The Land Rover Discovery that was manufactured from 1989 to 2004 was the best and most beautiful of the Land Rover designs and is still popular to this day. The vehicle was designed with the family in mind and was one of the roomiest 4 x 4 luxury vehicles ever produced. Land Rover parts are still available for this great machine and make it easy to own, maintain, and repair.
The Land Rover Discovery with genuine Land Rover parts was arguably the most comfortable four wheel drive vehicle ever mass produced at a relatively affordable price. When they first came out they were price-tagged at a modest $40,000. They featured luxury finishes throughout including real walnut inlays in the control panels and doors, and very high end leather upholstery throughout. The paint jobs on these cars were so well done and so layered that you can still see these gems looking straight out of the showroom shiny to this day.
Featuring authentic Land Rover parts throughout the Land Rover Discovery was built in England. It came with a standard 3.5 liter V8 that was a powerhouse and could tow anything you wanted to strap behind it. Torque was not a problem with this baby and you could pass anything going up even the steepest hills. Because of its lofty price tag many Land Rover Discovery owners did not really put the four wheel drive capabilities to the test even though Land Rover parts were not that expensive, especially if you were still under warranty.
The warranty that came with the Land Rover Discovery included all scheduled maintenance and that made it very easy to keep to the maintenance schedules and one of the big reasons why these well made vehicles are still on the road today and still looking sharp. Anther big reason why they are still going strong today was the quality of the genuine Land Rover parts that Land Rover mechanics used. Since the warranties were all inclusive, owners just brought their cars into the dealership and the dealers serviced the cars themselves. A free car detailing was also regularly included in the high level of quality service that you received when you brought your vehicle in for maintenance or repairs.
For some reason Land Rover stopped making the traditional Discovery in the fall of 2004 and replaced it with the unattractive Land Rover Discovery 3, which never had the classic lines of its predecessor. Land Rover ignored pleas by its loyal base of customers who wanted the old Land Rover Discovery brought back in all its former glory. Since then Land Rover sales have dropped significantly around the world and it makes you wonder about the arrogance of Land Rover executives. The company eventually came out with the much more expensive but equally well designed Range Rover Sport, but by then it was too late and they had lost millions of buyers worldwide who had fallen permanently in love with the beautiful Land Rover Discovery.
Who know, maybe some day Land Rover will wise up and start making them again. Only time will tell.