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Land Rover Fleet:

Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
Well after selling the H3 Alpha I got my wife an 06 LR3 HSE. I had to replace an alternator (75.00), and a brake switch (20.00), and do a full brake job (went with the same Power Stop stuff I used on my Alpha). It's been nearly a year now and the LR3 is doing fantastic. My wife loves it, and MPG increase is nice vs the Alpha as a D/D.

My 98 D1, 99 D2, and 02 D2 have been doing really good also. The nearly 20 year old 98 D1 even survived being rear-ended at 45MPH by an F250 with little more than a bent rear bumper, and some plastic trim piece damage. With the insurance $$$$ I was able to repair the 98 D1 completely (while keeping a clear blue title vs salvage), and with the left over $$$$ I bought the 99 D2 from a friend at a LR Shop that had a lady want to sell it over a dead battery & Alternator.... It had been sitting for over 6 months when I bought it.

I drove 4.5hr to go get it, slapped in a spare battery I had along with a spare alternator, cranked it up after checking all the fluids, and found the gas tank to even be 3/4 full. Then I drove another 4.5hr home with zero issues. Best deal I've ever got on a vehicle!! I've since lifted it, slapped on some rocker guards, some BFG KO2's, and the only repairs it needed were interior trim stuff which was quick and easy.

My 02 D2 Kalahari (Special LR Vehicle 1 of 150 ever made) has 228K on it and runs better than a new car. I've done a lot of off road mods to it, and it's my main off road vehicle.

I plan on driving up to Portland, OR when I finally get my 3rd week of vacation (finally my 5th year at my company) and along the way I'll hit up some trails in Moab, and in Nevada.

I miss my H3 Alpha as it was really setup nice, and it wasn't a mall crawler. Sadly 99% of the H3's in my area never see any off road use. I actually passed my old H3 Alpha like a month ago and it still looked good.
 

Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
No way just the opposite in fact. All the stuff I did to them was after buying them "used". I had to replace the power steering pump on my Alpha, a RF CV, the lower diff bushing, complete brake job, and spark plug wires after I bought it.

Anything you buy "used" will need something the previous owner either neglected or didn't know about. Since my wife has been driving the LR3 for almost a year now I haven't touched it besides oil changes.

Just like a Hummer, LR's have certain things to look for when you buy them "used".

When I take my trip I'm having a hard time trying to figure out which one to take lol. I'll certainly try to go wheeling with ya'll when I pass thru.
 

Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
It's been a while since I checked in, but I just wanted to update everyone. All the LR's are still going strong and I've even bought a few more since I last posted on here. Hope everyone is doing well!

IMG_E6938.JPG
 

Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
95 D1.jpg

95 D1_2.jpg

This is my nearly pristine 95 D1. When you look at it inside/out there is no way it looks 25 years old and it certainly doesn't drive like one. The pics above are how it looks now. It was 100% bone stock when I got it. I had to do some engine work straight away, but it wasn't anything I'd call serious and once I found out what it was it was VERY clear it was not the LR's fault but a techs fault from what I can tell around 07 according to the service records it came with.
 
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Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
IMG_7093.JPG

When the engine was warmed up it knocked pretty bad. It was extremely well maintained with a ton of service records. The last service it had before the documented tick/knock was noticed was back in 07. It went in for a simple valve gasket replacement and valley gasket. Apparently the tech dropped what looks like an old valve cover bolt into the engine, put it all back together, and fired it up. The shop did not document the issue, but when you looked at the engine it was obvious the drivers side head had been taken off while the passenger side looked untouched. The shop replaced the head, but they left the piston. Shortly after the documented repairs for the gaskets a regular oil change service documented an engine tick, and eventually it was documented as a severe engine knock. The last service receipt I found highly recommended the engine be completely torn down and all the bearings be replaced along with lifters and the cam.

Once I had the head off cylinder #5 told the story lol. I dropped the oil pan, removed the piston to find all the rings cracked in at least 2 places, and once I got the carbon build up off the piston itself you could see a crack across the middle of it and down the side. The cylinder wall/sleeve was completely untouched by the disaster and it survived from 07 just like that until 2019 when I tore it down. I replaced the piston, the lifters, and did a HG job along with a complete valve job on the heads. Put it all back together and she's good to go. The engine was very very very clean inside and the only issue I found was with cylinder #5.

It just goes to show the best shop in the world can have your vehicle, but it all comes down to who is actually working on it. The work was done at a very well known LR shop in San Antonio.
 
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Best4x4

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,042
Location
Vidor, TX
IMG_6542.JPG

My fleet minus the 95 D1 and my wife's 06 LR3

The black one had water over the hood and just below the windshield wipers during Hurricane Harvey and that was before I had the snorkel. I didn't get water inside of the D2, the air filter never even got damp, and the axles, engine, transmission, and transfer case didn't get any water into them either! I had to drive thru that high water 6 times and it was at least 3/4 of a mile long. Had people been stopping traffic and allowing traffic to flow one way at a time it wouldn't have been so bad, but air boats would pass you, or people in front of you would just come to a stop!!! It was very very hectic to say the least and I was only doing it because we had no choice at the time. Lucky for me all she needed after all that water crossing was a new CPS sensor. I couldn't get one locally for months so a friend on a LR forum sent me one immediately and she was good to go after that.

The 2 yellow ones are extremely rare. One is an 02 D2 Kalahari Edition (one of 150 ever made) while the other one is a 97 D1 XD (one of 250 ever made) both are what Land Rover calls Special Vehicles. Made in limited #'s with unique one of a kind parts. The 02 is nearly flawless with 237K on it. The 97 sadly is a rust bucket as it came from Iowa. One day I would like to get a rust free body and transplant it onto the XD. I'm just honored to have 2 limited edition LR's.

I miss my 08 H3 Alpha and I'm 99% sure it was scraped after Hurricane Harvey as the last pics/post I saw of it mentioned driving in water up to the windows, and oh it's having weird electrical issues and shifting odd... I was shocked someone would just drive thru that deep of water, but honestly I think they were upside down on their loan and with GAP insurance = easy way out. I had built up that H3 to be rock solid and I was sad to see it go down so quickly by the new owner.
 
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Jeepwalker

Well-Known Member
Messages
857
Location
WI
Very nice 'fleet'! Thanks for sharing your stories. I've been driving my 98 around this summer ...for just fun. But have done plenty of Moab/CO trails in it. They make good cruisers and are great off-road.

You said it best; Discos have their known weak areas, and once you address them, you have a nice, solid, capable rig, even stock. Visibility out the glass and on the road is 100x better than an H3. Heavy-duty running gear. The engine in my 98 is the smoothest operating engine of any vehicle I own. I keep wanting to see if a nickle will balance on it at idle (I actually did that once with a Rolls Royce -- and it WORKED!). The running gear on disco's is very heavy duty compared to most SUV's of the era (and today).

The Disco seats are incredibly comfortable. Wish they had the better plastics (interior) of the H3.

Great job. They're becoming pretty scarce now.
 
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