Ozark_Prowler
Active member
I just found the pictured 1998 Discovery 1 for sale here locally. It has 96,000 miles, and has been faithfully maintained by the owner and used mostly for highway commuting. He's asking $8900, which seems more than reasonable given the condition and miles.
However, I've heard so many horror stories of Discoveries breaking down constantly, due to casual engineering and dodgy build quality. Issues like cylinder cavitation, driveshafts taking out transmissions, and of course head gaskets come to mind, along with the infamous Lucas electronics.
Even so, I thought perhaps 1998 was old enough for them not to have as many complex electronics to go wrong. Moreover, I've owned three different supposedly "bulletproof" Toyotas which ate parts and were constantly in the shop (granted, they did have more miles and perhaps sketchier maintenance than this Disco). My current ride is a 1996 Tacoma SR5 with 233k miles. It does pretty well on trails, but I miss the durability of my old Land Cruiser.
Granted, my 1997 80 series had over twice the miles as the pictured Rover, but still, the engine bay was a superfund site with all the old gunk built up throughout the years, and it leaked from just about every seal and hose when I got it. The Land Rover looked squeaky clean by comparison underneath. Meanwhile, the 80 Series Land Cruiser is also famous for head-gaskets and overheating. The only area where the Toyotas have a clear advantage is the electronics, but again trucks this old are simple enough in that area for it not to be a huge concern.
In any case, a solid front axle Land Cruiser with the same condition and mileage would surely go for at least twice this asking price of $8900, but are they twice as good? There's so much hype around Toyotas, and perhaps for good reason, but these early Discoveries don't seem like any slouches either:
I'd appreciate any insight. Is this a good buy?
However, I've heard so many horror stories of Discoveries breaking down constantly, due to casual engineering and dodgy build quality. Issues like cylinder cavitation, driveshafts taking out transmissions, and of course head gaskets come to mind, along with the infamous Lucas electronics.
Even so, I thought perhaps 1998 was old enough for them not to have as many complex electronics to go wrong. Moreover, I've owned three different supposedly "bulletproof" Toyotas which ate parts and were constantly in the shop (granted, they did have more miles and perhaps sketchier maintenance than this Disco). My current ride is a 1996 Tacoma SR5 with 233k miles. It does pretty well on trails, but I miss the durability of my old Land Cruiser.
Granted, my 1997 80 series had over twice the miles as the pictured Rover, but still, the engine bay was a superfund site with all the old gunk built up throughout the years, and it leaked from just about every seal and hose when I got it. The Land Rover looked squeaky clean by comparison underneath. Meanwhile, the 80 Series Land Cruiser is also famous for head-gaskets and overheating. The only area where the Toyotas have a clear advantage is the electronics, but again trucks this old are simple enough in that area for it not to be a huge concern.
In any case, a solid front axle Land Cruiser with the same condition and mileage would surely go for at least twice this asking price of $8900, but are they twice as good? There's so much hype around Toyotas, and perhaps for good reason, but these early Discoveries don't seem like any slouches either:
I'd appreciate any insight. Is this a good buy?