Purchasing my Discovery
It’s been fourteen years since the last Land Rover Discovery II was sold in the US. Thousands of stories of overheating, head gasket failures, “three amigos” and other maintenance fiascos have filled pages upon pages of Land Rover forums. What does a reasonable person conclude?
I want in.
If I am being honest, I have already been “in”. From 2008 to 2010, I owned a 2002 Discovery for a few years.
My time with my previous Discovery left a lasting impression on me. Purchased when I was 22, this was the first vehicle that I researched, picked out, and bought. A strong sense of pride came along with the premium look and feel. Besides a busted fuel pump and shredded serpentine belt, this Disco was kind to me and my wallet. Minimal repairs were required. Eventually I decided to head back to college, sold the truck and biked to class. I tried to forget about my first automotive love. But it wasn’t that simple.
Years went by, and every time I would see a Discovery II (years 2000-2004) I would perk up and spot what cool off road mods the owner had done, if any. Always thinking “well if they have made it this many years, they can’t be that unreliable, right?”
Fast forward to mid 2018. My wife and I kept coming back to the idea of purchasing an SUV. Camping, off roading, overlanding, adventure... we felt the call. All that was left to do was determine what vehicle was the right for us. We went to the Toyota dealer to check out 4Runners, in part due to this awesome youtube channel by Jason Koertge. They Toyotas seems great, but a little pricey and a little too perfect. We also investigated the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Although any vehicle that ranges from $30,000 to $87,000 base price is worth a look, the new Jeeps didn’t stir my emotions. It was fine, but we could do better.
That’s when it began. Craigslist, Car Gurus, Land Rover forums, anywhere and everywhere I was searching for one specific thing: 2004 Land Rover Discovery II. Why 2004? In addition to the updated headlights, the 2004 had two things going for it: a 4.6L V8 (instead of a 4.0L) and the “center locking differential with linkage”. That last bit just means it’s a bit better off road.
Because any good plan should be able to hold up to the worst case scenario, before pulling the trigger on this awesome idea. I found myself googling such phrases as “Land Rover Discovery II whole engine replacement cost”. This great article from Robinson Service informed me that:
“The total cost, parts and labor, to rebuild one of these Land Rover V8 motors, including removal, teardown, overhaul and refit; fit flanged liners, and do all the other work that's typically needed runs $12,000-15,000”
It turns out that this google search may have been more important than anyone could have known at the time.
After spending many nights, lunch breaks, and car rides scrounging Craigslist, I was ready to take action. My wife was out of town for the weekend, and this was my chance. Hey, take it easy. I wasn’t trying to pull a fast one, I was just looking to spare her the effort of going around looking at Land Rovers in various states of decay all of the California Bay Area. After seeing a few junkers, one of which had more oil outside the the oil pan than in, I pulled into a nice hilly neighborhood on the East side of San Francisco bay. A nice guy by the name of Lance was selling his, you guessed it… 2004 Land Rover Discovery II.
The Craigslist advertisement read something like: “Great condition, blah blah blah, overheats, mechanic says needs head gaskets”. If you search your local Craigslist right now, there is a really good chance that there are many Land Rovers that up for sale that are just like this. Someone who is done, given up, and wants out. There is a great unofficial motto for the brand: “Land Rover: turning owners into mechanics since 1948”. Some just aren’t cut out for it and who can blame them? There is great peace of mind that comes with having a reliable vehicle.
For better or for worse, I decide that this Discovery is the one. It checks all the boxes, it’s a 2004, the interior and exterior was in great shape, and it’s even the same color as the Disco I used to have. Well, the whole “being able to drive it home” box remains unchecked, but that’s no big deal, right? I shake Lance’s hand, promising to return with my wife in a few days and somehow get this new awesome purchase 60 miles south to my home.
When my wife and I arrive at Lance’s House a few days later, his he and his girlfriend are outside with a few small boxes of spare parts and fluids. Their mood isn’t quite that of funeral, more of sending a child off to college. His girlfriend had a nervous smile and was anxious to be a part of the process, telling quick little facts and stories about their time with the vehicle. I think it is this attachment that shows how much a vehicle can mean to a family. In fact, Lance had mentioned that he hoped the truck would go to someone who had the time and energy to fix it up and bring it back to its former glory. I assured him that I would do my best and after a few flicks of the pen, an exchange of a small sum of money, I was a Land Rover owner once again. I just had one question: “So… can I like, drive it?” Lance informed me that is should make it about five minutes before overheating, and I could certainly make it out of the neighborhood. I dialed in directions to the Safeway parking lot down the hill, and make it there with no issues, all of a three minute drive.
After calling a few tow companies, and being a big shocked at the $600+ tow quotes I was getting, we concluded that I would try and drive it the 60 miles back home. Don’t worry, we would avoid freeways. That would help, right? Wrong. I made it about a mile and the temp gauge was in the red and steam was coming from under the hood. I pulled over, this time in another neighborhood and called the same tow company I just called. “Go ahead, send the truck…. No, I am not at the Safeway, I am about a mile down the road.” I made sure to request a flatbed to not ruin the all wheel drive system on my sweet new Discovery.
As we wait for the tow truck, my wife was kind enough to make a food run; I was stayed put. It was at that point it all began to sink in. Just what the hell was I doing? Maybe this was all a mistake. How can I even explain this to people? “Yea, last night I bought a new car but I had to get it towed home because it doesn’t work.” My wife returned with a bag full of burritos and quesadillas and reassured me that my idea wasn’t totally crazy and a few hours later we were back home. The tow truck operator pulled into the complex (see first picture), unloaded the truck, returned the iPhone charger we let him borrow, and after a quick swipe of the credit card, day zero of our journey is complete. Already over budget and behind schedule, I quickly headed to bed before I could really contemplate the intelligence of my decisions.
