Douglas S.
Adventurer
It's responsible for turning me away from Land Rovers. Though I'm not sure how long that'll last...
Land Rover Discovery 1 or 2, or Range Rover Classic 1 or 2
- Thread starter pixelcodex
- Start date
It's responsible for turning me away from Land Rovers. Though I'm not sure how long that'll last...
Well, if you're like me you wont be away long. I went without a rover for 6 months driving a Mercedes E320 and a Ford F350 KR. I sold a 91 RR that I was considering converting to diesel with a 300TDi. I ended up selling it and buying the Ford. 6 mo later I sold both the Ford and MB and went back to Rovers, frustrations and all. Thank goodness the LR3 has been great. I miss the MB but not as much as the Rovers, though I dont necessarily miss my 91 RR eventhough it was in perfect shape and I didnt drive it much.
colvere
Observer
I sold my 97 Disco SD and regretted it the very next day and have been searching for a newone on the second day. I found a very clean 99 Disco SD with an adventure rack in utah a few weeks back and drove it home to Idaholast sat. Only paid $3k and had all maintenaced records. I will daily drive it and use it for weekend adventures. My last disco had almost 200k on it when I sold it and other than a power steering pump and disc brakes I seldom had to do anything but change oil. My new one runs much better than my 97 and should make an ecellent platform to see Idaho from. Keep doing your home work good clean D1's are available and can be had for very little. I save three time the purchase amount and planned to purchase an or D2 but after driving a few I realy prefered the D1. They do very well with minamum mods but if you want to go crazy there is plenty of stuff to bolt on. I did not have to much trouble with bigger tires unless towing (4500lbs) loaded trailer. I did not always use 91 octane feul and never realy noticed anything different. Drove home from UT averaged 80mph with roof rack and still managed 15.4 MPG. Like scott said before if it catches your eye go 4 it, I have never regreted my purchase and would never purchase a new truck again I will get more than my $3k out of my purchase.
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onewhippedpuppy
Observer
Just curious, did you consider some sort of an engine swap instead? Seems like $10k would give you a lot of options.
Douglas S.
Adventurer
I tried, the truck is a special edition and very few were made. My dad wanted to keep it original.
pixelcodex
Observer
Ok, so after considering and even testing an LR3 - though I liked it very much - decided to go with something I can buy and not finance and get a Disco II. Now, for all you experts out there, I wanted to get an 04 as a lot of you mentioned as the best year. They are hard to find in my area. Should I not consider 03s?
Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the advice.
LtFuzz
Explorer
The best way to find good Discos is nationwide searching. It could take months for the right truck to show up in your area. It's not too expensive to ship or fly and ride and the problem areas on Discos are pretty straightforward. With the community's help you should feel comfortable buying sight unseen. Just my .02£
03s are good - 04s preferred because they had that last model year to work out kinks.
Oh and you'll want a white one, cuz that's the hip color
Where are you located. I know of several nice ones that are for sale.
(LtFuzz can tell you - I have an eye for a nice truck!)
D
(LtFuzz can tell you - I have an eye for a nice truck!)
D
pixelcodex
Observer
Hi Dendy, I am in Miami, Florida. I have tried nationwide searches and have found a few, but even though Felix mentions it is ok to buy sight unseen, it is still a concern. Unless I were to talk to somebody from here who might be in the area. If you have any info, it would be greatly appreciated. You can PM me or email me (I am the guy who wrote to you recently about the broken link).
Thanks,
Fernando
Thanks,
Fernando
03s are fine, just be aware of the oil pump issue. Do some research and find the VIN range that seems to be most problematic. I bet there is at least one post on this board that has that information. I just dont know it off hand. Dont let the oil pump issue scare you off. Just be aware of it and address it if necessary. With regards to the transfer case, you can get a used (preferrably rebuilty) 04 t-case and drop it right in for a reasonable price. Everyone seems to have their favorite vendors such as:
PTSchram (check the Discoweb.org website)
Will Tillery (ditto)
Roverlandparts.com
I am sure others will chime in with other suggestions.
I love the D2s and find myself staring at them everytime I see one. They have a great design. I think I may buy another one just to have, sometime in the near future.
Enjoy.
PTSchram (check the Discoweb.org website)
Will Tillery (ditto)
Roverlandparts.com
I am sure others will chime in with other suggestions.
I love the D2s and find myself staring at them everytime I see one. They have a great design. I think I may buy another one just to have, sometime in the near future.
Enjoy.
LtFuzz
Explorer
Yeah, there is always an element of risk buying sight unseen - but if you post the ad or link here the collective wisdom can give you a pretty good idea if it's a solid truck or not. Motors are different of course, but part of Rover ownership is embracing the crapshoot of Rover V8 reliability.
