Maddmatt
Explorer
So I think I found my unicorn!
I'm old enough and have been around long enough that several several 'Classic' 4X4's have passed through my garage, including:
'77 Scout SSII - First car
'81 Hilux Longbed - Introduction to Overlanding. Called it camping back then, had a Brahma topper, mattress and a cooler.
'76 FJ40 - 'nuff said
'89 FJ62 - Loved this truck and it's 'acre of sheet metal' hood - made even the easiest trails a fun challenge
'96 4-Runner - Electric Diff Lock, and everything worked perfect when I traded it in with 289K
'10 Xterra SE - Truly believe this is a classic in the making, and will probably be with me forever...
But yesterday I found the marque that had eluded me - my first Rover. 2001 DiscoII - 132k on it, and one of the cleanest used cars I've ever seen. Has all the good toys and none of the bad (no airbags in the back), both sunroofs work, in fact all the buttons, lights and toys work.
Not a scratch on it, one documented owner with all factory recommended services showing up on the carfax, plus new heated windscreen (see what I did there, talking all Britishy?) new valve cover gaskets, new power steering pump all within the last six months.
Inside looks great too
Has intermittent 3-Amigos, but that can be taken care of at anytime, this will be a grocery getter/ drive the kids to school mobile for a year or so - planning to hand it over to my oldest when she turns 16 next summer, which gives me the winter to get any gremlins out of it.
Complete checkup by my local Landrover dealer this morning confirmed that it's solid - slight coolant leak which appears to be coming from the radiator, which the original owner swears he still has paperwork and warranty on the replacement (last fall) - previous owner promises aren't worth the paper they aren't printed on, but so far everything else he's said has been accurate, so we'll see. In any case, been driving it around yesterday and today in 90+ temps and gauge has stayed solid, with no visible loss of coolant - just the slight smell.
Worst cosmetic damage is the driver's side headlight squirter, but it still works.
So wanted to say thanks to everybody on this forum - I don't contribute too terribly often, but used several links I found here to educate myself prior to the purchase, so at least I knew (I think) what I was getting into. I went into it with my eyes open enough that I was able to plan to sink a couple grand into right away, which will either be the radiator or the 3 amigos, depending on how the warranty works out. If I learn anything useful on the way I'll be sure to post it to give back a little - all the free information is appreciated.
Hopefully the two trucks get along....
That's it for now!
I'm old enough and have been around long enough that several several 'Classic' 4X4's have passed through my garage, including:
'77 Scout SSII - First car
'81 Hilux Longbed - Introduction to Overlanding. Called it camping back then, had a Brahma topper, mattress and a cooler.
'76 FJ40 - 'nuff said
'89 FJ62 - Loved this truck and it's 'acre of sheet metal' hood - made even the easiest trails a fun challenge
'96 4-Runner - Electric Diff Lock, and everything worked perfect when I traded it in with 289K
'10 Xterra SE - Truly believe this is a classic in the making, and will probably be with me forever...
But yesterday I found the marque that had eluded me - my first Rover. 2001 DiscoII - 132k on it, and one of the cleanest used cars I've ever seen. Has all the good toys and none of the bad (no airbags in the back), both sunroofs work, in fact all the buttons, lights and toys work.
Not a scratch on it, one documented owner with all factory recommended services showing up on the carfax, plus new heated windscreen (see what I did there, talking all Britishy?) new valve cover gaskets, new power steering pump all within the last six months.
Inside looks great too
Has intermittent 3-Amigos, but that can be taken care of at anytime, this will be a grocery getter/ drive the kids to school mobile for a year or so - planning to hand it over to my oldest when she turns 16 next summer, which gives me the winter to get any gremlins out of it.
Complete checkup by my local Landrover dealer this morning confirmed that it's solid - slight coolant leak which appears to be coming from the radiator, which the original owner swears he still has paperwork and warranty on the replacement (last fall) - previous owner promises aren't worth the paper they aren't printed on, but so far everything else he's said has been accurate, so we'll see. In any case, been driving it around yesterday and today in 90+ temps and gauge has stayed solid, with no visible loss of coolant - just the slight smell.
Worst cosmetic damage is the driver's side headlight squirter, but it still works.
So wanted to say thanks to everybody on this forum - I don't contribute too terribly often, but used several links I found here to educate myself prior to the purchase, so at least I knew (I think) what I was getting into. I went into it with my eyes open enough that I was able to plan to sink a couple grand into right away, which will either be the radiator or the 3 amigos, depending on how the warranty works out. If I learn anything useful on the way I'll be sure to post it to give back a little - all the free information is appreciated.
Hopefully the two trucks get along....
That's it for now!
