Advice on 99 discovery

[BearRover]

Hello, My gf has decided that her next car shall be a land rover discovery. Shes set her heart on a 99 with 170XXX miles. It's an SE7, black, clean interior. We test drove it, and I didn't hear anything to alarm me, other than what sounded like a loose accessory belt. There was also a pinhole leak in the muffler, but the exhaust smelled fine, no sweet coolant or burning oil smell. The front differential did have a pretty good oil residue on it, and so did the oil pan. My question is, are these things normal, or red-flag raising, run away, don't touch with someone else's 10 foot pole, deal-breaking problems? Also, I found another 99 around my area with 97XXX miles. Second question is which would be a better buy / have less chance of having something deathly wrong with it? The rover that has made it to 170k or the one just entering the problem range? Thank you for any feedback and wisdom that you provide. I'm just very hesitant, and my gf is very independent, and I can't seem to convince her to get a Toyota (don't hate me...). She's coming from 2003 Ford exploder that's dying due to a blown head gasket, so I question how wise is it to switch to another car that has HG issues. Thank you very much, Vlad

[Disco Mike]

First, if you are close to Redwood City, there is a great Rover shop called Cerrones, they also have a forum called the Land Rover Repair Forum, the LRRF. Might want to check with them on local issues.
Also, if you want all your questions answered, PM me your tele number and I'll call you.

[Savannah Buzz]

Either Rover could have more problems around the corner, but obviously the high miles one may be closer to it, or may have had some things done already. You would be wise to invest an hour of a mechanic's time to check out the vehicle. If what you heard while driving was a squeak or a chirp, like a loose belt, that could also be a front drive shaft about to split, and then spear a big hole in the transmission. A serious issue for D2 owners. Rebuild write up in our tech section. With either DIsco, if your will be helping her with the service work, you will have a new hobby. Discos are not just tires and oil at WalMart kind of vehicles.

[BearRover]

Mike, I will be taking you up on that shortly.

SB, I should have clarified, I heard the noise when it was idling, so that leads me to believe it was the belt, and not a front drive shaft.

Thank you both.

[grandkodiak]

Unless it has extensive records of upkeep and repair, id steer very very clear of that 170k. head gasket job, new water pump, front drive shaft, o2 sensors, tranny and axle fluid changes, oil changes... no paper no deal. id buy it for spare parts only unless you want a rebuild! id go over it with a fine tooth comb at those miles from wheel seals, to front end play, suspension, rain leaks under glove box and at sunroofs, abs solinoid leaks, power steering pump leaks/condition, rear valve cover gasket leaks, front cover leaks, bushings all around, brake lines, vac lines, check coolant condition/gravity, oil condition, brake rotors etc etc etc.

the 90k youd be good with standard inspection, but also look at drive shaft in particular... but if it hasnt been done, headgaskets probable in not to distant future, espcially if the previous owner used it offroad, towing or had a heavy foot.

[drowssap]

unless you have written proof that the 170k truck has had a ton of work, you need to treat it the same at the 90k unit. That is everything is due to be serviced or replaced.

Either truck is going to have a lot of 13-year old parts that will need replacing. I would plan on have a couple thousand set aside to for improvements and upgrates the first year.

[dcarr1971]

Originally Posted by drowssap

unless you have written proof that the 170k truck has had a ton of work, you need to treat it the same at the 90k unit. That is everything is due to be serviced or replaced.

Either truck is going to have a lot of 13-year old parts that will need replacing. I would plan on have a couple thousand set aside to for improvements and upgrates the first year.

X2

For example, at 97k if the 2nd truck hasn't had it's head gasket replaced already, then it will probably need one sometime in the near future. The same is probably true of the 170k truck as it's getting back around to that point again.

The '99s can be pretty exceptional values, but make sure you maintenance records, have the truck checked out by an independent Rover mechanic before buying it, remember how old it is, and be prepared to do lots of maintenance to keep it running properly.

[hilltoppersx]

you're screwed either way. chicks should only drive defenders. at least that's what i think.