Thread: Potential purchase - Discovery 2 V8

Originally Posted by ozscott

Hi all,

Looking for a D1 or D2 for one of my sons. He is after a V8 in either auto or manual.

He will look at a D2 auto SE7 soon - just over 200,000k. My gut feeling is that it has been overheated - new radiator put in after cooling system 'problems', and we know how accurate the D2 dash gauge is... So, my boy cannot test it properly because it is no longer registered. Not a bad vehicle in terms of overall general condition - quite tidy in fact.

If you assume it is likely to either need head gaskets now or in the near future (and may have a bigger issue like crack in webbing between pots, and I am assuming that if it was going to slip a liner with the overheat it would have done it by now and I would hear it) what would you pay for it? No roadworthy, no proper way to test the cooling before buying (I can take a Nanocom and idling it up for 20 mins might tell me but unless it is really bad it may need to be driven to show up cooling issues).

Cheers

Strongly recommend driving it before a purchase, Scott, there can be lots of hidden driveline nasties if they've been neglected, oils not changed etc, on top of the V8 overheating issues.

As has been mentioned, probably be better with a TD5, they are better in every way (If maintained by someone who knows what they are doing), except for the sound, and even then, they can sound sweet for a diesel.

Originally Posted by discorevy

Strongly recommend driving it before a purchase, Scott, there can be lots of hidden driveline nasties if they've been neglected, oils not changed etc, on top of the V8 overheating issues.

As has been mentioned, probably be better with a TD5, they are better in every way (If maintained by someone who knows what they are doing), except for the sound, and even then, they can sound sweet for a diesel.

Thanks mate. Yep agreed re test drive if at all possible. The vehicle has full service history and receipts and is very low miles and no signs of abuse. The V8 sounds very very sweet so pretty confident overall despite lack of test drive.

My experience with V8's for a couple of decades is they are very easy to maintain. Once you know how to get on top of the head gasket issues by using ARP head studs and good gaskets, and lowering average coolant temps back to D1 levels, the D2 version of the 3.9/4.0 is a gem. They are so simple. Coil packs every few hundred thousand kilometres and once every 300k or so you will have to replace the crank position sensor (both pretty easy jobs for home mech). Good set of plugs every 100,000k. You might have to replace the MAF sensor every 100,000k - again very easy. These are all very cheap parts and easy to do - and diagnostically very easy to suss out what the issue is. Only the CPS will stop you - possibly, as often they will start when the motor has cooled down - and the rest give plenty of warning of rough running. There is nothing else to do on a V8. TD5 is more complex by nature and I while I know plenty of people who have them and I know a good independent LR specialist that works on them (and he prefers owning a V8) I have not had the experience on them I would like in order to recommend to my son. Having said that he is better attuned to mechanical matters than his old man so with the help of people on here and some work I am sure he would be fine with his own maintenance of a TD5, and I know that mechanically the TD5 is a solid motor and generally very long lasting.

Being a young bloke though, he loves the sound and grunt of a V8 (yep I know he could tune up the TD5 and make it go and sound pretty good too, but nothing is as sweet a the V8 on song).

Cheers

Originally Posted by ozscott

Thanks mate. Yep agreed re test drive if at all possible. The vehicle has full service history and receipts and is very low miles and no signs of abuse. The V8 sounds very very sweet so pretty confident overall despite lack of test drive.

My experience with V8's for a couple of decades is they are very easy to maintain. Once you know how to get on top of the head gasket issues by using ARP head studs and good gaskets, and lowing average coolant temps back to D1 levels, the D2 version of the 3.9/4.0 is a gem. They are so simple. Coil packs every few hundred thousand kilometres and once every 300k or so you will have to replace the crank position sensor (both pretty easy jobs for home mech). Good set of plugs every 100,000k. You might have to replace the MAF sensor every 100,000k - again very easy. These are all very cheap parts and easy to do - and diagnostically very easy to suss out what the issue is. Only the CPS will stop you - possibly, as often they will start when the motor has cooled down - and the rest give plenty of warning of rough running. There is nothing else to do on a V8. TD5 is more complex by nature and I while I know plenty of people who have them and I know a good independent LR specialist that works on them (and he prefers owning a V8) I have not had the experience on them I would like in order to recommend to my son. Having said that he is better attuned to mechanical matters than his old man so with the help of people on here and some work I am sure he would be fine with his own maintenance of a TD5, and I know that mechanically the TD5 is a solid motor and generally very long lasting.

Being a young bloke though, he loves the sound and grunt of a V8 (yep I know he could tune up the TD5 and make it go and sound pretty good too, but nothing is as sweet a the V8 on song).

Cheers

Just so you know, Craig is our WA answer to Justin Cooper in Tassie - he did his time on landies and runs a landie business hidden in the deep south. Whatever he says you can take as gospel from a landie guru. Doesn't hurt that he drives a somewhat tuned TD5 amongst his other toys.