QuestionGreetings! I'm writing to ask your opinion about purchasing a 2001 Land Rover Discovery II with 123,000 miles from a used car lot in Atlanta, GA.
I have test driven the truck & it appears to drive fine, no hiccups, slipping, misfires, etc. Everything seems to work fine & it appears to be well taken care of. However, I am not very mechanically inclined & I want to make sure I'm not making a mistake of purchasing a Land Rover with this mileage.
I took the truck to a local Pep Boy for a 125 point inspection today & the report was that they found a leaking power steering pump, & the antifreeze level was a half gallon to gallon low which they thought must be due to a leak. But, they did not actually find a leak, nothing on the floor and no visible leak anywhere. The manager at the Pep Boys said that he has heard that the discovery's have been known for having cracked heads. I asked if there was water or antifreeze found in the oil & they reported nothing found in the trucks oil.
I then called a local Land Rover dealership & spoke with a service tech who said that he hasn't seen a cracked head in years & there is no known problem with cracked heads on the Discoverys. He explained that his shop can not perform used car inspections & that they won't even service any vehicles that weren't bought there or without a service history record & or with that kind of mileage. He suggested that I take the truck to a repair shop in the area that is well known for working on Land Rovers & that they should do a compression test, high pressure test, & intermix test to see if there is an antifreeze leak.
The dealer has agreed to let me take the truck to the repair shop & see what is found & has also said if there are major problems with the truck that they will just wholesale it & bite the bullet on it.
I guess my concern is, 1) if nothing is found with those test, should I feel confident that there is nothing to worry about 2) is a land rover with 123,000 miles a smart buy.
Also, are they other things/tests I should have them look at before buying??
Any information is much appreciated as I am trying to make a decision within the next 24 hrs.
Thanks much!
AnswerThere are a number of articles on this topic on my web site, www.robisonservice.com > service > land rover > advice
I urge you to have a qualified Land Rover specialist inspect this truck before buying.
Land Rovers do not crack heads. They are know for head gasket leaks, and dropped liners in the engine blocks.
