I'm from Hartford, CT but I go to school in Ithaca, NY. My current daily driver is a Volvo 240, but a RWD Volvo isn't the right car for snowy, hilly Ithaca.

I've been considering LR Discoverys because I'd greatly prefer a manual transmission, and they're basically the only SUV I've found available with a 5-speed.

I'm going tomorrow to look at a '96 Discovery. Seller tells me it runs great and has no rust, but needs a brake booster. Also tells that the windows are finicky. I should be able to get the car for $1000 or so.

I do all of my own work, so I'm not too worried about pricey mechanics. Are Discoverys easy to work on though? What should I keep an eye out for when I inspect the '96 tomorrow? Are these cars really as unreliable as folks say?

 

All cars are unreliable. That out of the way, They are fairly easy to work on and you can do the work yourself IF you keep up on maintenance. Maintenance is a must on these vehicles. No slacking or your wallet will pay. If there are no problems at all, then 1k is good price. Check EVERYTHING. Windows(all switches, not just the front ones that control the rear), door locks, Center Diff Lock, 4low, sunfoofs, rear step, all lights and lenses, front and rear fog lamps. The list goes on and on. Look at the owners manual and check everything it has. If it doesn't work, tell him you need to think about it and get back on here with what you found to see if it could be an easy or difficult fix. Does it idle at about 750rpm ALL the time? Good luck.

 

The owner tells me that the car has CEL from the broken brake booster and failed emissions because of it. Been unregistered since April...I think I might keep looking for another car.

 

I know of no car that can trigger a CEL because of a broken brake booster. Maybe cause the vehicle to have non-power brakes, or affect ABS operations, but that would be an ABS light, not a CEL. Unless the diaphram had a hole and gave the vehicle a had vacuum leak, but you would still then have no power brakes and a bad idle.

 

a decent condition 96 with a 5 speed? and it actual runs for a 1000 bucks? I would have been all over that! I would kill for a 5 speed. Hell, where is it? For a grand I'll trailer it home.

 

Is it worth it to you to buy a cheap $50 scan tool so you can read codes? Then you could look the codes up yourself and see if it is something you could fix easily or if you should run and hide. Great tool to have if you are used car shopping.

 

if you register it ct, you have 30 days to have it emission tested. after thirty days its a 20 $ late fee. You have two years of driving with only the 20$ late fee, when your registration is up it has to pass emissions, i suppose you could then cancel the reg. wait a month, then register it again.....

 

I actually had a scan tool until last week, until I left it in a car I was looking at buying. The owner was very rude and the whole experience was uncomfortable, so I never went back for the reader.

If I bought the car for $1000, fixed it up and drove it for a year or so, would I be able to get my money out of it when it came time to sell?

Owner say bad brake booster causes low vacuum which triggers CEL. Sounds plausible.

 

Ask to take it for another test drive, drive to a parts store and have the car scanned. See what the code is. Do the power brakes work? If they feel like they do, then you probably don't have a vacuum leak in the booster. If the only problem is a bad brake booster, why doesn't the owner just fix it and drive it? Booster is only $269 at NAPA. Two bolts, one clip, remove, install new.(simplified version) If you drove it and that was the only problem along with "finicky" windows, then sounds like a good deal. Have you driven it?

 

Not sure why the owner hasn't fixed it. Car is not registered, so I can't take it for an extended test drive. Owner says after it failed emissions he took it off the road but still takes it for a quick spin every week or so.

Will go see the car tomorrow. Have not seen it yet.

And a local junkyard has an "A" quality brake booster for just $30...

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