[JavaBrewer]

Chuck, hello.

Here are some of the things I have said on this board regarding the Land Rover Disco:

Land Rover Discovery - yes I'm the first to say reliability is probably not the best, but its improving and their service policy is top notch. If you buy one get the extended warranty. Regardless, we will replace my wife's 99 Series II with a later model sometime in 04. We like it that much. Avoid the ACE package at all costs. Much like Porsche ownership sometimes you pay a higher fee to drive something you really like. The bonus with the Disco is that underneath the aluminum skin it's the real deal and will handle anything we throw at it including a 40 mph frontal collision with a utility truck. Minivan ran a red light, wife swerved HARD right (heavy LR chassis = no rollover...this ain't no Explorer), contact with Dodge fullsize truck and finally the hydro utility truck. Wife and 2 year old daughter walked away and the 1998 Disco was totalled. Had she hit the minivan I'm sure all of its occupants would have not survived. Reality bites and it's a tough world out there.

My wife and I aren't into being politically correct when it causes us to sacrifice too much. With kids, dog, and all necessary paraphernalia, we have a need for a big SUV - bigger than the Disco that's for sure - so a Ford Expedition is the current #1 contender for us. Wish it came in a diesel. All these sporty SUVs are really a contradiction - they have no more room than a sedan yet are big, heavy, and expensive. What exactly are they trying to achieve? What question do these things answer?

Sunroof - on the Series I they never leaked but they rattled when open. That was a source of fustration for me. On the Series II they went with a whole new design that seems way way better. When we replace the 99 (no sunroof) with a later model we will try to get the sunroofs again and the side steps so my wife has an easier time getting in/out.

Overall we love the truck. It's had some issues but they were always quickly resolved by the dealer at no cost to us. I highly recommend buying a used (1 yr old) Disco and then purchase a 1-2 yr extended warranty. As much as we love the Discovery I would hesitate owning one without the warranty

We really like the truck but to be honest it would have put us in the poor house had we not bought the LR extended warranty package. No way do I want this in our garage out of warranty.

What do I have to say now? Well reliability is still a concern for me. This is combined with the fact that the nearest dealer is 25 miles of heavily congested freeways away. My wife is the primary driver and prior to her 99 Series 2 drove a 97 Series 1. If she had 100% say we would be replacing her 99 with a newer Disco. She loves the truck that much. Oh and if you're into 4x4 the thing really excels in that environment plus most major cities have LR groups that encourage owners to participate. If it were not for the reliability concern I would not hesitate to buy another. I believe in 03 or 04 they increased the engine output but not by much. I think 05 will be a complete redesign. On road performance is pretty lack luster - but this is a SUV and not a Porsche. We have no problems "lumbering" along, you sit high and get to see out some very panoramic windows. With its gearing it can tow something like 7K lbs I believe. Not much else I can say pro/con on the truck.