasket "cracked cylinder liner" gremlin appeared. The '-04 has had ist share of crappy electrical issues and now a slight high engine oil leak, but nothing else. These trucks are AMAZING off road with the '04 in locked high being the only vehicle that went through a December blizzard around here. The '03 doesn't have it and I would now add it in view of the results with '04 as well as that truck out hunting in the woods.
PS we fixed the '03 with a $8 can of engine sealant after ALL the experts said it was not possible and only and $8k new engine would suffice. Be advised that the 4.6 has a history of engine blick problems.

All in all my son now wants a Rover of his own (HE'S EVEN PAYING FOR IT!!)

 

Thanks for all the advice, this forum is awesome!

I see how much cheaper the '99 / '00 are compared to the 03, 04. The older models might be a better option for me since this will be my first rover, hmm. [But there are no bells and whistles, hill descent, heated windshield or pocketed head lights on the 2000 ]

So the whole maintenance issue keeps rearing its ugly head. I've always take good care of my vehicles, and I take pride in them. But I have never drove a Rover (yet), let alone worked on one. So lets say I was to purchase a 2000 or 2004. Someone mentioned there is a 2 month "Rover period" where you find what the previous owner had neglected. Can you give me a couple of examples of what I could run into? I am just trying to get an idea what I am in for since I do 99% of the work on my vehicles myself.

One thing I have not been able to find information on is towing. Right now I have a half ton that I use to tow my car to the drag strip. Rating on the 2000 Disco is 6500 lbs. My car weighs approx. 3500, plus another 2000 for the trailer (maximum depending on trailer) Would this be pushing the limit? Is towing looked down upon?

Sorry for all the questions. I am trying to read as much as I can ; as time permits!

 

Just found a bunch of info on towing thanks to the search feature ( duh )

 

Pretty sure you can get HDC in the earlier D2's. They actually have the CDL transfer case until early 01, but you have to get linkage or a solenoid setup to actuate it. I have the instructions for the headlight conversion to add the pocket lights. I can send it to you if you PM me with your e-mail address.

The whole maintenance issue is like anything else, it can be maintained and have problems, or abused and be perfect. There is a 60K service list you can find on here that is a must for new rovers. (not really an 04 under 40K miles), but that list should cover neglect. Plugs and wires are a little tricky to do, but you can search for those on here too.

You can get a Rave CD on ebay for under $10 and it has the entire workshop manual on it to guide you through anything you need to do.

Mine was a mess when I got it, and I am slowly getting everything done, but I love it and think it is a great vehicle....just my 2 cents

 

My 2000 has hill descent and heated windsheild. I guess it depends on what Model you looked at (SE, SD, LE) As you metioned the 99-02 disco doesnt have the cool looking headlights, but there are convertion kits you can buy on ebay and from other sources, if thats what you really want to do. From what I can tell the 99-04 are very similar in what features they have. Besides things like CDL on the 04, the headlights and tailights on 03-04, and interior color options, everything is pretty much the same. You could say the 03 and 04 are facelifted versions of 99-02.

 

Watch out for the conversion kits on E-bay. Most are just instructions, which I will give away for free. They are charging up to $50 for the instructions. You still have to buy the headlights, which I recommend getting new, and the eyebrow trim. I have heard of a couple of people getting used headlights on E-bay, only to find that they leak...