Hi Everyone,

Just joined the forum today because I was thinking about buying a Discovery II. I've found these forums very helpful and informative with past vehicles I've owned so I thought I'd give this one a try. I've only ever owned a GM or Chrysler product, but have wanted a Discovery since I was literally 12 years old. I've been looking at 03/04's with anywhere up to 60k miles.

I don't really have any specific questions, but am just more interested in your input as far as things to look for and/or avoid, as well as what your overall thoughts are about the vehicle. After researching on the internet, there seems to be a consensus that it can be an expensive car to own because of parts/maintence.

Thank you in advance for the responses!

 

Do you work on your own cars?

 

no... im mechanically challenged.

 

My thoughts about the Discovery II:

- Probably one of the most timeless cars made the past 20 years(03/04's will be in style for years)

- Great off road
- They have design flaws that will **** you off to no end and leave you thinking wtf
- Driveshaft needs to be replaced upon purchase
- Expect head gaskets to be replaced around 100,000 if not done already
- It is absolutely essential that you be able to work on the truck in some capacity if you are a practical person.
- They aren't that hard to work on fortunately and it can be fun learning how to work on them.
- If you buy one you will need to watch your temperature gauge like a hawk. The engines are designed to run hot and excessive overheating will cost you mucho money.
-The three main issues you will need to worry about the truck are the head gaskets, drive shaft, and the ABS module when it finally does the 3 amigo error. Take care of those and you will have a pretty good truck on your hands.
- Under no circumstances should you go to the dealership for anything unless you require parts or gaskets immediately. Either work on it yourself or find a competent independent mechanic in your area.
- Run 15w-40 with mobil one oil filter
- They are tough trucks and even in stock form a Disco II has a lot of ability. In addition to that the Discovery is one of the few cars/trucks that can be taken offroading, to the golf course, and to a fancy restaurant and never look out of place.

 

If you can't do even the most basic work getting any higher mileage ~10 year old vehicle will cost you a lot in just maintenance. I suggest if you really want a d2 you bite the bullet and learn to do at least basic stuff like oil and fluid changes and simple grease gun use. A $200 mechanics tool set will cover you for about 90% of anything you'd ever encounter.
I got pretty luck with mine. I only paid $2k for it since the PO thought it had a slipped sleeve. Turns out it was just a cam position sensor and a coil pack. $350 later and I was running like a boss. I've still had to tackle some high mileage things and gremlins that crept up like the front drive shaft which I opted to do myself for $80 in parts instead of buying a rebuilt one for $300. You'll likely encounter the front drive shaft if it hasnt been rebuilt by a PO. Same with head gaskets as they seem to blow in these trucks faster than light bulbs.

 

If you don't work on them yourself you might want to have a reserve of about $2000 for repairs. That will get you head gaskets or halfway to a used engine.

 

really good info here guys, thx. the only experience i have working on cars is pretty much cosmetic stuff, swapping grilles, seats, door panels, etc....stuff like that. certainly not afraid of learning stuff and if it's logical i can likely figure it out.

So worst case scenerio, I buy one and it needs everything you all have mentioned....driveshaft, head gaskets, and ABS module. How much would that cost to have a mechanic replace it?

@DiscoRover007: the thing that concerns me most about your post is the temp gague. I live in florida and will be using the car for a pretty good commute to and from work. you think thats a deal breaker for me?

@Br0keit: you make a really good point about buying a 10yr old vehicle. i should definately invest in the mechanic set and read up the forum if i do get one.

 

Try not to land yourself an '03 with the oil pump failure issues. The only real fix for that one is a new engine. like everybody else said... find a good indy. mechanic, where to source good parts, and when stuff goes wrong, get the trouble codes and all relevant info, post here, and hopefully it will get figured out.

all the best...

 

People wheel hard in AZ in these things without issue, its not that they don't like the outside heat, its that the temp gauge in the instrument cluster is not an accurate reading. It'll stay dead center if its running at 180 deg or running at 240 deg so by time it starts moving up it is nearly too late. The issue is that overheating will almost guarantee a slipped liner which means your engine is pretty much shot and need a complete rebuild with a new block or a replacement engine. You can avoid this issue by getting an ultra-gauge which pretty much everyone gets. This will give you REAL real time temp numbers and you can set more meaningful alerts.

IMO this engine isn't bad to learn on since you have a huge bay and its a pretty big engine, stuff tends to stick out and is fairly easy to get to. That doesn't mean that there aren't stupid things on it like why the coil pack is buried behind the engine and why they put the bolt for the cam position sensor behind a pulley...seriously...who does that?

Assuming it hasnt already been done when you buy the vehicle you WILL have to do all 3 eventually, the drive shaft you'll do no matter what since it can fail without warning and will take out your transmission with it, the head gaskets will probably be ok if you get a truck with with lower miles but around 100k expect to do them. The ABS is a crap shoot, basically that one you just wait till it breaks, it could the day you buy the truck or years after you sell it (if you somehow let go of such an awesome truck). In all if you're looking at probably around $1200 for a mechanic to do a HG including parts, $500ish to do a drive shaft, no idea about the ABS since the faults are caused by any number of failing components with various prices. These are also high estimates and partial guesses since I'd do these myself. (If you're curious DIY these is $80 in parts + $200 deposit to rebuild the drive shaft, and $250 in parts for HG kit and new head bolts)

He hasn't chimed in yet but if you do buy one, when you post here and say it Disco Mike will tell you to give him your phone number and he'll walk you through just about anything on the truck.

 

Why does every body bash 03's or worry about the death range????? ALL of them have been taken care of under recall and if they weren't then the motor would have expired by now. If you dont need a CDL then they are fantastic. I own a 03 in the death range and its my daily driver and regualy tow up and down the east coast from Baltimore to Florida or Baltimore to Vermont and back towing a trialer with a big ATV or boat and have no issues with mine. Yes I have done the 60k service my front drive shaft has been done and I have fitted a motor rad T/stat. I paid below odds from a road side trader and its been the best investment, appart from SWMBO complaining about the gas milage. Get an Ultra Gauge EM to watch the temp and do the service and front prop.