| Author | Message | ||
     Keith Mitchell (Keith_indy) New Member Username: Keith_indy Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 |
New to this website and forum, so let me know if the questions been answered somewhere else... I'm looking at buying a 96 Discovery. Seems like it's at a good price, $7000. No rust, drives great, a little wear and tear on the seats. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for with these? | ||
| Jess Brandt (Disco285) Member Username: Disco285 Post Number: 176 Registered: 09-2002 |
where is it from? i love the north, but you don't want there salty motor vehicles... Also, if you can find soccer mom's land rovers... those are the best... cuz they have never been off road. I've purchased two and have found these two things to be very good. Test Drive it, and thats about it! Jess | ||
| Keith Mitchell (Keith_indy) New Member Username: Keith_indy Post Number: 2 Registered: 12-2003 |
That's cool. It's local to Indianapolis, and has all the maint records. Doesn't even look like it's been on a dirt road from the cleanliness of the under carraige. Hoping we can work out a trade on my 2000 Sable for this. | ||
| Lewis Jones (Cutter) Senior Member Username: Cutter Post Number: 279 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Maint. records are a BIG plus! I have two DII's and they have both been trouble free. The DI's my buddies have are also great rigs, the undercarrage can be cleaned, but you can probably tell if its been off road much by scratches underthere, etc. Unless its got a ton of miles that would be a good price here. I'd suggest a CarFax title check. It gives you a piece of mind and they have a guarantee in case they miss something (like an accident that wasn't reported). And welcome to the world of Rovers!! | ||
| Keith Mitchell (Keith_indy) New Member Username: Keith_indy Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2003 |
125,000 miles on it. Not unreasonable in my view. Bought the Sable last year, and have already put 30K on it, so we want to get rid of it while it still has some value. I want to get something I'll keep after I'm done with the payments and I've always wanted a Disco (I think the Camel Trophies turned me onto them.) Keep forgetting about carfax, I'll have to stop by and get the VIN tonight. Thanks for the advice everyone... | ||
| Justin Sherfy (Jrsherfy) New Member Username: Jrsherfy Post Number: 25 Registered: 08-2003 |
Keith, Do you know anything about Discoverys? I mean, have you studied up on Discoverys and their track record for reliability? Here's the reason I ask. I bought a Disco about four months ago. I love it. But, sometimes they can be a pain. I have one friend who hates his ('99 Disco II) because it has spent so much time in the shop. Then, I have another friend and he has a Disco I with 150,000 miles, and it has been relatively trouble free. I strongly encourage you to be prepared for nagging problems. If the problems come, you're not surprised. If you never have a problem, great! The bottom line is, if you want something that has a greater probability of lasting a long time without a major problem, buy a Toyota. If you want a vehicle you can take camping, go off-roading in, make cool modifications to and that just looks good, a Discovery is my choice. And, if you do get the Disco, remember that's one of the main reasons we're on this website -- to help each other out with the problems. Hope your in the club soon. Good luck with your purchase. JRS | ||
| Keith Mitchell (Keith_indy) New Member Username: Keith_indy Post Number: 4 Registered: 12-2003 |
None of my current 6 vehicles are problem free, so that's not really a problem. I'll be looking through the maint logs and doing the carfax before making a final decision. From what little time I've spent on here, I haven't seen any issues that I would have a problem with. That's also why I came here, for help, all the other boards I found referenced this site and forum. The internet has made researching and owning vehicles a lot less frustrating than the old days. | ||
| Lewis Jones (Cutter) Senior Member Username: Cutter Post Number: 282 Registered: 10-2003 |
With six vehicles you can have some down time with out it being to stressful. And if you fall in love with your Rover like most of us have, no matter how many problems that come up, it'll still be fun! As you have noticed from this board Rover people are a great help. If your not a member of a club yet, do it as soon as possible. You'll meet great people and it'll keep the enthusiasm (SP?) up! And if you get down to Moab, look me up! again, Welcome to the Rover world! Lewis Jones | ||
| Joe M. (Little_joe) Senior Member Username: Little_joe Post Number: 274 Registered: 11-2002 |
IMHO that price is high for the miles. Pull up carpet to check for rust - floorboards and cargo area. Check underside of rear doorjambs for rust. Check for water ingress around front windshield, alpine windows, rear door. Some leaks are easy to fix, others require some time or money. They all leak, don't let that alarm you. They are relatively easy to work on (electronics are a mess) so if you can do your own work it's not as frustrating as paying the shop rates, which can be exorbitant. A lot of the wear or maintenance items are no more expensive than Ford or Toyota, if you know where to shop. I absolutely love my 96 and I hate it at times - but I also have another vehicle I an drive, so when the Disco is sitting I don't get all freaked out. I would not buy an older one if it was the only vehicle in the driveway.  joe | ||
| Tom Fioretti (Tom_in_md) Member Username: Tom_in_md Post Number: 124 Registered: 02-2003 |
Negotiation points: -Rotoflex worn -Rust on rear door hinges -Original fuel pump? -Noisey valves -Original brake rotors? -Dash warped -Check Engine and Anti-Lock indicator bulbs present, lit ? | ||
| eric johnson (Eric2) Member Username: Eric2 Post Number: 166 Registered: 05-2003 |
See www.robisonservice.com, click Land Rover , then Buying a Rover (or whatever he calls it). 96-97 have lowest build quality of any Rovers. 96-98 4.0 engines tend to leak more than they ought. This is a good sight to check out, with lots of good info. Too bad all dealers aren't like this. Just be extra careful of the 96-97's. | ||
| Keith Mitchell (Keith_indy) New Member Username: Keith_indy Post Number: 5 Registered: 12-2003 |
That dows look like a good resource, but this link wasn't easy to find. http://www.robisonservice.com/servicedep/rover_advice1.asp | ||
| ron morgan (Rpm2429) New Member Username: Rpm2429 Post Number: 12 Registered: 08-2003 |
My wife has a 96 se-7, great piece of english metal, I keep trying to blow up my car so I can get another rover for me. She drives like John Force in the Dakar Rally. Unbeliveable four wheeling in it, pulled my brother-in-laws hummer out a couple of times ( but he won't admit it ). Good luck, rovers rock, Ron |
