Advice for first time buyer: 2004 Disco SE

[DrK01]

Hey folks, I am looking at buying an 04 Discovery SE with 66k miles. It looks super clean, but is at a dealership in Ohio, 6 hours away. I have wanted a discovery forever, but have been hesitant to purchase one with the possible maintenance/breakdowns, but am trying to convince myself that with strict 3k mile oil changes, regular coolant flushes, and maintenance, that it might not be a nightmare. Is there anything I can do to rest my mind or is there still a certain amount of gamble and chance at play? Thanks so much for the help.
Daniel in VA

 

[Dubai Disco]

My 2004 Discovery 2 is the most fun, quirky and enjoyable car I've owned...when it works! My experience, and that of many on these forums is that there is a lot that can go wrong with these cars. They are generally easy to fix and parts are plentiful. My car is used off-road in some fairly challenging conditions (300' dunes, temps up to 130F). The beast has never left me stranded, but most months, I fix or replace something.

Your application may be less demanding and I'm sure there are owners that have experienced better reliability. However, if you're looking for a trouble-free vehicle, this probably isn't it.

 

[Disco Mike]

Never having owned a Disco, I would highly suggest you make arrangements with the dealer to take it to a Rover shop and have them do a pre-purchase inspection other then a compression test. It will cost you around $100 but at least you will know what you are buying and not have to depend on what the dealer tells you which is usually not accurate.

 

[iconoclast]

I am in similar situation and did not want to start a new thread and risk cluttering the forum. I have been on a search for the perfect (to me) 2004 Discovery for nearly a year. I finally narrowed it down to two. one with 62k miles the other with 74k miles. Both have detailed service history and extensive maintenance done to them but both owners have told me these vehicles are not for the faint of heart which has scared me away from the idea altogether.

I have owned several vehicles and some being the newer Range Rovers and I am not a stranger to wrenching on my own cars but I am looking for a winter "beater" that I may use to go snowboarding. I will be 200+ Miles away from home and in rural areas and with wife and children.

While reliability isn't this vehicles strong point all the other features are and it is one that I wanted for a very long time. So what am I asking? Let's get to the point... I don't mind throwing money into this car to make it straight and dial it in but my concern is once I do and stay on top of maintenance will be remain reliable enough to venture off or will it still be the troublesome headache that nearly everyone has told me to expect?

 

[Disco Mike]

Same answer I give everybody who has never owned a Rover and is not mechanically inclinded, find a good Rover shop and have them do a pre-purchase inspection.

 

[iconoclast]

I've owned 2008 RRS-SC, 2009 RR-SC, 2011 RRS-SC, 2014 RRS among other vehicles and I am not shy about wrenching or having issues with cars my concern is post inspection. PPI checks out, car is up to *****. I put new tires and suspension and brakes in and then what do I expect? From what I read, ABS, Transmission, Oil Consumption seem to be the major flaws or issues to expect but these are not items a standard PPI would detect.

As stated earlier I found two "perfect" cars (and by perfect I mean abnormally maintained and in good condition for a decade old vehicle) and my concern isn't reconditioning but down the road having to toss a new engine in or basically donating a car I just put $5k into that is worth is $5k.