Looking at Discovery 2's...what should I be prepared for??

[EXPO08JK]

Currently in a 2008 Jeep JK unlimited, which sits 5 days a week as I commute by train to work. Looking to dump the payment and purchase a lower mileage Discovery 2. I have never owned a Rover, but was always fond of the look and heritage. The vehicle will be driven 5-7k miles annually with some possible lite trail duty, not looking to build a rock crawler. What should I be looking for pre purchase? Any particular problem areas? Just looking for any feedback possible as I start my search for a Discovery 2. Thanks!

 

[ZG]

Rust, head gaskets, the usual

 

[Howski]

Extensive use of the search function :sombrero: (this topic has been covered about 100 times). Stay away from 03's and be aware that some (00'-03' IIRC) did not come fitted with a Centre Locking Differential (CDL). If you are not good with turning a wrench you should have deep pockets. If you know how to wrench and stay committed to preventative maintenance they are great vehicles.

 

[NCLR015]

Robison has some good info on LR's. http://robisonservice.blogspot.com/2014/03/frame-rust-in-land-rover-discovery-ii.html

 

[EXPO08JK]

Extensive use of the search function :sombrero: (this topic has been covered about 100 times). Stay away from 03's and be aware that some (00'-03' IIRC) did not come fitted with a Centre Locking Differential (CDL). If you are not good with turning a wrench you should have deep pockets. If you know how to wrench and stay committed to preventative maintenance they are great vehicles.

I should be able to do 75% of the maintenance work on the vehicle. I restore classics and hot rods from the ground up, so my tool inventory should allow me to tackle most projects. Anyone in the tri state area recommend a rover specialties if I do land one?

 

[EXPO08JK]

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse BTW. Just looking for some fresh perspective.

 

[LR Max]

Money.

You need lots and lots of money.

 

[Chris Cordes]

DIIs can be great vehicles. But like any Land Rover, the key is going to be preventative maintenance. Essentially look up all the known "stranders" on the car. Things like alternators, pumps, etc. Replace them ahead of time and keep the functioning ones as spares. You'll be glad you did. Also know that things WILL unexpectedly break. No matter how many things you replace thinking you've covered the bases one or two items will sneak up on you. Finally be prepared to either take one or two paths of maintenance on your vehicle. First and more preferably do a lot of research and work on the vehicle yourself. They aren't insanely complex so you should be able to do a fair bit of maintenance and parts are getting cheaper. Second and far less preferable is to pay tons of money and have a shop do all the work. If you're going this route LOOK UP REVIEWS FROM ROVER OWNERS IN YOUR AREA. I can't stress this enough. Many of this shops will break things every time you bring it in to fix something else. I had a shop over pressurize my system and blow the head gaskets because they were "just making sure the engine was okay" while installing some unrelated bit.

Once again these can be great cars and Im not trying to discourage you but I want to make you aware of your options haha

 

[b63215b]

Lots of rust, poor electrical systems, head gaskets. Expensive repair, lucky to find anyone to work on them for a fair price. Most local mechanics in my area wouldn't touch them. I found out the hard way.

 

[Jamooche]

Extensive use of the search function :sombrero: (this topic has been covered about 100 times). Stay away from 03's and be aware that some (00'-03' IIRC) did not come fitted with a Centre Locking Differential (CDL). If you are not good with turning a wrench you should have deep pockets. If you know how to wrench and stay committed to preventative maintenance they are great vehicles.

What he said. Late 2001 - 2003 don't have the nose cone with the screw to lock the CDL. Just stay on top of things. For example, if you find the coolant is regularly low, don't keep filling it up for a while. Go fix the problem before it gets worse. I had a 1999 DII that I traded for a 2008 JK. The JK is long gone and I just bought another 2004 DII. They are great vehicles.

 

[Aaron Wasson]

Money.

You need lots and lots of money.

Sadly this is beyond true. I had to ditch mine (after probably 8k in total mods) because of a constant overheat issue that we couldn't solve without a major overhaul. Yes, we did the radiator, hoses, thermostat, flush, etc...


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[Howski]

I will vehemently disagree with the above posts. They are quite reasonable to maintain and parts are of average costs if you purchase from the right vendors. It sounds like you are handy with a wrench so I don't think you'd have any issues. Easy vehicles to work on

 

[ZG]

Very easy vehicles to work on. If head gaskets are done there's not a ton else to worry about.


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[badm0t0rfinger]

You could go two way in my opinion: Find the most unloved Disco and redo everything on it so that you know the vehicle inside and out, or find the most mint 99-01 or 04 D2 you could find and hope that you don't have to do the first opinion.... which you will probably be doing anyways.

I've had 2 Discos, a 98 D1 with known issues, it had a 5 speed swapped in from a 95, and it was a joy to drive and never really had too much issues. In 14 months of ownership I probably put a thousand dollars of love into it. On the other had I have the spawn of satan itself, an 03 D2 who had HG failure, then had a cracked block about 8 months later, replaced the engine, transfer case and then continued to put stupid money into it... I've basically paid halfway towards an LR4 or a Ford Raptor....But I love it, my wife loves it, it gets more looks than jeeps (which there are far too many) and can eat up the same trails that similiarly equiped Jeep would struggle with (mostly because of the driver, though).

I regret selling the D1 and I'm too deep in to sell the D2.

I hope I haven't scared you too much.

 

[redriderrick]

I'll try to add to what others have stated. I agree with Howski, and believe that there are no free rides with used vehicles. They're going to cost money to operate, so you might as well get something with some character!

Catastrophic things include front driveshaft failure and overheating. Both issues have been discussed at length on this and other Rover forums (search for them). If you found a well-cared for soccer mom 2004 model, you can VERY easily turn it into a reliable and as you mentioned, "lite trail" duty truck for around $2,000 over what you pay for it. The biggest part of that expense will be some good tires for around $1k. New shocks will transform the ride more than you'll believe. Another few hundred for springs with very mild lift will do even more for it and make it look even more capable. The biggest thing is knowing what items you're willing to accept and repair yourself when you go looking at used ones. Fluid leaks (just drips) are virtually guaranteed and can be handled one at a time if they're not too bad. Look for frame rust, and by all means make sure ALL of the warning lights come on in the dash when you turn the truck on. You may be able to find a pic of those online but if you can't, shoot me a pm with a # and I'll text you a pic so you can have it with you while you're shopping.

These trucks aren't imposible to deal with, but the cost of operation will be more on par with an exotic sports car than a Honda Civic!