CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Any on here, or someone who has had experiences with land rovers? I'm looking at a 1996 Land Rover Discovery as a daily driver. I've always liked the look of them, and I am definitely a fan of the Defenders, but dont know a lot about the discovery's. I looked at one tonight, mechanic owned, he recently replaced the rear end, socks, waterpump and a couple of other things. There are few things that concern me a bit. Main thing is the ebrake drum that sits on the drive shaft, it still works, but it makes noise when accelerating at first and then quites out, but makes noise again when decelerating. The owner told me that its a common problem on those, and even if replaced they still make noise so the best solution is to take them off. It needs a steering damper, power steering return line is leaking a bit and so is the transfer case. Those things dont sound too bad to fix or just ignore, or is that not the case on those? I just dont want this thing to take a shit on me or costing me a fortune. I know that its not cheapest DD but its what I'm looking for. Any input/advice will be appreciated from people who actually have knowledge about them. He's asking $2000 OBO so its the price range I'm looking at. I did look around on some forums, and they sound pretty reliable...nothing too major. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 the ones i have seen..full of fail...but you like cars liek that so i dont know.. last few i have seen had issue with the t stat...which isnt fun to change, and you have to replace all the plastic tube that go to it cause they all crack... let alone the other countless issues the other one had Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Land rovers are notorious for having very high maint/operating costs. They are not very reliable, and should be bought with caution. With that said, the above statements (while not untrue) are the same ones posted in ANY German car thread. (gearhead proves my point in perfect fashion) Do with that what you will. Can't say I would buy one as a daily, but I would buy one as an offroad toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitrousbird Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Way more work than they are worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 last few i have seen had issue with the t stat...which isnt fun to change, and you have to replace all the plastic tube that go to it cause they all crack... let alone the other countless issues the other one had This one just had the thermostat replaced. The guy was saying that they are square shaped which is...different. Any other experiences? Land rovers are notorious for having very high maint/operating costs. They are not very reliable, and should be bought with caution. With that said, the above statements (while not untrue) are the same ones posted in ANY German car thread. (gearhead proves my point in perfect fashion) Do with that what you will. Can't say I would buy one as a daily, but I would buy one as an offroad toy. Yeah, I am aware of their reputation, but I am also aware of other car's reputations, like german cars are fail, hondas last forever etc, and thats its not always true. It will probably be as much of a daily as my S4, just a bit more. But basically for things the S4 wont do and things I dont want the S4 to do like haul shit, drive in real deep snow, driving to shitty areas, roadtrips and a backup car when working on the S4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 i think i might have that old on..i'll see if i do and snap a pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 get a jeep and call it a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOSIE Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 They are junk. Friend of mine owned one for a year. He was always fixing shit on it and parts weren't cheap. He couldn't wait to get rid of it. Think it had around 80k miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 http://www.p38spares.co.uk/commerce_images/range_rover_p38_thermostat.jpg looks like that....but there are 2 or 3 other plastic tubes in there that needs changed with it.. oh and its under the intake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 get a jeep and call it a day. I thought about it, and look into it. Thats actually how I came across this land rover. The jeeps I like are more than what I'm willing to pay for one, ~$6000 range. I can get a $2000 jeep but they look rough, and the interior is very outdated, tons of miles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 looks like that....but there are 2 or 3 other plastic tubes in there that needs changed with it.. oh and its under the intake Interesting. You know it does have a ford motor in it. You admitting to something here? That a certain blue oval brand makes crap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 the discovery is different from the one i am thinking of that i see all the time (freelander is the one im thinking of with the t stat issue) but the discovery, had brake and transmission issue's...and are bad about cracking the exhaust manifolds as well... not many engine failures that i have seen...mainly other drive line issues , and electrical gremlins from what i remember . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 the discovery is different from the one i am thinking of that i see all the time (freelander is the one im thinking of with the t stat issue) but the discovery, had brake and transmission issue's...and are bad about cracking the exhaust manifolds as well... not many engine failures that i have seen...mainly other drive line issues , and electrical gremlins from what i remember . Oh now that you find out its a ford its sweet? lol. Oh yea the freelander is more "girly", kinda like a jeep liberty. But that sounds about right from what the owner was telling me. The transmission was replaced, brakes have been replaced, rear diff too. He did say they had electrical issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Oh now that you find out its a ford its sweet? lol. Oh yea the freelander is more "girly", kinda like a jeep liberty. But that sounds about right from what the owner was telling me. The transmission was replaced, brakes have been replaced, rear diff too. He did say they had electrical issues. i had a guy that owned 3 discovers..swapping parts between them was always what he had me doing.. and i couldnt remember the name of the one with the t stat issue... but to be honest, i dont liek the mod motors all that much..but for some reason, in the landrovers, every thing else breaks so much you dont have to worrie about engine failure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I thought about it, and look into it. Thats actually how I came across this land rover. The jeeps I like are more than what I'm willing to pay for one, ~$6000 range. I can get a $2000 jeep but they look rough, and the interior is very outdated, tons of miles... 