Hey guys, I am new to this forum, but have been interested in Land Rovers for six or seven years. My in-laws have a '96 Range Rover, so my brother-in-law has gotten to know very well how it's put together and what makes it tick. As much as I like that old Range Rover, I have always preferred the look(definitely)/simplicity(I think?), of the Discovery. My questions are:

-Why is the Discovery so inexpensive to buy? I find nice '03 and '04's for around $12K?

-Will my brother-in-law know his way around a 2004 Discovery if he understands the 1996 Range Rover?

-Will I be disappointed as a past owner of a Grand Cherokee Limited with the Discovery?

-Is it going to break down frequently? I know my in-laws have sunk lots of money into their Range Rover lately, but it's over 200K miles. I would only use a Disco from maybe 40K to 100K.


I have driven a 2003 discovery, and I was satisfied with the way it drove. I like the seating position and visibility in it. I don't like the lack of power in terms of acceleration as compared to my Jeeps I've owned. I don't need this truck to be a hot rod though, so that's not a huge deal.

I really appreciate any answers to my questions and additional responses.

thanks,
JL

 

Do a search for the VIN range on the 03's. They had block problems and lost oil pumps.

The Disco will require more maintenance than the Jeep, but drive one, you won't be dissappointed.

Know in advance fuel mileage will suck. The block is the same as the rangie, but bored out, with a different engine management. It is tight under the hood, but there are some pretty good maintenance write ups on here.

 

So, is the '04 less prone to block problems and oil pump failure?

Fuel mileage is terrible in the Jeep world too. I'm prepared for that.

Also, what about the LR3s? I don't like them as much in terms of looks and styling, but are they reliable and off road capable?

 

The 04 is the best Disco made. You get diff-lock, the 4.6 and all of the traction control goodies.

Drive an LR3 before you buy. They get better mileage, have more power, adn a different feel. Less capable offroad, and more expensive to mod, but if you aren't looking to hit the trails hard, it is a great vehicle. I got a rental from LA to San Diego because they needed to deliver it, and it was fantastic. Next one will be an LR3, while keeping the D1 for weekends

 

affordable: the value of our rovers took a nasty hit when the price of fuel when to $5.00/gal.

that along with the cost of maintence meant that a lot of them ended up as trade-ins.
do you ever play off-road?

 

As often as I can. Never though, have I been to an organized event.

 

The 2004 Disco is the best year by far, if you can afford them, I strongly suggest looking at them. They have one feature called CDL (center diff lock) that is crucial if you plan to off road even a little bit. As for LR3, they arent as good off road as the disco, and IMO they dont look as great a the disco!

As for breaking down, I tell people to set aside $1000 bucks for early ownership mantainence. the previous owners of these things sometimes neglect them and leave you with some work to do. Once you get them up to par, they are quite reliable. But obviously being a foreign vehicle, the parts will cost more.

Oh and ALWAYS use premium in a Land Rover.

 

You will get a nice one for under 10.

They have too many small electrical issues. Built better than a Jeep but the Brits can't wire anything. I love mine but may sell it for another color other than black. Put almost 4000 miles on it in the past 2 weeks without any trouble. Handles snow very very well.

 

So, it sounds like what I should do is try to find an '04.

 

Absolutly. Get back to us with some that you are looking at. If there is anything that you question on any of them, i know for sure that someone on here can point you in the right direction.