2004 Land Rover Discovery owner review

Welcome to Reader’s Rides, where we get a glimpse into the automotive pride and joy of those who read and love Open Road magazine.

Tom bought his 2004 Land Rover Discovery to get into off-roading and camping, and as a big diversion from his previous passion for German sports cars.

The Ride

Model

2004 Land Rover Discovery 2 TD5.

Mileage

460,000 Km.

How long have you owned it?

Nine months.

Primary purpose

Weekend explorer.

What do you love about your 2004 Land Rover Discovery?

I love cars with quirks, and Land Rover built these with plenty of them.

I love the surprisingly short wheelbase, the funky roof line, and the simplicity of the famous TD5 engine, but most of all I love that it does everything I want it to do at a price where I don’t need to be precious with it.

I also love that you don’t see too many of them on the road anymore; it’s kind of fun pulling up somewhere knowing you’ll probably be the only Discovery.

What do you loathe about your 2004 Land Rover Discovery?

Well, the four-speed automatic gearbox isn’t going to win any awards. Also, everything you’ve heard about how much Land Rovers leak is 110 per cent true.

I know the choices to install and drive around with a tent on the roof (and an awfully heavy wheel and tyre combo) were my own, but I’ll also say I loathe the fuel economy.

Has your 2004 Land Rover Discovery been reliable?

People seem to really hate on the Discovery, but it’s been really reliable and everything – yes, quite literally everything – works!

I have a strange attraction to cars that people warn you against, but a huge part of a car’s reliability just comes down to how you look after it.

I did give my Discovery a thorough head-to-toe when I bought it, and I replaced a few things that would have seen me stuck on the side of road at some point.

Since then, I’ve gotten it to the point where I’ve been happy to put some real kilometres on it. It hasn’t skipped a beat.

I must say, removing 20 years of the previous owners’ DIY wiring probably helped with the reliability a fair bit too!

What’s the best memory with your 2004 Land Rover Discovery?

It’s my first 4WD, so I’d have the say the first time I took off the bitumen was a real highlight. It didn’t hurt to know I had a fridge in the back with some cold drinks either.