I have no problens buying Rovers sight unseen - my last two were bought this way - and I'm not a guru by any means. But I do have a good understanding of what I'm getting and that's important because it eliminates the shock of surprise.
If it's not a rust bucket (few 04s are) and has springs, not air, and reasonable mileage you'll be fine 9/10.
Ask Dendy about the other 10%
I can't remember what the OP price range is (if he listed one), but here is an 03 that is worth a look. Its at MB OKC.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ress=74012&color=WHITE&seller_type=b&make=ROV
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ress=74012&color=WHITE&seller_type=b&make=ROV
Fernando has found a truck that I think is a pretty clean and nicely equipped 04. Has the Safety Devices roof rack and rear ladder ($1000 by themselves) and is a white/Tundra Trail Edition with hood black out already installed. We are trying to line up someone to take a look at it.
Incidentally, Fernando- Lt. Fuzz purchased his white 04 from me. Flew up from Savannah to take delivery and drove it home. (it did have a brand new motor however!).
Hope you may land on this truck you have in your sights. It is a nice one for sure.
Dendy
Incidentally, Fernando- Lt. Fuzz purchased his white 04 from me. Flew up from Savannah to take delivery and drove it home. (it did have a brand new motor however!).
Hope you may land on this truck you have in your sights. It is a nice one for sure.
Dendy
Tahoe Diesel
Observer
As has already been advised multiple times; GET THE WARRANTY! Can't emphasize that enough with the Rovers.
I purchased a pristine '03 Disco with 32k miles back in '08. Based on my research at the time I decided to take a deep breath and pony up an additional $2700 for a comprehensive genuine Land Rover extended warranty. Turned out to be the best financial hedge decision I made that year, since the Rover went through more than twice that much in dealer repair bills during my short 1.5yr ownership.
Although I purchased mine from a small used car dealer, the LR dealership was more than happy to sell me the LR extended warranty even though the original warranty had expired. I was told that they sometimes will not accept vehicles that are allready out of warranty, but they did it for mine. I also had the opportunity for additional extentions to the warranty as long as I did it within the current warranty term.
I did a lot of research on extended warranties at the time and discovered that it can be a sketchy contract with some of the companies out there. But the LR warranty was AAA+ by me, even covered an LR 3 loaner for the many times my DII was "in the shop"
Loved the LR 3, it's a whole 'nother level above the DII for comfort and driving refinement. But I can't speak to it's reliability or off-road performance.
The '03 DII is a wonderful vehicle to drive, very refined and prestigious feeling, which is I think a large part of the attraction to Rovers.
If you're not totally besotted with the Rover mystique, and want a large reliable and comfortable overlander, I'd be looking at the Landcruiser 100 series. Having said that, I could totally picture myself with another Rover in the future...they're habit forming :ylsmoke:
I purchased a pristine '03 Disco with 32k miles back in '08. Based on my research at the time I decided to take a deep breath and pony up an additional $2700 for a comprehensive genuine Land Rover extended warranty. Turned out to be the best financial hedge decision I made that year, since the Rover went through more than twice that much in dealer repair bills during my short 1.5yr ownership.
Although I purchased mine from a small used car dealer, the LR dealership was more than happy to sell me the LR extended warranty even though the original warranty had expired. I was told that they sometimes will not accept vehicles that are allready out of warranty, but they did it for mine. I also had the opportunity for additional extentions to the warranty as long as I did it within the current warranty term.
I did a lot of research on extended warranties at the time and discovered that it can be a sketchy contract with some of the companies out there. But the LR warranty was AAA+ by me, even covered an LR 3 loaner for the many times my DII was "in the shop"
Loved the LR 3, it's a whole 'nother level above the DII for comfort and driving refinement. But I can't speak to it's reliability or off-road performance.
The '03 DII is a wonderful vehicle to drive, very refined and prestigious feeling, which is I think a large part of the attraction to Rovers.
If you're not totally besotted with the Rover mystique, and want a large reliable and comfortable overlander, I'd be looking at the Landcruiser 100 series. Having said that, I could totally picture myself with another Rover in the future...they're habit forming :ylsmoke:
pixelcodex
Observer
I have seen photos of both his trucks and talked to LTFuzz initially about his 95. As a matter of fact — when I first started to look for Discos — his 04 was the first one I saw with the Trail badge.
I really like it. I hope I will be able to get it.
Regarding extended warranty as Tahoe Diesel had posted, the dealer mentioned I could only get another year (I guess due to the miles the vehicle has) for $1,900. Sounded steep and I wish I could get it for longer. Can different companies have longer warranties?
Fernando