So, at the moment, I'm in the market for either an 04' Disco or an LR3. My budget maxes at around $12,000 with not much wiggle room.
At first, I was drawn to the Discovery because I could get the HSE with under 90'000 miles easily for $12,000.
But... I am far from a mechanic, and after reading about all of the problems that happen with these, I'm a bit scared off.
Now with the LR3, I've read that there are fewer mechanical problems, and for the most part (considering it was a newer, updated version of the Discovery) that it is a better car.
Except with the LR3, $12,000 seems to get me a 100,000+ mile car if I want the HSE package. (Which I do)
So, essentially what it boils down to, is; is getting the LR3 with the more miles on it a better bet than a Disco for someone without auto - mechanic experience? And obviously in the process of having one of these cars, I would rather not pay tons of money and have to constantly worry about mechanical failure.
Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forum!

Opinion questions like this are minefields. Before I step in, I have a few questions. Are you planning to do any off-roading? Do you do a lot of highway driving, mostly around town, or a mix? Are you planning to carry more than 5 passengers?

-Rob

 

Rob's questions are good ones. I submit that either choice could lead to expensive repairs depending on how they've been maintained thus far. You will need a detailed service history on the LR3 in order to determine its health. They are both awesome and you will love either one, as long as you are prepared to be a Land Rover owner...it's a labor of love, but worth it.

 

Thanks!
So, about off roading: I own a dirt bike and like to use ATVs to go off roading or mudding every now and then. So when buying one of these cars, that is something I want to be able to do, but I won't be doing serious intense stuff on the trails.
I would mostly be driving around town.
I don't NEED the option to carry more than 5, but it would be nice to have.
I appreciate the help... it's hard diving into the Rover world. Haha.

 

If I were making your decision with my own money, I'd buy a Discovery II, but I wouldn't spend anywhere near $12K.

Here is my logic so you can see how it compares to your priorities:
In stock configuration both the D2 and LR3 should be fine for anything less than intense. Assuming that you use a small trailer to get your dirt bike and ATVs to their destination, I think the D2 makes a better choice because of the standard hitch receiver, when equipped. The LR3 has a proprietary hitch receiver setup that I would describe as "unusual" if I were feeling charitable. Unless used for towing before, both D2 and LR3 will need a wiring harness and possibly an adapter for the trailer lighting.

Neither of them gets very good gas mileage. The D2 I had was much noisier at highway speeds with its 4-speed automatic, additional protruding trim, and less effective door & window seals. If you aren't doing much highway driving then noise levels aren't too different.

This addresses one of the issues that made us get rid of our D2: the inability to carry 6 people comfortably while also carrying cargo. If you get a 5-seater without rear A/C then you won't have the third-row seats and rear A/C unit taking up cargo space. I don't know if it is possible to get a Discovery II HSE in this configuration, though. If you need a fairly large, flat load floor then the LR3 would be a better choice.

Now, about that $12,000 budget ...

If you aren't going to be doing any of your own work and that is all you have to spend on the purchase and first-year repairs then I'd limit the purchase to, say, $9K. I find it best to keep some money in reserve when buying used vehicles. Especially if you are buying a top trim level where there are more options that may need to be repaired.

I would not spend $12K on D2, but I haven't been shopping for one in a year. I bought a 2001 D2 SE7 with 83K miles for $5500 in Southern California almost a year ago. It had a couple of door dings, the parking brake and transfer shifter boots were disintegrating, and the headliner was sagging but otherwise it was in very good condition cosmetically. Mechanically, the engine was strong and quiet and the only apparent issues were with the transfer case lockout solenoid (I removed it to solve the problem) and the driver seat lumbar support (a new fuse).

After purchasing it, the only required repairs were a radiator (and optional, 180-degree F thermostat to keep the temps low), a pair of self-leveling suspension air springs (a.k.a. SLS airbags), a motor mount, and an O2 sensor. Add fluid changes and I spent somewhere around $1,000 on maintenance and repairs. When I sold it, it had no mechanical problems at all and the coolant temps were always under 200 degF. I loved that D2 for what ended up being $6,500 and I thought it was a good value but I would have felt differently if it cost considerably more than that.

This is just my perspective and I hope it helps.

-Rob

 

...If I were making the choice with those parameters, I'd get a GX470 or an XTerra. More reliable and reasonable off-road ability to get to the ATV trailhead.