100k is nothing they can easily hit the 250k and 300k mile range and are built like tanks. (even the trans). 97+ has a update int. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=269341956&dealer_id=64657825&car_year=2000&rdm=1259632951705&lastStartYear=1981&model=CHER&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=25&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=JEEP&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=43119&advanced=&end_year=2010&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=22&standard=false&rdpage=thumb. its $6000 but has a very good setup and was done right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossle Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Would stay away, if you weren't already a German/British vehicle owner. It won't be that much worse than owning a VW/Audi to be honest. Maintenance records are key. Normally I would be jumping up and down saying no, but you own and have dealt with the, at times, high cost of owning a vehicle like this and apparently want some more lol. The older you go the worse off they are, in other words it is hard to find a nice older one. I was just having a conversation with Andrew (Supplicium) about buying a land rover the other day. I would love to have one, but I am pushed away b/c of ABS lights and check engine lights...both of which occur often at times and can be costly to make go away. The last few older Rovers that rolled through the shop left w/o work done b/c they need so much work (more than it was worth) that it just was not worth fixing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 100k is nothing they can easily hit the 250k and 300k mile range and are built like tanks. (even the trans). 97+ has a update int. its $6000 but has a very good setup and was done right. Yeah, I like the inline 6 motors, the updated interior and the fact that they are reliable and parts are everywhere. I just cant justify spending that much on one since I'm not really into offroading that much, and im definitely not looking for something lifted. It's cool and all but just not what I want right now. For 6k I'd rather buy an Audi Just looking for something less than 3k, preferably around 2k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Chris, Do you really need the size/storage of a truck/SUV ? Why not an old Subie like an outback or such: http://images.autotrader.com/images/2009/8/24/267/022/12812313697.267022986.IM1.02.565x421_A.562x421.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Automotive Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Trans Issues Diff Issues Rear End Issue Exhaust Manifolds Those are the major problems on those. Other then that pretty decent vehicle. I used to work for MAG LandRover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Would stay away, if you weren't already a German/British vehicle owner. It won't be that much worse than owning a VW/Audi to be honest. Maintenance records are key. Normally I would be jumping up and down saying no, but you own and have dealt with the, at times, high cost of owning a vehicle like this and apparently want some more lol. The older you go the worse off they are, in other words it is hard to find a nice older one. I was just having a conversation with Andrew (Supplicium) about buying a land rover the other day. I would love to have one, but I am pushed away b/c of ABS lights and check engine lights...both of which occur often at times and can be costly to make go away. The last few older Rovers that rolled through the shop left w/o work done b/c they need so much work (more than it was worth) that it just was not worth fixing. Oh yeah, this one had an ABS light on...it sounds like that, at least this specific one, is not for me. I am fine with paying a bit more for parts as long as its not ridiculous and doesn't occur too often, but I will go look at some other ones and see what I can find, and check maintenance records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Chris, Do you really need the size/storage of a truck/SUV ? Why not an old Subie like an outback or such: Not very often at all, but it would be nice. I dunno about lesbaru's man...just dont really care for the way they look. Trans Issues Diff Issues Rear End Issue Exhaust Manifolds Those are the major problems on those. Other then that pretty decent vehicle. I used to work for MAG LandRover Are the drivetrain issues typically a result of poor maintenance/abuse or are they pretty much guaranteed to go bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Automotive Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I can tell you they weren't a result of inadequate maintenance. MAG didnt play around with warranty claims. You had to have every service done to get warranty work. The number one thing, that I always saw in Service was the diff's, second runner up was the exhaust manifolds. Most owners of these, will most likely have service records. And if your lucky and nice enough, you may be able to sweet talk someone at MAG into reviewing services performed with the VIN. When I worked there I had to pay for the 20k service to get a reverse gear warrantied at 31k. The only reason I got that, was because I was an employee. If I was a walk in, I'd have been paying for a full rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPL_Josh Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 all the discovery's we had at our dealership had tons of problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvfastcarz Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Most of these people speak from no experience, but from what they have heard. I have owned about 7 land rovers (mostly range rovers) and am amazed at the quality, the ride and what I got for the price I have paid. On the newer 4.0 engines, make damn sure that the headgaskets aren't leaking. It is common that the headbolts back off and ruin the headgaskets. All though the parts aren't too expensive, unless you are doing the work yourself, things would start to get costly. Feel more than free to bring your car by my shop for me to check it out and no cost, and look at my Discovery II and Range Rover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 This one just had the thermostat replaced. The guy was saying that they are square shaped which is...different. Any other experiences? Yeah, I am aware of their reputation, but I am also aware of other car's reputations, like german cars are fail, hondas last forever etc, and thats its not always true. It will probably be as much of a daily as my S4, just a bit more. But basically for things the S4 wont do and things I dont want the S4 to do like haul shit, drive in real deep snow, driving to shitty areas, roadtrips and a backup car when working on the S4. Well, landrovers are actually garbage... seriously, take heed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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