Rare (?) 1997 Discovery SD 5 sp manual

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DiscoHasBeen

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robertf said:
cool. I love my 97 SD, but its been wrecked multiple times and has 300k on the clock so the BAT crowd probably wouldn't approve
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Is yours a manual? That what makes it so rare according to one of the posters there. Does he know what he's talking about, IHNI. But according to him there may only be 5 or 6 of them in the US.
 
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robertf

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Jan 22, 2006
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yes its manual. theres at least hundreds, if not thousands of 97 SD in both ael and non-ael. almost all that Ive seen, mine included, are rioja red.

maybe the guy means a non rioja red 97 SD manual is rare, but that's getting really specific
 
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DiscoHasBeen

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robertf said:
theres at least hundreds, if not thousands of 97 SD in both ael and non-ael.
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Yeah but are they manual?

His post.

I’ve had a manual disco since they still had factory warranty’s. 97s are a little special as only about 100 or so 97s had the three pedals. I’ve got a 97 now and for the last 10ish years have been looking for the “LAST” three pedal truck Land Rover brought to the states. I need to see what the date on that build sticker is. This is wild, I only know about 5 or 6 97 5-speeds in the US. This is a very very rare vehicle. The 96 and before manuals are rare, but not as rare as this. Zero option discos are the way to go, ALL the extras you paid xtra for when new age horribly and break (sunroofs, electric seats, rear AC, leather). These stripper trucks are perfect and quite simple and easy to repair.

And this.

Ok, just found the pic of the build decal in the door jam, except the date on it is curled over. This truck is from the second half of 97 because it’s an AELS truck. Mid 97 they switched evap systems and this is the advanced evap.

IDK about all that shit, but this looks to be as clean of an example of a 90's Discovery as I've seen.
 
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robertf

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Jan 22, 2006
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I think Ive seen him post on various forums, maybe even here. Never seen anything credible that says the amount manufactured.

Shouldn't be too hard for an insurance company or dmv to search "saljy1284v*" and put this nonsense to rest
edit: mine is saljy1283v. 4 is ael maybe?
 
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terryjm1

terryjm1

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It would be a really nice one to have but it’s not pristine. It will be interesting to see how much it brings. If someone here buys it I can help with that torn drivers seat. I will be swapping in an exmoor trim upholstery kit at some point. I purchased a set before they stopped making the tan/black version.
 
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StangGT5

StangGT5

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I've sold and bid on cars on BaT for years, and the gushing always has me saying "gosh". Maybe I just don't have the 5spd envy others do.

SDs are rare, SD7s rarer, and SD7 5spds even rarer. Still, it's not in great shape and will likely be a bit of headache to get looking and performing well.

I highly doubt BaT would've accepted this diamond in the rough if it weren't for the seller's cache. At least it's going to a good cause.
 
terryjm1

terryjm1

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StangGT5 said:
I've sold and bid on cars on BaT for years, and the gushing always has me saying "gosh". Maybe I just don't have the 5spd envy others do.

SDs are rare, SD7s rarer, and SD7 5spds even rarer. Still, it's not in great shape and will likely be a bit of headache to get looking and performing well.

I highly doubt BaT would've accepted this diamond in the rough if it weren't for the seller's cache. At least it's going to a good cause.
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Completely agree. It’s at that point it’s going to need a good bit of attention. I appreciate the seller admitting it is a project. The 5-speed is the primary draw to me. My wife says I am a closet control freak. Sadly, I’m beginning to think she is correct. I even want total control of shifting…

It’s not rusty and that is a big deal. Paint work, and I would want that redone, has become prohibitively expensive over the last 5-10 years and that greatly factors into my budget for such vehicles. I’m seriously considering taking the auto body program at the community college. The value for what you have to pay for a good paint job just doesn’t work for me any longer. I have a big shop, I might just build a hillbilly paint booth.
 
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DiscoHasBeen

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terryjm1 said:
It’s not rusty and that is a big deal. Paint work, and I would want that redone, has become prohibitively expensive over the last 5-10 years and that greatly factors into my budget for such vehicles. I’m seriously considering taking the auto body program at the community college. The value for what you have to pay for a good paint job just doesn’t work for me any longer. I have a big shop, I might just build a hillbilly paint booth.
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When I said it was clean, the undercarriage and the lack of rust was exactly what I was talking about. The interior and the paint can be dealt with, but rust.. screw that.

If I'm buying that, it's not going to be a daily driver. It'll be a cool around the hood, hit some light trails, fun in the snow rig. As such I'm not painting that vehicle, I'm going the Raptor liner route. I've done the hood of my son's 4Runner, a Kubota tractor, and various other things with the product and it has held up outstandingly well. The only thing I really need to do is fool around with spraying it out of a Pneumatic paint gun to get the texture a little smoother. $500 or less, and a little elbow grease and done. I'm afraid those guys are going to bid that up way more than I want to pay, but if they didn't and it were closer...
 
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Blueboy

Blueboy

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Looks nice. The manual Defenders I’ve had were fun to drive yet like the slush box in the Rangie and Disco. My ‘96 D1 SD is pretty clean and well maintained and like any vintage Rover still has its quirks. Very glad the original owner ordered it with leather as with 2 Labs a cloth interior would be a constant vacuum experience!

IMG_7054.jpeg
 
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terryjm1

terryjm1

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I would figure it’s non-bat sale price around $7000. if I was looking for one that would have been my best offer.
 
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DiscoHasBeen

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terryjm1 said:
I would figure it’s non-bat sale price around $7000. if I was looking for one that would have been my best offer.
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About 5-6 yrs ago I got an itch and started surfing Craigslist for a mid 90's DI's thinking if I found the right rig I might buy one. So back then I had an idea what they were going for. Have no idea what they are bring now, was simply going by the "oh wow, look at this" vibe. I wonder if that place has burner accounts in an attempt to boost enthusiasm/drive up bidding?
 
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DiscoHasBeen

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bri said:
Still good money for junk!
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Having some time on my hands I did a search yesterday on Craigslist. Started in North Carolina, went down the east coast to Florida, crossed Alabama and Louisiana into Texas and the Dallas area. Then I jumped over to the West Coast and went up California, Oregon, Washington. I found maybe 10 or so DI for sale. Also looked on Cars and auto trader. I found like five between both sites, one of them 19k. There was one in California for 18k, then a few decent examples for 4-7k and then various pieces of s***, and parts vehicles.

If that Discovery didn't live up to your standards then maybe this one.

bringatrailer.com

No Reserve: 2000 Land Rover Discovery II

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 2000 Land Rover Discovery II at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #63,020.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
 
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