Sold my Heavily Modded D2 back in BC and Moved to CA. Should I buy another D2?

S

Smesh

New member
Aug 17, 2012
2
0
Marina Del Rey, CA
My truck was pretty maxed out. I had a 2002 D2 with swapped Tcase with CDL, dual TT's, GBR 4.11's, RTE everywhere, rear GD bumper, lightforce lights, lift, SSR's, QD sways, dual odysseys, winch, Hannibal rack, roof tent, new 4.6 30k miles ago, etc. Sold it because I had too many vehicles to import and I thought I would just build a new one.

I ended up getting only $12k for everything, but it was sitting in storage and I needed to move it. Since it was a Canada truck and had a fair bit of undercarriage rust, I figured I would just buy a 2004 and rebuild. But I've found two things.

1) The prices here are more than I expected for the stock 2004's and the vehicles have very high mileage.

2) I'm hearing that many, many people, are having tons of motor issues, and while I had the GH and scored cylinders issues myself, and replaced the motor, I thought it was an isolated incident. It seems that many people are having ongoing issues with this, and it makes me nervous about buying another one. Is buying a disco now a bad idea? Is it just a big headache and poor resale for a built rig?

I'm pretty spoiled and would want to build it up. Not sure I can just drive a stock Disco now. I've owned and built two, and have experienced most of the issues, but at the moment, I can't really afford to go crazy on mods or replace a motor. I'll have to do it slowly and hope the truck isn't a royal PITA. I don't even have all my tools here yet.

So what do you guys think? I've been looking at other 4x4 utilities and nothing compares to my beloved Rover. I'd rather have a 2004 built D2 than a much newer Jeep or pickup any day. :(
 
p m

p m

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Apr 19, 2004
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Why don't you treat yourself to a clean, rust-free, D1 or Classic?
Even a P38A can be better than a D2.
Mileage is not an issue, really. SoCal trucks don't suffer from cold starts, too much water in oil from condensation, etc.
 
Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,766
566
Seattle
The 2004 engine issues are well documented and discussed in many threads on this board. If you can find a 2004 that doesn't have the characteristic flaws, then go for it. But at the same time you should understand whether it's your head or your heart that is behind your desire for a 2004. Looking at it objectively, there's not a strong argument in favor of buying a 2004 unless you can verify engine condition, which can be tricky.

If you are in love with the D2, why not find one that is fundamentally sound as a starting point (pre-2003) and plan on replacing the motor as part of your rebuild? It sounds like the build is a big part of the enjoyment for you, so it makes sense to start with a solid canvas instead of a time bomb. Otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of sweet parts bolted to a piece of shit. But really, I guess they are all time bombs. The wider the net you're willing to cast, the better the chances are that you'll find a good truck to build up.
 
Buddy

Buddy

Well-known member
Nov 6, 2006
2,839
1
Central NC
The '04's seem to have a higher resale value I'm not sure why. My thought is that they are the last year of the Discovery and that they have the Factory CDL. For some reason even people who never off road seem to think this is some magical feature.

As a bean counter I have to agree that given the cost of maintenance & mods combined with the rapid depreciation there is not really financial reason to own a Rover. But for some reason I just can't bring myself to own anything else for off road use. You just need to decide on what you "want" if you try and justify it on a financial basis the numbers will not work out.

As to what to buy, that depends on what you want to use it for. Having owned a very nice clean '04 I would agree with others that for most cases I would buy a nice DI or RRC before getting getting an '04. You'll get a lot more bang for the buck.
 
jymmiejamz

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,010
362
36
Los Angeles, Ca
The problem with D1's and RRC's is that its hard to find one in decent shape unless you pay a ton of money for it. That's also starting to be the case with DII's. If you're patient you can find one though.
 
ukoffroad

ukoffroad

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
2,125
169
Lynchburg, Va
Look for one like the Red one that was recently for sale with the bad engine, get a P38 motor and build as needed, should be less than 5k and you have a motor you can feel reasonably good about. The rest of a P38 is scrap in my opinion unless you work for NASA.
 
Devildog01

Devildog01

1
Jan 25, 2010
3,544
4
your moms bed
p m said:
For most everything, including off roading. Electrical nightmare they may have been, but rarely broke mechanically.
Click to expand...

You must be drinking some of Justin's P38 kool aid. Yea P38's are so great at off roading that's why you see them all kitted out at every event.
 
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