Hello all…Need a larger vehicle for soccer, dance, camping, etc and a 4x4. Any thoughts on a Discovery II, 2000, with 113,000 miles? He’s asking 6900, seems a bit high. And what would the life expectancy on the engine be?
An expensive vehicle to repair, and it will need frequent repairs. The motor isn’t an especially strong one, in fact some have had slippage of the iron cylinder liners which is very expensive problem. Keep looking.
There’s a saying, the only a time Discovery doesn’t leak is when it’s empty.
The only reason to buy one of these is if you’ve always wanted one. They are expensive to buy, expensive to own, and aren’t particularly durable. At 11 years and 113,000 miles it has reached the end of its reliable life and will likely be a money pit from now on.
Well! OK. Thanks for the info
This is a status vehicle, well used to be. Now at 11-12 yrs of age, is good for someone who wants to keep themselves busy fixing cars.
It might be worth it for occasional use but only if you wanted to take a cub scout troop for a wilderness trip off road. They are quite good compared to most other SUVs in that respect, but these things are worth the maintenance only if you have a need for their capabilities.
Otherwise, I would look at a minivan or car based SUV.
If you searched and searched for the rest of your days, it is not likely that you would find a less reliable vehicle than an aged Land Rover. Run away from this one and from any other used Rover that you find.
This is one of those vehicles that can be fun and prestigious to own during the warranty period, but is best sold as soon as the warranty is over, due to perhaps the worst reliability record of any make of vehicle.
The Disco could be the poster child for unreliable vehicle to be ignored. Under no circumstances buy it. There are many more reliable choices, used Highlander for example.
Consumer Reports does a comparative bar chart of different makes’ and models’ overall reliability. Land Rovers are in a class by themselves, totally apart from all others. Unfortunately for Landy owners, that “class” is substantially lower than everyone else.
I’d avoid Landys like the plague. They’re nice if you have plenty of money and multiple cars, but I’m on a budget and need reliability.
Land Rovers are for those who average fewer than 4500 total miles per year, the European average, have at least two other cars, money to burn and value off roading twice year at their own risk. If you fit the bill, a 10 year old Rover with fewer then 50k miles is just for you.
Dagosa
I’m curious about that 4,500 mile per year average for European drivers. I’m not questioning that figure, as I assume that you found a basis for that statistic.
What really puzzles me is the ludicrously extended oil change intervals currently used in Europe, coupled with that mileage statistic. If someone bases his oil changes over there on odometer mileage, that might mean changing the oil only once every 2.5-3 years. Yikes! How does one say “your engine was destroyed by sludge” in French, or German, or Dutch, or…
If you want something distinctive, consider a 2004 or earlier Nissan Xterra. They are less than $7000 (only the XE for 2005). The 2004 has minimal problems. The 2003 has occasional problems with the EGR valve and power steering return hose, but both are inexpensive repairs. The 2002 also has occasional problems with the EGR valve.
VDC…what is the average miles driven per year in Europe ?
Wiki Answers.
Not that I trust the answer either but among European drivers who have Rovers as second or third cars, I don’t think it’s too far from the norm.