Land rover peeps would you buy a 2004 discovery two?

OK my next-door neighbor has his brothers 2004 Land Rover Discovery 2 and he's looking to sell it to downsize the fleet. He has another  Disco 2 but it's jacked up and more off-roadie. This one is a bone stock base S model Disco 2.  The good thing about the bass S model is that it has no sunroof's to leak. This thing is amazingly clean, it could easily pass for a five or six year old vehicle not a 14-year-old vehicle. There is no underbody corrosion. A very  small area of the left rear quarter panel behind the rear wheel has a small area of bubbling paint that's it. I know these things have a bad reputation but this has no three amigos or any of the other  known issues that I am aware of.   The only thing that concerns me is the engine. I know these later bored and stroked Rover V8's  have a bad rap. I believe there is some magic which Edwin he's brew  that can be added to the cooling system.  Normally that makes me nervous but I understand it is quite common for people to do to these engines. I believe it has had it done. It does not leak oil and yes there is still oil inside it just magically somehow it is not coming out. Theoretically this would be for my daughter,  but the truth is I would probably let her have my Volvo and I would drive it in the winter. I have always loved Land Rovers of all types and this is an excellent example. How bad are these things really? 

Check out mad_machine's thread about his ownership experience. It was EXPENSIVE. His engine rebuild ended-up costing +10k IIRC.

I know there are swap to install a GM 4.3 in those. 

I want you to buy this, simply for my own amusement. 

fanfoy said:

Check out mad_machine's thread about his ownership experience. It was EXPENSIVE. His engine rebuild ended-up costing +10k IIRC.

I know there are swap to install a GM 4.3 in those. 

 I will have to go and look that up. But I have never understood paying 10 grand to have a push-rod engine rebuilt. Even allowing for a new block with new sleeves I'm sure you could build your own engine for 2 to 3 grand. Please let me know if I am wrong. 

 Also didn't he have some serious issues with the engine he paid 10 grand for? That is not necessarily inherent to the vehicle or engine but the quality of the company he was working with. 

No.

Feedyurhed said:

No.

No because no?

No because Land Rover?

No because of something specific?

I’m in. So strange that I, just yesterday, was Googling and YouTube-ing these. 

Its been a dream of mine, thanks in part to the old Camel Trophy competitions, to build one of these. It’d be my daily so I always want more info on costs of major repairs, parts and headgaskets etc.

Do it... do it... do it........

yes, the engine (from Atlantic British) cost me 8 grand and change. It was the mechanic who did the work that botched most of it. 4 months and another 4 grand to rip it out and install.. and then I still had to fix all the issues (and am still finding some) from the half arsed job he did. The engine itself did have two issues, one was a bad oilpump (acknowldeged by AB and replaced free of charge with an extended warranty on the whole engine) and the other was the block was never properly cleaned and gooped up the cooling system with this nasty black "mud" that required replacing the radiator (again, covered by AB)

Overall, other than the engine, it has been a very reliable vehicle. The only other issues it had were a failed (leaking) steering box, a bad clock spring, a rotted out exhaust, and a bad wheel speed sensor. While I am buying a saab 9-3 soon, I am not getting rid of my Disco. It is a great, if thirsty, truck that does everything I ask of it. It goes off road, it tows, and it still manages to out handle most of the cars around here (this is probably attributable to the drivers) and it is imposing in a strangely restrained British way. Not over the top, not unremarkable, it just oozes of competence at whatever you ask it to do, if that means going off road, towing a boat, or a night on broadway, it's perfectly up to the task

fanfoy said:

Check out mad_machine's thread about his ownership experience. It was EXPENSIVE. His engine rebuild ended-up costing +10k IIRC.

I know there are swap to install a GM 4.3 in those. 

I wonder why they do the 4.3 when an LS family v8 should fit just fine. They're smaller in width and length than the Rover v8 and only a few mm higher.

LS V8 probably has too much torque for the drivetrain. 

BoxheadCougarTim said:

LS V8 probably has too much torque for the drivetrain. 

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. An LS will destroy the drivetrain of a Disco. 

