2001 Land Rover Discovery

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One of these is for sale near me. Looks interesting, but I know very little about them. Any insight?
 
Not for a DD at this point. Be careful.....fun vehicles, very capable off road, lots of mods available, great looking, great for what they are but that generation was true to LR's reputation. Do some research on them in general and the vehicle specifically. Read the forums, talk to a Rover indy in your area. Could be a fun weekend toy, but this advice comes from an admitted LR/RR fan.

Look for frame and lower bulkhead rust, new galvy chassis are available, listen for ticks/knocks, etc., I want to say there was a weakness in the oil pumps of that era.

As a general rule for used LR's, buy as new as you can...they have gotten much, much better through the years.

Good luck.
 
No real knowledge here but a little insight and prejudice.

1) Neighbor's kid had a Range Rover. Truly nothing but trouble. I thought the added burden of being posh to an overpowered legacy box was just too much.
2) The interiors of all those things was beyond piggy. Is there a wide board with toggle switches between the front seats?
Those switched were dated, vulnerable to dirt and stupid looking.
3) I mentioned to a super involved coworker that an '03 (good price) near me was attractive and he immediately said, "NO WAY".

We all know that any machine is only as good as the maintenance it receives. If this is a hobby vehicle and you're good, it'll probably be an OK vehicle.

I have no poop on Land Rover parts' "avail-a-prices" or whether they ever got their electrical gremlins sorted.
Owners I've spoken with mentioned the electrical problems. TWICE I've seen LR go down the highway at night without lights. That's GOTTA be due to a problem.
 
I'm normally the advocate for buying something foreign, impractical, and borderline unreliable...

But unless you just want it as a toy and you get a VERY good price, walk away.
 
Thanks for the replies. We'll need the car to be somewhat of a DD for the summer. I'll take a look, but remain skeptical.
 
Beautiful vehicles but poorly engineered and built. If you don’t like to be working on a car constantly this isn’t the car for you. My friend has a D2. I think it’s a 2001. Always broken. And last time it was running and we were driving in the rain, we got just as wet on the inside as we would have if we were outside. That thing was leaking all over. It has two sun roofs.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I'm normally the advocate for buying something foreign, impractical, and borderline unreliable...

But unless you just want it as a toy and you get a VERY good price, walk away.



Great summary.

...and I like the way you think, but "borderline" is a pretty high hurdle:)
 
Originally Posted By: wings&wheels
I want to say there was a weakness in the oil pumps of that era.



IIRC they are chain driven, and the drive sprocket should be Loctited on. If it isn't, it can come off, with hilarious consequences.

Hilarious if you drive something else and lack mechanical (or human) sympathy, that is.
 
They are probably among the least reliable vehicles you can drive.

Which is sad because they are very nice looking vehicles.

I looked at them about 2005 and ended up with a Limited 4runner instead.

Two of my friends have owned Discos since (buying them against my advice) and both have been massive piles of [censored]. Break down frequently, parts are $$$$.
 
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Run! I worked for a multi-line luxury dealership for several years, and NOBODY ever leased a 2nd LR or RR...they would get an Escalade or Lexus on the next go-around because the dumb Rovers were so unreliable.

There was a production issue on some early-2000s era Rovers where the manufacturer skimped on a piece of weatherstripping between the hood and one of the fenders, and high-pressure water in a car wash would get somewhere it didn't belong, and it would fry an expensive computer module...immobilizing the vehicle. Ironic that a vehicle that was advertised as such a tough off-roader couldn't get through a mechanized car wash in running condition.
 
Had one in the family a long time ago and it was reliable during its 30-60k mile period of ownership. However the engine is super old tech. You must be in love with Land Rovers and able to fix stuff to consider one imo.
 
If you want a toy, look towards a Disco Series 1...simpler, much more utilitarian interior, center diff lock and somewhat less painful to own (simpler!).

What didn't you like?
 
In 2001, my family went to the Tampa new car show, and knobs had already fallen off the stereo of a Land Rover. I decided that day I would never own a Land Rover.

I hardly ever encountered them where I worked, but when I did, they needed a fortune in repairs. Repairing a Benz seems cheap when compared to repairing a Land Rover.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
In 2001, my family went to the Tampa new car show, and knobs had already fallen off the stereo of a Land Rover. I decided that day I would never own a Land Rover.

I hardly ever encountered them where I worked, but when I did, they needed a fortune in repairs. Repairing a Benz seems cheap when compared to repairing a Land Rover.


Yeah..I remember seeing the same in a first year Disco in the showroom!

Nevertheless, I wanted one as a DD for years (should have bought that Defender in '94, but that is a different story), but just couldn't do until I felt comfortable that they had worked out most of the stupid things that plagued the earlier models. Finally bought a RR Sport in '12 after a horrible experience w/ a Grand Cherokee, figured it couldn't be any worse, and it wasn't..after a few minor teething problems (heated steering wheel wasn't powered, water pump weep), it was great for the next 5 years. I traded it for a new Range Rover HSE w/ the turbodiesel and it has been great so far. Will LR ever be Honda/Toyota quality...no, one look at volume and R&D spend answers that, but they are fine now.

Actually, pretty much all cars are at least good now... We've come a long way.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
In 2001, my family went to the Tampa new car show, and knobs had already fallen off the stereo of a Land Rover. I decided that day I would never own a Land Rover.

People steal them. You'll see the same at any auto show.
 
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