My wife and I test drove a 2001 Land Rover Discovery II yesterday, and fell in love. It has approximately 136k miles on it, and it looks brand new. I was telling a guy I work with this morning about it, and he told me to run away from anything "Land Rover". He proceeded to tell that his brother has a 98 Discovery that they just put a motor in last week (found one used for $3,500) and that they are prone to very pricey issues. So, I'm trying to find every reason possible to validate buying the vehicle, but I don't want to bite off something that I can't afford the maintenance on. Would anyone be willing to give me a run-down on what I can expect, and what's common, and what I can do to avoid issues down the road? I really want to buy it (the price is RIGHT), but if I'm going to constantly be dumping money in it, I may need to avoid it. Thanks in advance.

 

I wish I could sugar coat this but it is what it is. As my signature line states I have a severe love/hate relationship with my Rover. I have a 2002 DII and believe me I have never experienced anything EVER before like I have with this vehicle. I am the second owner, I don't abuse things but wasn't the best with upkeep HOWEVER having said that I didn't expect things to fall apart on me so early on. I should add that the original owner had meticulously kept records and all maintenance was up to date when I purchased it in 2008. I paid $7900 for my Rover when gas prices were upward of $4.00/gallon and thought I bought it for a song. It was something I had always wanted, I had been shopping around for approximately 8 months for one and when I saw it on the car lot while driving home, stopped in for a test drive. It was love at first sight. I had to have it. A month after purchase I had difficulty with the gear lever and putting 'Bertha' into Drive, or Reverse for that matter. It turned out to be the XYZ switch and had to be replaced to the tune of $365. After that it was the coil springs. I had 3 out of 4 coil springs go on me and have no idea to this day, why. Then the powers steering started to leak and I milked that for over a year while the coolant started to leak in unison. I then had a chirping noise start-up and a loud thunk develop when I put the vehicle into reverse. I felt like I was driving a tank down the road with clanks and clunks chiming in along the way. I was quoted $1900 for a power steering job from some quacks (who I had trusted at the time) for a new power steering box and installation and said 'hell no'. I drove without Power steering for close to a year and that felt like a tractor. I put bugs in my reservoir to clog it up while I kept filling it up with fluid so I wouldn't have to reef so hard with my arm when I drove. YES, I'm embarrassed to state that but I was stranded on the side of the road and I had bugs and a McDonald's straw to clog up the leak (stirred the bugs in, waited for them to settle and it stopped the leak up for a while). What else..the 3 Amigos lit up on the dash (a search on 3 amigos will explain it all) and the anti-lock brake system doesn't work so I don't use that in the winter - I just pump the brake, old school. And all that chirping and clunking turned out to be the front drive shaft that needed to be rebuilt (I had to have it replaced because of a strange notch in the yoke that developed god knows how - heat, friction, blah, blah, blah) because I had ungreasable (no zerks) u-joints that had dried up (and I wasn't greasing the ones I could because I didn't know that I should have been) and I didn't need the drive shaft falling off and puncturing my transmission. So yeah, that was fun. Meanwhile, the coolant leak and power steering leak got worse, I had a superfund site developing on my driveway, the neighbor lady, Gladys Kravitz, complaining everyday and me feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work that needed to be done. And I couldn't forget about the driver side window that won't go down, the psycho door locks I have that lock half the time and the other half the time they don't, the light that mysteriously stays on, the air conditioning that doesn't work anymore and the wiper blades that are pure crap. It's a continuous project and another thing on the list everyday. And guess what????? After having my power steering rebuilt I need to have it replaced because it is LEAKING on my driveway again. OHHHHHHH... and that coolant leak that was a slow coolant leak that I was able to pussyfoot around for over a good year by adding coolant every week, and then every other day and then every day? Well that was a HEAD GASKET job that needed to be done this past fall. Some may ask why I love it? Because for some odd reason, it makes me feel like I'm on vacation every single day.. I love the head room and the windows all around me, I love the fact that I can take it practically anywhere and feel safe and protected, I love the fact that it's quirky, I love that I don't drive the same vehicle as every one else on the road, I love the fact that it's unique, solid, the body isn't falling apart, that I'm higher up on the road, that it 'fits' me. I don't want to get rid of it but I'm continually faced with decisions as to what to do next. These vehicles are touchy, unpredictable, stubborn, quirky, but lovely in the same right. If you don't have time to fix it yourself, or the pocket book to have someone else fix it I would recommend that you purchase something a bit more reliable. I kid you not, my Rover is a conversation topic EVERY SINGLE DAY. 'What should I do next? Did you hear that noise?', etc. If you don't believe me, check this thread out on Discoweb. I had a good laugh when I read it. It's so true. Good luck. 2000 Discovery II (can't live with them, can't kill them) [Forum] - DiscoWeb Message Boards

 

if you have to ask about the cost of maintaining a Land Rover the you cant afford it.

honestly, you need a big wallet or a big tool box, i would figure on $1500 for repairs and replacements getting everything up to snuff the 1st year.

 

Buy 2. One to drive, sometimes, and 1 for parts. I'm serious.

 

Just to put this into a little perspective. I just called to see how much it would cost to have a 'new' power steering pump put into my DII and was quoted $883 - that was for a refurbished pump from a reputable automotive shop that works with foreign vehicles. Superb! And after I was quoted the price (bless him) he told me that it would probably be upward of $900 as there would be fluids, etc. So.. I either have to learn to fix it myself or 'eat crow' and pay the price (for lack of a better phrase). Such is the life of a Land Rover owner...

 

you can get a used box for a couple hundred bucks and and a days labor will go along way, try paul grant for a good used box

 

Thanks drowssap. Now all I need to do is purchase some confidence as I know that I'll have to tear down quite a bit to get to it. I saw some aftermarket pumps on fleabay for $150. I'll just have to bite the bullet and try it some weekend when I can get by without wheels. I've been looking for a video but haven't had much luck with a full description (found them with musical background - what help is that?!?)

 

i think there may be a link on utube. I would recommend against buy one of those cheap ones, there have been a lot of bad results with those. I would go for a good used one.

 

Thanks again I think my biggest problem will be remembering where to put all of the parts back once it is installed and bleeding off the system once it is filled - that and trying not to cry when I look at the mess I've made...

 

East Bay Auto Parts...Interlochen. Paul Grant didn't have any pumps a week ago. If you want some help doing your pump let me know. I have to do mine and would love to experiment on someone else's...