Hey there! Looking at buying an old Discovery that's been sitting in someone's driveway for 3 years now. 75k miles and can't easily get eyes on it since it's out of town. For a newbie to this vehicle and cars in general, do you think it'd be a worthy project for $5k or something that might be a bigger headache and money sink for a novice. I hope to make it into a roadworthy overlanding vehicle, but I'm just not sure about if I should just look towards something else like a Jeep or Toyota instead and avoid the hassle of this in the states. I'm out of my league, I know, but willing to learn if it's doable for me to service it (or take it to someone else) and not pay a fortune. I know it's got leaking from the sunroof with mold inside - worried about rust from that being left out for so long. New engine and new battery already. Any comments, warnings, votes of confidence, etc?

 

The unknowns here are abundant. If you are able, get more actual details and photos of the vehicle before you buy it. Post back here and we'll go from there.

 

75k is pretty low mileage for these trucks. But all depends on how well the last owner took care of it.

You shouldn’t bother owning one of these things unless you think it’s the coolest damn 4x4 you’ve ever seen. Things need to be inspected, and topped up, and tightened, and replaced etc. constantly! But it’s a relatively simple vehicle, which is great for someone wanting to learn. And your efforts will be rewarded. Just ain't nothing like driving one of these things.

 

On the plus side, we can still get all the Disco parts we need. Of course that's the down side too, we get to pay for them.

My trucks purchase prices were $800 and $1100, then spent $3000 each (and counting) on parts and lots of hours, both with high miles, and both are great now. I've tinkered on cars my whole life and I have a garage. So $5000 for low miles and a "new" engine might be reasonable, unless there is some other serious mechanical or chassis issues. There are a bunch of electronics modules under the passenger kick panel. I would probably check that it's dry down there. And find out why it's been just sitting there. Like Stillruns said above, unknowns are abundant.

If you really are a newbie to cars in general, I would make the effort to have a mechanic look it over and test drive it. There are tons of online videos to research too. Be sure to do your homework first. Do you have a daily driver besides? Is this a second vehicle? I think I'm trying to talk myself out of it??? Maybe start small (Toyota) and work your way up in future.

 

Just bought my 98 at 108K Miles for $4K, only go for it if you have additional cash on hand to make repairs. Mine was in relatively good shape and had been regularly maintained, that said it still needed ~1.8K of additional investment in repairs to get past inspections/emissions in VA (new exhaust, new radiator, new 02 sensors, new tie rod ends). That said nearly 6K for a truck I love really isn't that bad but you do need to be comfortable spending on it and regularly checking on components and replacing them. Finding a good mechanic is also key, I have a guy who used to own two of them so he understands the quirks and knows not to panic just because it leaks (they all leak). I would also say this cannot be the only car you own, you need a more reliable daily driver if you are a commuter. As a wfh guy who has time to tinker and can plan out trips this is an awesome second car.

 

New engine and new battery? OK, a battery after sitting for a few years is a given, but are you sure about the engine? For pricing comparison, my '97 with 110k and a leaking sunroof, having sat for a decade was $500.

If it's truly got a new engine, confirm what "new" means. If they swapped it out with a used one, your 75k miles is questionable and most likely higher for the engine. Maybe much higher. If it was rebuilt, it needs paperwork documenting who it was done by and preferably parts replaced and any other pertinent details. Anything less than that, and it's at best suspect and at worst a drawback.

75k on the chassis is great and may lead to fewer suspension, transmission and similar system issues. You can't fake that (unless the odo is broken...).

Mold in the interior is not possible to get out. You can steam clean and leather clean to your heart's content but once it's been soaked and allowed to grow, it'll always have a mustiness unless you tear out the carpet at a minimum and probably the headliner and maybe seats as well. It's a lot of work and probably not worth it. Ask me how I know. So only move forward if you can live with it, or pay to fix it, or DIY and pay for parts.

As mentioned above, it's all do-able with resources such as this site and YouTube, but you should go in eyes wide open. That rig is not for the faint of heart. You may want to do a back-of-the-napkin assessment for what you'd be into it after doing what you'd need to and then comparing that to what you could get for that $$ that didn't need the work. Another D1 in better condition? A sweet old 4Runner? Might open up some options.