What to look for on DiscoveryI?

[OverlandZJ]

I'v been following an ad on Craigslist for a 94 DiscoI that started at $5K, it's now down to the first $2700.

I'v always liked the Disco's and plan to go look at this one.

Now he states 118K miles, many new parts and a reconstructed title. He also stated the pass floor got some water..but not bad. I emailed asking for pics and a good description of overall condition and why it has a recon title.

I'v never owned one and am unfamiliar...what should i look for on these vehicles? Are they prone to rust any place in particular? What kind of mileage do these engines typically get?

The guy originally had two Disco's which he claimed were company vehicles. He bought new vehicles and looks like he just wants to unload this. I dont need another vehicle but for the price and if it's as clean as it looks in the pic i wouldnt mind picking it up for a possible future project.

 

[OverlandZJ]

Here's the ad with Pic.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/171308682.html

 

[Z O O R O P A]

Having owned a 1996 and knowing almost everything about them, and now having a 2004 my first recomendation is: look for another vehicle PERIOD!

especially '94 and '95 series 1. My insurance company told me this week when I was looking for quotes on 3 different cars that a Porsche 911c4s will cost less on my insurance than my HSE LOL! More than 100 bucks a month less in fact hah!

The second thing I'd like to mention is: you get what you pay for - $2700 Dicovery that is 12 years old isn't going be some pearl and treat you like a Jap or even American car might with 118K

Don't allow your heart to dictate your financial decisions unless it involves family or loved ones not cars

if it was a Toyota I'd say go ahead after the dealer checks it out. In the last 8 months of owning my 96 series one I dropped 6-8K$ on it and it had 127k miles.

So if you decide to persue an error in judgment and look further into this bear trap, make sure to look at the swival balls, rust, when the valves last blew (about every 60-70k miles because series 1s are powed by a Buick V8 that is as reliable as say a falling stock)

Those are the majors, but dont forget to look at or mention everything located between the front bumper and the rear bumper and the bottom of the tires to the top of the roof should be checked THREE times unless you really like the service department like James Bond likes martinis

Don't be a bubble headed beach bum :ylsmoke:

 

[OverlandZJ]

So your saying to pass?! ********....thanks for the enlightening and :sport_box

Here's the reply i just received from him:

Well my aunt lives in a flood plain so I was helping her get some stuff out of her place in a flood and I wan't keeping track of how fast the water was rising. The car was on a steep embankment. So The one time I came out to load the car I realized about a 1/2 inch of water had gotten into the passenger side of the car . The carpet was wet about one inch in. Thats it.

Insurance didn't want to mess with the carpet so they totalled and I bought it back.

That was 2-3 years ago.
Since thenI have done exaust, o2 sensors and shocks and head gaskets.




My BS alarm is going off in reference to the ins co totaling it for the amount of water he claims it took on.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

My BS alarm is going off in reference to the ins co totaling it for the amount of water he claims it took on. :clapsmile

Some things are true whether you want to believe them or not -

I have been told Elvis is living large in Europe, that Nevada is full of UFOs, and there is a dinosaur living in Scotland some place; now that I think of it there was some rumor about WMDs too :xxrotflma

John find a rig that will make you wanton for adventure, that will reciprocate to you like a good woman, that you can sex up with accessories (not required with actual women but vehicles yes!) and something that you can have confidence to get you back home. You can find that for your budget, it just might not look like what you had expected at first but you can always change that in time

Then you can revel in a dream that in another universe on a distant planet far far far away there is another John B living on Bizarro Earth in bizarro Phili where Land Rovers are like Toyotas/Hondas, the Cheese Steak was invented in Boston, and all the roads are dirt :beer: :ylsmoke:

 

[OverlandZJ]

:shakin: :bowdown:

You'v certainly got a way with words, and a wild imagination.

:camping:

 

[mountainpete]

and there is a dinosaur living in Scotland some place;

That one is totally false.

Mr. Burns beat it into submission shortly after being swallowed. It now makes a living working as a greeter/security at a Casino in an unknown US state under the first name "Bessie".

 

[cshontz]

John, I picked up a 98 Disco once - it was impractical as it guzzled premium, and immediately left its mark on my driveway. I would've loved to keep it as a toy, but my spidey sense told me to get out of it in favor of something more sensible. (and replace it with a pos, unreliable forester - brilliant)

I would love to get another someday as a supplemental vehicle. Wissler, the local Jeep dealer has a beautiful silver Series II in the used lot that continues to catch my eye.

 

[BKCowGod]

To counterpoint - my disco had 180k when it met the rear end of a pickup truck a bit too hard to be resurrected. Never went into the shop for anything more than regular stuff and a single frozen caliper. But we owned it from new and treated it very well. If I were to get another disco (I prefer the 1st gen Rangies now) I would pay the premium for one that has been looked after.

Oh, and they run just fine on regular gas, but they do drink it at a rate of around 16mpg.

 

[pangaea]

Just to put my 2 cents in on it as well... IF you're thinking of getting a Rover, the picture isn't quite as bleak as Zooropa makes it out to be.

I've got a 95 Disco with about 170K miles on it, and its yet to let me down. It's had the occassional electrical gremlin, but annoying little stuff like a faulty window regulator switch.

