Thank you for the great words and yes a 2004 HSE D2 was my number one choice of all. If I go for another D2 it will for sure be a 2004 HSE and I will take my time for sure in picking the right one and not rushing myself.

 

Hi everyone, so it's almost been a year since I have posted on here about looking for another D2 and sad to say I am still looking. Most of the D2's in my area are not all that great so the search continues. I think I will be broadening my search by 500 miles and going on a little road trip but I will be making calls before driving this far to consider a D2.

BTW I have a little question, is the LR3 more reliable than the D2? I would rather pick up a D2 but just for s**t's and giggles is the LR3 more reliable. Like I said, I do prefer the D2 over the LR3 and plus the LR3 is full independent suspension which turns me off a bit. Thanks

On my search for the next D2 I have been checking to see about service records and overlooking the car in every possible inch for signs of abuse, misuse, poor up keep and more. So if I find a D2 it will have to be the right one. I am still keeping the Land Cruiser in mind and I have also considered the Jeep Commander as an option but with Jeep being a Chrysler product that worries me a little. How do you guys feel about the Commander? lol. But some might say heck a Land Rover isn't any more reliable. lmao.

 

"I love the Range Rovers as well but not even a xxxx could change my mind. Something about the D2's I love and feel as one when driving. I have owned a 04' Toyota 4Runner, 07' Infiniti FX45, 98' Infiniti QX4 and of course the 02' Land xxx 2. Out of all these I have owned and all the vehicles I have been in or drove in my life. Nothing was like the D2, there is something special about that vehicle."

THANKS FOR THIS POST. I HAVE RUN LAND ROVER, AND EVEN ROVER SEDANS, EXCLUSIVELY ALMOST, SINCE I WAS A TEEN, SO, RIGHT OR WRONG, I HAVE GROWN TO LOVE THEM. NICE TO KNOW THAT A GUY WHO HAS RUN A VARIETY OF OTHER MAKES, ALSO LOVES THE ROVER TOO; THAT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ALREADY!

 

Well I'm new to the Land Rover family but I also have a Commander so I thought I'd chime in...

I've got ~130k on my 2007 Commander as of now. The only issue I have had is within the past month I had to replace the throttle body / TPS due to sporadic revs at idle and odd downshifting even when cruising on the interstate. The new throttle body solved both of those issues for about $250 total in parts and labor. So other than standard maintenance, that's all I've put into her and she's running great.

I don't do any off-roading though outside of bad / snowy weather and the occasional muddy field.

 

I only have one fear of buying another D2 and that would be engine issues. It seems that the D2's have some very unpredictable serious engine issues. What I don't need like anyone smart is my engine to overheat or blow out down the road. I would like to have a D2 that the engine would run and last as long as a Toyota engine, this would be amazing. Anyone want to chime in about D2 engine issues and their reliability? Because honestly this is what worries me the most, I like anyone does not need a major engine issue or overheat which seems to common with a D2. Thanks

BTW my last D2 had serious engine issues. Here is what happened on my D2.

I was driving home from work one day and noticed my temp gauge needle started to move toward the red line but I pulled over before it could touch red all the way. Before pulling off the road I turned the heater on to help out with the temp. When I got off the road I popped the hood and as soon as I stepped out of the door I could smell coolant really strong. When I looked under the hood I could see leaking from the bottom corner of the radiator and knew I was screwed and would have to buy another radiator. So I ordered a radiator online and received it a couple days later - I did not drive the D2 the whole time, I let the D2 sit in my driveway until I could fix it. Since I was swapping the radiator out I decided I would do a coolant change as well. So I changed the coolant and also swapped in the new radiator. I took it for a drive and everything worked and I was happy. But,,, let me tell you a radiator swap and coolant change was not so easy. So the next day I drive to work and I start to overheat again and I pull over and look under the hood and noticed the new radiator was leaking coolant - I became pissed now. So I called the company I ordered from and they sent me another radiator and told me not to worry about sending the defective radiator back. When I went to swap the defective radiator for the new radiator, my friend noticed my water pump was not working properly and we changed the water pump as well. We have also changed the thermostat as well. Anyway so now everything worked and I assumed everything was good to go. Next day after work my heater was blowing cold air and my expansion tank was empty although I had filled and toped everything off. When I stepped out of the vehicle I noticed lots of white smoke was pouring out of the tail pipe and a lot. I was very upset and had my Rover towed to a Rover dealership and also towed to a independent shop who told me my heads were blowin and would need a full repair. So I traded the Rover in and got out of it.

Other issues:

ABS - Three Amigos
Mass Air Flow Sensor
Radiator
Water Pump
Window Regulators (3)

Otherwise I love the vehicle and WANT another one

 

Any vehicle could have engine problems, if you can find one with a good running engine get an ultra-gauge to monitor coolant temps and an oil pressure gauge. Both of thoes are the life line of your engine. Thoes two gauges give you a chance to shut the engine down before you have a major problem. The rover v8 hate heat (as with any aluminum engine) and even though you shut her down before the temp gauge was in the red, your engine was overheated. Its my understanding from others on this site that the factory temp gauge dosent move untill the temps are 220-230. At thoes temp your already close to overheating. As for the other issues the only one i have ran into was the three amigos and i just took her off road and used all three systems and the amigos have yet to return!

 

Now did you get an oil pressure gauge because of the oil pump issues known in the 2003 models? I noticed that the 2003 D2's had oil pump issues within the engine that failed but I have not heard this being a problem with the 2004 models.

I also read somewhere that there are those on this specific forum that swear by getting rid of the factory thermostat for good or ether replacing it with a totally different thermostat. Does anyone know about this thermostat deal? Sounds like a possibly reason for some issues. I remember replacing mine on my last D2 and I thought about how it seemed like such a cheap plasticky design and I remember being like wtf. lol.

Now here is another setup I have for myself. I have heard others say preventative maintenance is the key here. So with that being said I thought about every year, once a year replacing the coolant, radiator, thermostat, water pump and cleaning the engine out with a cleaner. Maybe possibly change the head gaskets as well. I know it may seem like a lot of wasted money to some but it would mean I would never be taking a chance on having my engine **** up.

What do you guys think?

 

I did get an oil pressure gauge because it was a 2003 but every other car and truck i've owned had some sort of oil pressure gauge. I just wanted to know i had good pressure. As for the thermostat i hear people switching to a soft spring 180 degree one which most say runs about 10 degrees cooler but thats all i've heard about that. Maintenace is key, but the radiator, head gaskets and waterpump are overboard replaceing every year. A good engine and radiator flush and a fill up with green coolant every 20,000 miles is all thats needed. Only time i would replace a radiator is if it was pluged or leaking, the water pump i would change if it was leaking or if the shaft had play, and headgaskets i would not touch unless they are blown or you have to pull the heads for some reason.

 

So with the radiator deal, I know how to know if one is leaking but how to you know if one becomes plugged? Are their signs to look for for plugged radiators?

My main concern with getting another D2 is keeping the engine running as long and strong as possible. Issues I had like the 3 Amigos, window regulators and whatever are easy fixes but does not keep the vehicle from running but a overheating engine is where I get worried and do not want to happen. I can deal with everything else.

 

A radiator in Land Rovers is fed "in parallel" with horizontal tubes supplied by the side tank. If you warm up the truck, switch off, heat on fins top to bottom should be less than 10F spread. Above that, the lower rows are cooler from build up. On a D2, impractical to rod out (plastic brittle tanks). You can use an IR thermometer to check this out. A new radiator is $125 (knock off fleabay special) to $200 (Rock Auto for a Nissens). Don't whine, a new copper one for a D1 is like $700+.