might pick up a land rover
- Thread starter sami
- Start date
BKCowGod
Automotive ADHD is fun!
who made the lift, and how many miles does it have. You need full maintenance history and an inspection by somebody who knows what they are doing.
My disco went 180k with absolutely zero problems*. They eat brakes like you wouldn't believe and you won't get above 16mpg, but I constantly pine for another. Nothing feels quite as secure as one. The closest I've found (at any price) is my ZJ grand cherokee.
* problems = things that stop you from going. Taillights were constantly flickering, rear a/c was buggy, rear defroster had issues, cupholders were crap, cruise control worked when it felt like it, locking the diffs was impossible for anybody but me, and it took three months to coax it into passing smog. But it never once let me down.
My disco went 180k with absolutely zero problems*. They eat brakes like you wouldn't believe and you won't get above 16mpg, but I constantly pine for another. Nothing feels quite as secure as one. The closest I've found (at any price) is my ZJ grand cherokee.
* problems = things that stop you from going. Taillights were constantly flickering, rear a/c was buggy, rear defroster had issues, cupholders were crap, cruise control worked when it felt like it, locking the diffs was impossible for anybody but me, and it took three months to coax it into passing smog. But it never once let me down.
Scott Brady
Founder
Mileage and maint. history is key!
bovw
Explorer
I have an Iron Man setup on one of my trucks, and I happy with it for my use. As for the rest of the truck, it really depends on it's past history. I just did a head gasket job and a new radiator on my 95 D1 at 110,000. One of my RRC's has 148,000, and the other 194,000. The one with 194k runs the best of the three. I bought it from the second owner,, and he had all the records from the first owner for everything ever done to the truck. As for the price, I paid 4,500 for the D1 with 98k and 5k combined for the other two. You can probably find them cheaper if you look, but I would really look at the maintenance aspect either way.
seriessearcher
Adventurer
My 2 Cents
I have owned 3 Discos. All Series IIs, so I am not sure if the Series Is are different. I would not own another due to the poor mileage (I drive 65 miles a day roundtrip for work) The constant upkeep (I have 2 small kids so time is important) The cost of the maint (Look at Atlantic British, Rovers North, and British Pacific for wear and tear items to see the costs) They lose their value faster than Enron stock. Right now check eBay or craigs list and their are a ton of truck "Below Blue Book" Value. I wish LR would put quality and pride back into such a historic icon of 4x4 vehicles.
If it is an offroad rig only, no problem. If you need to use this as a daily driver, have a mechanic do a full work up on her before you purchase. If the seller can not provide detailed maint history run away. No matter how cheap, they can nickle and dime you.
No I am not totally bashing the green oval as I still have 2. They are just easier to work on and not required to get me to the office every day.
Others may disagree, I value their opinion, but I just traded mine in the other night and will notbe buying another newer LR.
If you do buy it, best of luck to you they are fun to drive when not in the shop.
I have owned 3 Discos. All Series IIs, so I am not sure if the Series Is are different. I would not own another due to the poor mileage (I drive 65 miles a day roundtrip for work) The constant upkeep (I have 2 small kids so time is important) The cost of the maint (Look at Atlantic British, Rovers North, and British Pacific for wear and tear items to see the costs) They lose their value faster than Enron stock. Right now check eBay or craigs list and their are a ton of truck "Below Blue Book" Value. I wish LR would put quality and pride back into such a historic icon of 4x4 vehicles.
If it is an offroad rig only, no problem. If you need to use this as a daily driver, have a mechanic do a full work up on her before you purchase. If the seller can not provide detailed maint history run away. No matter how cheap, they can nickle and dime you.
No I am not totally bashing the green oval as I still have 2. They are just easier to work on and not required to get me to the office every day.
Others may disagree, I value their opinion, but I just traded mine in the other night and will notbe buying another newer LR.
If you do buy it, best of luck to you they are fun to drive when not in the shop.
