Hey there always loved the look of land rovers. i found this one i am considering purchasing. any specific things to look for? i talked to the guy and he said the check engine was on because of the catalytic converter. its also been sitting for a couple months but he claims it starts right up and "purrs". ill be going to look at it this weekend.

thanks

-E

1997 Land Rover Discovery SD, $2,250 - Cars.com

 

Ask when the head gaskets were replaced and not if. Everything else is pretty much standard, check the brakes, trans fluid. Etc I like the red.

 

1. Watch out for rust in the rear section underneath the jumpseats. You have to lift up the carpet to get a good look.

2. Check leaks coming from the sunroof

Good luck!

 

read https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...scovery-21328/

Also take a scanner, check for codes, and watch coolant temp after a test drive of 20 minutes and idling. Want under 200F when driving at highway speed. And no strange ticking at idle after warm up.

 

1. Check to make sure it can maintain operating temps. Drive it until it comes to temp and then let it idle for 20 mins.
2. Make sure all the lights in the dash come on when you first turn the key. SRS/ABS bulbs like to go missing. I'd make sure someone hasnt hidden a problem by pulling a bulb.
3. Auto or 5 spd? I have a 5 spd so I can only give advice there. Dont assume sticky shifting can be corrected by a change to synthetic MTF. In my case my syncros are going out. Changing to Redline MTF helped tremendously but a tranny rebuild is ahead and good luck finding someone willing to tackle a 96 Disco 5 spd in Houston for less than $1500!
4. JB Welding putty does wonders to fix undercarriage rust.
5. Dont worry about nonworking windows or door locks. easy to repair.
6. Sunroofs are a pain if you want them working but it will give you an excuse to R&R the headliner. Once the headliner is out the sunroofs are pretty easy and are interchangable between the D1 and D2 so most junk yards will have them for you.
7. Given that its been sitting a while you're probably going to have some gremlins to works out. Know that upfront and hope for the best but expect to drop $2000 into within the first 6 mos of regular driving.

 

zigzag hit the nail on the head. I purchased mine about 4 months ago for about the same price and have already put in another $1,500 so far. I find that parts in my local area are crazy high so i get parts online like ebay or parts warehouse etc, etc. there about 50 - 80% cheaper like that. I would look at the radiator and really look at the temperature gauge. If it is running half way or higher on the gauge it will need work. It is already over heating. The thing is everyone says it runs smoothly because they are smooth running engines. The interesting thing about the listing is kids sale cars and a just washed Landy always looks better in photos. It does look nice though.

 

Hey everyone thanks for the advice, I went and looked at the car and it was In pretty bad shape. The breaks were really loose and I had to push them all the way to the floor for them to work and even then they barely stopped the truck.i literally watched the car drop oil as it ran. It it took like 5 seconds of it turning over for it to start. The catalytic converter was shot and the entire engine was covered in Coolant and oil. The maintence records stopped at 100k, the car has 140k now. Overall I just got a bad vibe from it. The owner said that be previous owner had given it to his teenager daughter for the past 50k miles. I think I'm gona keep on looking.

 

Wise choice.

 

sounds like a fantastic project to stretch the wallet and sanity.
Probably worth while for an enthusiast & extremist Landy nut, but not for a novice.
Looks good in the photos.

 

would be ok for 250 not 2250, I paid 2200 a few years back for mine, if I knew then what I know now I would not have bought it or got it a hell of a lot cheaper