Looking for Advice on Buying a Discovery 5 (HSE Luxury)
 

Hi all,

I'm currently on the lookout for a Land Rover Discovery 5, ideally the V6 model with 7 seats. I'm after the top-spec version, which I believe is the HSE Luxury (is it?), and I’d prefer it in a dark colour with black leather interior. Ideally, I’m looking for one with relatively low mileage, around 30k or less, and it must come with a warranty for (some) peace of mind.

That said, I’ve never owned a Land Rover before – I’ve been driving Lexus cars for years, and I’ve been spoilt by their reliability. I’ve read quite a few horror stories about Land Rover reliability issues and struggles with dealerships, especially when it comes to warranty repairs, so I’m a bit cautious.

Can anyone offer any advice or tips on what to look out for when buying a Discovery? Are there specific things I should be mindful of in terms of reliability or common faults? And what are people’s experiences with Land Rover dealerships and warranty claims?

Also, are there any dealerships I should avoid, or ones that you’d recommend? If anyone happens to know of a Discovery like the one I’m after for sale, please do let me know.

Cheers in advance!
Tom

Almost forgot to mention, I'm in the UK

I was in a similar bucket as you; new to LR and started to feel german cars were far too reliable in my experience :driving:
Bought a certified D5 for below market value, used the savings to purchase an extended warranty.

Purchased 09-2023; very happy so far.
Forum members here have been very friendly and offer good advice for general maintenance. All the best mate

I have a 2020 7 seat Disco Landmark model. Yes the HSE is the top. I'll let others go into details about issues. The thing is LR's are known to be "unreliable." That said, it is hardly as bad as all these threads would make you believe. If you look at links tracking issues per 100 owners, you will generally find they are higher than just about every vehicle. That said, it's not like nearly every LR is a lemon. In fact, overall, incidents of significant problems are still quite low. The incidents per 100 showing high percentages, say 25%, include any and all complaints from surveys.

I'm surprised to hear the dealers in UK would be bad. After all, the vehicle is made there. But, in the US, it does seem to be dodgy. I use an independent.

All that said, LRs are expensive, whether routine maintenance or repairs. And, unlike Toyota/Lexus products, which can tolerate a bit of delayed service, you do not want to do that with an LR.

Given your requirements, I would definitely go with a certified used from the dealer, with an LR warranty. Yes, it will be more expensive. But it will significantly reduce risk.

I love the way my LR drives, is laid out and its features. While Lexus is obviously a more trustworthy option, I find them a bit boring. To me. Lexus is an upscale, unobtrusive, largely ordinary vehicle. The LR is special.

I had my '17 D5 HSE Luxury for five years and 39k miles and it was faultless. Ultra-rare spec, too - Aintree Green over Vintage Tan/Ebony. Color was only available for the 2017MY. I have a contact at JLR NA corporate and he was able to tell me that there were less than 100 D5s in Aintree Green that were brought over to the US. CPO cars do come with JLR's extended warranty, but that's the only way to get a JLR extended warranty, as you can't buy one. It is only offered on CPO cars. I had the supercharged V6 and although they are better, they still have the timing chain issues. Won't be a problem if the previous owner did oil changes every 5k miles. Td6 engines are known for crankshaft failures, but there is no way to know if it is on its way out. They just go bad. Early cars are known for leaking windshields because they didn't have enough glue out on at the factory. Mine never leaked, but when my windshield cracked a two years after I took delivery, I found out that my windshield didn't have any glue on the A pillars, but it never leaked into the car - it drained underneath. The InControl Touch Pro infotainment system can be glitchy, but there are software updated that can be done at the dealer that improved my experience. Still, its not the best and the 2021MY and newer with the Pivi Pro system are so much better. Also, try getting a car with the Luxury Seating pack, or one that has four-zone climate. The three-zone climate control has two tiny vents on the B pillars, and that's it for the second row passengers, so it can get stuffy. Four-zone cars came with extra vents in the headliner for second and third row passengers. I wish my car had the Luxury Seating pack, but since my dealer traded another dealer for it, I missed out on a couple options that I would've liked to have had. I traded my D5 for a 2023 Porsche Macan S two years ago and I really miss it, and in some ways I prefer it to my 2021 Defender 110. Best of luck on your search!


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...6fc8aaf827.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...a2d3f82d66.jpg

I'd be interested to know how many 2017 Discos were imported to the US in Kaikoura Stone, a color that was also only available in 2017 in the Discovery. I wanted a color that matched my desert environment, but I have to say that your Aintree Green is gorgeous!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...dad2830ec2.jpg

I don't know if it's the exact same color, but I've seen a few that look like that green in the San Diego region.

Unfortunately my contact that got me that info left JLR in 2022. I can try to ask around with some of my other contacts. I'll try, but no promises.