tikicar
New member
The only thing I can add to the other guys suggestions is check for rust if that is a problem in your area or the truck was from a rust prone area. They have typical rust areas but they all rust differently. Check the drivers foot area and where it comes up under the pedals, Same for passenger side as leaves will get trapped behind the washer bottle and if not cleaned will rust out that area. The bottom of the A & B pillars will rust out. The rear floor on eack side will rust where it is seamed together. You can check by laying underneath. You will see the seam and can tell if there is rust if that seam is split open even if it has been undercoated. Also the rear door jam area where the fenderwell meets at the striker. Also just in from there where the seat belt bolts to the fenderwell. Also the rear crossmember under the door area can go bad as well. They basically all seep oil. Power steering hoses and box can leak. Start it cold and see how long it takes for the oil light to go out. If more than a few seconds then pressure could be weak or screen starting to get clogged. Basically check it out like you would any other used truck. The disco is basically a Range Rover classic with a different body. So they rust in the exact same places. The series ones and twos have alot of little differences. I think this is the real time to buy Disco 1s. They are so cheap now. Only imported from 94-99. They only brought in around 60,000 from what I have read. So many have been crashed or parted out. It is just a matter of time before the prices start to climb and finding a nice one cheap will be hard just like the old land cruisers. Scott 97XD
MuddyMudskipper
Camp Ninja
First thing you have to remember and prepare yourself for is that it is a Rover and more importantly British. They will require a bit more upkeep and maintenence then say a Toyota of the same vintage. This is why well documented maintenence is important. Often times the little problems don't get fixed which later become bigger and more costly problems. Used parts are abundant and if you're a DIY'er this might be the truck for you. If all pans out, Rovers are tanks that will never let you down.
Off hand this is what would check:
See if the swivel balls are leaking at all on the front axle. If so the inners may have a blown seal or the whole thing will need to be replaced. Can be costly new, can also be used as a bargaining chip.
Dual sunroofs are awesome if you can use them. Disco dual sunroofs are notorious for being crap. They become misaligned over time and either stick when you want to open them or don't open at all. If they stick you can't really wheel with them open because they will make a ton of clattering noise that will make you think the glass is going to shatter over your head. Parts are easy to come by used but components pertaining to the track mechanism are not sold seperately from the dealer. If you can live without them working properly or at all, cool.
Check the window rubber around the rear glass and alpine windows. If it is cracked, as they usually are, plan on replacing them. You can get the rubber for a good price from RoverConnection and it doesn't cost a lot in labor. Now if you live in a climate that is not arid, look for signs corrosion, especially around the alpine windows.
Is there oil seeping from the headgasket and valley pan gasket. If so, you will have to change that eventually.
Valves on high mile Rovers are notorious for sticking, especially when used with anything less than premium gasoline.
Does it overheat. Check the fan clutch. Check to see if there is any seeping around the water pump.
The power steering will likely be leaking. See where it is usually parked to get an idea of how much it leaks. If they haven't steam cleaned to motor, see how wet it is near the reservoir, box, and undercarriage.
If it hasn't already been changed, the oil pan gasket will be either seeping or leaking. Check it out, make the call.
Does the T-case leak?
How bad does it leak out of the rear main seal and t-case seal.
Does the Center Diff Lock work properly? If it won't go into low, the hi-low solenoid switch will probably need to be removed or replaced, it'll work after that either way.
Does the cruise control work. If not you will need to change the rubber vacuum lines because they are likely cracked.
Do the windows roll up and down easily. If there is any creaking or popping sound, the nylon wheel in the window regulator is going to pop and break in half. Once it does that the windows will no longer stay up. You can buy the parts new or used (but not the wheel), or fix it yourself with nylon washers and parts readily available from a hardware store.
Does it have exhaust leaks or a cracked manifold. It is a common problem with these things. Gaskets and hardware will run you about $100 excluding the manifold if needed.
Is the belt tensioner in good order. They go bad and often go un-noticed.
How do the brakes feel. Rovers aren't known for their performance braking but they shouldn't be too spongy.
Has the electrical system been messed with. Often times previous owners like to add a lot of stuff to their Rovers which can lend itself to half arsed work and the all you can eat spaghetti nightmare buffet.
You are not likely to have all of these problems with this truck, if so RUN because you should be able to find a better truck for the same price. These are just the things I have seen on other higher mileage Rovers that exist. The leaking will be inevitable but the difference will be a flesh wound or a ruptured corroted artery. Take an inventory of what you find to be wrong, put a worst-case-scenario-highest-cost possible list together and see if that number will work for you. If not, walk away and pay a little more for a truck with less problems and less mileage. You may even have to settle for a bone stock mall-crawler, but who says that's a bad thing.
Off hand this is what would check:
See if the swivel balls are leaking at all on the front axle. If so the inners may have a blown seal or the whole thing will need to be replaced. Can be costly new, can also be used as a bargaining chip.
Dual sunroofs are awesome if you can use them. Disco dual sunroofs are notorious for being crap. They become misaligned over time and either stick when you want to open them or don't open at all. If they stick you can't really wheel with them open because they will make a ton of clattering noise that will make you think the glass is going to shatter over your head. Parts are easy to come by used but components pertaining to the track mechanism are not sold seperately from the dealer. If you can live without them working properly or at all, cool.
Check the window rubber around the rear glass and alpine windows. If it is cracked, as they usually are, plan on replacing them. You can get the rubber for a good price from RoverConnection and it doesn't cost a lot in labor. Now if you live in a climate that is not arid, look for signs corrosion, especially around the alpine windows.
