Purchasing 2002 Discovery SD; Need Help

[hoosiergrad02]

I am looking for some friendly advice. I have the opportunity to purchase a 2002 Land Rover Discovery SD (75,000 miles) at a good price from my boss. I have rode in the vehicle and it rides well and it has had it's 50,000 full maintenance. He says there are no issues with the vehicle and that this year is the most sought after because it was the last year made before Ford purchased Land Rover. However, I have been told by a friend who works at a body shop that the 2002 model is the worst to buy due to it's reliability. What are your thoughts on someone buying their first Land Rover. Is the 2002 Discovery SD reliable? If it is not, what can I expect to go wrong with it? I really appreciate any advice.

Thanks

 

[joey]

Ford Purchased Land Rover from BMW in 2000, but that is not a bad thing... the 2002 model is like most of the D2 line up with the exception of the offering of the 4.6 liter engine in 2003 IIRC, I know it was in the 2004 model year.

With 50k on the clock and just have a full maintenance done it should be in good shape, but either way, get the VIN and call the local dealer and let them know you are interested, but want to know about any issues.

If you read any info on the web, you will find out that no one (I Repeat no one) will say that Land Rovers as a whole are reliable. But I know I for one will say that my Land Rover 1997 model year (supposed to be one of the worst years) has been more reliable than all 3 of my wifes Chrysler Mini Vans.

I think it is more of how you drive it, and if you do preventive maintenance as well as fixing issues when they come up and not waiting until the issues pile up before fixing them.

One other thing to note. The SD model doesn't have all the options, which can be a good thing as far as electrical issues go.

 

[rctaylor]

I recently bought a 1999 DII with 77K and was also concerned about reliability. You read all over the web about people having so many problems with Land Rovers. I can tell you know that I am MUCH less concerned. This car drives well. I've taken it off road several times on boulder strewn High Sierra 4WD trails and bumped along rocky fire roads and its running great. I even scraped the bottom side of the transfer case on a boulder with no problem. I also scraped my bottom front fender on a boulder and while I'll need to touch up the paint scratches there was no dent. These cars are tough! I am thinking that people who have problems don't like to pay attention to preventive maintenance and care for their vehicles. This car seems to be well made, tough and reliable to me, for what it's worth!