Land Rover for the wife...

The old lady wants me to get her a used Land Rover. I've found several 2001 models (both Range Rovers and Discoverys) for around $10,000 (thats about the extent of my budget) with 80k or so miles.

I know next to nothing about them, nor do I intend to drive anything other then my XJ...but what do y'all know about em? I know they have a horrible reputation for reliability.

My wife wanted one of those Discovery 2s. So we went to a car show and sat in a floor model, honestly it feels funny. The seat felt really high and you couldn't adjust it. She liked everything else about the vehicle but the driver seat position ruined it for her.

i had a 00 disco II for a month. it was so awful, I bought my second XJ after returning the LR to those Carmax fookers.

in 1 month of ownership

front axleshafts began wobbling on acceleration. the cost to repair was likely enormous.

driver's side power window got stuck 2 inches from fully closed, and it rained

ignition key repeatedly jammed in cylinder, nearly stranding us at random moments.


im sure plenty more excitement was on its way, due to LR part prices.
i'd get another jeep. go with the devil you know...

My latest boss used to own a rover and blew the engine several months after he purchased it. Dealer didn't want to cover it, and wanted an exorbitant amount to replace.

My uncle is a master mechanic for Land Rover. Let's put it this way - he refuses to own one, but recognizes that he's got great job security in being an LR mechanic.

And stay clear of the Freelanders. The engines are junk - so much so that the manufacturer is out of business and you can't get replacement engines under warranty for the damn things.

Run, do not walk away.

-----Matt-----

I agree, they also leak oil like crazy. The motors are old school designs as well, lots of better choices out there. If you want to get a luxury SUV that is big has no power and leaks oil get an old Grand Wagoneer and save some money .

A friend of mine works is a tech at the LR dealer on route1 near woodbridge NJ.

Same story. He would not own one for personal use.

Parts are expensive for them, and other than some luxery items I'm not sure what they deliver above and beyond an XJ. A Grand Cherokee could even be had with those miles for much cheaper and come close in luxery type items.

I'd also suggest to stay away from a used LR.

Well I guess I can't add much here LOL!!!

My wife had a Discovery... Nice and comfortable, ran well, handled off-road really well for a stock vehicle....

I think $1200.00 is a bit steep for new brakes though......

The rotors have to be replaced as often as the pads.... Get's expensive...

I found the parts online for $400.00 and did the job myself.....

The air ride suspension went out and dealer wanted $5,000.00.....

She traded it in for an Expedition....

Before I got my first XJ, I was looking at Land-Rovers ranging from a Series IIA SWB to a late-'90s Range Rover and a Discovery. I'd owned two Series IIAs in the past as well as a 1974 Range Rover (briefly), and my folks had had a 300TDi Discovery. None of them had been particularly problematic, though all had required attention at some point.

What I figured out as I was looking at various 4WD vehicles, however, was that this is the wrong continent for them. Parts costs are ridiculously high, parts availability is probably going to leave the vehicle parked while you wait x number of weeks (or months) for them, and overall it just seemed as though buying one here was a losing proposition all around. We had owned ours in Ireland or the UK where none of this was an issue, but in the US it was a completely different story.

If this were Europe, Africa, or Australia, it might make sense to get one - but given that Land-Rover has never had more than a very small presence here, they're basically boutique vehicles with all of the support issues that entails.

Yuk!!! Thanks everyone...I knew they had a bad rap for being problematic at best. As I said, I could care less about driving one. I'm just peachy in my '89 XJ. The wife won't drive an XJ though (at least not the old body style...) and shes got a boner for the Land Rovers.

I'm gonna try and steer her into a newer XJ though...

How about a Landcruiser instead?

Well, like was said, not much to add.

FWIW, Im a land rover tech at a Land Rover dealer. They Suck. Granted, I only see the broken ones, but I still know they suck. I could go on forever, but ill keep it simple. This is all for just the discoveries... The engines frequently need the WHOLE thing re-sealed. Theyre all aluminum and they leak oil from the oil pan, vc, heads, timing cover...u get the point. Front axle seals leak. Brakes only last a few thousand miles and cost about $1500 to get new pads and rotors - at the dealer, which is rediculous. ABS modules love to take a crap, whcih is over $1000. Window regulators fail, Air compressors fail if u have air suspension, air injection pumps fail, ac modules fail O2 sensors fail.... etc. The engine is sooo weak and gets about 12 mpg. The TC in the later ones don't have a locking center diff, so if 1 tire looses traction, u go nowhere! It rides pretty loudly too.

And to top it off, they are COMPLETELY LAST on JD Powers and Associates initial quality ratings...look it up.

On a good note: they look cool, have coil sprung radius arms front and rear with solid axles, and are actually pretty good offroad. If u ever plan to go offroad I'd get a series I, or an early series II. The later series IIs are for soccer moms only. I hear you can relatively easily change every single body panel, including the rear quarters if need be also.

Defender 90s are f-in awesome, but waay too much money IMHO.

igotanxj said:

Defender 90s are f-in awesome, but waay too much money IMHO.

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They're also not bringing them in with the good (diesel) drivetrain. I agree with you on the runout versions of the Rover V8: having had that engine in a few vehicles, it started going downhill with the 4.2 and really digging in with the 4.6. Prior to that it had been decent for what it was, but was really starting to be on life support by that stage. It's no big surprise that Overfinch made a killing dropping LS-1s and similar into Range Rovers, etc. in the 1990s.

I love the looks of them, but I don't want to get something that I am unable to perform regular maintenance on. I want to be able to go to Napa and get brake pads, u-joints, etc. Sounds like that isn't possible.

My advice: stay away from the freelanders like the plague. The rest I have no experience with.

Silver60th said:

My advice: stay away from the freelanders like the plague. The rest I have no experience with.

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Yeah the freeelander that got macked by my buddy's 53' trailer should have stayed away from him. I personally wouldn't mind having a disco.

You can get a NICE 2001-2003 Grand Cherokee Limited for $10,000.

Heated leather seats, cushy ride - and a LOT cheaper and easier to fix yourself. :thumbup:


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