Questions About Land Rover Discovery 2

dbm4x409

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Dec 18, 2007
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I'm finally sellin the jeep and lookin for a 4x4 truck/suv as a DD that fits in my small budget so I don't have too many options. I came across an 02 Land Rover Discovery 2 the other day with 102,000 miles. I've heard a lot of mixed opinions and reviews about Land Rovers and wanted to get some feedback about whether or not to stay away from them. If anyone can give me a little more information about their reliability and supposively poor service record it would be much appreciated.
 
Spence said:
Their resale value says it all, for me.
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this is a big hint.

Is this solely a DD creature comfort vehicle or do you care about offroad prowess?

Note there are almost no Disco owners on this forum..
 
I'd stay away from the older Disco's... Read consumer reports reviews from the year you are considering and they are likely last in reliability, resale value, etc. They are also very expensive to get parts for and work on etc. Some special tools can be required to work on them which makes them more $$$ to work on. My local import mechanic had one in the shop and even the SnapOn truck did not have the tool they needed to fix a problem... The tool had to be special ordered from SnapOn so it took longer to fix and cost more money in the long run. If I was in the market for anything made by Land Rover it'd be a Defender 90 or 110... If you want something besides a Jeep that does well offroad look at some Toyotas. I have respect for all well built vehicles off road but I own two Toyota Land Cruisers. I have some good friends and family with sick well built Jeeps but I've always been more partial to the Toyotas. Good luck with your search; be patient and avoid the Land Rovers.
 
If you're on a budget, stay away from any and all Land Rovers. Parts are very expensive and they go through a lot of parts. If you do get one, get a dog so you won't have to walk alone.
 
As a snapon dealer I am in alot of shops and will say this.....alot of shops will not even work on them. Electrical nightmares and parts are expensive/hard to get(parts houses don't stock parts wich means waiting a couple of days.)
 
I work on them every day. I'm a tech at a specialty Volvo, Saab and Rover shop.

YOU DO NOT WANT A DISCO II!!! Or any other Land Rover for that fact.

They all have cooling system issues, front driveshaft fails repeatedly, headgaskets blow all the time, window motors fail, ABS failures(wheel sensors and module), sunroofs leak, crap gas mileage. I could go on for hours. If you are really considering it PM me and I'll send you my number and I'll let you know what to look for.
 
A buddy of mine used to be a Land Rover mechanic, and he tells me that the only bad ones are the ones with a Land Rover logo on them somewhere.
 
budget and ROVER dont belong anywhere close...but if you get one pick up a shirt with a collar...haha
seriously, no
 
I was reading a LR D2 forum a year or so ago and a guy was whinning about the problems with his. Best answer I saw was the guy who said "everyone knows they are great if you are a mechanic and have lots of time" That about says it.
 
Here is Land Rover Tip #112: If it is not leaking oil, it is out of oil.
 
I love land rovers, but I wouldnt own one unless I had lots of money to throw around.. My father is British and knows his way around their crap cars. As a jaguar owner, that thing crapped out all the time.. I remember a water pump was $1000. Expect to pay around the same price for parts on this luxury 4x4. The older models = crap. The newer models = crap w/ bells and whistles. Defenders are awesome but no longer imported to the US. Range rovers' airbags go out, headgaskets, electrical. Yea, pretty much opposite of budget vehicle.. Very capable off road, but you wont drive it there and back!
 
just crawled out from under neath mine. vibrations in the drive train. looks like i got a drive shaft wearing out.

let me list some other repairs ive done:

Americanized the cooling system with rubber lines rather than plastic.
Installed an aluminum housing for the thermostat rather than plastic.
De-installed the throttle body heater.
repaired the heater core inlet tube.
replaces heater core hoses with more durable hoses.
modified windshield wiper assemblies to take AMERICAN refill blades that done cost $70ea
too many new front tires cuz the damn thing wont hold an alignment.
fluid leaks from every seal from end to the other. why bother fixing that.
Water pump bearing disentegrated sending the belt flying and the fan crashing into the radiator.
And then everything on the inside is falling apart. the damn brits cant make plastic to save their lives!
 
Reid said:
based on what standards?
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An issue of Petersons 4wheel drive from a long while back... And other 4x4 magazines :fuck-you:
 
If you are on a budget a Land Rover is not a good option. I used to wheel with a couple Land Rover guys (beyond the fact my cousin bought a Disco II also) and will say they are less than impressive off-road without major modifications. The only positive story I can really tell you is about the Disco that flopped on Daniel. They rolled it back over and after some minor work etc (and an hour sitting) they were able to drive it off the trail. Beyond that I wouldn't buy one unless you just love Land Rovers and have the bank account + time to deal with one.
 
We have 2 LR's. A Defender 90 and a 56 series tow truck. I would not get a discovery. Keep in mind that everytime something needs to be fixed, if you take it somewhere it will cost you 1,000.00. On the other hand they are very easy to work on. We do most everything to them ourselves now. We haven't taken either to a shop in several years.
 
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