New Potential Disco I/II Owner

[whall85]

Hello Everyone, My name is Will and I'm currently in the market for a Land Rover (Disco I or II). Been lurking on the forums for a few days and decided to make it official by signing up! A little about myself: As long-time BMW guy, I'm certainly no stranger to older cars nickle-&-dime'ing their owners to death! I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade, currently working in corporate aviation (Jets & Helos), so I'm no stranger to a wrench, either. Hopefully, my background in both will serve me well with these vehicles! I've already downloaded the RAVE manual and been paging through it casually. Looking forward to picking up a cheap(er), capable and relatively dependable Disco to replace my M3 for winter driving! Cheers, Will

[DonRW2007]

Well, welcome! If you've been perusing the forums, you've noticed that there is a great deal of passion for these trucks. I'm a relative neophyte - owned for about 9 months what I consider to be a low maintenance 2001 Disco 2. That being said, my total costs to date, including vehicle, is somewhere in the $8000 range. Truck was $5500. Being a handy mechanic, as you indicate, might save preventive maintenance costs appreciably. Depending upon individual vehicle and your abilities, you can probably do better.

Continue your research, wait for the right example to come along, stay plugged into the forums, and keep your mechanic skills polished!

Best of luck!

[ctDiscoii]

Hey Will, best of luck. I am new to the LR world, a 3 month old owner of an '03 Disco ii, jumped in with both feet. The truck has 100k miles, but was really neglected and sat awhile. I've gone through the engine compartment and torn apart and replaced/updated most everything regular maintenance wise. Also replaced most of front drivetrain/brakes/hubs/etc. I am growing to love it...
This forum has been unbelievably helpful; this, the RAVE manual, and an obdii scan takes care of most everything. It is a challenging project, but manageable and fun. Big thanks to many senior members, including Disco Mike for much spot on advice and keeping the threads grounded.
Take it easy and have fun, Steve

[MU ///M3]

Don't replace your M3! Supplement it!

E36 or E46?

[Savannah Buzz]

One search tool is www.statewidelist.com, which indexes craigslist for a state, and sorts by metro area, you spec price range and dealer or owner sales. Handy to seach what is available. Regardless of expertise, it you can have an indy mechanic look at it, pre-purchase inspection, you'll have a more realistic view (and other guy does not have the hots for a new truck).. D1 older design, some parts bigger, D2 more complex and featured, some of those features bring their own electrical gremlins. Best deal ever, other than donation - RoxieMoxie bought her first truck, a D2, for $2000 - 117 miles - garaged by an eccentric owner.....

Gulfstreams?

[whall85]

Thanks for the welcome everybody!

Originally Posted by MU ///M3

Don't replace your M3! Supplement it!

E36 or E46?

'98 E36 M3/4/5

Originally Posted by Savannah Buzz

One search tool is www.statewidelist.com, which indexes craigslist for a state, and sorts by metro area, you spec price range and dealer or owner sales. Handy to seach what is available. Regardless of expertise, it you can have an indy mechanic look at it, pre-purchase inspection, you'll have a more realistic view (and other guy does not have the hots for a new truck).. D1 older design, some parts bigger, D2 more complex and featured, some of those features bring their own electrical gremlins. Best deal ever, other than donation - RoxieMoxie bought her first truck, a D2, for $2000 - 117 miles - garaged by an eccentric owner.....

Gulfstreams?

Thanks for the tips, Buzz. I actually saw one of your older posts in which you recommended that site -- been using it ever since!

And yes, we operate a G550, with one more on order!

I'm currently in talks with a seller who is offering a 2000 D2 for a ridiculous price. As the story goes, he is moving out of the Tri-State area for work (he's a liar -- err, lawyer!) and he also recently purchased a brand new vehicle.

Some of the quick specs:

*'00 D2
*2nd Owner (1st owner was a doctor who regularly vacationed in Florida)
*195K
*Needs:
-- Spare tire
-- Steering Damper (Completely rusted through)
-- Alignment

Those are the things I KNOW are bad. I have not had a chance to get it to a 3rd party mechanic (I know, I know -- I really should). But I feel like the price of the vehicle combined with its history (the truck couldn't have made it 12 years and 195k without needing SOMETHING major) leads me to believe that it was taken care of. And, by and large, the truck is very nice both interior and exterior. I realize I still need to dig into the truck's history, however.

Things I noticed in the test-drive:

*Engine ticking (Much like described in this thread: My Ticking Disco Problem - SOLVED)
-- Could be a dry lifter, could be this flex disc, could be a number of things. The truck is nearing its window for an oil change, so I'll start with the simple things and work my way up.

*Suspension "clunks"
-- Sound emanates from passenger-side suspension components, caused only by imperfections in the road. To me, it sounds like a bad busing of sorts. SLS is still intact, I believe.

*4WD properly shifts from High to Neutral to Low.
*No check engine lights, no "3 Amigos" as I've learned you guys call it!
*No overheating, or symptoms of it.
*Everything in the interior works except the seat heaters, and the passenger's door does not unlock with the remote.

That's it.

I know it would tough for you guys to give me a "Yay" or "Nay" based on this limited information. Keep in mind, this truck would be used for the winter months as a daily driver. It does not need to be perfect -- just safe.

So the question is; do I go for it?