Recommendation for first time buyer

[realpolaris]

I have finally decided to join the land rover group and buy my first used I was hoping for some experienced guidance. All 2 groups are within the same price range so money is not much difference. Main purpose is for camping, hunting, fishing and general off-road. I want to get in and make sure i can get out of an area that has no roads. steep rocks i prolly wont be going over.

both $3500
1997 lifted 3.5" with ome lift, custom lift large tires, alot of little things need repair 300k km. interior in rough shape but expdected for age and usage
1999 stock 150k km

both $5000
2001 stock Land Rover Discovery SE7 200K km
2002 stock Land Rover Discovery SE7 190K km

I was planning on putting an ARB bumper and air lockers. Do all of these require 2 air lockers or just a single (heard something about a single dif on rovers) and raising with ome set for 3" or whatever i can get without major modifications.

 

[2yellowlabs]

Find a nice 2004. 4.6L, center diff lock, bugs worked out (or as much as can be expected from a LR), last and best year of the model.

 

[tmcgraw]

Find a nice 2004. 4.6L, center diff lock, bugs worked out (or as much as can be expected from a LR), last and best year of the model.

Kind of funny considering 2003-2005 is when B.M.W. was running LR into the ground (theoretically). Where I work, we actually get more problem-children with bigger-type jobs off of these model years.

I would recommend that you don't look at just the car but look up the problems each one can experience, which you'll probably find by using "DISCO2 noise" in Google.

By working with Land Rover I've learned that owning one has three mindsets, two of which are sentimental.

First is the people who own them because they are the nicest SUV on the road. These people believe that since they spent $***,*** on a vehicle it should be immune to things like exhaust gasket leaks, light bulb failures, and mechanical things going wrong. They forget these vehicles are produced for a niche and the company goals is not to make Original Gangsta's ride pretty. It's to create an awesome off-road rig that you can wash off later and go to dinner in. (Which I think they've set the standard for THAT these days.)

Second, your off-roaders; these guys know how to fix the problems, what problems are going to come up and keep a mechanics-set of tools in their LR at all times, they don't complain when something breaks they fix it and carry on, or if it's beyond them the dealer gets it.

Third is a balance of the two, but way more in sentimentalism about their vehicles, these are my favorite people.

 

[realpolaris]

Thanks for the insite i think this helps put things into perspective. I do plan on attempting to do as much as the work as i can myself and dont mind getting my hands dirty and researching and reading. Not to say i have ever worked on a car other then in shop class back in school, but that wont hold me back. However on the other hand have to keep the wife and kids happy as they will drive in it as well once in a while so it needs to have some common luxuries that they have become accustomed to. I have looked at 2 so far and the other 2 this weekend and then will decide. looking at different years gives me some insite maybe what to expect in the future as the 2 olders have alot of little things that would drive the common car driver nuts, but I am ok with and would just add it to a to-do list, and the LR runs great and sounded great.
That alone really solidifies my choice in going with the LR more then before.

 

[2yellowlabs]

Good advice. All Land Rover models/years have an achilles heel of some kind. I own as part of my fleet a first year 99.5 DII myself and had to do a complete valve job and headgasket at 46K miles. I fit most into your last category so I'm just biased to the brand I guess. I've loved these things since watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on TV as a kid. In a nutshell I'd suggest having any car checked out by a mechanic before you buy if possible, especially vehicles with expensive computer run components.

Kind of funny considering 2003-2005 is when B.M.W. was running LR into the ground (theoretically). Where I work, we actually get more problem-children with bigger-type jobs off of these model years.

Third is a balance of the two, but way more in sentimentalism about their vehicles, these are my favorite people.

 

[joey]

Agreeing somewhat other than BMW bought LR in 1994 and sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. Ford sold to TATA in 2008. Ford did wonders with Rover in my opinion, they fix a lot of Quality Control items. Not perfect obviously but did a lot to help.

 

[tmcgraw]

Agreeing somewhat other than BMW bought LR in 1994 and sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. Ford sold to TATA in 2008. Ford did wonders with Rover in my opinion, they fix a lot of Quality Control items. Not perfect obviously but did a lot to help.

Well I can tell you you're right on purchase dates of ownership but from a Dealer stand point we actually refer to the 2003-2005 as the BMW years, because that's when the engines were made by BMW and top ends are a bit of a problem on them.

 

[alzerom]

I joined a couple years ago with a 97 and 215,000K and problems galore. I then got a 2004 with 71K and it's been a dream. My mistake was the 97 was too old and too many miles. The 2004 is a favorite because the drive train was better for off road in it's stock form.