Land Rover Brand

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bigduby

New Member
Aug 27, 2007
106
MD
Boat Info
1999 400DA
Engines
Cat 3116TA x 2
I am looking at buying a used Land Rover Discovery SE around 2002-2004. Mileage is running between 75K and 110K on most used ones. I don't know anything about this brand or these vehicles and I was wondering if there was anything owners could contribute about them. Maintenance is my biggest question, and after that, what breaks, wears out, or generally sucks about this model/year. I generally will use it as a back/forth vehicle to the boat to haul stuff and as a 4WD vehicle if it ever snows in MD. So not every day use on this vehicle. I am also curious about how they do as a tow vehicle. I have a 5500# boat I am trying to sell but will have to tow it short distances until I do.

Thanks,
Scott
 
Not trying to be a smart ass but why would you want to buy something you know nothing about? British cars tend not to be great......OK let the Jaguar bigots be heard (Frank C...)
 
I was posted to the UK for several months in 1979 where I had the misfortune to have a Rover company car. I know things have probably changed in the past 30 years, but I'd recommend a used Yugo before anything with the name Rover in it.

Henry
 
I wouldn't touch anything from Land Rover. Mechanical / parts hell on earth. Nothing but bad reviews from everybody. Very expensive to fix and they rust like crazy.
 
If I were buying a used highline SUV with those miles on it, I'd only look at Lexus LX (Toyota Landcruiser), GX or perhaps an Acura MDX......and I'd run from a Land Rover.
 
I'd have to ask the same question,why would you want to by something you don't know anything about? Rover's are (used to be) a "symbol" in SE FL. They suck on gas, cost a lot to get serviced (considered one in one of my delusional states - coconut water and rum). Anyway, I had Inifinity FX for a while and it was great (the Nisan Murano is a better deal). I'm with Frank, go with the Lexus or Infiniti - my humble .02
 
I've owned 3 Jaguars and can tell you the people that say they are not dependable or crappy have never owned one. Most people think of Jaguar when they were owned by British Leyland (Triumph, MG, Rover, etc.). Completely different now.

All that being said, you did not say what you wished to pay for the vehicle. I don't care what brand you buy, when you get to that kind of mileage, you are rolling the dice. Same as a boat with 200-300 hours on it. Did the prior owner take care of it? Proper level of service, etc.? It all depends....

If you are serious about this brand, look for a factory certified pre-owned. You can always try www.Texascarsdirect.com. They have been in business since 1981 selling used Jags- very reputable place. They also now sell Land Rovers. I did not see any of what you are looking for in that mileage range. However, it's a good place to browse several used models. They will typically be a bit cheaper than any other place out there because of their volume.
 
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This is (was) the begining stages of finding out about it. Initially we liked the look of this vehicle so I decided to look into it to find out more. We are looking for a 4WD vehicle/suv as a 3rd car and don't want to spend more than 10 or 12K. My last one was a 1995 suburban for 5K a long time ago and its now time to replace that vehicle. I finally got to see/test drive one for the first time, and I think we have decided to move on to something else. I do appreciate the comments and ideas for other vehicles. Many of them I'm not familiar with so I will continue the search. I know my $$ will limit me to an older probably higher mileage vehicle but for as little as we use it I think that is OK.
Thanks again for the comments.
 
I bought a new Landcruiser in '99 and have no intentions of parting with it EVER. Its only had two repairs: Replaced the starter contacts and had the emergency brake freeze up from lack of use. While I paid nearly $50K for it new, the $/mile cost is low considering I can buy a new vehicle and drive it for life. I think the cruiser is SO much better than the Rover there's just no comparison.

I rarely get to go "off roadin'". But, when I do, I'm impressed!

Dennis
 
I'm not sure if this horse is dead yet, but, let me try to beat it some more.

I purchased a brand new 2006 LR3 HSE (the successor to the Disco) and paid +$50K for it. Just got rid of it for less than $20K. 3 years old and around 45,000 miles. I have never had a bigger piece of crap in my life and I know that I gave it away.

Believe me, the poor reliability ratings these things get are valid.

If I sound bitter, its because I am.

