Land rove Q's for possibly Newbie!?

[Island4x4]

Land Rover Q's for potential Newbie!?

Hello all! I am currently a Jeep Tj owner and am considering going to the next level and getting a Disco (newer model 02-current). I have been told in the past that rovers are very expensive to maintain and that the yearly check up is very expensive. This has been told by non-hands on type people, so not sure how accurate this is on expense. Can you elaborate the type costs I would be looking at intially or in the long run, want to make sure I make a wise investment.


Thanks!

Jim

 

[campbell]

I would say go for it...
But buy either a Rave CD (~$15) or better yet the shop manual (~$120). I previously was not a DIY person, but have learned a lot in the 2 years of Disco ownership. Not because of a lot of problems but mainly because I am 1.5 hours from the nearest dealer and instead of being without a vehicle for a week, I fix it myself. The problem I have around here is if I do need to have a shop look at it, I can't. Once I say Land Rover, they freak-out and run the other direction. I had the hardest time trying to find someone local to check my drive shaft. At any rate, if you like to do your own repair work you should have no problems with a Disco.

Just my $.02

 

[Off Road Disco]

Funny thing is these vehicles are rather easy to work on. But if you're looking for a newer vehicle most of the work is covered for you. If this is going to be used off road then I would look at a pre 2001 or get a 2004 for the CDL. Some 2001's and all 2002-2003's don't have a way to lock the CDL. The pre 2001's just needed the linkage.

 

[Island4x4]

Funny thing is these vehicles are rather easy to work on. But if you're looking for a newer vehicle most of the work is covered for you. If this is going to be used off road then I would look at a pre 2001 or get a 2004 for the CDL. Some 2001's and all 2002-2003's don't have a way to lock the CDL. The pre 2001's just needed the linkage.

It will be used for minimal off-road usuage, light trails, etc... Mainly looking for type of normal operating costs that occur for the 02'+ disco.

 

[campbell]

Change the oil and filter, put gas in it, wash it. If you do water crossings, change the diff fluid (easy to do). No different than a Jeep, I presume. I may be missing something but what yearly check-up needs to be done?

 

[Island4x4]

Change the oil and filter, put gas in it, wash it. If you do water crossings, change the diff fluid (easy to do). No different than a Jeep, I presume. I may be missing something but what yearly check-up needs to be done?

A guy I knew that had a Range Rover said there is some yearly check up you have to do, maybe he was just anal abaout having a Land Rover dealer take his money, just wanted to make sure there was no light that popped on in the rig and cost crazy money to turn off

 

[Sergei]

A guy I knew that had a Range Rover said there is some yearly check up you have to do, maybe he was just anal abaout having a Land Rover dealer take his money, just wanted to make sure there was no light that popped on in the rig and cost crazy money to turn off

There is yearly check for every vehicle. There are in fact also weekly check and 3 months / 6 months checks too

 

[Island4x4]

There is yearly check for every vehicle. There are in fact also weekly check and 3 months / 6 months checks too

True, but he was stating a mandatory check up or something to that affect.

 

[p m]

Mandatory check?

... the only one I am aware of is in absense of oil spots under the truck after an overnight stay.

 

[wolfman]

Having owned the 2002 Disco II, currently owning a 2003 Disco HSE, and 2004 Disco G4...

I gotta tell you that I like the 03 and 04 better than 02. This is mainly for ride quality and engine performance. Mileage is about 2 mpg less for me. I'd still have the 02 if it wasn't smashed in wreck but I'd be finding a way to get more engine performance for sure. The G4 is my favorite due mainly to the locker.

Buddy of mine has a 1997 Disco or so, which is about the same as the 2002 (different length and width though). You might consider a Disco I instead of the 2002 since shorter so better off road angles and such.

 

[Glenn_Guinto]

...Buddy of mine has a 1997 Disco or so, which is about the same as the 2002 (different length and width though).
...

As opposed to a 1997 being sorta the same as a 1996, 1998 and 1999 D1? Am I missing something?

 

[Ajax]

I've found my Rover to be pretty reliable. They are however more expensive to maintain then a domestic car for a few reasons:

1. Parts are more expensive
2. Mechanics who can work on them good are rare and more costly then a domestic garage

However you:

1. Can do a lot of stuff yourself as they are suprisingly easy to work on yourself
2. They last pretty long as long as you do the regular maintenance. Neglect it and it will bite you back.

Mine is up at 131k now and still running as it was new.

 

[utahdog2003]

in typical British fashion, My 03 DII has the CDL nub on the t-case (although I've yet to do anything to it) My guess is that the CDL case was put into service sometime during the 03 product run, and because LR can't say for sure that they ALL have the CDL nub, LR just says 'sarts in 04'.

so if your LR dealer is like mine, and has a boat load of 03s still on the lot, you should crawl around under the thing with your wife's compact and check it out.

my LR has an imort date in July. not that you could use that to scale anything for certain. Who knows, some drunk scott (never a brit )working in Solihill just teetered over to the pile of t-cases labeled 'do not use 'til Oct 1', peed on the sign, and started hauling them over to the assembly cave. Gee, I hope he was sober enough to use a torque wrench!

( there are MANY sexist, ethnocentric jokes in this post, and for all of them I add a hearty )

utahDOG

 

[GregFrench]

NEW parts can be expensive. Use the BB's and find people parting out.
Avoid the dealer, and learn to get your hands dirty. There is always someone on here to help with any problem you may have. Discoweb is the best resource.
I had a Toyota before my Rover. The parts were more expensive, but I never had to replace anything. My Disco is always broken, unreliable, and a constant source of headaches for me. I love that!

 

[Alyssa]

If you are looking at a newer one, are you close to the dealer? If you are close, go to the dealer, because everything is covered under warranty. If you purchase from the dealer, get an extended warranty (Certified). It will pay for itself over and over. Maintenance costs aren't that bad, and if you get an '03 or '04, scheduled maintenance is included up to the 45k service. You will still have to pay for brakes, which you can do yourself and save money, and you will have to pay for tires and windshield wipers. The only expensive services are 30k, 60k, 90k, etc... 60k & 120ks are the real kickers at over $1k. 30k and 90k are $400ish. The rest are in the $80 range. I really don't think Rovers are that more to maintain than other vehicles (unless you have an old one you beat the piss out of.)

 

[jmonsrvr]

the service intervals alyssa mentioned (30, 60, 90K) can be done on your own saving you hundreds of dollars. the work is fairly straight foward and quite simple. regardless if you get a newer truck then you wont have to worry about the service stuff for quite sometime. cheers