what to look for in a Disco 1?

[kokopelli]

Howdy.
joined up after lurking and reading a bit...couldn't find a 'sticky' on this:

coming from a Jeep ownership history, (and a '90 RRC breifly) I am interested in a Discovery. I've found one semi local that intrigues me- it's a '98 LE with 85,000 miles on the odo. I know they don't hold their value greatly- but they are asking just under $4,000...
I can see in pics headliner just starting to sag...I know that is common-
What all should I look for? -besides looking for obvious rust, accident evidence, etc...

side note- I've seen a few Disco's for sale that state 'rebuilt engine' at 80-90,000 miles- is it common for these to need major repairs sub 100k miles?

I work on all my own cars and can do most projects myself, so normal maintenance items I can do myself. I just know that every vehicle has their own 'quirks', and want to know some things to look for...

thanks! :victory:

 

[mburnett]

100k = head gaskets
I have 2 discos and did them both.

 

[post]

you'll either love it or hate it...there's not a lot of middle ground

 

[rover4x4]

Rust, and interior wear and tear. The majority of mechanical short comings can be addressed, rust and piecing together an interior that been abused is hard.

 

[msggunny]

A dead hooker

 

[kokopelli]

head gaskets I can do...
I'll get under it to look for rust...
interior looks to be in great shape...with the exception of the headliner- it is juuuust starting to sag at the front a bit.

I'll have to look under the seats for dead hookers.
I plan on going to take a look at it tomorrow.

 

[stu454]

It wouldn't hurt to check under the front carpets for rust.

 

[Tugela]

When I bought my Disco I thought "Cool, a distinctive and rare paint color." Now whenever I need trim pieces I wonder why I bought one with such a distinctive and rare paint color. Not the most important factor, but one more piece of information to consider.

On a test drive listen/feel for shifting issues and a clunk in the transfer case when shifting from park to drive/vice versa.

Look for leaks. Common ones: coolant, oil, power steering.

 

[d1driver]

Pull screws out of door sills and look under carpet in all 5 doors. Can be done using a drill in less than 5 minutes.

Check corners of rear doors for rust. On the body, not the door itself. They rust from the inside out there.

Back in the day, I bought my 98 LSE out of Nashville, and it had no rust anywhere with 71k miles on it. Even the entire undercarriage was rust free.

Regarding the headgaskets, look for coolant around the valley gasket in front and back. If you don't see antifreeze anywhere, I would not worry about them.

If everything runs good, shifts fine, feels nice and tight, I would go for it!

 

[listerdiesel]

Boot floor (rear compartment) and around the rear wings inside the doors.

Engines are pretty robust, but most Discos get up into the 100K miles area pretty well, so you'll be starting to get worn wheel bearings, steering swivels and the like.

The good part is that almost everything is repairable and parts available, although not as cheaply as in the UK.

Peter

 

[RoverbyProxy]

check diff lock operation as well as engaging low range. try to find one without sunroofs

 

[kokopelli]

check diff lock operation as well as engaging low range. try to find one without sunroofs

this one has sunroofs everywhere. ill check for leaks.

 

[listerdiesel]

Sunroofs are not that difficult to seal, take out the headlining and get the sunroofs out and use Sikaflex to seal them to the roof.

On a warm dry day you can get the job done in one day.

Roof bar mounts also need attention.

Peter

 

[salvvia]

Check inside the oil fill on valve cover for clumps of carbon
Evidence of water in the airbox. You never know who is telling you the tru history
Look for lifting of the rubber seal around outside the windshield

Look closely for evidence demon possesion theROVER DEMON

 

[kokopelli]

went by the place today and it wasn't there :ack:
they're closed today- but the mechanic was there working in the gargage, so I talked to him to get the lowdown-
seems they had sold it to a guy they know from the shop who has/had other Rovers, when they got it in they did valve cover and intake gaskets, and fixed a sunroof leak. He said other than that it didn't have any issues. So the guy bought this one for the wife, then ended up buying a newer shortly thereafter.
They had it on their lot to re-sell for him, and he was going to be bringing it back after the weekend....so I'm waiting on a phone call....

 

[AfiRover]

Needs lots of stickers and a roof rack.

 

[kokopelli]

Needs lots of stickers and a roof rack.

they will be 'tactical' stickers

 

[roverandom]

$4000 is way too much. $2500 is more like it.

 

[kokopelli]

$4000 is way too much. $2500 is more like it.

really? it's actually $3700...but 2500 is more realistic?

 

[riceybean]

2500 to 3k if its in nice condition, you shouldnt have to pay for the work they just did, at least not all of it.

Thats what they are going for up here anyway. Tons on CL for that price evereyday.