 

Don't get stuck on the HSE option in a D2 being mandatory either. All that gets you is a usless Navi system.

 

I own both a 2004 DII SE7 and a 2008 LR3 SE. They are two different animals for sure.

I bought the DII with 80k 3 years ago and paid 14K which is on the high side for sure, but here in the NE they go for more and the one I bought had all receipts since new and had a 5 brand new tires, and a complete engine tear down, cleaning, and rebuild by a former LR service manager just 300 miles before I bought it.

Like you reading these forums, I wanted to know the history of the vehicle and have some sence of peace using a DII as a daily driver. I would say overall it has been reliable and I have not been stranded, but I have still sunk more than $6,000 in it since I bought it. That is for repairs, not tires or upgrades. Things like O2 sensors, front drive shaft, wheel hub, brakes and rotors, injector o rings, alternator, viscous fan, water pump, tie-rod assembly, rear propshaft rotoflex, crankshaft position sensor, brake lines, battery, ......

The ride is great on the highway (some door adjustments helped reduce wind noise for me), bumpy as hell on so-so city streets or train tracks and things like that. Power is adequate for all my driving needs. Seats are comfortable and it just has a unique feeling to driving it that I like.

The 08 LR3 I bought last year with 92K for $15.5k (better deal I think than the DII). I had to put 3K in it off the bat though for all new tires (GRABBER AT2's are great!), a wheel hub, and front suspension control arms/bushings, plus some other small stuff.

LR3 feels different to drive. I cannot get comfortable in the seat for some reason, after an hour I get a cramp everytime, but this is my wife's car, so I do not care too much. More power for sure and it is fun to drive faster compared to the DII.

In the tons of snow we had last winter the LR3 drove unstoppable. It felt secure in ALL conditions. The DII definately did not feel as secure or capable, but it has Grabber HTS tires which had 35K of wear on them. Still, someohow the LR3 seems like it would inspire more confidence to me on road in those conditions.

I do not go off-roading on trails, so I cannot comment on that.

Like you, I am contemplating replacing my DII (117K now) with something else and I am torn between another DII, an LR3, or an Xterra. I had and FJ TT before the DII and I loved it, but the suicide doors, no rear windows, and overall cave entrapped feeling was too much (and getting my 85 year old mother in law in the rear was the last straw!).

It's a hard call because they are all different. We have 3 dogs and I occassionally tow a trailer around, plus I like sitting up high, so I like a "truck" versus a some newer crossover. The reality is that the DII is $180/mo in maintenance on average and I get 12mpg in mixed driving on premium gas. The LR3 I get 15 mpg in mixed driving. Even though an Xterra is much cheaper feeling on the inside, they use regular unleaded, get about 15mpg on regular and are generally cheaper to fix. I could spend more on an Xterra by saving monthly on fuel and repairs.

It's a hard call even for someone like me who already has both. You should really test drive them and see what nuances may be more important for you. My wife loves both of them. 12K is just the purchase price - I would seriously factor in monthly amount for repairs (even if you go 9 months with no issues, boom, month 10 you get a whopper!). I would also budget more for repairs on the DII over the LR3 based on my experience so far.

You might even find a V6 LR3 as they are less expensive. I saw an 06 with 90k on it sell for 10k around here and it needed about 2k in work to get fully up to snuff. That would be a real nice truck for 12k.

Oh, and the 04 DII HSE had air suspension I think, you probably do not even want to go there as it is a repair magnet. Same with the LR3, nothing on the HSE is very important to the functioning of the truck overall. At your price point I would not worry about the little extras and focus on the best core truck you can find with a maintenance history with it.

Also, since you mentioned it, I would also say that I "worry" a lot more about my DII than I do my LR3. LR3 does feel much less like something is going to break (whether it is in my head or not).

Good luck!!

 

I just purchased a used LR3. So my advice is to do something I didn't do very well. Be prepared to put some money into it up front. At the 12,000 dollar price point these vehicles have almost 100,000 miles and have parts that are ready for normal routine replacement. The previous owners may or may not have done these at the proper time. I pulled as much history as I could find on mine via carfax and calling the original dealer it was taken to for warranty work.

I beleive a little money put into them now at this price point is a great vaule for what they sell for new. Especially if you plan to get them dirty. I couldn't find any evidence of the one I purchased ever being off road. Not one scratch down the doors or one piece of grass in the under carriage. I'll probably be into it about $2000 getting it caught up to current maintenance status over the next few months.