Is there oil seeping from the headgasket and valley pan gasket. If so, you will have to change that eventually.
Valves on high mile Rovers are notorious for sticking, especially when used with anything less than premium gasoline.
Does it overheat. Check the fan clutch. Check to see if there is any seeping around the water pump.
The power steering will likely be leaking. See where it is usually parked to get an idea of how much it leaks. If they haven't steam cleaned to motor, see how wet it is near the reservoir, box, and undercarriage.
If it hasn't already been changed, the oil pan gasket will be either seeping or leaking. Check it out, make the call.
Does the T-case leak?
How bad does it leak out of the rear main seal and t-case seal.
Does the Center Diff Lock work properly? If it won't go into low, the hi-low solenoid switch will probably need to be removed or replaced, it'll work after that either way.
Does the cruise control work. If not you will need to change the rubber vacuum lines because they are likely cracked.
Do the windows roll up and down easily. If there is any creaking or popping sound, the nylon wheel in the window regulator is going to pop and break in half. Once it does that the windows will no longer stay up. You can buy the parts new or used (but not the wheel), or fix it yourself with nylon washers and parts readily available from a hardware store.
Does it have exhaust leaks or a cracked manifold. It is a common problem with these things. Gaskets and hardware will run you about $100 excluding the manifold if needed.
Is the belt tensioner in good order. They go bad and often go un-noticed.
How do the brakes feel. Rovers aren't known for their performance braking but they shouldn't be too spongy.
Has the electrical system been messed with. Often times previous owners like to add a lot of stuff to their Rovers which can lend itself to half arsed work and the all you can eat spaghetti nightmare buffet.
You are not likely to have all of these problems with this truck, if so RUN because you should be able to find a better truck for the same price. These are just the things I have seen on other higher mileage Rovers that exist. The leaking will be inevitable but the difference will be a flesh wound or a ruptured corroted artery. Take an inventory of what you find to be wrong, put a worst-case-scenario-highest-cost possible list together and see if that number will work for you. If not, walk away and pay a little more for a truck with less problems and less mileage. You may even have to settle for a bone stock mall-crawler, but who says that's a bad thing.
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revor
Explorer
Like the Skipper says...
In a nutshell you can find a bone stock (no mods at all) Disco has been well cared for (year doesn't really matter but check to make sure it wasn't made on a Friday) You can be miles ahead.. We bought the '97 SD 5 years ago with 78 K on the clock, never messed bone stock. It has survived so many iterations and Mods (plus testing) it's hard to believe it's still running! But at 140K it's doing .. well ... ahhh ... pretty well (last year was kinda hard on it)
In a nutshell you can find a bone stock (no mods at all) Disco has been well cared for (year doesn't really matter but check to make sure it wasn't made on a Friday) You can be miles ahead.. We bought the '97 SD 5 years ago with 78 K on the clock, never messed bone stock. It has survived so many iterations and Mods (plus testing) it's hard to believe it's still running! But at 140K it's doing .. well ... ahhh ... pretty well (last year was kinda hard on it)
sami
Explorer
wow, thank you for all the response and ideas as for what to look into.
I went and test drove it today, and wasn't too impressed with it. the interior was falling apart, and it was super sluggish. the 22RE's in my 4runners would kick it's ***.
i'm gonna hold out for a better deal, but thank you again for all the insight guys.
-Jason
I went and test drove it today, and wasn't too impressed with it. the interior was falling apart, and it was super sluggish. the 22RE's in my 4runners would kick it's ***.
i'm gonna hold out for a better deal, but thank you again for all the insight guys.
-Jason
revor
Explorer
I went and test drove it today, and wasn't too impressed with it. the interior was falling apart, and it was super sluggish. the 22RE's in my 4runners would "BLOW IT'S DOORS OFF LIKE IT'S GOING BACKWARDS!!!!
There fixed it for you
That's pretty normal you have to remember these trucks are heavy!! Compared to the Four Runner. Roomy, unique, exceptional on and off road but heavy.
There fixed it for you
That's pretty normal you have to remember these trucks are heavy!! Compared to the Four Runner. Roomy, unique, exceptional on and off road but heavy.
Scott Brady
Founder
01001010 said:
Yep, find a DI with less than 100k and a good maint. history. My little 95 with a manual and base model everything is my dream Rover. It is the one I should have bought in 2001 when I got the DII.
They do require a little attention and love though. I am going to be aggressive on PM with this one and see if I can keep it problem free. It will never be like a Land Cruiser for ultimate reliability, but I bet you can get close with an effective PM schedule and staying on top of leaks and noises.
It is too early to know if my logic will work
Scott Brady
Founder
Mine is surprisingly quick. Of course it being completely stock and with a manual really helps.