1997 Land Rover Discovery Reviews

A lot of little things went wrong, but the first 180,000 miles were without any problems.

At 180,000 the fuel pump went out in Estes Park in Colorado. That was $800.00.

At 220,000 miles the head gasket went... $1,400.00. That is the biggest problem I have had to date.

Normal tires replaced every 80,000 miles.

I replace the front brakes twice as often as the back brakes.

The air conditioning went out at about 200,000, and that was a $800.00 repair... but it works fine now.

All in all, it is my second most reliable car I ever had.

My most reliable car was a 1981 Camaro; I sold it after 20 years with 265,000 miles on it.

The Land Rover is a very comfortable vehicle; I have been in snow up to the door handles and never got stuck.

It did three heads in 4 years, with no warning on the temperature/cooling system.

The first head went 2 weeks after purchase at 172500 k's. The second was 12 months after that when just out of warranty. The third head went at 287500; again with no warning. By the time the temperature gauge indicated there was a problem, the damage was done.

The manufacturer wasn't helpful at all. Expensive to replace, and many mechanics did not want to do the job, as they are apparently 'notorious' for doing this.

Map holders in the front doors fell off at 200000.

The speedo only works intermittently, and mechanics and auto electricians cannot find why; this started prior to my purchase.

Coolant leaks into the cylinders at 285000.

Back door hinges dropped and let dust into the vehicle at 250000.

A comfortable vehicle that is economical to drive. It tows like nothing else I have driven, but the lack of reliability outweighs its performance when towing.

Good vision, and compact for every day driving for a 4x4.

After fitting the 3.9 engine with new engine mounts, and then fitting a Range Rover exhaust manifold, the left side manifold touches the chassis, and when the vehicle goes over a bump, a knocking noise travels through the vehicle. Obvious problem is using the Range Rover manifold, just assumed it would not be a problem.

Solid, roomy, still a tad underpowered, but overall very good.

Hmmmmmm let us see:

Oil leak from day one.

Sun roof leak in heavy rain.

Passenger door window broke.

Back Passenger door window broke.

Driver's seat motor quit.

Heated seats become too hot.

Check engine light is on and will not go off no matter how much money I throw at it.

ABS system is malfunctioning with new brake pads and rotors.

Sometimes scares me and won't start.

Heater switches off at the highest mark and then comes back on when it feels like it.

And now the engine is smoking and smoke is coming out of the tail pipe.

It is awesome in snow! It is comfortable like riding in a luxury car. However, as soon as I paid the thing off, everything started to break. It handles well in the city as well as in the country. Very versatile vehicle. I love the way it looks, and I love to show it off. But it is a nickle and dime away from breaking me.