Greetings, All!

Just wanted to stop in and introduce myself. I'm an '07 Virginia Tech Engineering Grad (what's up, Rover_Hokie!) that somehow ended up in Oil & Gas. I managed to resist O&G's gravitational pull to Houston until this year, but call it home now as of February. I'm a long-time tinkerer of cars, and my other active project is a 1987 Porsche 944 that I got from my uncle- who ordered it brand new from Stuttgart.

The DII has always been a favorite of mine. With the move to Houston I am losing the company SUV, so it gave me the justification to finally buy one. I'm fully aware of their reputation for expensive upkeep but I would have bought a brand new SUV otherwise, so I'm hopeful that the frequent repairs won't outpace what a monthly payment would have been.

I also took somewhat of a gamble in my approach for purchasing the vehicle. As I went through my search, I kept finding one of two things: 1) DII's in good condition but the dealer was asking WAY too much for them, or 2) trucks that appeared to be in good condition but upon seeing them in person found that they had been poorly repaired by some mom-and-pop dealership that didn't know what they were doing - and still asking way too much. And knowing what I've read on their engines, in either case the motor could be a big wildcard and potentially big expense at the mileage for all of the vehicles I found. So, I decided to try and find an unmolested example: say, just traded in, but before the dealership did any work on it or sold it at auction. It could need some work, but if I could get it for a fair price I could do the work myself or by someone I trusted, and hopefully come out ahead in the end. And if the engine was shot, at least I had some built-in equity to just go ahead with a ground-up rebuild rather than chase down gremlins for years and years.

So, that's what I got. She's a 2004 Discovery II HSE. Silver exterior, black interior. It was traded in outside of Louisville, and I managed to find it and snag it at a wholesale price before they sent it to auction. I've started building the list of things I know need to be addressed, and it's quickly growing. It needs new bags for the SLS rear suspension, the front sunroof doesn't work, the headliner is coming down, there's a small leak around the aftermarket XM antenna at the rear door gasket, the front doors both seem to have lock actuators that are about to die, and it needs a new passenger side headlight. There is a small coolant leak at the reservoir, but the engine sounds good and there are not any warning lights on in the dash.

My plan is to go through and make all of the mechanical repairs and do the upkeep that's discussed here on the forums that should be done when someone just buys one. After that, I'll start getting into the upgrades.

Anyway, I already appreciate the vast knowledge I've been able to pull from these forums. There's a great community here, and I look forward to eventually making some of my own contributions to the knowledge base.

Great to meet all of you!

Jason

 

WELCOME
the number one thing to fix"the little coolant leak" pressure test the coolant system
for SLS bags go to Arnott they are a sponsor and will provide a discount
for door actuators go used.
you should find links in my sign. below

 

Welcome to the forum , nice looking DII

 

Welcome! Nice looking Rover.
My dad and grandfather went to VT. (I grew up in Virginia)
Passing through Houston tonight on our way to Galveston for the Memorial Day weekend.
Be sure to check out my site for any parts that Rover or 944 may need!

 

Hi All, Thanks for the welcomes.

drowssap, I checked their website and even called to see about a discount. The sales associate indicated that they periodically run holiday specials, but was not aware of any forum discount that they provide. She said from time to time certain forums will run their own discount codes. Does this make sense?

Thanks!

 

Welcome aboard! I spent a little time in Houston, where are you located around those parts? I may be back through on business in the next couple months, we need to catch up. You need anything from the bookstore in Blacksburg let me know Class of '86 here.

 

Hawkeye:
Nice looking car. You can google 'how to replace the headliner in a Discovery 2' and find out how to do it yourself, and while you are at it you can ensure the sunroof drains are working properly. You can scrap the whole self leveling system and replace your coil springs if you wish, a common retrofit here in Land Rover country (South Africa). Or just replace the bags. Make sure that while they were leaking they didn't cause the compressor to run excessively, and cook it, 'cause it is expensive. Search the forums!

 

Good to meet you! I am in the Memorial Heights area, walking distance to Buffalo Bayou. For anyone following the news of the rain we've gotten here, that's where alot of the flooding footage has come from. Thankfully no damage for me, but crazy to see how high the water got! I'll keep you in mind for any of my Hokie Alum garb needs.

 

Nice DII. Looks very clean.