...and I still think its one of the best looking SUV's on the road!:smt021:smt101:smt021
 
Jag and Land Rover share some engineering and things like engine technology, although they are separate companies. My wife's Jag has been very reliable. No problems. My sister-in-law had the Range Rover on lease and they didn't have any issues with that car either.
 
Marvin Gardens said:
I'm not sure if this horse is dead yet, but, let me try to beat it some more.

I purchased a brand new 2006 LR3 HSE (the successor to the Disco) and paid +$50K for it. Just got rid of it for less than $20K. 3 years old and around 45,000 miles. I have never had a bigger piece of crap in my life and I know that I gave it away.

Believe me, the poor reliability ratings these things get are valid.

If I sound bitter, its because I am.

...and I still think its one of the best looking SUV's on the road!:smt021:smt101:smt021
Click to expand...


And, I know a guy that had a Porsche C2S that was in the shop non-stop- including an engine replacement. However, Porsche is still one of the highest quality most reliable vehicles on the road. Every so often, you get one with gremlins.

IMO, if one wants an "SUV" for part time (third car) haulin' and knocking around, you cannot beat an American made crew cab pickup for the (used) price. Of course, get a 3/4 ton with a Cummins and you are set :) One of these with 100-150K miles is pretty cheap to find and still has 150 - 200 K miles worth of life in it.

It's not as pleasing on the eye as a Land Rover however.
 
I have hi-line European cars, but my favorite tow vehicle of all time is my wife's 2006 Lincoln Nav Ultimate. 4WD, any idiot can work on it, it'll pull Shamu out of quicksand, and very comfortable.
 
The body doesn't rust because they are made of Aluminum. That's about the only good feature. Get Consumer Reports guide to car buying. It rates Land Rover terribly for reliability. Compound that with the high cost of parts and labor and you have youself another money hole to add to your list.
 
I like my Navi. Damned thing just keeps going and going and going. Over the last decade and couple of hundred thousand miles, she's been very reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Since the mechanics are basically Ford truck I can, for example do a complete brake job for a few hundred at all four wheels including new pad and rotors. Compare that to say a Porsche Cayenne, it's a couple of thousand just for parts.

I've found over the years that consumer reports auto guide is pretty much written by guys with their heads up... where the sun doesn't shine.
 
I love my Avalanche, but only owned it for a year. bought it used 2005 LT 50k miles, $13k. seats 5, has a pickup bed with hard covers. I can pack my whole boat into the pickup bed and still haul 4 people and a dog. I only use it on the weekends to go back and forth to the boat. Never towed anything yet so I can't comment on that. but I do have an awesome tent that I bought that's custom fit for the bed.

I did check out the land rovers and IMO, PASS!!!
 
Jaguar XJ8. 10 years old, 110,000 mls what's failed......two $20 ignition coils and NOTHING ELSE. 100,000 mile service $200 including belts, filters, and 2 galls fully sysnthetic oil.
The car is unmarked without the slightest sign of any rust.
(My boss' 4 Year old Mercedes has holes rusted right through.) I have a lot of respect for American cars and cannot understand why anyone living there would consider buying anything other than one of those, but here parts for a PT Cruiser cost literally ten times what they are for a Jaguar.
Yes it only does 28-29 to the gallon but if you buy an economy car it aint going to tow 2 tons.:smt013
 
In case you are thinking about a used Mercedes, I would stay away from that brand as well. Several years ago they moved to a Canbus system for their electronics. The system is computer controlled and the early release was buggy as hell. I have heard of people taking their cars in for an oil change and were stuck at the dealership for hours while the car received software updates. Not sure who pays for that when the car is out of warranty.

I understand that most of these issues have been resolved with the latest generation of Mercedes ( 2 to 3 years old).

I would look at Consumers Reports for repair history on what ever truck your decide on.

Good Luck
 
JediJD said:
I have hi-line European cars, but my favorite tow vehicle of all time is my wife's 2006 Lincoln Nav Ultimate. 4WD, any idiot can work on it, it'll pull Shamu out of quicksand, and very comfortable.
Click to expand...

I've never been in the quicksand. But I appreciate the offer of a tow.
 
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