[Krystal]

Hey everyone! I'm new here! My name is Krystal and I'm originally from Cali, now living in North Carolina. I'm 27 and work as a nurse in Fayetteville, NC. I was looking through the CL classifieds and came across an ad for a 2002 Kalahari Edition Land Rover Discovery. They're asking $12,500 for it but I don't know if that's too much or just right? I've looked through some of the forums on this site and have found that the average price is about $4500. Can anyone help me with this? Thanks guys!! :grin

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5302713507.html

 

[cnfowler]

Run away. Anyone who pays $12,500 for a Discovery is either insane or has so much money that $12,500 isn't anything to them. $5 - 6,000 is about the most I'd spend on one. The one you posted has a lot of off road upgrades/accessories. Is this what you're wanting? Are you wanting rock sliders, upgraded transfer case with a center diff lock, etc? If not, why pay someone for it? It sounds like they bought this vehicle to flip and make money off of it. Look for one with lower miles and impeccable service history proven with records, not their word. If you don't have deep pockets to pay someone to work on it for you or you don't have the ability to work on it yourself, I'd say an older Land Rover is not the vehicle for you.

The first Land Rover was made in 1948. There's a reason for the saying "Land Rover - making mechanics out of drivers since 1948."



Colin

 

[sobieski]

If you do lean toward buying a Discovery, have it thoroughly inspected before committing.

Thoroughly. Not just a peek under the hood.

I would not buy another one without doing a chemical block test and a coolant pressure test first.

Neither of these is a big deal to test.
But either could save you a big deal in repairs.

Chemical block test (basically):
They cork your coolant reservoir with a beaker full of a colored liquid and run the engine. If the liquid changes color you have a problem.

Coolant pressure test (basically):
They put a cap on on your coolant reservoir that has a pressure gauge and bicycle pump attached to it. Pump up the system and see if holds pressure or forces coolant to leak out somewhere.

Good luck.


-sobieski

 

[Krystal]

Thank you so much for the advice!! I'm looking for something I can use to get dirty! I have a bikini-top Jeep with a lift kit (which I mostly installed myself), a diff front locker, rear/front Dana 44's, rock sliders, and armor. I'm so not used to this chilly weather being from sunny Cali so I've decided to get something more comfortable yet tough enough to survive a little mud

 

[redtruck12]

Good on you Krystal stepping up from a beep heep jeep.
Nice to hear from a lady that doesn't mind getting a little dirty.
Expect a lot more from the disco than you ever got from the jeep
A lot more comfort
A lot more capability
A lot more head scratching trying to figure out what is going on.

I love my disco 2 and have no plans to replace it, this is my 3rd one and I love it ( 3rd one due to upgrading not because the first 2 died)
Wife, 2 kids canoe and 500 pounds of gear, even room for grandma and the dog go any where any time of year.... Do that in a jeep.
From my experience the difference between a $2000 , $5000, and $12000 discovery are nearly nothing.
Personally I buy fixer uppers. Look for a solid truck with a good engine
have it checked out for sure by someone who knows rovers, really knows them not just a general mechanic or handyman.
Head gaskets, slipped liners etc. Can occur but likely will not be an issue on a properly maintained truck.
I agree, I would not consider paying more than about $5 g and even at that it would need to be perfect.
Lots of good people on here willing to help.

 

[Krystal]

Hi!! Thank you so much for the advice! I don't know anyone who has a Rover so that'll be a challenge. In your opinion, how much added value would the upgrades add to the $5k that you would possibly spend? Thank you!

 

[cnfowler]

...In your opinion, how much added value would the upgrades add to the $5k that you would possibly spend? Thank you!

Well, you could certainly look up the parts that are on it and go from there. Usually 50% of what the parts are new if they are in good repair. Just a ball park, not including tires, I'd say you could do the same with $2 - 3,000.

I'm not a big fan of paying for someones upgrades unless they are exactly what you're wanting. If you don't want or like the radio he's added, why pay for it? If the Land Rover all weather mats mean nothing to you, why pay for it? The list goes on. That Rover is so over priced. Who cares if it is 1 of 150? It will never be worth much due to the fact it has 146K miles and body damage. So the 'collectability' went out the window a long, long time ago. So why pay for it?

Hats off to you for turning your own wrenches. You sound like an awesome woman!!


Colin

 

[cnfowler]

About 5 years ago I bought a '97 Discovery. It had less than 80k miles and was loaded with off road stuff. Here's a short list:

custom front bumper with 10K winch and synthetic line and two Hella lights
custom roof rack/slider with 4 Hella lights and 1 rear work light
frame mounted sliders
custom rear bumper
fuel tank skid plate
adjustable shocks
spring dislocation cones in rear
air locker in rear
engine driven air compressor with two frame mounted air tanks for onboard air
custom radius arms with rebuildable joints


I paid $5,000 for that Discovery. I put about $1,500 into it, mostly maintenance stuff (wheel bearings, rotors and calipers, SS brake lines, replaced leaking shock, all fluids, window tint, etc.) So for $6,500 I had a very low mileage, really well built and capable rig.

Colin

 

[Krystal]

Hey Colin, thank you so much for your help!! That's a sexy looking Rover you have there! So yeah, I think I'll stay clear of the Rover I was looking at. I am so bummed! I've been looking all over for a nice trail worthy Rover...

What do you think about this one? https://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/cto/5243459753.html
It's a fixer-upper but I would LOVE to dig in there and get my hands dirty!

 

[redtruck12]

Looks like it may be a good truck as a fixer upper IF you can justify the value of all the extras and add ons.
I realize that local markets vary BUT it sounds like it might be a hard sell for the seller at that price considering the engine needs to come apart. Looks like a bit of body damage drivers front?
"Trail ready" and " trail wary" are 2 entirely different things. I would question why the seller is not fixing the engine if the rest of the truck is awesome.
Sure looks interesting in the pictures
I'm sure you will get complement like "nice rack" if you do buy it. L.o.l. ??????
Here's mine

 

[Krystal]

Lol! Good one!

 

[cnfowler]

Thanks!! Unfortunately I don't own it anymore. That was my second Land Rover. I'm on my fourth now, a 1969 Series IIa. The Discovery was replaced with an LR3.


If the posted truck truly only needs head gaskets, its a good deal. It has very good upgrades for a trail rig, it has low miles, and other than the dent on the driver side fender, it looks to be in good shape. A very close inspection is in order for sure. If the owner doesn't let you run the engine, negotiate with him/her as if it needs a new engine. It needs to be driven in order to check the tranny, driveline, suspension, etc otherwise you could be in for big surprises. It is definitely worth checking out, though.


Colin

 

[Krystal]

Thanks Colin! I'll definitely have to check it out! How many miles are too many miles on a used Discovery? There's a 97 Discovery for sale but it has 140k miles on it.

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5310891754.html

-Krystal!

 

[cnfowler]

Maintenance, just as with any other vehicle, will be key. A Land Rover engine isn't any different than any other engine - with proper maintenance (and maybe head gaskets!!), they'll go a long time. Quite a few out there with 200k+ miles. My '95 Range Rover classic with the 4.2L was at 180k+ when I sold it and it was still going strong with zero problems. Whatever vehicle you're serious about really needs to be taken to a Land Rover independent repair shop for inspection. These are British vehicles and need to be inspected by someone who knows them inside and out. $200 for an inspection is money well spent if it prevents you from making a several THOUSAND dollar mistake. It doesn't take much on Land Rovers to start getting into $1,000+ repair jobs.


Colin