Thread: Should I Buy This D2

the only reason i havnt dove into getting the car is because i am worried about the landrover reliability issue. i dont want to spend 9k all up for the car and to fix it, to find out that something else needs to my fixed/replaced.

the discovery has been around australia twice but has never done any serious off roading, the car is still stock.

what should i watch out for when i go and have a look.

the D2 has aluminium panels right?

coz i will be using it to tow my 1t boat

the td5 is one of the best land rover engines made. i have 362500kms on mine and its been great.

they just need to be looked after. using the right oils and right coolant and they will go for ever.

Originally Posted by technophile

i am worried about the landrover reliability issue..................

the discovery has been around australia twice but has never done any serious off roading, the car is still stock.

Sounds pretty reliable to me. Buy it!

There are a million threads on here about what to look for when buying a D2, have a look at some of those.
Sounds like a good buy, for a vehicle that you know already.

what does the sls do when i have a heavy load or a packed boot. will it bring the car up to normal height.

ps

this is what i intend to add to the discovery if i get it.

will the stock set up be ok, in regards to airbags and suspension. i am a bit worried about the added weight.

Premium Recovery Kit
Deluxe Winch bar
2x IPF 900XS HS
RedArc Dual Battery Set-up
Air Lockers
Full Length alloy Roof rack
Drawer System
78l Fridge Freezer
Touring Tent
Awning
Warn Winch
HEMA Navigation

I got my uncles landy off him. Wasnt to sure to do it or not, heard all the horror stories about land rovers. Work mates told me I was stupid for buying a land rover, would give me nothing but problems........2 months after saying that my bosses 80 series dropped a valve and cracked a piston, set him back $5k.

I havent regretted buying the disco at all. Like yours mine came with lots of extras bullbar, spotties, roof rack, etc and had been well looked after, never seen much off road work. But set up ready to have some fun in.

Love the landy, would only sell it to upgrade to a new 110. Compare the landy to landcruisers, patrols of the same age/Km's/acessories etc......you'll be saving yourself alot of money and getting a 4wd thats just as capable. Plus you know the histroy, which is the biggest reason to buy it.

PLus if you ever get any problems, just jump on here and your questions are answered pretty quickly.

Originally Posted by technophile

what does the sls do when i have a heavy load or a packed boot. will it bring the car up to normal height.

ps

this is what i intend to add to the discovery if i get it.

will the stock set up be ok, in regards to airbags and suspension. i am a bit worried about the added weight.

Premium Recovery Kit
Deluxe Winch bar
2x IPF 900XS HS
RedArc Dual Battery Set-up
Air Lockers
Full Length alloy Roof rack
Drawer System
78l Fridge Freezer
Touring Tent
Awning
Warn Winch
HEMA Navigation

Yup, that's why they call it Self Levelling Suspension, it will pump in or release air till the ride height is level. I understand it should also come with a remote to raise/lower the rear height for easy hitching or more clearance off road.

Looks like you took a trip to ARB and they made out a shopping list for you (at least that's what they did for me). I'm not sure how SLS will go with the added weight, but i know that if you're spending that much money on all those accessories, the least you should do is chip the engine & upgrade the inter cooler. This is especially important if you're gonna do a lot of towing.

If you're planning to do off road work, which it would seem if you need a winch, consider good tyres, wheels and probably a lift kit before air lockers & winches. That chip & intercooler is also important for low down off road work as the stock intercooler doesn't perform well at low speeds.

I'm no expert, but that's my recommendations from what I've read & understand about D2s.

I've had mine for a few months, and its has been really great. I would only point out that D2s had a bad habit of warping exhaust manifolds, but that may have already been done on yours, otherwise it will be relatively cheap fix if the head is being worked on. The tel-tale sign is squeaking for 30 sec on a cold start or whistling while driving.

As for reliability, it's the same as other cars. There will always be something that breaks eventually. I reckon Landrovers are pushed harder & abused a bit cause people think they can take it, but they still wear out & things will break or reliability will drop. Older vehicles more so than newer ones of course.

As i said, I'm no expert, so others can feel free to correct me where I'm wrong Would be nice to welcome you to the world of Land Rover

the list is what will be added when it is finished, i will just plod along and add things slowly.

what is involved in fixing the warped exhaust manifolds, i pretty sure it does squeek on a cold start up, not sure if its for 30 seconds or not, but ill check

thanks all for the help so far

Originally Posted by technophile

i am in perth, WA

the 6k was to clean oil cooler, check oil pump bolt, full head service and replace gasket

I had a full head job done in Perth about 18 -24 months ago on a 4.0l Disco (ie 2 fully reconditioned heads) cost me ~3.2k and that included other work and parts like new radiator (~$450), cooling system clean out.

I think you need another quote.