to buy a '96 D1 or '01 DII ? Opinions pls

D

diamondplate

Member
Mar 4, 2007
19
0
Hello everyone. I have not been on here in quite some time as I sold my '03 Disco when my son was born a few years ago. The Disco bug has bitten me again and I feel the need to plunk down some cash. I would love any feedback from Discoweb to help me with this decision. Doing a local search I found two promising candidates:
Candidate 1:
1996 D1 SE with 132,000 miles. New brakes, water pump and battery. It has an "off road tuff" roof rack. The dash lights do not work, headliner is sagging.
Candidate 2:
2001 DII SE-7 with 158,000 miles. New transmission, new tires and battery. The air suspension was replaced with a conventional shock setup. The radio does not work. There are multiple areas of body damage on the vehicle (dented door, busted front bumper, and rear quarter puncture).

Both of these vehicles are in the asking price range of $3000.

Thanks for any help!
-Jack
 
W

WAAPMAN

Well-known member
Dec 20, 2004
103
0
Atl
the prices are too high, I wouldnt pay more than $2000 for the D1 and $2500 for the DII, thats alot of body damage... why did it need a new transmission? those things seldom fail.
 
LuisC

LuisC

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2004
494
0
Austin, Texas
I would keep looking.
But if you are hellbent and determined that it will be one of those two only, then go with the 96 D1. It sounds like the 01 D2 was abused.
 
J

jhawk

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2009
191
0
Phoenix
I just bought a 94 with 90,000 on it for 2,200. It needed brakes and the door handles adjusted, and that was pretty much it.
 
d1driver

d1driver

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2005
3,153
1
Pittsburgh, PA
I would not buy the 96 unless it has had headgaskets replaced. I see far too many 96's out on the market with headgasket issues.
 
Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,766
566
Seattle
diamondplate said:
I just found out the DII has the three amigos plus check engine light. Yikes
Click to expand...

Run away!

I suggest patience. Over a couple years of Range Rover ownership I learned a lot about what can go wrong with early/mid nineties Rovers. When shopping for my Disco I made a list of criteria that any potential vehicle HAD to meet, such as
- service history
- no engine issues
- no transmission issues
- electrical issues limited to easy fixes
- clean interior
- a maximum mileage

I waited for about 6 months until a Disco came onto the market that met all my criteria. It was hard to be disciplined and stick to my plan, there were several times when I wanted to pull the trigger on a truck that wasn't quite what I wanted but almost close enough. I am so glad I held out. I ended up with a very sound truck for a fair price and am thankful for it every day.

Whatever you do, run the Carfax history and take the truck to your favorite local independent Land Rover specialist BEFORE making an offer on it. It is totally worth spending $100 for a professional inspection. Either the report comes back with a long list of expensive repairs waiting for you, in which case you save thousands by walking away, or it comes back with a short list of repairs, in which case you can feel confident making the purchase. One way or the other you win (or don't lose big). Obviously it can get expensive fast if you take 5 trucks for inspections, so don't do it unless you are pretty sure you have found one you want. The inspection should confirm your own observations, but you should be ready to walk away at the last minute.

Buying a new (old) Rover can be an emotionally driven decision for lots of us who love these vehicles. Being rational about the process is hard when you have your heart set on something, but do try to keep your head in the game. It will save heartbreak later.
 
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