Land Rovers live and die by their service schedules. Look for one that has been well maintained and has good records to back it up. The few extra dollars that you spend upfront on the truck will come back in spades.

As far as things to look for on the vehicle,the D1s are prone to rust in two main areas: 1. on the roof around the alpine windows. If it doesn't get rectified, it can begin to spread. 2. Rust in the door jamb on the rear doors by the B-pillar. Crawl under the truck and look for oil leaks. That's one thing that Rovers seem to have a well deserved reputation for IMO.

Lastly, ZOOROPA is right, find out on any high mileage truck when/if its had the valves done or the top end rebuilt. Typically, they need them about every 75-100K miles.

If you do decide to by one... for the love of all things holy (warm beer, kindey pie, blood pudding, midday tea in the summertime) keep up the service schedule, and you should have a pretty good experience.

 

[The Swiss]

John,

I think it really depends on what you want the vehicle for: Here my .02 cents of wisdom:
- Cheap daily driver with trail capability? Look for something else.
- Super capable trail rig (stock or moded) that does not have to double as daily driver? Go for it.

The flood thing sounds suspicious though, just make sure all electikery (not one of the Brits's strength anyhow) is working as intended...

I have owned 3 Land Rovers and my dad has a rough looking 1983 Range Rover for the last about 10 years as his trail and Swiss winter vehicle; except that it is leaking oil, the old Range is probably one of the most reliable vehicle the family ever owned, and one of my Land Rovers has so far been the vehicle that by far caused me the highest repair bills. So you never know.

 

[ShearPin]

Lucky Land Rovers

I'am always surprised at the negative reviews I read regarding Land Rovers. They are mainteance intensive and at the dealers it is expensive. Most of it is easily accomplished by the home mechanic and the knowledge you gain is harldy waisted if you like to go bush.

My family has had a '92 Range Rover that did over 250,000 miles towing horse trailers and suffering Canadian winters. Oil changes and an alternator was all it required. We've had two Disco Series ones that both did over 100,000 miles with the same oil change only requirements. One towed and spent winters in Canada. The second saw a lot of the desert southwest and northern Mex and Baja loaded with camp gear. A Disco Series Two ended its lease with over 150,000 miles - oil changes and a few electrical relays. A NAS Defender 90 saw a lot of off road and was sold with over 80,000 miles - oil changes and a diff pin that was fixed under warranty. My mother runs an LR3 now and though relatively new it has had no issues.

I was at a Land Rover/Jag/Aston dealer in my '73 Series III lately buying swivel ball grease that I use in my leaky steering box. I was paying at the service desk whan a suit behind me answers his ringing blackberry "Hello - Hello - Hello - Damn." He hangs up and spouts to nobody in particular "I am going to write Rover about this. My LR3 is over in the service bay and the bluetooth still hasn't released my blackberry. I can't get my calls". I can't help but think a lot of the negative you hear about Rover stems from this type of buyer. If you can suffer with a failed power seat while in the Baja the mechanicals in my experience are robust and reliable.

I've never been left at the roadside by a Rover - with a problem I couldn't fix......

Shearpin

 

[Z O O R O P A]

you are one in a million my friend as Rover has landed itself dead last in reliability by several consumer reports / choice. Take a trip to any ROver website and find the tech forums full up daily. The buyers are not pretentious suits for a majority.

Rovers do attract similar people and I ahve found the most astonishing stories in places like gas stations and of course the waiting room at the local dealer. Stuff like rear windshields exploding, valves lasting no longer than 60K, lights that never seem to work, and the DAMN stero OMG the stero gets so hot on my D2 as well as my former D1 that it cant even play the CDs.

Every car manf. has issues. But Land Rover is the Saab of the SUV market. You don't get dead last in consumer reports or have a depreciation value close to counterfit money by a few uptight suits who only adventure over the sidewalk while attempting to park

I dropped 8k$ into it in what you call "oil changes and regular maintaince at 128k miles" in a 6-8 month period. My D1 left my GF on the side of the road so many times I seriously considered ending its existance myself with a can of gasoline and a big grin! Instead, I sold it on ebay to some 20 year old kid who drove it into a river and had to be rescued by a Sazuki and his insurance company gave him twice what he paid me for it LOL

 

[david despain]

i have noticed it tends to be all or nothing when it comes to big continuous repair bills. i havent ever had to do anything but one repair to my series II out side of routine scheduled maint and tires. and that repair i took care of myself and may have been self induced by a round of seafoam. but i know of other people that have nothing but trouble with them. i dont know what the difference between mine and theirs is but i like that mine is realitvly troubble free. i will say this though its a good idea to get a code scanner if you dont already have one as well as a copy of the maint manual. i have reset the SES light a few times and not had it come back on.

 

[ShearPin]

Lucky?

Hey - didn't mean to twist up any Brooks Brothers with the "bluetooth" story. I thought it was funny. My point was simply that I've had direct experience with 6 new Rovers since '92. All did over 100,000 miles and with the exception of the two problems I itemized they were all problem free. Non of them ever saw the back of a flat deck. I didn't call it "oil changes and regular maintenance"... that is what it was.

Henry