I'm looking at buying a Discovery II and was wondering what are the biggest issues I should worry about and have checked before buying one. I was looking through the forums in search of a "before you buy checklist" of some sort but didn't find anything.

Are there any years I should absolutely avoid?

Any good place to buy discounted parts. I don't live near a dealer so I'll probably need this.

How easy or difficult are these to work on?

Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks.

 

not 03...

 

Thanks.

Thats a good start. :-)

 

While we are on the subject of potential problems with particular year models, any demons associated with the 2000 Disco II?

 

I wouldn't say that even a 2003 is an absolute avoid. Before you buy a 2003 check the VIN number against the VIN range for bad engines to see if it could have the bad engine. The 2003's have an issue with the oil pump failing and destroying the engine. The only fix is a complete engine replacement. There are many posts about the bad engines and the VIN range effected is available here on the forum if you search for it. If you can afford it, buy a 2004. It's the last of the Discovery line here in the states so it has the bigger engine and all the bells and whistles. 2004's don't suffer from the oil pump problems of the 2003's.

Whatever year, try everything and make sure it works. Try all the windows, sunroofs, locks, cruise control, power seats and heater controls.

The Discovery is a relatively simple vehicle to work on although the D2 is a little more complicated than the D1.

Any D2 needs to have the front driveshaft rebuilt immediately with greaseable u-joints if it has not already been. The non-greaseable u-joints fail and the driveshaft flops around and destroys the transmission with it.

 

Thanks, I have a line on a few 2000 models but like the 04 quite a bit.

Thanks for the info on the drive shafts.

 

Ok, here is what you need to know.
As stated you MUST have the front driveshaft rebuilt with greasable u-joints.
You MUST use premium gas.
You must change the coolant and brake fluid every two years.
On a DII if the coolant was not changed every two years then you will be replacing the head gaskets around 85,000 miles, $1600 or so to have a shop do it.
LR uses all aluminum engines, transmissions and transfer cases. If you overheat the engine you will be buying a new one.
Avoid the '03 like the plague.
You will have problems with the "3 amigos", and your ABS modulator will go bad, a $800 shuttle valve repair kit will fix it.
You can expect 12-14mpg in town and 16-18mpg on the expressway. This is with premium gas, if you use regular it will be alot less.
Power door lock actuators will go bad, easy DIY fix.
You window regulators will also go bad, also a DIY fix.
If you have ACE the ACE pump can be noisy.
If you have secondary air injection that pump can also be noisy.
If you get one with SLS (self leveling suspension) it will go bad, you can repair it or replace it. It is cheaper to replace it and then never have it go flat again. It goes bad around 100,000 miles or so.
If you are going to off road stay away from the 18" rims.
These trucks are full time four wheel drive, NOT all wheel drive.
I think that I have covered just about everything.

 

Check and see if the "Passport for Service" is included in the vehicle. It shows when all the service needs to be done and is signed by the dealer when it is complete. If they don't have it, make sure they have some records for service, especially the 60K service. If you do a search for 60K service, Mike has a great write up of what needs to be done and how to do it. Once you get that service done, you should be good to go. You will probably drop another $1000 after the purchase to bring the maintainance up to date. There are lots of little things that pop-up, I would do a search or just peruse the board to see what things people run into. If you take care of your Rover, it will take care of you, and it is pretty needy.

 

2000 and 2004 have CDL (center differential lock). CDL send equal amount of power to front and rear wheels. The 2000 has it in the transfercase but you need to buy or make your own linkage. The 2004 already comes with the CDL shifter. You can swap later headlights to the earlier Discovery II's. If I was going to buy a new disco, I would buy a 04.

Willie

 

Thanks for all the advice.