A base "S" model is a bit more appealing. No air suspension on the back, no ACE system, and as you mentioned no sunroof.  Head gaskets, wheel bearings, front drive shaft, and radiators are the biggest fails I see in the shop. Overheating kills the engine quick. If Land Rover had offered these in diesel for the US it would be a whole different story.

Absolutely not. Run. 

Horrible fuel economy, terrible reliability, the list goes on. 

Shawnb said:

Absolutely not. Run. 

 

Horrible fuel economy, terrible reliability, the list goes on. 

 

 

Hush, you!  I thought this forum was full of enablers! 

The trouble with the internet is that people never post about how good a vehicle is because that would be boring. But when something goes wrong owners are crying in their soup and the breakage and subsequent repair journey are heavily documented. And of course people rarely join an owners forum if they have nothing to talk about, so those places are the worst.  So you get unsubstantiated opinions like some of those above, most likely formed from anecdotal opinions from other non owners....

Everyone I know who's owned a Discovery has had nonstop reliability problems with it, mainly with the engine. Whether it's the turbodiesel I4 or the gas V8, it doesn't matter. Lots of problems, mostly engine-related. I know one guy who did the swap from the former to the latter trying to escape them, it didn't help. He has a sticker on his that says "Land Rover - Turning ordinary drivers into excellent mechanics."

If you're on this forum, then you'll probably be fine.  I took a $900 90 Range Rover Classic and 6 years ago and just sold it for 7k.  It had been all over the eastern united states.  

The D2 is a great truck, it just needs proper maintenance.  While some cars are ok with never changing out the coolant, that won't work on a disco, and you'll pay heavily.  The other thing that I've found is that Land Rover's in general do not like parts from places like autozone or advance auto- they may work in a pinch, but they prefer other stuff.  Thankfully atlantic british is easy to get stuff shipped from.  I really think these things are going to skyrocket in value in the next 10 years if they're mostly stock.  Many of them have been made into lifted offroad rigs so they're getting rarer. I'd buy with the expectation that it's not a Pilot or a 4Runner.  You'll be fine.  

Wait... there’s a chance I can own one yet?

I agree with Grover. Most cars with bad reps, like Fiats and Jags, need proper maintenance and on schedule. 

exactly. Once I replaced the engine in mine, it's been one of the most reliable used vehicles I have ever owned. As these vehicles were built to travel the world, they are not at all hard to work on. Many parts, like the power steering pump, are designed to be rebuilt in the field. The 2004 model is the best of the breed as it has the Bosch fuel injection and LR reinstated the locking transfer case (something my 03 lacks). BMW owned them at this time, so reliability was actually up compared to earlier Discos. Unfortunately they also got the "sealed for life" transmissions" that BMW pushes

They are also insanely capable off-road. 

grover said:

The D2 is a great truck, it just needs proper maintenance.  While some cars are ok with never changing out the coolant, that won't work on a disco, and you'll pay heavily.  The other thing that I've found is that Land Rover's in general do not like parts from places like autozone or advance auto- they may work in a pinch, but they prefer other stuff.  Thankfully atlantic british is easy to get stuff shipped from.  I really think these things are going to skyrocket in value in the next 10 years if they're mostly stock.  Many of them have been made into lifted offroad rigs so they're getting rarer. I'd buy with the expectation that it's not a Pilot or a 4Runner.  You'll be fine.  

Sounds to me like having service records would be a major plus in buying one of these.  Which, to be fair, is true of most European cars.

I'm enjoying the "other than the engine" caveat on Disco reliability. Only here does that come off as sorta reasonable 

If it's any help, even the people in the Land Rover sub-forum on Expedition Portal fully admit that their rigs have sub-par reliability. I've even seen them actively discourage people from buying one as a result. Even so, I like seeing built ones running around and do think they're pretty cool. That said, I own a 4Runner.

Usually the ones being discouraged are the ones that come off as people not likely to diy properly or be willing to pay the "Land Rover" premium for maintenance. Plus, if they ever talk about fuel economy, well.......